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Showing posts from February, 2019

Book Review: 5 Feet Apart

FIVE FEET APART by Rachael Lippincott et al. 2 Stars Verdict:  Too predictable. Stella and Will have CF. They should always stay at least SIX feet apart. (Light spoiler which is given away in the title too: they don't.) That's pretty much the entire book. The voices are strong and the references are modern which helps it feel slightly 'fresher' than those who have trod around the sick kids plot before, but I spent most of the book waiting for something more to happen. This book taught me a lot about CF that I didn't learn in biology class - the loneliness, the survivors guilt, the strict medication schedule - all the things that don't make up the diagnosis but can be there too. Before this, my knowledge of CF was alleles and lung function. From reading other responses to this title, I appreciate how it raises awareness. My brain started to wander off around the half-way mark. I couldn't help thinking there wasn't much pulling Stella and Will...

Book Review: Girls of Paper and Fire

GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE #1 by Natasha Ngan  4 Stars Verdict: A beautiful and difficult tale. With a book like this, I think it’s important to point out that it’s not for everyone. It explores the theme of sexual abuse in a way that’s unavoidable, unskippable. The scenes aren’t graphic, but the emotion is, or at least it felt like that to me. Please bare that in mind before reading. Lei is part of the Paper cast, meaning she’s human from head to toe, unlike the power and magical chimera-like casts that are afforded the better status in Ikhara. She’s taken from her small village and made into one of the chosen eight concubines of the bull king. Unlike the other concubines, Lei refuses to submit to the 'honour' of being a Paper girl. When I heard this was a fantasy novel inspired by Asian culture, I had to have it. Asian mythology has inspired my own writing, so I couldn't wait to sink into this tale, and the world building definitely delivered. The premise is dark...