Scookie Reviews

A PINCH OF MAGIC by Michelle Harrison 5 Stars Verdict: An original witchy tale.  Betty Widershins and her two sisters are cursed never to leave the gloomy island that has always been their home. For an adventurous girl like Betty, that will never do! When each sister receives a magical heirloom, they set out to break the curse, starting with the possibly haunted Crowstone prison.   The book cover might look gorgeous, but the author does a fantastic job of building up a gloomy marshland as the backdrop of this spooky witch tale. It's very atmospheric.  The three ruff and tumble sisters make quite the team as they try to break the Widdershins curse. Each sister has a different personality: Betty the adventurous, Fliss the caring, and Charlie the cheeky. The sisters have a lovely bond which makes this book feel that little bit more special.  It's a fun, magical story that's easy to breeze through, and unlike any story I've read before. It ends in a satisfying...

BRITFIELD AND THE LOST CROWN by C.R. Stewart 4 Stars Verdict: A thrilling adventure across England of all places! Our story begins in Weatherly Orphanage, Yorkshire, a dingy place with strict rule and cruel staff. It quickly turns into an adventure to Oxford, London, Southampton - all across England in a hot air balloon as orphan Tom tries to discover the dangerous truth behind his real name.  The story doesn't waste time getting started, with Tom and his friend Sarah getting into all sort of trouble, discovering secrets and initiating plans within the first couple of chapters. It has a old classic feel without that old classic pace, and I think I would have enjoyed this story a lot as a child. It often reminded me of books read aloud by teachers on a Friday afternoon, so I wasn't surprised to find that's exactly what it is. It's has a good paced too, sneaking in snippets of history, literature, and architecture in a ways that's engaging. It's full of famous la...

CROOKED KINGDOM #2 Six of Crows 5 Stars V erdict : A fine sequel (Coming from me, that says a lot!) I read this book like sipping a fine wine, savouring the good bits but perhaps falling asleep on the sofa once or twice. I didn't find it quite as gripping as book one, and I will admit the 'plotting scenes' received too much word time for my likings, given that the whole point is for their plans to go askew anyway...So I wasn't always enthralled, but the whole thing was enjoyable to read from beginning to end.  I LOVE that this is duology. As you might know, I have beef with book two's of trilogies, mostly because the writer drags the poor story across three books, stretching every plot thread thin until my interest breaks entirely. This two book series keeps the pace, keeps the tension, and keeps twisting until the very end. I feel satisfied that it has a real ending. Please more duologies in future! As a character led story, the whole ragtag bunch are fully fleshed...

THE WICKED KING by Holly Black #2 The Folk of the Air 3 Stars Verdict: An okay middle book. Me and 'middle books' of trilogies have beef. It's been a long time since I've really enjoyed one, and I'm starting to think it's me. Why do they always spend the first two thirds of the book in story limbo? Why do they refuse to end in a satisfying manner and instead throw you over a cliff and expect you to hang on for the next hundred thousand words to be published? Why does nothing good ever happen to the protagonist? Wicked King is marginally better than the other middle books I've read recently. Still, it reads like A Guide to a Miserable Existence , by Jude Duarte, who wanders around for months on end before stuff finally starts to happen. Just when you're really interested, the book ends within the slice of a guillotine as it cuts off the last section, leaving you wondering what was that noise all about. It's not a bad book. The main ch...

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES by Malorie Blackman 3 stars Verdict: An important story but no-frills writing. I’ve wanted to read this book since I was a child. Now fully grown and still enjoy YA fiction of all kinds, I couldn’t ignore how this has been recommended to me throughout the years. That’s why I don’t like that I didn’t enjoy it. Despite seeing its value as a teaching device, the truth is I found it taxing to reach the end. Plot and themes aside, the author’s writing style isn’t one I particularly enjoy. The writing sticks mostly to dialogue so there’s almost no description, no visuals, no imagery or flare. There’s a slow grind to the fifty percent mark where the actual plot hits, and beforehand, the only real world-building is swapping around the words ‘white’ and ‘black’: a powerful idea in it's simplicity, but there's not really enough going on for half the book. Then years fly by in paragraphs, a writing choice that leaks the tension for me. Truth be told,...

GIRLS OF STORM AND SHADOW by Natasha Ngan Girls of Paper and Fire #2 3 Stars Verdict : Middle book syndrome. Travelling? Check. Cliche twins? Check. Shaky love triangle? Check. I'm afraid this book is suffering from middle book syndrome. Book two picks up where we left off, tense and fast with plenty to question: is Lei being followed, is the king alive, can Ketai Hanno be trusted? With luscious writing and a fiery romance, it promises a grand adventure full of political intrigue, battles, and romance. But then it sort of withers away. We see Lei become reckless and riled up at silly times, and quite frankly putting her spur of the moment needs in front of her friends' safety. But when she's not riled up, she's travelling or eating or having one too many drinks. This all equates to not a lot of progress for your pages. A band of new characters are introduced, including twins. Hopefully this isn't considered a spoiler as not all of these things hap...

ACE OF SHADES by Amanda Foody 4 Stars Verdict:  A mixed hand. Prim and proper dancer, Enne Salta, braves the so-called City of Sin in search of her mother. She seeks out Levi Glaisyer, a young gang leader struggling to pull off the last leg in a financial scam. Gangster magic ensues! I had mixed feeling about this story from start to finish, but did I enjoy it? Yes. Mostly. I felt critical while reading it, but I still enjoyed the ride. It starts off fast, almost too fast, so that it has to slow down immediately after in order to build up the world and characters. The pace might plummet, but the world and characters are very well done. I enjoyed Enne's growth from a stuffy prim and proper lady into a survivor, and I liked how she he clashed with Levi's laid back persona - textbook chemistry! Levi, on the other hand, is in over his head, and things only gets worse for him. I've heard lots of comparisons to Six of Crow' s Kaz Brekker, and I'd say Levi isn...