Tag: magical-realism

Review: Out Of The Blue by Sophie Cameron

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Note: We were sent this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Sophie Cameron’s debut really is something special! I’m calling Carnegie and Waterstones Book Prize nominations for next year! It’s about Jaya, whose father is a Wingding, someone who is obsessed with the angels falling to their deaths all over the world, and as such has hauled their family to Edinburgh in search of the next angel. Jaya then, in secret, comes across a rose gold and pink angel who unlike all the other has survived the fall, and with the help of two new friends tried to help her get back home.

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Review: The Inconceivable Life of Quinn by Marianna Baer

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31305531The Inconceivable Life of Quinn by Marianna Baer
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 384
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

The Inconceivable Life of Quinn is a story about a girl who finds out she’s pregnant and can’t remember having sex. She has a long term boyfriend, and a memory of kissing someone who was very much not her boyfriend, but that’s it. I was really drawn to the book because of the premise. I knew it would take a religious turn, what with the virgin birth thing, but I didn’t know that it would offer a general commentary on the ridiculousness of the media and how they write whatever they like, without sources or a sense of sympathy for those they harm. Continue reading “Review: The Inconceivable Life of Quinn by Marianna Baer” →

Review: On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher

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25744542On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher
Genre: Magical Realism, Romance
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Pages: 345
Format: Hardback
Rating: ★★★
More: All I Know Now

Since I heard about this book becoming a thing, I’ve been slightly nervously awaiting it’s arrival. As the blurb and cover was revealed, the hype started to build. Books that concern the afterlife are one of my favourite things. Take Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin for example. On the Other Side had a lot to live up to. BUT, while reading, I ended up being on either side of the argument for why this book is good…or not so. Where did I finally end up? Let’s see… Continue reading “Review: On The Other Side by Carrie Hope Fletcher” →

Review: Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

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17616412Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
Genre: Contemporary, Magical Realism, Romance
Published by: Penguin
Pages: 358
Format: Paperback
Rating: It varies, but ★★★.5

When it comes to David Levithan I find that his co-written works are always the best, and Invisibility continues to prove this theory right. I absolutely loved the first 150 pages or so. They were so well written and I was completely absorbed by the characters and the situation. However, I do agree with the majority of the other reviews that this book lost its way in the middle, and began to feel like something completely different. Still, I really liked the magical-realism element, and I think you can explain away the majority of the strangeness to the situation. It’s still worth giving a go, and here’s why!

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Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest

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20958632The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Genre: Magical Realism, Faerie
Published by: Indigo
Pages: 352
Format: Hardback
Rating: ★★★★★

I have previously disliked Holly Black’s work. I haven’t been impressed by the Magisterium series she’s been co-writing with Cassandra Clare, and Maddie didn’t enjoy The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. I read Tithe in 2012 and absolutely hated it, but not after reading Black’s latest faerie story, I think it’s about time I gave it a second chance. The Darkest Part of the Forest is almost like a gender-bend faerie version of Snow White. It starts with a horned boy in a glass coffin that no one’s been able to open. The coffins sits in the middle of the forest where teens regularly go to party. Hazel and her  brother Ben are inextricably linked with the faerie world, and in their youth were obsessed with their prince in the coffin; they adored playing knights and hunting evil faeries. From the first page I was hooked.

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Review: Crow Moon by Anna McKerrow

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23567756Crow Moon by Anna McKerrow
Genre: Magical-realism
Published by: Quercus
Pages: 384
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★.5

Crow Moon is a UKYA book about a Greenworld and a Redworld, that’s pretty much all I knew before reading. Also, the cover is absolutely beautiful, but completely misleading. Just like Half Bad by Sally Green, Red Witch explores a magical witch land through a male protagonist. I never really connected with the voice, maybe because I prefer female protagonists, but something was definitely hindering my enjoyment and access to the story.

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