Scookie Reviews

ASH PRINCESS by Laura Sebastian 5 Stars Verdict:  An unexpected page-turner. When Theodosia was six, her country was invaded, her people enslaved, and her mother, the queen, was murdered before her eyes. The Kaiser crowned Theo 'Ash Princess', a joke to court and a prisoner to torture. As the rebellion suffers it's greatest fall yet, Theo decides now is the time for her to fight back. I wasn't expecting much for this one. Pretty cover, pretty name, but make no mistakes, this is not a pretty book. Don’t let the word ‘Princess’ fool you, this is a cutthroat story from the very start. And, yes, pun intended, thank you very much. As for trigger warnings, this book ticks a lot of boxes. It involves physical and emotional abuse. Rape is mentioned and there is a violent scene that's difficult to read through. It's a story of colonisation by a ruthless leader who humiliates and tortures a sixteen year old girl as a lesson to his enemies, so that's somethi...

CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi 5 Stars Verdict: So good it hurts. The night magic died, Zélie watched her mother's murder as the Maji were slaughtered. Now Zélie has a chance to bring back magic. With the help of her brother and a rogue princess, she must outrun the crown prince and battle her self-doubts to restore magic to the world. This West-African inspired fantasy is powerful and all round awesome from start to finish. The writing is emotive and imaginative, the pacing is as perfect as it gets, and the characters are real with flaws and charm. I hardly know what to say. A brilliant book like this tells the editor in me to shut up and enjoy the ride, so I'd need to read it again to offer more of a critique. If every book was as good as this one, I would never be able to stop reading. The struggles, anger, and pain are carved into this book so deeply that the desires bleed through the pages and the triumphs feel earned. The emotion in this book is ...

THE DARKEST MINDS by Alexandra Bracken 4 Stars Verdict: A sluggish start but a spectacular ending. We've heard it all before. Kids start developing powers at puberty and the government has locked them all up in 'rehabilitation' centres. Ruby, terrified of her powers, is just trying to survive when the resistance takes too much of an interest in how she could help them fight the government. This story could do with an exposition comb run through it, alongside a pair of thought-thinning scissors. It’s a slow read for the most part, dense with info and thought dumping, which left me craving action, plot, and active characters. My first impressions were not great. I actually stopped reading this after the first ten percent earlier this year. Six months later and a third of the way in, I was gearing up for a two star review. I love kids-with-powers stories, but it sounded too much like other dystopians. I felt impatient for it to move along into fresher material. Aft...

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING by Nicola Yoon 3 Stars Verdict:  Cute romance and creative storytelling. Madeline has a rare immune system disease called SCID that basically means she's allergic to the world. She stays at home, inside, every single day. She’s home-schooled by her mother and doesn't know anyone her age, until Olly moves in across the road and sees her through her window. This book struck me as perfectly okay. It’s a quick read, great writing, and a super cute romance, but nothing in particular to rave about. The epistolary style means it's short and fast with a mix of different styles: letters, texts, emails, drawings and more. It's a fun and creative way to tell a story. The novelty wears thin but then again, it's short and sweet. The ending ruined it for me. For the sake of liking this author and the book beforehand, I’m going to pretend that didn’t happen. I guess I found this take on the sick kids trope not fresh enough. I've recentl...