JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness

The whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt. Led by the formidable Captain Alexandra, they fight a never-ending war against men. Then the whales attack a man ship, and instead of easy prey they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…

With their relentless Captain leading the chase, they embark on the final hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of whales and men. From Patrick Ness, the multi-award-winning author of A Monster Calls, and CBCA Crichton Award-winning Australian artist Rovina Cai comes a haunting tale of power and obsession that turns the story of Moby Dick upside down.

And the Ocean was Our Sky is a powerful, moving tale by bestselling author Patrick Ness. Accompanied by gorgeous illustrations from Rovina Cai, Patrick’s story is from the point of view of a whale — Bathsheba. This story is a unique twist on the classic novel, Moby Dick.

War between humans and whales has been going for generations, each hunting the other. This book illustrates the trauma and death associated with war, and the reader comes to sympathise for Bathsheba. She is the third apprentice in a hunting pod to Captain Alexandra; they spend their days searching and destroying ships and humans. Bathsheba feels conflicted about their task, and struggles to understand the necessity of this war against humans.

“Let me be clear, right from the start. I hate the hunt but I loved it then. Now, of course, after all the occurred, after all are dead, after I waited for a rescue that might never come, no one would blame me for hating it.”

The book tells the story of the hunt for Toby Wick — an enemy so evil that no whale has ever met them and survived. Captain Alexandra is desperate to find and kill Toby Wick.

The illustrations are gorgeous. They mostly follow a soft use of the colours black, grey, white and red and they capture the mood of the story perfectly. Rovina is so talented and has done an exceptional job bringing this story to life.

As the hunting pod closes in on Toby, Bathsheba wrestles with his doubts and concerns. How necessary is this war? Is it worth all this death? As the reader, we know that this hunt will likely kill almost every character because Bathsheba hints at it right at the beginning of the book.

“Call me Bathsheba. It is not my name, but the name I use for this story. A name, I hoped, that would be free of prophecy, free of the burden of a future placed upon it, free of any destiny that would tear it from my hands and destroy worlds.”

Set in the depths of the ocean, this is a stunning, brilliant work. The prose is effortless and each sentence beautiful. I did find the first person narration confusing at first, and it did take me a short while to understand the dynamic and structure of the story, but apart from that I was completely absorbed in this story and it’s artwork.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky explores themes of loyalty, friendship, family, war and revenge.

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

And the Ocean Was Our Sky
Patrick Ness, illustrated by Rovina Cai
September 2018
Walkers Books Australia

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell

A thrillingly reimagined fairy tale from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell – weaving together a sort-of Snow White and an almost Sleeping Beauty with a thread of dark magic, which will hold readers spellbound from start to finish. On the eve of her wedding, a young queen sets out to rescue a princess from an enchantment. She casts aside her fine wedding clothes, takes her chain mail and her sword and follows her brave dwarf retainers into the tunnels under the mountain towards the sleeping kingdom. This queen will decide her own future – and the princess who needs rescuing is not quite what she seems. Twisting together the familiar and the new, this perfectly delicious, captivating and darkly funny tale shows its creators at the peak of their talents. Lavishly produced, packed with glorious Chris Riddell illustrations enhanced with metallic ink, this is a spectacular and magical gift.

This children’s book is a fairytale retelling of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty but with subtly and elegant literary integration. I should start by addressing the STUNNING JACKET. It’s hardcover and the see-through dust jacket allows the reader to see the illustrated sleeping beauty underneath the cover flap (on the hardcover). I also think that in this case, the illustrations actually trump the story/writing. All of the illustrations are in black and gold, which gives the book a really elegant look. And the book feels like one of those stories you read as a child that was your favourite and you kept the book for years because it felt so special.

The layout is beautiful. Some pages have full-page illustrations, but others have a picture strip down the side and a fairly big block of text. It helps break up the book so the reader doesn’t feel bogged down by the fairly small font size. On most pages, a certain sentence (usually the final sentence on the page) is repeated as an illustration in gold letters, and it is really striking against the black and white sketches/drawings next to it. The re-telling of these two fairytales is unique and there’s a slight twist at the end with sleeping beauty and the old lady. There’s no stereotypical ‘Prince Charming’ in this book, which is a nice change. Instead, there’s a Queen who is determined to wake Sleeping Beauty and save the sleeping city. The book is a quick read, and fans of Neil Gaiman will love this tale. This would make a lovely gift for someone because of its unique, pretty packaging.

My Score: 9/10

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