JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The One Impossible Labyrinth by Matthew Reilly

THE END IS HERE

Jack West Jr has made it to the Supreme Labyrinth.

Now he faces one last race – against multiple rivals, against time, against the collapse of the universe itself – a headlong race that will end at a throne inside the fabled labyrinth.

AN IMPOSSIBLE MAZE

But the road will be hard.

For this is a maze like no other: a maze of mazes. Uncompromising and complex. Demanding and deadly.

A CATACLYSMIC CONCLUSION

It all comes down to this.

For it ends here – now – in the most lethal and dangerous place Jack has encountered in all of his many adventures. And in the face of this indescribable peril, with everything on the line, there is only one thing he can do.

Attempt the impossible.

After seven books, Matthew Reilly’s The One Impossible Labyrinth is the final tale in the Jack West Jr series. After a 17-year long journey, this final book offers a satisfying conclusion to the series and will please fans who have been following along with each novel.

As usual with this series, The One Impossible Labyrinth picks up where the last book — The Two Lost Mountains — left off, with Jack and his team arriving at the last puzzle in an attempt to stop the collapse of the universe. We’re immediately thrust back into the action of the story.

This final novel speeds through obstacles and puzzles, weaving in historical storylines and the potential for alternate scenarios. Jack West Jr must once again think outside the box to save the day.

“Down in the shaft, Jack snapped up at the shout. And saw a silverman falling right at him! Suddenly, a strong metal hand — Smiley’s — pulled Jack aside and the falling silverman whistled past, missing Jack by inches — before plummeting further down the shaft.”

The One Impossible Labyrinth is a classic Matthew Reilly novel — quick, compelling storylines with imaginative and engaging puzzles. The book is filled with fast-paced action and authentic, realistic dialogue. Additionally, like all other novels in this series, the pacing is break-neck and consistent. Readers won’t feel like there are any lags in this latest one.

The villains in the novel have carried across from previous reads, so it allows for three-dimensional characters that truly feel like antagonists. Jack and his team must utilise the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired over the previous six books in order to defeat the enemy.

“Each of the obelisks was huge, easily forty feet tall, and they ran in pairs down the length of the bridge, creating a striking avenue. Lily and Eaton came to the jagged void in the bridge’s middle. Two obelisks stood at its edge like posts for a missing gate.”

Admittedly, the ending was slightly predictable — whilst some of our favourite characters were killed dramatically throughout the novel, the ‘bad guys’ all got their comeuppance in the end (although, admittedly, that does suit this genre).

Apart from the that, I felt there was definitely scope for a longer, more developed novel. Each stage of Jack’s journey felt a bit thinly described to keep the pace quick, but it meant I was left feeling like the action could’ve been fleshed out a bit more. Perhaps I just feel like this because I’ve been following the series for 17 years and was sad to see it ending.

“Even though it had a parachute, the seat landed hard, and as it hit the side of the mountain, the impact sent the three men on it scattering: Aloysius and Alby tumbled down the rocky hill, while Rufus was thrown onto a nearby ledge. Alby was knocked out cold. He slumped to the dusty ground.”

Since this is the final book in a 7-book series, it’s pretty clear that the intended audience are readers who are up-to-date with Jack West Jr. If you love action and thriller, and something easy to read perhaps on holiday, I’d definitely recommended picking up the first book — Seven Deadly Wonders — and giving this series a go. Another nail-biter from Matthew Reilly, the readership for this book skews male, 16+

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

The One Impossible Labyrinth
Matthew Reilly
October 2021
Pan Macmillan

2 Sisters Detective Agency by James Patterson and Candice Fox

Two sisters go into the family business they didn’t know they had – catching killers. Attorney Rhonda Bird returns home to LA to bury her estranged father, and discovers that he left her two final surprises.

The first is a private detective agency. The second is a teenage half-sister named Baby.
When Rhonda goes into her father’s old office to close down the business, she gets drawn into a case involving a young man who claims he was abducted.

The investigation takes Rhonda and Baby to dark and dangerous places. Soon they are caught in the crosshairs of an angry criminal cartel and an ex-assassin seeking revenge . . .

Renowned suspense writers James Patterson and Candice Fox unite once again for the 2 Sisters Detective Agency, which follows a revenge-driven father as he hunts down his daughter’s attackers, and a young public defender whose father’s death unearths dangerous family secrets. Over time, the two timelines begin to intersect.

The novel features quite a large cast of eccentric characters – the tall, pink-haired and striking public defender, her savvy half-sister, and a psychotic, budding murderer lacking any remorse. Don’t expect every character to survive.

“Vera arrived late. She always did. She liked to keep them waiting, give them an opportunity to talk about her. The more people talked about you while you weren’t around, the more mythical you became. The more powerful.”

Whilst the story is complex and it does take a bit of time to wrap your head around the two unfolding storylines, this does allow for a complex but satisfying thriller. Each chapter is quite short, allowing for a quick and punchy read.

The strongest character probably should’ve been Rhonda, but personally, I loved Vera the most. Young, dangerous but very intelligent, she’s found her passion in being a criminal. She’s experimenting more and more, hurting people she feels deserve it but feeling no remorse for her actions. When she and her ‘crew’ break into the home of ex-assassin Jacob Kanular, it sets off a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that puts her entire group at jeopardy.

Rhonda’s storyline is not as fast-paced; it’s a mixture of plot-driven and character-driven. When her father, who she hasn’t seen or communicated with in twenty-five years, dies, she’s forced to take on his business and custody of his teenage daughter – Rhonda’s half-sister, who she didn’t know existed. So whilst she becomes entangled in a deranged murder plot, she’s also trying to navigate the sudden existence of a teenage sibling whose safety is her responsibility.

“Another thunk behind him. Another into the boulders of granite either side of him. He followed the narrow natural trail, stumbling over cactus and rocks, falling and getting up and pulling himself onward as the shots followed him into the night.”

Admittedly, where the story falters is the POV shift between chapters. The novel largely follows Rhonda and her chapters are written in first person. But occasionally there are other chapters following Jacob or Vera, or someone else from Vera’s crew, and they’re written in third person. This stylistic decision felt really disjointed and often I started a chapter with absolutely no idea whose story I was following – it would’ve been really helpful if each new chapter had the characters’ name alongside the chapter number, so we knew whose story we were now jumping to.

Other than this, I felt like Baby’s characterisation was a bit caricature and unnatural – she gets better throughout the novel, but when we meet her she seems like a stereotypical depiction of a teenager, and not very three-dimensional.

The only other element that I felt was a bit liming was the romance in the novel. It was small and almost inconsequential. It bubbled so late in the novel it didn’t seem realistic, and I feel like if you took it out of the book it’d make no difference.

“Jacob felt his lip twitch. It was the only outward sign of the boiling, searing rise of fury inside him, the stirring of old reserves of killer rage. He rolled the video back.”

Fast-paced and high stakes, 2 Sisters Detective Agency is recommended for readers of crime and thriller. Readership skews 30+

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

2 Sisters Detective Agency
James Patterson & Candice Fox
October 2021
Penguin Random House Publishers

The Luminous Solution by Charlotte Wood

In this essential, illuminating book, award-winning writer Charlotte Wood shares the insights she has gained over a career paying close attention to her own mind, to the world around her and to the way she and others work.

Drawing on research and decades of observant conversation and immersive reading, Charlotte shares what artists can teach the rest of us about inspiration and hard work, how to pursue truth in art and life, and to find courage during the difficult times: facing down what we fear and keeping going when things seem hopeless.

Acclaimed Australian author Charlotte Wood returns with non-fiction title The Luminous Solution, which provides a reflection on her writing career to date and what she’s learnt about herself and her work since she first started putting pen to paper approximately twenty years ago.

The Luminous Solution prompts creative thinking and creative reflection. There are intermittent references to COVID-19 and how the pandemic has impacted Charlotte’s writing. This isn’t an overly long book, and it doesn’t need to be. Each chapter provides a snapshot into Charlotte’s process, and what she believes could resonate with others.

“This bolt of understanding that contemporary attitudes echoed historical ones, that this loop of hatred seemed ever-repeating, lit a fuse of fury deep inside my writer’s brain. But a novel requires years of immersion in your material. This was ugly stuff, bleak and paralysing.”

The Luminous Solution shifts between introspection – lessons, learnings and slight musings that Charlotte shares – and a deeper dive into her creative process, particularly relating to her 2015 novel, The Natural Way of Things. The Luminous Solution attracts a fairly recognisable audience – works that delve into creative process and inspiration will always find a valued audience, whether you’ve read the authors previous works or not.

There are a string of insights in The Luminous Solution that I imagine could aid writers, and I think perhaps it might comfort writers who feel they’ve struggled with their work. It’s somewhat reassuring to read that The Natural Way of Things was not an easy or seamless book to write. I read that novel when it first came out and whilst it tackles very heavy topics, the writing is beautiful and the novel worthy of its many accolades. It’s somewhat comforting to find out more about its creation.

“Creativity as violent birth, as approaching death – this is absurd melodrama. Of course it is. And yet…at times my writing process has been so full of darkness that descriptions like these are the only ones that come close to the truth.”

As with all her novels, Charlotte’s writing in The Luminous Solution is clean and stripped back. Words aren’t used unnecessarily, and we move between stories and tales quite quickly. A lot of the book is designed to leave you wondering – they will plant some kind of thought or idea in your mind and let it ponder the possibilities, which is quite perfect for the creative reader.

“I spent many months thinking about these discoveries, sorting and parsing them, enriched by the whole experience. But at the end of it all, after the research was completed and the doctorate finished and award, came that pesky and familiar and important question: So what? What does all this mean for the person sitting down before the blank page?”

Reminiscent and reflective, The Luminous Solution is recommended for readers interested in the craft of writing. Readership skews 30+

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

The Luminous Solution
Charlotte Wood
October 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookshop he inherited from his beloved grandfather. Then, a talking cat named Tiger appears with an unusual request. The cat needs Rintaro’s help to save books that have been imprisoned, destroyed and unloved.

Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different labyrinths to set books free. Through their travels, Tiger and Rintaro meet a man who locks up his books, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publisher who only wants to sell books like disposable products. Then, finally, there is a mission that Rintaro must complete alone . . .

Japanese fiction translated by Louise Heal Kawai, The Cat Who Saved Books is a story for book lovers. At only 217 pages, and published in a small format, this book is a very short read and at its core explores love, loss, family, and the persistent power of books and reading. And with a talking cat, the novel of course dabbles in magical realism and contemporary fantasy.

Whilst this largely seems to be marketed as an adult novel, its appeal certainly expands beyond that readership. Over the course of the story, Rintaro embarks on four journeys to rescue literature, and the episodic structure of the novel is reminiscent of many children adventure stories — the grief-stricken protagonist, a talking animal driving the plot forward, and a friend in the form of a sidekick, keeping the story grounded in reality.

“It was only two days since Sayo and Rintaro had tea together. Rintaro had only replied vaguely to her pleas for him to go back to school, and ever since stayed holed up inside Natsuki Books. Really there didn’t seem any reason to go to school at all at this point.”

Underneath all the adventures, this is a story about an introverted young boy coming to terms with his grandfather’s death. When we meet him in the beginning of the novel, he’s getting ready to shut his grandfather’s bookstore. He’s barely attending school, he doesn’t have any friends and he doesn’t seem to possess passion for anything anymore. By meeting Tiger and embarking on these adventures, he comes to recognise what brings him joy and happiness, and is able to forge on without his grandfather. He learns to let others in, and let some things go from his mind.

“Rintaro took another look at the magnificent gate and the mimosa tree above. Its giant branches were covered in cottony blossoms. That was strange. It was December, which made this a very unusual mimosa indeed. But then again, from the outset everything he had seen today had defied common sense.”

Louise has done a great job with the translation, maintaining the whimsical, quirky nature of Japanese fiction and ensuring the story stays on course.

Admittedly, the short word count means the story does feel a little simplistic at times. It’s quite a clear cut story of good and bad, and does feel more like a novel for children than adults. However, it is a charming and enchanting tale that doesn’t take much time to read.

“Something in the atmosphere changed. Rintaro turned to look at the door. Beyond the darkness a wind had begun to blow. Or rather, there was a wind blowing through the hall, towards the darkness, easing Rintaro and the cat towards the fusuma door.”

Literary fiction with quite a specific audience, The Cat Who Saved Books is magical and wispy and will largely appeal to frequent readers and those who truly love reading. Readership skews 12+

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

The Cat Who Saved Books
Sosuke Natsukawa
September 2021
Pan Macmillan Book Publishers

It’s Not You, It’s Me by Gabrielle Williams

A literally life-changing novel about time travel, soulmates and serial killers that asks a very big question: Can you ever change your fate?

Holly Fitzgerald has inexplicably woken up inside the body of an LA teenager called Trinity Byrne in 1980 – trapping Trinity in Holly’s forty-year-old body back in Melbourne, 2020.

Mind. Officially. Blown.

Holly finds herself navigating a brand-new body, family and cute boy next door – not to mention rock band that might just make it, and potential kidnapper. Meanwhile, lies intersect with truth, hurtling both Holly and Trinity towards a dangerous fate as the connections between them grow deeper and stranger than either could have ever imagined.

Freaky Friday meets Pretty Little Liars — if the Liars were an all-girl punk band from the 1980s.

Gabrielle Williams’ latest YA novel It’s Not You, It’s Me is a soul-swap story predominantly set in the 1980s. When forty-year-old Holly — who lives in 2020 — wakes up in the body of 16-year-old Trinity in 1980, she must learn to manage this new identity whilst figuring out why she’s been swapped in the first place. What does she need to do and how can she get back to her own body?

It’s certainly an interesting perspective to focus on for a YA novel — centring the story on the 40-year-old rather than the 16-year-old. But to be fair, when we do come in contact with Trinity it’s clear she’s quite unfriendly and bitter, and I probably would’ve hated reading an entire book about her anyway. It’s nice to see her humble out a bit.

“Holly couldn’t pretend. This wasn’t her life. None of it was. Deep down in her gut, in her soul, she knew this wasn’t who she was. Holly didn’t know how to behave with a dad. She hadn’t grown up with one. What happened when you had a dad? What sort of things did you talk about?”

Focusing on Holly’s perspective allows us to focus on the plot, rather than the character. Holly is wise and intelligent, and her journey is more about finding out why she’s been body-swapped, and what she can do to improve Trinity’s life. Over time, we come to realise how lonely Holly’s childhood was — an absent mother, no father. By stepping into Trinity’s shoes, she gets to experience the love of a family and the comfort of feeling like she belongs. It’s a nice touch.

Another interesting element to the story is how Gabrielle explored muscle memory and unconscious reactions. In many situations, Holly is able to ‘be’ more like Trinity and is able to tap into memories rather suddenly.

The pacing is consistent and appropriate, and tension builds in the second half as Holly’s life nears danger. Whilst Gabrielle probably could’ve increased the presence of the Mariposa Murder in the first half of the novel — the fear and concern — I still really enjoyed Holly’s progression in the novel.

“She strummed the strings, trying to get a feel for the instrument. She was going to make a fool of herself. But as she started tinkering, her fingers took off with a mind, or a memory, all their own. Her body was plucking the strings, listening for tone, adjusting the tuning pegs…”

Admittedly, I would’ve loved a bit more reference to the 1980s — pop culture, fashion, lifestyle. Perhaps these things are light on because the YA readership weren’t alive in the 1980s and so they may not necessarily respond to these elements, but I would’ve loved just a bit more sense of place. Holly waking up in the 1980s lends itself to quite a bit of humour and quirk, and this novel does feel like it has room for a bit more.

The only other element of the novel I struggled with was the initial scenes when Holly wakes up in Trinity’s body. Because the story is written in third person, Holly is referred to as Holly, but Trinity is frequently mentioned, and introspection allows for Holly to talk about Trinity a lot. After the first few chapters you’ve got it, but initially? I was quite confused.

“Holly wasn’t ready for the outside world yet, even if it was only coming in through the phone line…Holly’s instinct was to hang up the phone and deal with the consequences later. But if she didn’t talk to this girl, the mom would know something was up.”

Quirky and original, It’s Not Me It’s You is recommended for a YA audience. Readership skews female, 12+. The ending is particularly enjoyable.

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

It’s Not You, It’s Me
Gabrielle Williams
September 2021
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers