A Stunning Post-Apocalyptic Debut: 'Moths' by Jane Hennigan, narrated by Juanita McMahon

There's something about certain dystopian or post-apocalyptic novels that draws me in, keeps me reading into the quiet hours of night and doesn't let me go until I'm finished. I knew I had to read Jane Hennigan's Moths when a fellow Goodreads reviewer John recommended it, stating that it was going onto his list of favourite dystopian novels alongside a favourite of mine A Boy, His Dog and the End of the World. I went in with such high expectations - usually a bad idea - but in this case, my impossible expectations were exceeded.

I lived, breathed and slept Moths in the two weeks that I listened to it and might have flown through it sooner had I been reading it. I took long lunch time walks out on the marsh as I listened to this dark tale about nature gone wrong, knowing that I needed to draw it out for as long as possible. I didn’t want to finish this book, could think of little else in those two weeks and needed to know what would come next.

Moths is set about forty years into our future, following a catastrophic time when the tiny toxic threads of a previously unknown species of moths begins to kill men or fill them with uncontrollable, murderous rage. Society breaks down, systems fail, changes are made to ensure that both men and women can survive in this strange new world. Most of all, sacrifices are made and controls put in place to ensure that men are not exposed to the unrelenting threat of moth fibres that permeate the entire world.

The future world of Moths is a deeply horrifying place but I’m hesitant to go into details of the structures and practices because I want other readers to go in as blind as possible, to experiences the twists and reveals as I did. I can say that it is at once feminist and misanthropic, that it reminded me of both The Handmaids Tale and The Testaments and that I’ll be reading both Vox and The Power now due to favourable comparisons with those books.

I can also say confidently that it is unique and inventive enough to stand out in the world of dystopian fiction and that, like John, I will be adding this to my list of favourite dystopian books ever. I am absolutely thrilled that the sequel Toxxic is coming out in July!

I felt that Hennigan portrayed the effects of long-term institutionalisation very well as well as the consequential infantalisation of those who are incarcerated, how decades of medication would render them as empty shells. I didn’t quite agree with the complete breakdown of the electric grid, mobile grid and internet but it is clear that this is an issue that will divide dystopian writers and fans for ages to come. Just how much will society collapse following a catastrophe?

I listened to Moths narrated by Juanita McMahon on Audiobooks.com. Juanita’s narration was superb and absolutely contributed to my enjoyment of Moths. I liked how she changed her voice for each of the characters, making them distinctive and nuanced. I definitely recommend listening to this one on audiobook.

I give Moths a superb five out of five stars and recommend it to all fans of dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction. I cannot wait for the release of Toxxic and will be following Jane Hennigan's writing career with great interest.

★★★★★

I was gifted a copy of the audiobook by the author Jane Hennigan. I will always give an honest and true review no matter whether booked are gifted or purchased by me.

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Charlotte Nicole Davis's Incredible Debut 'The Good Luck Girls' | Audiobook Review ★★★★★

How do I love this book? Let me count the ways.

One. The narrator Jeanette Illidge is absolutely brilliant, capturing each of the many characters' voices with individuality and distinction.

Two. This is a steampunkish, speculative, fantastical novel set in an alternative Wild West where dustbloods, whose shadows were torn from them generations ago, remain indentured and vulnerable to being sold into sexual servitude.

Three. It's a great adventure story where five girls embark of a journey of escape across a landscape littered with 'vengeants' (think savage spectres) and mercenaries known as 'raveners'. Their ultimate goal is to remove their delicate yet brutal neck tattoos that define them as Welcome Girls.

Four. That cover is exquisite as is the US cover.

Five. Diversity. This is a book about five girls who get to head a Western adventure and engage in capers from chases to bank heists. Main character Aster is a seventeen-year-old, dark skinned, formidable young woman who will do anything to protect her sister Clem. The book also features the sweetest queer couple who I will stan for the rest of time.

Six. Despite the high capers, the book deals with several heavy issues with trigger warnings for rape, sexual slavery and discussion of suicide.

Seven. The sequel comes out on 10 August 2021 and I cannot wait.

I give The Good Luck Girls by Charlotte Nicole Davis a superb five out of five stars and recommend to fans of YA, steampunk and kick-ass girls.

★★★★★

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Five YA Audiobook Releases Not to Miss in April 2021

When I began this series, it was with the aim of listening to at least 2-3 audiobooks a month. I haven’t finished one single audiobook. This is the nature of lockdown – entering it’s 5th month in Kent today – I can’t concentrate on a single thing long enough to enjoy.

I’ve promised that’s going to change in April. I’ve spent my weight in gold on seven audiobooks this morning and when I’ve finished those, here are the UK YA audiobook releases I’m most looking forward to in April 2021.

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House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

Narrated by: Eleanor Bennett
Release date: 13-04-21
Publisher: Hot Key Books

Summary

Dark, dangerous things happened around the Hollow sisters. Everybody knew it.

A seductive horror story from the extraordinary Krystal Sutherland.

The Hollow sisters - Vivi, Grey and Iris - are as seductively glamorous as they are mysterious. They have black eyes and hair as white as milk. They share the same birthday, spaced exactly two years apart. The Hollow sisters don't have friends - they don't need them. They move through the corridors like sharks, the other little fish parting around them, whispering behind their backs.

This one sounds deliciously creepy. I’m either going to love it, like Claire Legrand’s Sawkill Girls or I’m going to inexplicably be the only one to not love it, like Rory Power’s Wilder Girls.

Pre-order  House of Hollow

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Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet By Laekan Zea Kemp

Narrated by: Andy Aragon, Arami Malaise
Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
Release date: 06-04-21
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

Summary

I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter meets Emergency Contact in this stunning story of first love, familial expectations, the power of food, and finding where you belong.

Penelope Prado has always dreamed of opening her own pastelería next to her father's restaurant, Nacho's Tacos. But her mom and dad have different plans - leaving Pen to choose between disappointing her traditional Mexican-American parents or following her own path. When she confesses a secret she's been keeping, her world is sent into a tailspin. But then she meets a cute new hire at Nacho's who sees through her hard exterior and asks the questions she's been too afraid to ask herself.

This book sounds delicious, full stop. With it’s promise of culinary delights, I get a definite With Fire On High vibe and I suspect that like Acevedo’s books, this one will be best enjoyed on audiobook.

Pre-order Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet

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Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart

Narrated by: Izoriah Glover, Ashh Blackwood
Release date: 20-04-21
Publisher: Hot Key Books

Summary

Trust no witch....

Iraya Adair has spent her life in a cell. Heir of an overthrown and magically-gifted dynasty, she was exiled from her home on the island nation of Aiyca when she was just a child. But every day brings her closer to freedom - and vengeance.

Jazmyne Cariot grew up dressed in gold, with stolen magic at her fingertips. Daughter of the self-crowned doyenne, her existence is a threat to her mother's rule. But unlike her sister, Jazmyne has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother's power.

Sworn enemies, the two witches enter a deadly alliance to take down the woman who threatens both their worlds.

But revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain - except the lengths Iraya and Jazmyne will go to win this game.

Two witches. One motive. And a very untrustworthy alliance..

This one is giving me strong Children of Blood and Bone vibes. I never could get into Children of Virtue and Vengeance so I’m hoping this will fill the slightly disappointing gap left by the Legacy of Orïsha series.

Pre-order Witches Steeped in Gold

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The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

Narrated by: Sue Jean Kim
Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
Release date: 20-04-21
Publisher: Listening Library

Summary

Suspenseful and richly atmospheric, June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls is a haunting historical mystery sure to keep listeners guessing until the last word.

1426, Joseon (Korea). Hwani's family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest near a gruesome crime scene.

Years later, Detective Min - Hwani's father - learns that 13 girls have recently disappeared from the same forest that nearly stole his daughters. He travels to their hometown on the island of Jeju to investigate...only to vanish as well.

Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village - and collides with her now estranged sister, Maewol - Hwani comes to realize that the answer could lie within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago.

This sounds very dark. I’ll be very interested to know if it has a Courtney Summers Sadie feel or more of a Rin Chupeco Girl From the Well feel. Then again, maybe we’ll be utterly surprised with a new and unique voice. Nevertheless this is on my watchlist, as well as every other bookworm in the country.

Pre-order The Forest of Stolen Girls

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Way of the Argosi (Spellslinger #0.5) by Sebastien de Castell

Narrated by: Kristin Atherton
Release date: 15-04-21
Publisher: Hot Key Books

Summary

The Alchemist meets The Three Musketeers - with card tricks. A brilliant origin story of adventure, wit and philosophy to enrapture devotees as well as newcomers to the Spellslinger series.

Ferius Parfax has a simple plan: kill every last inhabitant of the spell-gifted nation that destroyed her people, starting with the man who murdered her parents. Killing mages is a difficult and dangerous business, of course, but when she meets the inimitable and extraordinary Durrall Brown she discovers that physical strength is not the only way to defeat evil of all kinds.

So Ferius undertakes to study the ways of the Argosi: the loosely-knit tribe of tricksters known for getting the better of even the most powerful of spellcasters. But the Argosi have a price for their teachings, and by the time Ferius learns what it is, it may be too late.

Perfect for fans of The Dark Tower, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett, Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

The third book by Hot Key Books on this list. I don’t usually include books from series on this list unless I’ve read and loved the other books in the series. Nevertheless, this promises to be accessible to both novices and fans of the series and honestly? They had me at Guardians of the Galaxy and Ben Aaronovitch.

Pre-order Way of the Argosi

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Click on any of the audiobook covers or links above to go straight to Amazon to pre-order. Alternatively, support local bookshops and visit the Addicted to Media YA Fiction Bookshop to see my recommendations. All links above are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you.

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Five Most Anticipated YA Audiobook Releases in March 2021

I genuinely can't believe it's almost March already. I know that years begin to accelerate as you grow older but lockdown seems to be making time speed by. January and February were okay but we had a lot of snow and that means I didn't go for my usual runs or walks. I've made a promise to myself to correct that now that spring is on the way and that means I'll hopefully be listening to more audiobooks. I'm hesitant because I'm still listening to last months reads! Never mind, there is time to be found in your day if you just make the time to find it.

Here are the UK YA audiobook releases I’m most looking forward to in March 2021.

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The Lake by Natasha Preston

Narrated by: Lillie Ricciardi
Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
Release date: 02-03-21
Publisher: Listening Library

Summary

Hot on the heels of The Twin, the undisputed queen of YA thrillers is back with a scary and suspenseful listen about a summer camp filled with dark secrets.

Esme and Kayla once were campers at Camp Pine Lake. They're excited to be back this year as CITs (counsellors in training). Esme loves the little girls in her cabin and thinks it's funny how scared they are of everything - spiders, the surly head counsellor, the dark, boys... even swimming in the lake! It reminds her a little of how she and Kayla used to be, once. Before... it happened.

This sounds delightfully creepy and I love the cover. That's enough for me!

Pre-order The Lake

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Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Narrated by: Dion Graham
Series: Dear Martin, Book 1
Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
Release date: 04-03-21
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK

Summary

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League – but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighbourhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.

Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr Martin Luther King Jr for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr King to find out.

We've been waiting three long, arduous years for the audiobook of Dear Martin to be released in the UK, so long, in fact, that the sequel Dear Justyce is being released the same day. This is crazy, book publishers. You need to realise that we don't see nationality or location on Goodreads or Bookstagram and withholding rights in certain countries is stupid. Obviously, I'm pre-ordering this one after waiting so long to read it!

Pre-order Dear Martin or pre-order Dear Justyce.

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A Better Bad Idea by Laurie Devore

Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon, Catherine Taber
Length: 8 hrs
Release date: 16-03-21
Publisher: Listening Library

Summary

Laurie Devore's new YA novel is a searing look at a forgotten girl who has no good choices left, but one better bad idea....

Evelyn Peters is desperate. Desperate for a way out of McNair Falls, the dying southern town that's held her captive since the day she was born. Desperate to protect her little sister from her mother's terrifying and abusive boyfriend. And desperate to connect with anyone, even fallen golden boy Ashton Harper, longtime boyfriend of the girl Evelyn can never stop thinking about - beautiful, volatile, tragically dead Reid Brewer.

I'm getting strong Courtney Summers vibes from this one so of course I'm going to listen to it.

Pre-order A Better Bad Idea

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The Cost Of Knowing by Brittney Morris

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
Release date: 22-03-21
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books

Summary

Sixteen year old Alex Rufus lives with his younger brother, Isaiah, in a quiet neighbourhood in Chicago. But recently, the neighbours are on high alert - whenever they see someone they don't think looks safe, they take matters into their own hands, often calling the cops without reason.

Alex starts taking on more shifts at the local ice-cream shop, Scoops, and spending time with his girlfriend, Talia. But then Alex starts experiencing visions of the future whenever he touches objects or the people around him. And when he picks up a family photo, he has a vision that his younger brother, Isaiah, is going to die - he can't tell how, but he knows it will be soon.

I loved Brittney Morris's debut novel Slay and have been waiting for 18 long months to see what she'd release next. This sounds fascinating and a definite yes from me.

Pre-order The Cost of Knowing

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A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War by Albert Marrin

Narrated by: Jason Culp
Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins
Release date: 30-03-21
Publisher: Listening Library

Summary

From National Book Award Finalist and Sibert Honor Author Albert Marrin, a timely examination of Red Scares in the United States, including the Rosenbergs, the Hollywood Ten, and the McCarthy era.

In 20th-century America, no power - and no threat - loomed larger than the communist superpower of the Soviet Union. America saw in the dreams of the Soviet Union the overthrow of the US government, and the end of democracy and freedom. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of the United States attempted to use deep economic and racial disparities in American culture to win over members and sympathizers.

I was surprised to see this title at first - you don't see enough non-fiction YA titles but I can confirm that Marrin has written this specifically for a teen audience and it sounds fascinating. I'm all for history that isn't dry or boring.

Pre-order A Time of Fear

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Click on any of the audiobook covers or links above to go straight to Amazon to pre-order. Alternatively, support local bookshops and visit the Addicted to Media YA Fiction Bookshop to see my recommendations.

All links above are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you.

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Five YA Audiobook Releases I Can't Wait For in February 2021

I can’t believe we’re almost at the end of January. I'm writing from my home in sunny Kent and it's beginning to look like lockdown will be with us until at least mid-February, if not Easter. One of the things that is keeping me sane at the moment is long walks in the marshes near my house with just me, the creek and an audiobook for company. So without further ado, here are the 5 YA audiobooks I’m most looking forward to in February 2021.

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The Library of the DEad by T. L. Huchu

Narrated by:Tinashe Warikandwa
Series: Edinburgh Nights, Book 1
Length: 9 hrs  
Release date: 02-02-21   
Publisher: Tor

Summary

When ghosts talk, she will listen....

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghost talker - and she now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children - leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honour-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

They had me at the word ‘ghost’. This sounds very much like Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts (it’s even set in Edinburgh) and this is a definite listen for me. The author also just happens to have my favourite Zimbabwean name: Tendai.

Pre-order The Library of the Dead

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The Project by Courtney Summers

Narrated by: Emily Shaffer, Therese Plummer
Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
Release date: 02-02-21
Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Summary

From Courtney Summers, the New York Times best-selling author of the 2019 Edgar Award Winner and breakout hit, Sadie, comes a sensational follow-up - another pulls-no-punches thriller about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister from a cult.

I love Courtney Summers and her previous book Sadie was my Book of the Year in 2019. To say I’m excited for this one is an understatement.

Pre-order The Project

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Game Changer by Neal Shusterman

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Jennifer Jill Araya
Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
Release date: 09-02-21
Publisher: HarperAudio

Summary

An explosive new novel by the author of the National Book Award-winning Challenger Deep and the New York Times best-selling Arc of a Scythe series, about the limited ways we see our world - and how a jolt out of the ordinary can upend the universe.

I have an embarrassing and heart-breaking confession to make: I haven’t yet read any of Neal Shusterman’s books, despite knowing that I really should. I tried to read Dry in March 2020 but those familiar with the story might understand why that wasn’t the best timing. Hopefully his latest release will be a game changer for me (sorry, not sorry).

Pre-order Game Changer

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We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire by Joy McCullough

Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 7 hrs
Release date: 09-02-21
Publisher: Listening Library

Summary

From the author of the acclaimed Blood Water Paint, a new contemporary YA novel in prose and verse about a girl struggling with guilt and a desire for revenge after her sister's rapist escapes with no prison time.

This one looks really powerful and I'll make an early prediction that this could be up for Printz Award consideration.

Pre-order We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire

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The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa

Narrated by: Josh Hurley
Length: 16 hrs
Release date: 09-02-21
Publisher: HQ Young Adult

Summary

‘You may have heard of me….'

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool...King Oberon’s right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat unlike any before. A threat that brings him face-to-face with a new enemy...himself.

I love Julie Kagawa and have read all seven previous Iron Fey books plus accompanying novellas. I was also missing the Iron Fey series so much that I had begun consuming them again on audiobook last year. I can’t begin to express how excited I was to note that a brand new book is out in the Iron Fey universe, part of a planned trilogy based on Puck’s adventures.

Pre-order The Iron Raven

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Click on any of the audiobook covers or links above to go straight to Amazon to pre-order. These are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you.

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Tiffany D Jackson's 'Monday's Not Coming' | Audiobook Review ★★★☆☆

My first thought on finishing Tiffany D Jackson's Monday's Not Coming was joy, "so glad it's over" to be precise. There are four primary reasons for this, three of which drive my three-star review.

Monday's Not Coming is about two best friends Claudia and Monday, how Monday comes from a severely abusive home and how Claudia is seemingly the only person who cares when Monday doesn't return to school after the summer holidays.

It is one of the most ugly, devastating stories I've read, similar in theme and tone to Courtney Summers's Sadie, which I voted as my favourite book of 2019. The storytelling was also slightly similar but whereas Sadie utilised two timelines, Monday's Not Coming uses a very messy and convoluted four storylines. This shouldn't have been a problem but I listened to the novel on audiobook and have to admit that it would have been far better to read in written form to try anchor the various timelines.

I'm a great fan of audiobooks and Imani Parks did an exceptional job of bringing Claudia's voice to life but ultimately ten hours of audio was too long for this novel and I committed the cardinal audiobook-lover's sin of listening to the book at 1.25x speed. I just wanted it to be over.

A lengthy audio narration and dark themes wouldn't have impacted my rating but the confusing timelines certainly did. What ultimately moved my rating from four to three stars was a very clumsy PTSD and amnesia twist. It was a twist-too-far to an already complicated story, a twist I felt was unnecessary to the outcome of the novel or the core themes of the novel itself.

I also didn't feel that it was particularly authentic; this is strictly my own experience but I actually did experience partial-amnesia following a bank robbery (20 years ago) and every part of my mind was screaming "it doesn't work like that" as I read this book. What Jackson is describing is a rare fugue state that would likely have required hospitalisation or at the least permanent adult supervision.

Ultimately, I give Monday's Not Coming an okay three out of five stars. What saved this from being a two-star review was Monday's story. Like Sadie, this is a story that will haunt me for some time after I've finished it.

★★★☆☆

Support local bookshops and buy Monday's Not Coming at Bookshop.org. You can also visit the Addicted to Media YA Fiction Bookshop to see my recommendations (note: both these links are affiliate links; I will receive a small commission if you purchase using these links at no extra cost to you).

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Erin Entrada Kelly's Star-Struck 'We Dream of Space' ★★★☆☆ | Audiobook Review

2020 is turning out to be a disappointing year for books. I thought Erin Entrada Kelly's We Dream of Space was going to be my favourite book of the year but I just found it quite sad.

We Dream of Space takes place in the month leading up to the January 1986 Challenger launch. Three siblings in the Nelson Thomas household are coping with brewing hostilities at home. Fitch has severe anger issues, his twin sister Bird can take a Walkman apart and put it back together again and their older brother Cash is dealing with extreme feelings of failure after being kept back a grade at school. Only the magic of the upcoming Challenger launch keeps Bird together who in turn keeps the family together.

I love 80s nostalgia, as captured perfectly by Stranger Things and Jason Rekulak's Impossible Fortress, and expected We Dream of Space to capture that magical yet surreal time. We Dream of Space certainly focuses on a star-struck nation but other than an absence of mobile phones and some scenes in a games arcade, there is little else about 80s culture and sentiments in the book.

But of course, We Dream of Space focuses around a very significant event in history. Drawn in by the beautiful blue cover and title, I expected dreams, exploration and the space endeavour but this was the opposite of inspiring, and despite the space travel theme, definitely not uplifting. I knew my habit of judging books by their pretty covers would come back to haunt me one day. We Dream of Space was a very depressing and realistic story about invisible Generation X kids, a broken family and a series of disappointments.

I'm aware that this review has more to do with my expectations and enjoyment of the book and less about the book itself, which isn't entirely fair. There was good character development and Erin Entrada Kelly did well to capture the three unique points of view of the Nelson Thomas siblings.

I also enjoyed Ramon de Ocampo's narration on the audiobook version. He did a great job of capturing all three voices of the Nelson Thomas Children.

Overall, We Dream of Space was well-written but quite sad. I give it an okay three out of five stars.

★★★☆☆

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Malorie by Josh Malerman (Bird Box #2) | Audiobook Review ★★★☆☆

If I thought finishing Station Eleven while a pandemic hit was bizarre, I have no words for reading a post-apocalyptic novel. In Josh Malerman's Malorie (sequel to Bird Box) our protagonist talks about people mourning the world they have lost, meanwhile in the real world, we've learned that it doesn't take an apocalypse to lose a way of life.

Malorie is set 17 years after apocalypse, a decade after the events in Bird Box. Boy and Girl, Tom and Olympia, are teenagers now and if you think the post-apocalypse will protect parents from teenage rebellion, think again.

A census man arrives on the doorstep where Malorie and the teens are hiding out only to be chased away by a terrified Malorie. He departs, leaving documents on the porch.

It is in these documents, disturbing glimpses into a world that they dare not see, that Malorie discovers that her parents Sam and Mary Walsh might be alive.

It took years to prepare for their journey down the river at the end of Bird Box but the maddening allure of the possibility of her parents being alive drives the family out into the world and on to the fabled Blind Train, travelling towards where the Walshes were last recorded.

I absolutely loved Bird Box, giving it a glowing 5 star review back in 2014 and remarking that it "couldn't be creepier if it was woven together with cobwebs and dust using rodent bones as needles". I want to say that I had high expectations for Malorie but the truth is that I didn't think Bird Box needed a sequel and I was happy to just read Malerman's other works instead (A House at the Bottom of a Lake is particularly good).

It turns out that my instincts were partially correct and I'm going to base my rating based on an average of several factors.

As a sequel to Bird Box

Two stars. Malorie definitely wasn't as good as Bird Box. Where Bird Box hinted and implied, Malorie told and explained. Bird Box was creepy, interesting and terrifying, Malorie rehashed a lot of what we knew already and was often dull.

As a horror story

Two stars. Bird Box terrified me. It was the scariest book I'd ever read, Malorie was not.

As a standalone post-apocalyptic novel

Three stars. Had I read this on its own, without expecting it to be particularly scary or live up to its predecessor, I would have rated it above The Road which I couldn't finish but far below The Walking Dead, The Survival Game or Wye. It's quite an interesting (albeit slow) quest, traversing a post-apocalyptic landscape while blindfolded and landing up on a Blind Train.

As a young adult novel (which it unexpectedly became)

Three stars. This is a strange addition but so much in Malorie focuses on Tom and Olympia, their rebelliousness and their desperation to see the world they have grown up in that I figured it deserved a rating as a YA novel and it does okay on this level.

On average, I give Malorie an okay two-and-a-half out of five stars, rounded up to three stars. I'm not entirely sure I'd recommend it but I'd definitely recommend Malerman's other works.

I listened to Malorie on audiobook narrated by Katherine Mangold who did a great job of capturing Malorie's fear and desperation as well as capturing distinct voices for the other characters.

★★★☆☆

I received an advance copy of this audiobook from Netgalley. The audiobook function is new on Netgalley and is very much in the beta stages. I was unable to download this or another audiobook using the iPhone app and ultimately had to download to my work Android phone. Not ideal.

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Suzanne Collins's 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' (Hunger Games #0) - Audiobook Review ★☆☆☆☆

I'm absolutely stunned by how bad Suzanne Collin's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is: it's dire.

For the most part, I loved the Hunger Games trilogy although I did hate the ending. I cautiously looked forward to the prequel because I thought that there was a lot to say about how Panem became the twisted society it was. Given how low my expectations were, I'm surprised at how sorely disappointed I am.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is about the evolution of Coriolanus Snow, how he falls in love with a tribute he is mentoring and how he chooses to become the disgusting excuse for a human being we see in the trilogy. Coriolanus as an 18-year-old is absolutely insufferable and I'm quite sure that this wasn't a story that needed to be told.

The romance with his tribute, Lucy, is vomit-inducing and at no stage does the author attempt to unpack the huge moral implications and the imbalance of power between a privileged, spoiled young man of the leading class and a disenfranchised young woman, effectively a slave, who has been stripped of her rights, treated like an animal and chosen to die.

I couldn't help comparing Lucy to June in the Hulu version of The Handmaid's Tale. June realises what little power she has but chooses to use and manipulate the Commander. She certainly doesn't fall in love with him.

I'm an audiobook lover but to add insult to injury, I really disliked the narrator of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Santino Fontana's 'female' voices sounded like parody and his rendition of Lucy's songs fell completely flat. Perhaps, given the substantial dialogue of women in the book (especially Lucy), a female narrator should have been chosen?

Ultimately, I find myself wondering who authors are writing young adult novels for. A huge proportion of YA readers are adults, me included, but if you're not writing a book that has something relevant to say to actual young adults, what is the point? I felt the same way when I read Sara Zarr's Goodbye from Nowhere. In both novels, we have a pampered, narcissistic protagonist who basically preys on a woman who trusts him, yet somehow the whole story is about him?

I give The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes one out of five stars and would not recommend. I've just realised that this is my first one star review ever. It's that bad. Did this review need to be written? I very rarely take the time to write bad reviews but this is for the people who feel the same way as I do.

★☆☆☆☆

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Sarah Rees Brennan's Marvellous 'Path of Night', Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #3 - Audiobook ★★★★☆

I know we don't really have control over these things but if you're planning on having a lockdown birthday this year, I'd highly recommend against it. It's samey and boring and likely to not be the best day in the year which is what it is definitely meant to be. The only shining beacon on my birthday this year was the release of Sarah Rees Brennan's third Chilling Adventures of Sabrina tie-in, Path of Night.

Path of Night takes place immediately after the events in part 2 of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Nick Scratch is in Hell and Ambrose and Prudence have travelled to Europe to track down Father Blackwood. If you've watched part 3 of the series, you'll know that there's not very much time between the two series at all and so Sarah Rees Brennan takes a deep dive into each of the characters, giving us more insight than ever into Sabrina, Nick, Harvey, Ros, Theo, Prudence and Ambrose.

In Path of Night, Sabrina learns that in order to save Nick, she must appeal to the Lady of the Lake and embark on a series of quests along with Harvey, Ros and Theo. The only problem is that the quests will come at a great personal cost and one which the friends might not be able or willing to pay.

After loving the first two of Sarah Rees Brennan's tie-ins, I knew I was going to love Path of Night and I'm left thirsting for more CAOS and definitely more of Sarah Rees Brennan's novelisations. Alas, I do not have a date yet for either part 4 of CAOS or another novelisation to follow Path of Night.

I listened to the audiobook edition of this novel, as I did with Season of the Witch and Daughter of Chaos and it was so good to listen to Jessie Vilinsky and Nicol Zanzarella again. I've long been ready to listen to anything these two wonderful narrators read and Path of Night was no exception.

For feeding my insatiable obsession with all things CAOS-related, I give Path of Night an excellent four out of five stars and cannot wait to see what comes next from this franchise. Highly recommended for all fans of Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and lovers of superior paranormal YA fiction.

★★★★☆

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Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis on Audiobook ★★★★☆

Mindy McGinnis does not write victims; she also doesn't pull punches when it comes to stories about poverty, hardship, survival and the damning effects of drink and drugs. I didn't know what to expect from McGinnis's latest novel Be Not Far From Me, I didn't even know what it was about, I just knew that I love her books and I wanted it the minute it was released.

The thing about Mindy McGinnis books? They are dark, darker than the majority of the books in the YA market, save for Courtney Summers. While it might seem that now is not the time for books like that, it turns out that now is the perfect time. Every single minute that I spent with a teenager lost in the Smokies was a minute that I didn't think about the outside world. It's pretty hard not to get sucked very deep into McGinnis's stories and Be Not Far From Me is no different.

Be Not Far From Me begins with a campfire in the mountains and protagonist Ashley walking in on her boyfriend with another girl. Drunk and in a fit of rage, Ashley punches her boyfriend in the face and storms off into the woods. Only she gets turned around and takes a brutal fall, severely injuring her ankle.

Ashley is no stranger to survival techniques, having learned everything there is to know from her hero (and long-time crush) Davey Beet. But survival techniques can only get you so far when your foot has a rotting, open wound and you're lost deep in the Smokies.

Be Not Far From Me is certainly hard work and I am so pleased that I listened to this one on audiobook. Brittany Pressley narrates with incredible depth and nuance, adding pace and gravity to a very desperate and harrowing story.

This is the fifth of Mindy McGinnis's books that I've read and I'm impatient to read the rest of her works. The only problem I'm keen on listening to The Female of the Species again on audiobook because I loved it so much the first time.

I give Be Not Far From Me an excellent four out of five stars and recommend to fans of contemporary young adult fiction with an edge.

★★★★☆

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Sarah Rees Brennan's Wonderful 'Daughter of Chaos', Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #2 on Audiobook ★★★★★

While the rest of the world was looking forward to the festive season, all I cared about last December was the Boxing Day release of Daughter of Chaos, the second in Sarah Rees Brennan's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina novelisations. I'm coming to this book with a whole lot of love.

How much love is too much?

Warning: the word love is used thirteen times in the paragraphs below and I didn't even bother to try use synonyms. Proceed with caution.

I've loved the whole Riverdale / Greendale universe since I was a teenager so it was no surprise that I loved Riverdale and was in love with The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina before it even came out. I especially love Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina and Ross Lynch as Harvey and the whole dark, rich, colourful, delightful show.

I was delighted to discover Season of the Witch, the first of Sarah Rees Brennan's CAOS novelisations and I absolutely love her writing. I listened to this first book on audiobook and I really loved Jesse Vilinsky and Nicol Zanzarella's narration.

This is going to go one of two ways, both of them extreme and I'm happy to say it's extreme love. I loved Daughter of Chaos and while the rest of my world will be looking forward to my birthday on 5 May, all I care about is that Path of Night, the third book in the series, will be released that day. My friends and family better not throw me a surprise party! (I'm kidding! They love me disappearing into audiobooks during social gatherings!)

In Daughter of Chaos, Harvey and Sabrina have broken up and Sabrina is trying to navigate the murky halls of the Academy of Unseen Arts. But something is amiss in Greendale and it appears to be a much greater threat than a simple bad luck demon conjured by Sabrina. It takes a coven to dismiss a supernatural enemy and this time Sabrina will need every single one of her friends.

How do I love thee, Sabrina? Let me count the ways...

There was so much to love in this story and like Season of the Witch, it was delightful and wholesome in parts, but decidedly darker in others. Without divulging spoilers for those who may not have seen The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 yet, I will say that I loved Theo's origin story and the beginnings of his identity acceptance; I loved the Harvey and Nick Scratch bromance; I loved that Prudence was humanised in a way we don't see on the show; and finally, I loved the friendship between Roz, Susie and Harvey and how they realise they can still continue once Harvey and Sabrina break up.

It will surprise absolutely no one that I give Daughter of Chaos a superb five out of five stars and especially recommend the audiobook as narrated by Jesse Vilinsky and Nicol Zanzarella. If you've ever loved Sabrina or Archie, magic or fantasy, young adult or fun fiction, then give this one a chance.

★★★★★

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Monstrous Fun: Victoria Schwab's This Savage Song on Audiobook ★★★★★

It all started off with Sarah Rees Brennan's Seasons of the Witch. One minute I'd gone lukewarm on YA paranormal fiction and the next I couldn't get enough of it. I discovered Victoria Schwab next and tore through the Cassidy Blake novels, City of Ghosts and Tunnel of Bones. I wanted more. I decided on Schwab's Monsters of Verity series next, fully expecting to be slightly disappointed with it when compared to the aforementioned books.

I love it when I'm wrong.

I loved This Savage Song in the obsessive fan-girl-kind of way that had me impatiently searching for news of a rumoured film option and nervously considering when was too soon to pick up the sequel. Sarah Rees Brennan's second Chilling Adventures of Sabrina book is out in December, as is the long-awaited sequel to Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone. There are so many good books to read and only one overworked me.

This Savage Song is set in a world of monsters; grotesque, larger-than-life, walking nightmares roam the streets and the citizens of Verity swear fealty to one of two warring factions in a vain attempt at self-preservation. Kate Harker is the daughter of Callum Harker, a ruthless warlord who has somehow managed to bend monsters to his will. She wants nothing more than to be like him.

August Flynn is a monster by name, loyal to Harker's enemy Henry Flynn and on a mission to get close to Kate Harker. It doesn't take Kate long to discover August's secret but she soon learns that there are two kinds of monsters in this world.

This Savage Song is a lot of fun, set in a fascinating future world and featuring one hell of a flight for survival. The future is bleak and it's all down to human nature. The best part of the novel is undoubtedly the chemistry between Kate and August, their curiosity, friendship and trust. Kate is tough, kickass and often violent and is perfectly balanced by careful and conflicted August. I can't wait to pick up Our Dark Duet and I'm as delighted as I am devastated that the series is a duology. I definitely want more of Kate and August but I'm a big fan of series finishing before my interest runs out.

I listened to This Savage Song on Audible, narrated by Thérése Plummer. Thérése is such a fantastic narrator, perfectly capturing Kate and August's voices as well as the numerous monsters and other characters in the book. I see that she narrated Amanda Hocking's Trylle trilogy. I might just revisit that in the new year!

I give This Savage Song a superb five out of five stars. Despite my overflowing bedside table pile, I suspect it won't be long before I start listening to Our Dark Duet after all.

★★★★★

Thoughts on Margaret Atwood's The Testaments - an Audiobook Review

It seems a peculiar folly to try to review Margaret Atwood's The Testaments this late in the day. Between me listening to the audiobook and now, the book has been named joint winner of the Booker Prize with Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other. What could I possibly add to the conversation?

On Margaret Atwood

I discovered Margaret Atwood in my first year of university in 1991. I still have my very worn copy of The Handmaid's Tale featuring Natasha Richardson on the cover, a tie-in with the 1990 film. It was to become one of my most loved books of all time, but my two favourite Atwood books were Surfacing and Cat's Eye. Before I finally bought my own copy, I used to repeatedly borrow Cat's Eye from the library, return it and put my name on the waiting list to borrow it again. I suspect many of us were doing the same thing.

I read everything Margaret Atwood wrote until, horror of horrors, I encountered The Blind Assassin. I still haven't managed to finish it after nineteen years and because of the crazy, impossible way my head works, I couldn't read Oryx and Crake or anything else Atwood wrote until I did.

Another strange brain glitch is that I've not been able to watch The Handmaid's Tale TV series yet partially due to the Blind Assassin blockage and partially out of fealty to the original film version.

On Margaret Atwood live at the National Theatre, London

On the day that The Testaments was released, I watched a screening of Margaret Atwood live from the National Theatre in London. She discussed the book, the world of Gilead and our broken world and there were readings from the book. I very much enjoyed the event and realised that I urgently needed to get over my Margaret Atwood blockage and the best way was to listen to The Testaments on audiobook.

On The Testaments

I adored the writing in the The Testaments. As you can imagine, after nineteen years without Atwood in my life, coupled with a prolonged fascination with (often very poorly written) YA, I had simply forgotten how beautiful Atwood's prose is. I held on to every word and revelled in the sentences, ideas and world view that made me fall in love with Atwood three decades ago. I realised how much I had missed her writing and that this was in part responsible for my current quest to discover superior young adult literary fiction.

I listened to The Testaments on audiobook and the three main narrators were superb. Ann Dowd read Aunt Lydia, Bryce Dallas Howard read Agnes, a woman who had grown up in Gilead and Mae Whitman read Daisy, a teen growing up in Canada. I think the book might have been difficult to follow at times with three points of view but the audiobook made this a lot easier with the three different voices.

There was one terrifying moment in The Testaments when I feared that the book was succumbing to the tired old YA trope of a quest and subsequent endurance training for said quest. Thankfully this lasted for just one chapter.

For the rest of the book, I was fascinated by a story that took us from the very beginning of Gilead, to the removal of rights and freedom, through to life and politics in homes and schools of Gilead, to life outside of the country, as viewed by its neighbours.

Throughout the novel, I challenged myself to consider it through the lens of a young adult or new adult book. As a lover of YA, it ticked many boxes for me with the younger points of view but there is a scene of graphic sexual assault that makes it unsuitable for younger readers. Ultimately, as awful as that scene was, it was integral to the story and to decisions made and events that occurred later on in the novel.

On Creating Nothing New

During the live National Theatre event, Atwood mentioned that she had not created anything new in The Testaments, that all of the events described had occurred at some point during human history. As a student of the Tutsi and Srebrenica genocides, I could see the chilling parallels between those events and in events in the book, especially the stadium scenes. I thought that those scenes were particularly well-written and adapted to the novel.

On The New World Order

From a western point of view, Gilead is extreme. It is hard to imagine an America where girls are forbidden from reading, where holy texts are adapted to fit political views and where freedom is utterly restricted but it takes just a tiny geographical twist of the map to realise that this a reality for millions of women across the globe.

It's not just other countries, either. Freedom is being restricted while corporations are simultaneously given unfettered access to information about citizens as governments move towards empowering the rich at the expense of the poor. I think the horror of books like The Testaments is that it makes us realise that we're fighting the wrong fights at the moment and that we have to see what is really happening. In the UK as in the USA, the poor and vulnerable continue to bear the weight of recession and austerity while the rich just get filthy.

On the Booker Prize

I thoroughly enjoyed The Testaments and it stayed in my mind for many days afterwards. In fact, as I write this, I've not been able to start another audiobook and was only able to start reading Akwaeke Emezi's Pet because it is so damn brilliant. I definitely think that The Testaments deserved accolades, perhaps even a place on the Booker shortlist, but I do think they should have just awarded the prize to Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other. They acknowledged that it was the better book but by splitting it between the two authors, they've all but admitted that they couldn't let a black woman win. It's a travesty and detracts from Evaristo's great achievement.

I loved The Testaments and give it a superb five out of five stars. I'm more determined than ever now to read Oryx and Crake and to watch The Handmaid's Tale TV series.

★★★★★

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