JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

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

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I always know when I’m reading a brilliant book because it influences my mood, and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl made me feel frustrated and angry for the 48 hours that I was reading it.

The novel is about Nick’s wife, Amy, who goes missing on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary. The first third of the novel functions like any crime/thriller. Someone goes missing (presumed dead), and the first suspect is questioned (usually the husband). But when you get to Part B (the second third of the novel), you’re inundated with twists and horrible acknowledgements from both characters. Part C adds to the suspense in a ‘how will this novel end?’ kind of way. I can’t say much without ruining those twists, so I’ll keep my review vague.

You realise quite quickly that this novel is not like most crime/thriller novels. The characters have depth, and their motivations and background is explained well. Flynn switches point of view between Nick and Amy (this seems like a spoiler, but Amy’s point of view is from the past in the form of diary entries), and the transition is handled quite smoothly. Flynn has established their voices really well, and they don’t intertwine and ever feel like similar characters.

The only downside to the novel is that neither character seems relatable. Nick is a cheater (sorry for the slight spoiler, but you learn this pretty early on), and Amy is a manipulative bitch (excuse the language). It’s hard to know which character you like more, because I felt like I didn’t really like either character. Still, I wanted to know what happened to Amy. And Gillian knows how to write a great thriller.

My Score: 9/10

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind

Occasionally, I come across a novel that is so well-written, and so engaging, that it makes me angry. It makes me angry out of pure jealousy. I get annoyed at how amazing the author is at constructing characters and plot. And right now, I’m angry at Patrick Suskind for his 1985 novel, Perfume.

The protagonist, Grenouille, is tossed aside as a baby and grows up with a sense of smell stronger than any other human being. He becomes fascinated with different smells, and learns about making perfume with the once-great perfumer, Baldini. Soon, Grenouille is not satisfied with the hundreds of smells and perfumes that he has stored within his mind. He needs to attain the smell of a virgin, because it is the one smell that has evaded him thus far.

I must mention that Grenouille’s desire to capture the scent of a virgin doesn’t actually arise until about the 200th page. So, between pages 100 and 200, I kept asking myself ‘Where is this story going?’ But, once you hit the 200th page, the pace quickens and you can’t put the book down. You think you know how the story will end and then Suskind twists the plot and it ends a different way. The ending is actually quite gruesome, in a brilliantly-satisfying kind of way.

The novel is dark, romantic, tragic, and comedic all at the same time. The writing is seamless, and at times, the novel jumps forward a few years (at one point, seven), and yet Suskind has written the transition so smoothly that the reader isn’t jolted at all. I may be jealous of Suskind, but I’ll still recommend Perfume to anyone and everyone.

My Score: 10/10

The Lord of the Rings Series by J.R.R. Tolkien

I realise that most of the novels I’ve reviewed so far have been given high scores. But, most of the novels I want to read are the ones that I’ve heard of from other writers. They’re either a classic, or they will be a classic, or they’re just amazing in a ‘that’s such a good idea for a novel. Why didn’t I think of that?’ kind of way.

This review is no different. Tolkien could do no wrong. I love The Lord of the Rings almost as much as I love Harry Potter. Although it took me until I was 21 to read the series. I must’ve tried to read The Fellowship of the Ring about 20 times when I was younger, to the point where I had Bilbo’s birthday speech memorised. Sometimes it’s hard to read the book when you’ve seen the movie so many times. And, it just killed me when I realised that most of the female characters in The Lord of the Rings films were created by Peter Jackson, and actually didn’t exist in the novels.

The series – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King – follows Frodo Baggins as he tries to destroy the ring of power, which was forged by Sauron in the depths of Mount Doom. Frodo originally sets out with nine companions, but they soon separate and multiple journeys are documented. Unlike the prequel (The Hobbit) where I felt the journey was rushed, each novel in the series is well paced and the character’s actions are realistic. The setting is described well and can be imagined easily, and the dialogue is representative of each character’s role within the novel. When the journey finally ends, it’s doesn’t feel like one of those TV shows where it’s dragged on (Prison Break and Lost). It’s bittersweet, and Tolkien did the story justice.

My Score: 10/10
The Next Novel on my List? Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind