Book Review: Songlines

Songlines by Carolyn Denman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When you pick-up a book with a subtitle about the Eden you (probably) expect a certain amount of religion. I prepared myself for this, as Christianity and I have a tumultuous relationship (to say the least; raised Christian but follow a very different religion today). I was pleasantly surprised that the use of Eden and religion in Songlines was extremely well done.

Religion and Eden
Yes the Garden of Eden, the Bible and God are all factors in Songlines. But unlike most books with these elements, Carolyn Denman hasn't written a Christian or even overtly religious book. Instead she's taken some well known aspects of Christianity and used them to bring magic into our world. The use of religion here isn't intrusive to the story; and wasn't a problem for me at any point. It's actually a positive point of the story in that it allows our characters to easily accept many of the 'magical' things happening as it's a part of their accepted life long religion.

Cheesy YA?
For the most part Denman manages to keep things relatively non-cheesy. With one exception regarding a floating sword (all I could think of was Legend of Zelda and Link grabbing spinning swords). However there is no doubt that Songlines is YA. It has many of the typical aspects you'd expect including: awkward friendships and possible love interests, lack of authority/power over situations, and a spunky, stubborn lead gal. As I always say, you cannot complain that when you read a YA book it reads like YA; as that is the entire point.

Lead Heroine
Our leading teenage girl is fairly resilient. I like how she doesn't immediately give into believing what she is told about Eden existing and she doesn't allow herself to be manipulated by the adults or situations around her the way some YA heroines do. Denman has given us a teenage girl that is easy to cheer for and respect without ever forgetting that she is still a teenager with awkward moments, difficult thoughts and lots of confusion about everything.

Overall
I give this four stars because it is a really good read for what it is. It's the kind of book where you read the blurb and you get exactly what you are expecting. There's nothing too intense or trigger worthy that I can think of. It's a solid good ol' YA book that is well-written with a clear plot. It's hard to fault a book when all the pieces fit together so nicely. The thing that Songlines isn't is all that special or something above and beyond the average YA book; and for me that's okay but does make it only four star worthy and not five stars. It's missing that special something. I will definitely carry on in the series and read book 2 as it is a good story, I like the characters and while religion sets the basis for the book it's not preachy at all.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and BookSirens. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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Book Review: The Invisible Library

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had been told by many, many people (in particular my 'buddy' Mary S.R. comes to mind!) that I needed to read this series. They were all so very right! Let me start this review by saying if you like fun, clever fantasy novels that feel a little like a Doctor Who episode then go read this immediately! Don't even read the rest of this review; just go get The Invisible Library.

Like Doctor Who
I don't know if it's because the opening description of the Library made me think of the Doctor Who episode in which we first encounter River Song (my favourite character ever on this series) or that there are multiple dimensions that feel like time travel in their own way? Whatever the reason I had immense Doctor Who vibes within the first couple chapters.

Humour and Sarcasm
There is a humour that Genevieve Cogman has injected into each of her characters that reminds me of the banter on any good sci-fi show (ie: Firefly, Doctor Who, etc.) that helps to relieve some of the intense moments that are liable to happen. Much of the comedy included in The Invisible Library is sarcastic (my fave kind!) and requires you to appreciate how complex this world of multiple 'worlds' is. Whether it's Irene, Kai or (yummy, yummy) Vale keeping the reader on their toes with quick witty comments it doesn't even matter. The overall feel is just wonderful!

Intense
Don't let the laughs you may have at moments dispel from the fact that this is an action-packed, psychopathic starring story. Our villain(s) are complex and hard to anticipate. A nice change from the usual black and white you might get from others in a similar story format. There is nothing simple or easy about The Invisible Library's characters, plot or set-up. Yet it's a quick and enjoyable read. I know it sounds like this isn't possible; but truly Cogman conjures magic unlike most other authors and makes her novel one that is good to pick-up no matter mood you're in.

Overall
I'm sure everything has been said about this series already as it's been around (and beloved by many) for a few years now. So if you don't believe me then believe the thousands of others who've read and loved The Invisible Library. This book was so good I immediately (literally the next day) went out of my way to stop in at a bookstore and pick-up the next two books. I've since acquired the whole series.
Which leads me to my last point about The Invisible Library. It's a series that is COMPLETE! (woohoo!) Which makes it a great choice if you're fearful of never ending narratives or tired of waiting for the next book in a series to be published. These are my two biggest exhaustions about reading today and I'm so glad to start a new series that is fun, exciting, inventive, sexy (did I mention yummy Vale?) and at the same time smart.

I did previous have a note in here about how exciting it was the series was complete as well. But I’ve since found out there is a 7th book planned (thank you Leonore for pointing this out!) . I will say that based on this first books format (and my reading into the second book) each one seems to have its own plot and it’s just some character arcs that carry forward. So I’m hopeful that means no major cliffhangers that create issues with waiting for the next book to be released. 

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Book Review: The Lines We Leave Behind

The Lines We Leave Behind by Eliza Graham

My rating: 4 of 5 stars (3.5)

There are a number of things to know about The Lines We Leave Behind in advance of reading it that might help you determine if it's for you:

1) Flashbacks.
Most of the book is told in a series of flashbacks. Our narrator can only tell the parts of the story she knows (and so it may not be fulsome at times)

2) Action then nothing.
The first 60% of this book is very quick, action-packed excitement. The last 40% is poignant, about relationships and our characters. It mellows right out. If you want a fast paced book for the whole time this is likely not for you.

3) Historical Context Lacking.
I was really hoping for some good insight into WWII and how it played out in the complex and politically unstable country of Yugoslavia at the time. Unfortunately Eliza Graham barely scratches the surface of what could have been a very informative book. While we learn about some of the rival groups and how many families were divided on either side of the conflict; the reality is that reading a Wiki page would give you more context and facts than we receive here. I was very disappointed by the lack of depth to this part of the story (and that in the afterward Graham even admits to the story being almost 100% fictional).

Still Pretty Good
Now all that to say this is actually a well written book. It wasn't necessarily what I was hoping for; but that didn't stop me from loving our characters and feeling for them by the bittersweet ending. I was very invested with our leading lady, her combat friends and spy handler (for lack of a better description).
Graham handles the idea of going from a covert high-adrenaline mission to average everyday life where no one knows how amazing you might have been at one moment in your life. This is a common experience for military, police, firefighters and EMS. Plus you also add in the PTSD aspects that invade at random times and it makes "normal" life feel very unsatisfying.

Publication
The biggest disappointment I have with The Lines We Leave Behind has nothing to do with writing, characters, plot, etc. I hate that publishers today (ahem, Amazon) have 'exclusive' agreements to only have some books on their devices. I know many indie authors say that Amazon makes them the most money; but for those outside of the USA (the only country where Kindle is the top e-reader) it limits our options. I read this entirely on my iPhone because I have a Kobo, not a Kindle. But I did want to read it badly enough to suck it up. I do however worry that this limits the audience significantly.
If I can give one piece of advice to indie authors; if you must start with Amazon for your first 6 months or a year do so. But then open up your book to all platforms and stores! There's (literally) hundreds of millions of people who may want to read your book but don't have Kindle capability.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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