JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

White Tiger by Kylie Chan

Book One in the Dark Heavens Trilogy

When 28-year-old Emma Donahoe becomes a nanny to John Chen’s daughter, Simone, she does not expect to be drawn into a world of martial arts, magic, and extreme danger, where both gods and demons can exist in the mortal world.

Emma gradually realises that John Chen is no ordinary businessman and that nearly all the demons in hell would like to see him dead. John and his American bodyguard, Leo, begin to teach Emma their particular brand of martial arts and special defensive techniques … they also begin to realise that there is something that is different about Emma but exactly what it is, nobody can say.

For the first 80 pages, this novel reads like a romance. Emma accepts a full-time nanny position and can’t quite suppress her feelings for the father. At first it’s intriguing and I wanted to keep reading to see what happened, but then Emma appeared a little needy and at times, she seemed 18 and not 28.

The martial arts/fantasy side of the novel is well written, and John Chen’s character is developed and three dimensional. Kylie should be commended on the humour between Emma and Leo, Simone’s bodyguard. This book will please fantasy readers because it presents an interesting, fantasy/magical take on martial arts and Chinese mythology. Even though the novel is quite long (a little too long), it is fast-paced and the tension developed in the story is engaging for the reader.

I also loved that Kylie’s novel is inclusive of many different types of characters and promotes equality, which is something that I had read before picking up the book. White Tiger consists of characters of different ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, and sexual orientation, and that is quite rare for a fantasy novel. Actually, that’s quite rare for any novel.

My Score: 8/10

The Giver by Lois Lowry

 

Jonas’ world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

I won’t lie. I picked up this book because the ‘major motion picture’ is about to come out, and I was curious. A lot of people seemed to read this in high school, and until the movie trailer was released, I’d never heard of this book. And to think of all the books I had to read in high school that I didn’t enjoy, and here was this book that I would’ve loved to have read in high school.

This novel is fast-paced and has an intriguing premise. It is a great children’s book and I can see why kids would love it. However, in saying that, the book probably could’ve been double the size and helped to fill in a few gaps that I noticed. I read this in a few hours and I wanted to know more about The Giver’s memories and about Jonas’ reaction when he finds out what ‘releasing’ entails. I think that there isn’t enough stylistic development between when Jonas makes this discovery and when he runs off with Gabriel.

Although the novel is fast-paced, at times it was a little too quick. The novel is supposed to take place over approximately one year and I didn’t get that from the text. It seemed like one month, maximum. And I feel like the social dynamic between Jonas and The Giver could’ve been explored more, but since this is children’s fiction, Lowry can get away with it.

My Score: 8/10

Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier

 

Sierra has a despised and forbidden gift — she raises power from the suffering of others. Enslaved by the King’s Torturer, Sierra escapes, barely keeping ahead of Rasten, the man sent to hunt her down. Then she falls in with dangerous company: the fugitive Prince Cammarian and his crippled foster-brother, Isidro.

But Rasten is not the only enemy hunting them in the frozen north and as Sierra’s new allies struggle to identify friend from foe, Rasten approaches her with a plan to kill the master they both abhor. Sierra is forced to decide what price she is willing to pay for her freedom and her life …

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel, which is the first in a fantasy series titled Children of the Black Sun. Spurrier has perfected the art of illustrating a fantasy world without killing 100 trees to do it. The reader is immersed in this cold, depressing, unrelenting world from page one, and although I was a little confused at first and would’ve like a little more explanation, the rest of the book helped the background unfold.

The characterisation and mood are the strengths of this novel, with the main characters (Sierra, Isidro, and Cam) seeming like heroes and villains at the same time. I’d recommend this book for anyone who loves Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. This book would do well with a younger (but mature) audience, although readers be warned that there’s quite graphic torture detailed in this text.

Spurrier paints the cold, bleak world with ease. I felt chills when reading the book, and the characters’ experiences with the unrelenting winter reminded me of north of the wall in Game of Thrones.

My Score: 9/10

Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

I feel obliged to adore all classic books simply because they’re classics, and although that statement works well for Perfume or Lord of the Rings, I didn’t love Robinson Crusoe as much as I would have liked. Perhaps it was because Crusoe, who survives a shipwreck and is stranded on an island for 28 years, isn’t actually stranded until 1/3 of the way through the novel. Or perhaps it’s because Defoe goes into such great detail about Crusoe’s time on the deserted island that it made me a little sleepy.

Crusoe spends 28 years building his own fortress on the island (mostly from things he salvaged from his destroyed ship) by taming animals, gathering food, and learning to hunt. Although detail is needed for the reader to envision Crusoe’s predicament, I often skimmed certain sections of a page because I didn’t feel like reading another explanation of how Crusoe grew his crops and organised them.

I must applaud Defoe on his ability to skip ahead of time without jolting the reader. Much like how Suskind’s Perfume jumped ahead seven years, Defoe is able to skip a couple of years in one line of prose, and the reader rolls with it. But then again, after reading the ’28 years’ in the blurb, the reader is probably aware that some sections of the book are going to skip ahead a few years.

My Score: 7/10

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

I should really review Divergent and The Hunger Games in the same post, because of all the similarities. They’re both dystopian, and the main character in both novels is a feisty female who must learn to survive in an environment full of people trying to kill her.

I read Divergent on a plane from Sydney to Brisbane. I bought it just to read at the start and end of the plane trip when you’re not allowed to listen to music because you have to “switch off all electronic devices”. I ended up reading it the entire trip and then finishing it when I got home.

The premise is at first confusing: futuristic, post-apocalyptic Chicago is separated into different factions (similar to the districts in The Hunger Games). These factions are Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, and Dauntless. Beatrice Prior grew up in Abnegation, the faction known for being selfless. However, in the year she turns 16, she – and all the other 16 year olds in Chicago – can choose if they want to change. Beatrice changes to Dauntless, and becomes Tris.

She is thrust into a violent faction filled with deceit, lies, murder, and brutality. She is trained to be a fighter and defender of the city, and those who fall behind from the group are cast aside and deemed factionless.

The novel has an intriguing premise, but the first fourth of the novel is a little confusing and Roth doesn’t quite explain the setting well enough for the reader to picture it. The main character is refreshingly feisty and learns how to survive. The book has a strong romantic element that I think is missing from The Hunger Games. Tris is independent and relatable, and Roth’s writing is strong. The pace moves quickly and she’s created three dimensional characters.

My Score: 8/10