JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Stray by Rachael Craw

Stray is the sequel to Spark and is the second book in a young adult science fiction trilogy by New Zealand author Rachael Craw.

Stray follows on from where Spark finished. Evie is a Shield: designed to kill in order to protect, but now the Affinity Project have finally come for her as she always feared. Evie is studied, tested on, and lectured on what she can and can’t do. She longs for her boyfriend Jamie and she’s desperate to prove that her brother Aidan is innocent and to clear his name.

The strongest part of this book – and the whole series – is the relationship between Evie and her friends and family. There is wit and humour present in this book, even amongst scenes filled with tension or horror. Kitty is a wonderful character and her and Evie really complement each other well in a scene.

Spark, the first book in the trilogy, felt like it contained a fair bit of info dumping, especially about the world and the technology and the history of Evie’s family. However, in Stray, information was woven into the story seamlessly, with well-written integration and easy-to-understand explanations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than Spark, and felt the plot progressed quicker and it was more of an exciting read.

The only negative I have about this book, and it’s slightly nitpicking, is Jamie’s characterisation. I seem to be the only reader who felt he was a little bland, perhaps one dimensional. I felt I couldn’t relate to him or understand him and I doubted Evie and Jamie’s chemistry. Also, there were a few times in the book where I felt like things weren’t explained as clearly as they could’ve and I had to reread certain passages. But this didn’t occur often and events later in the novel usually answered any questions I had.

To anyone who is interested in reading Stray, make sure you’re quite familiar with Spark and have read it – or reread it – recently. When I picked up Stray, it had been a few months since I’d read Spark and I really struggled for the first one hundred pages. That is, until all of the technology and familial relations and problems from the first book came flooding back and I remembered what happened.

I recommend the Spark trilogy to all young adult readers. It’s fast-paced and intriguing and Stray builds upon Spark with lots of action and fighting and danger. More information is uncovered, and more threats become known. Also, Rachel Craw does well to answer some questions for the reader whilst also leaving some things open to make readers eager for book three, Shield.

The Marble Collector by Cecilia Ahern


A forgotten childhood. A discovered life.
What if you only had one day to find out who you really were?

When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father’s possessions, she discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie. The familiar man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her.

The Marble Collector is the latest adult fiction novel from Cecilia Ahern, with lyrical prose and seamlessly woven transitions between past and present that is reminiscent of some of her earlier work.

The Marble Collector follows Sabrina Boggs, a young woman who discovers a box of marbles that belonged to her father Fergus. Both she and her mother, who has been divorced from her father for over a decade, didn’t even know that Fergus played marbles. A few of the expensive marbles from the box are missing, and so begins a quest for Sabrina to uncover information about Fergus’ past and track down the missing marbles. She uncovers stories, people and memories from his past and learns things about him that she never knew and doesn’t understand.

The chapters in the novel alternate between Sabrina’s present and Fergus’ past. Cecilia explores Fergus’ childhood, his discovery of marbles, his love for the game, his heartbreaking childhood, and his need to hide his hobby from his wife and child.

Through the two parallel storylines, Cecilia explores the doubts and heartbreak that plagues not only Sabrina’s life but also casts a shadow on her father’s life. The Marble Collector is thought-provoking and beautifully written and illustrates that shining a light on someone else can help you truly understand yourself. Sabrina begins to confront her own doubts and her own marital issues only after discovering that her father had similar problems when he was younger.

This book had a certain type of melancholic atmosphere to it – Sabrina’s frayed disconnect with both of her parents is jolting but a little devastating. And her father’s childhood is filled with guilt and mistakes but also innocence and naivety. The relationship between Fergus and his siblings allows the reader to reminisce about their own childhood and their own relationship with their family.

This isn’t a fast-paced book – it progresses gradually. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The book is wonderfully written and should be savoured and not rushed. I recommend this to readers both young and old. The parallel timelines allow readers to relate to different characters in the book, whilst also being intrigued and interested in the different storylines.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes


Me Before You is a heartbreaking novel and the cause of devastated readers everywhere. There’s no doubt that the film adaptation, which is being released this month, will leave viewers feeling the same way.

The protagonist of this novel is Lou Clark, who is confident, sassy, bold and very knowledgeable. She has lived in the same small town her whole life and has rarely travelled, and that has worked out well for her. But when she loses her job and when it becomes increasingly obvious to her that she is no longer in love with her boyfriend Patrick, she becomes a little lost. And then she takes up a new job caring for Will Traynor, a paraplegic whose motorcycle accident took away his desire to live.

This book is devastating, not just because of Will’s accident and the difficult time that he’s having with his disability, but because of how Will’s accident has affected his family and his friends and how his disability affects his relationship with Lou.

Me Before You is a slow burner. You get snippets of Will Traynor for the first half of the book but you are overloaded with Lou’s life – her boyfriend, her parents, her sister, her career, and the expectations that her family put on her to help them survive with the little money that they are all earning. She’s lost but she doesn’t realise it. She’s unhappy but she masks it.

And then, halfway through the novel, Lou and Will’s characters start to blend. Their characters begin to understand more about themselves. They both grow and adapt to their situation. Lou distracts herself by being determined to turn Will’s life around, but the reader becomes increasingly aware that Will won’t change. He won’t make the most of his situation and that’s not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t. It’s not who he is. He used to love adventure and travel – the opposite of Lou – and she can’t convince him that he still has a life worth living.

They both learn from each other and they both grow as characters. And chapter by chapter, the reader comes to understand their motivations, fears, worries and their doubts simply by how they interact. And the closer Lou and Will get, the clearer it becomes that even though they’re well suited for each other, Will’s permanent disability will stop anything from eventuating.

I highly recommend this book. Yes, it’s sad. But Lou is a wonderful character and she propels the story forward with her wit and her charm and her light. She makes for a great story, and during those brief moments in the story where there is hope and optimism, it’s enjoyable and rewarding for the reader.

Ruined by Amy Tintera

Amy Tintera’s latest novel, Ruined, is a revenge tale and is the first in a new series. Following on from the success of her previous novels Reboot and Rebel, Amy’s new novel Ruined is a fantastic blend fantasy and young adult, perfect for younger readers and older, fantasy readers and readers new to the genre.

The main character is Emelina, who is bold, sassy, confident and a wonderful protagonist. She is also a ruined – she is completely void of magic. Her home in Ruina has been ravaged by war, her parents have been murdered by their enemy kingdom Lera, and Em’s sister has been abducted. She is on a mission to find her sister, rescue her, and plot revenge on the royal family of Lera.

Em has nothing left, but that also means that she has nothing to lose. She must infiltrate the royal family, and she does this by murdering a young girl who is travelling to Lera to marry the royal prince. Em impersonates the girl and marries Prince Casimir, who is next in line to take the throne of Lera. And from within the castle walls begins a story filled with betrayal, conspiracies, romance, bloody battles, and a sword-wielding warrior heroine.

Em and Casimir are wonderful characters who grow quite close over the course of the novel. They mould well together and Amy has written them with vivid descriptions and realistic dialogue so the reader can empathise with both of them. Em and Casimir both have different objectives in the novel. Em is out for revenge and Casimir is learning how to take over the kingdom from his father. He is both sympathetic and empathetic, and Em works to sway his opinion on matters involving the Ruined. She is not always subtle about it, but that speaks to her character. She is opinionated and daring and she doesn’t think of consequences before taking action.

Despite the fact that Em’s alliance to Ruina is slightly obvious in some parts and Casimir somehow doesn’t suspect her of being disloyal to the kingdom, Ruined moves fast and the characters travel outside the castle, keeping the story interesting and keeping the reader enthralled and desperate to find out what happens next. The story propels forward at a faster rate than most fantasy novels, and works well to keep the reader engaged and entertained.

Lily and the Octopus by Stephen Rowley

Lily and the Octopus is such a sweet tale. It’s quite heartbreaking and melancholic, but it’s beautifully written and the prose weaves together effortlessly to create an enjoyable story.

This book is about the strong bond between the main character, Ted Flask, and his dog Lily. Unfortunately, there is an octopus growing in Lily’s head. And no, not a real octopus. A tumour. Ted merely refers to it as an octopus so that Lily won’t get upset. And perhaps on some level, he can’t accept it himself. He doesn’t want to admit to himself that Lily could die. Ted is a sympathetic, caring character. In fact, he cares the most for Lily. Even when we read flashbacks from his earlier life, the reader can see that Ted has always put Lily first, before family and relationships. He’s a relatable character in these instances. He’s not a perfect character. He has flaws. But through his relationship with Lily, the reader sees his empathetic and caring side, and we come to understand him.

Lily and the Octopus highlights the bond that humans can have with pets, and the emotional heartache it can cause when that pet isn’t well. Lily’s octopus will not go away, and it starts to take control over Lily’s brain. It even speaks to Ted and has its own distinct, snarky voice that the reader dislikes. Lily becomes less Lily and more the nasty octopus taking control over the dog’s body.

Lily and the Octopus reminds us how it feels to love a pet and how difficult it can be to let go. Stephen Rowley’s book also reminds us how devastating it can be to accept that you’re going to outlive that pet. This book is at times heartbreaking but at times funny and adventurous and uplifting. Stephen has written this story with flowing prose and lots of imagery and metaphors, so that it feels somewhat fantastical. This book takes you on a journey, and it is quite magnificent.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for supplying me with a review copy.