'Graphic Novel Review: Clementine, Book One' by Tillie Walden TWD (Based on the Telltale's The Walking Dead character)

If you've played Telltale Games' The Walking Dead video game series, you'll be very familiar with Clementine, the series protagonist. Clementine lived on after the end of the game, making her first post-game appearance in Clementine Lives, which featured in Skybound X along with the first chapter of Rick Grimes 2000. Written by Tillie Walden, Clementine: Book One is Clem's first dedicated comic book series.

Official Synopsis

Clementine is back on the road, looking to put her traumatic past behind her and forge new path all her own.

But when she comes across an Amish teenager named Amos with his head in the clouds, the unlikely pair journeys North to an abandoned ski resort in Vermont, where they meet up with a small group of teenagers attempting to build a new, walker-free settlement.

As friendship, rivalry, and romance begin to blossom amongst the group, the harsh winter soon reveals that the biggest threat to their survival… might be each other.

The Story

Clementine: Book One has proved controversial among fans, many of whom weren't willing to accept Clementine leaving AJ in Clementine Lives. I think this notion was immediately put to bed in the opening pages of Clementine: Book One with Clementine meeting Amos as he embarks on Rumspringa. Just like Amos needs to go on his voyage of self-discovery, so too must Clementine find herself in this coming of age tale. And if that ultimately leads her back to AJ, then so be it.

The Art

I'm not going to lie, the artwork was disappointing. I'd been drawn in by the gorgeous, eye-catching cover and was dismayed to see the grey, bland pages inside. I'm also a little annoyed - they'd ultimately reissued The Walking Dead comics in colour, so haven't they learned that fans prefer colour?

Verdict

I wanted to love this comic with all of my heart but sadly the artwork let it down. It’s not just about aesthetics – there were scenes that I had to read once, twice more to try understand what was happening because it wasn’t clear from either the text nor graphics. This was most evident in what could be described as the most important scene in the book, one where there shouldn’t have been a shred of ambiguity. I think Clementine: Book One could be saved with a colour re-issue but even then they might need to enhance some artwork or dialogue.

Stan Zone

Recommended if you like: The Walking Dead, zombies, post-apocalyptica

Buy

Clementine: Book One will be released on 28 June 2022 and is available from the following retailers:

Amazon | Forbidden Planet | Waterstones

Affiliate links. I will earn a small commission if you purchase using these links, at no extra cost to you.

Links

Tillie Walden Instagram | Tillie Walden Tumblr

I received an advance, electronic copy of this graphic novel from Edelweiss. I will always provide an honest review, whether books are provided to me or purchased by me.

Image Credits © Tillie Walden

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A Creepy Short Story Collection: 'A Cold Christmas and the Darkest of Winters' edited by Rasta Musick ★★★★☆

I recently discovered that I like spooky short stories and in keeping with a 'horror is not only for Halloween' theme, I picked up the A Cold Christmas and the Darkest of Winters short story collection. The byline says it all - Ho ho uh-oh. A collection of darkly weird winter and Christmas tales - I was definitely in the right place.

A Cold Christmas and the Darkest of Winters is probably the most eclectic and diverse collection of short stories that I've read. Tied together by the theme of Christmas or winter, that is pretty much all they have in common with tales spanning multiple centuries, locations and realms, from the realistic to the fantastic.

It is this that makes the anthology uniquely readable. With each story taking about 20 minutes to read, you can pick up this collection any time you have some time to kill, be it at the doctor's office, waiting in a queue or, if you're especially brave, alone in the dark at 3am.

I don't want to spoil the collection but three tales stood out for me. "Patient, Marley" by T. War Powers Tilden was a very cool Ray Bradbury-esque story with a great twist cat the end; "The Heart of Winter" by Archita Mittra was a very clever little Hansel & Gretal-type tale which again has an unexpected outcome; and the story I was most looking forward to, "Copper Snow" by Zoë Markham was a fantastically gruesome tale that might be best avoided by those with a fear of clowns.

(As a lover of all things clown however, I can confirm that the combination of comical clown shoes with a classic Harlequin suit was truly frightening!)

I enjoyed A Cold Christmas and the Darkest of Winters and give it four out of five stars. Recommended to fans of diverse and spooky fiction.

★★★★☆

A Cold Christmas and the Darkest of Winters, edited by Rasta Musick and published by Cinnabar Moth Publishing, is available to buy on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com (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).

I received an electronic copy of this novel for the purposes of this review. I will always provide an honest review, whether books are provided to me or purchased by me.

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The Twisted Tree by Rachel Burge | Book Review ★★★★★

The Twisted Tree has been on my to-read list forever. The exact date you ask? Well that would be 28 July 2019. Specific, I know, but I saw author Rachel Burge speak at YALC in 2019 and her book went straight onto my wish-list along with the other books from British authors on the New Voices of YA Fantasy panel.

The difficulty is that I have this preconception that fantasy is difficult to read and that the world building is too much for me to handle because I admittedly struggle with comprehension issues that plagued my academic life.

I was wrong.

The Twisted Tree was an absolute pleasure to read and I'm just disappointed that I didn't pick it up sooner. There was so much to love in this short book with ghosts and demons, witches and ancestors, and a healthy dose of Norse mythology.

Oh, and it also featured a skinny, leather-trench-coat-wearing goth boy in it, which just happened to be my exact type at age 15. (Little known fact, I eventually snagged said goth boy from the clutches of my evil best frenemy and we dated for over a year, which is practically a decade in high school).

Martha is desperate to see her grandmother. Ever since a terrible accident when she lost sight in her left eye, she has been plagued by the feelings and emotions of people that she can gather simply by touching their clothes. Only her grandmother will understand but Martha hasn't heard a word from her in weeks and she lives on the isolated Norwegian island of Skjebne, almost a full day of travelling from London.

Martha takes the perilous journey alone but all is not well when she arrives at Skjebne to find a boy called Stig squatting in her grandmother's home instead of her grandmother.

A winter storm is coming to Skjebne, one that will suck the life out of your lungs and transform the landscape in minutes. Trapped and isolated, Martha and Stig are in for the most terrifying couple of days in their lives as ghosts emerge, horrors are uncovered and Martha comes face to face with her ancestral responsibilities.

The Twisted Tree is a page-turning triumph from the very first page and I'm so pleased that I read it now because I can dive straight into the sequel that was released in September.

For being spooky and thrilling, scary and interesting, I give The Twisted Tree a superb five out of five stars and recommend it to lovers of ghost stories and witchy women.

★★★★★

Support local bookshops and buy The Twisted Tree 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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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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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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Darren Shan's 'Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds' (Archibald Lox #1) ★★★★★

I was very excited when I heard that Darren Shan has a new series out featuring a young locksmith called Archibald Lox. I first discovered Shan's Lord Loss on the YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers in 2006 and loved how gory and incredibly addictive it was.

The great news for a self-isolating world is that Shan has released all three books in volume 1 of the Archibald Lox series and the first book Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds is currently available for free - see DarrenShan.com.

Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds opens with Archie and his family in a state of grief, shocked at the recent loss of Archie's foster brother Dave. Unable to face another day at school, Archie bunks school and lands up in central London. There he witnesses a young girl being chased by axe and knife-wielding murderers before she disappears. It is at this moment that Archie discovers a whole new universe parallel to our own, a dangerous and fantastical place known as the Merge. Here he discovers that he is a locksmith, equipped with a unique skill that allows him to traverse the Merge and access secret portals.

With the help of his new friend Inez, Archie must traverse the strange and wonderful Merge, assist Inez in her quest and most importantly, stay alive long enough to make it back home.

Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds is a perfect middle grade book. It has a beautiful cover and an alluring title with the promise of high adventure. Most importantly? I couldn't put it down and read it in almost one sitting, starting last night and finishing at 5am this morning (I did grab some sleep in between).

I know I'm beginning to sound like a broken record but I'm just so damn grateful these days to find a book that grabs my attention from the very first page and manages to keep it long enough for me to actually finish the book. That's not to say there are too few good books out there, it's just that there is too much reality in the world at the moment and I can't concentrate on much.

For grabbing my attention from the very first page and making me excited about a series for the first time in ages, I give Archibald Lox and the Bridge Between Worlds a superb five out of five stars. I would highly recommend to fans of Harry Potter, Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series and William Nicholson's Wind on Fire series.

★★★★★

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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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Danielle Vega's Terrifying Novel 'The Haunted' ★★★★☆

2020 has not been a good year for me and books. I consumed so many brilliant books last year, both in print and audible format but I find it very difficult at the moment to concentrate on anything. That would explain why I've given up more books than I've completed this year and in times like this I look to YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list.

Danielle Vega's The Haunted caught my eye straight away. It's a young adult novel about a teen who escapes a traumatic experience in Philly and moves to Drearford, upstate New York with her family. They move into the derelict Steele House which her property-flipping parents see as a chance to renovate and call home. The only problem is that this is a house that has no intention of becoming a home.

There are many stories woven together in The Haunted, including what happened in the house, what happened after that and what happened to our protagonist Hendricks in Philly. There is also a killer twist which I liked a lot, even though I guessed it very early in the book.

In fact, I realise that there wasn't much in The Haunted that was unique or original but it grabbed my attention at a time when I very much needed a book to do that and it was very, very scary. Also, I'd be over the moon if I watched a horror film with this much plot. There were some problems with continuity and timing, for instance talk of habits and routines when by my calculations, the whole book took place in three weeks and there was also an entirely unnecessary love triangle.

But honestly? I enjoyed The Haunted a lot and couldn't put it down, which is a million miles away from the eight or so books I've given up on this year. I also enjoyed the exploration of themes such as bullying, gaslighting and PTSD in the novel.

For breaking my reader's-block and scaring the life out of me, I give The Haunted an excellent four out of five stars. I'd recommend it to fans of psychological and paranormal horror and anyone seeking a good ghost story to distract them from the current state of the world.

★★★★☆

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Darren Charlton's 'Wranglestone' - Love In the Time Of the Zombie Apocalypse ★★★☆☆

Fifteen years after the zombie apocalypse, an isolated community exists in a national park, surrounded by a lake, nervously awaiting what winter and the great freeze will bring. The First Fall celebration is a time of happiness for the Lake-Landers but also a warning of the hardship to come.

When naive homebody Peter welcomes a stranger ashore, he puts the whole community in danger and finally gives credence to those who have been insisting that he grow up and learn to protect Wranglestone. Peter has long watched Cooper from afar but now he is tasked with helping the boy herd the dead away from Wranglestone and into the wilderness.

Out there on the plains, Peter will discover that he isn't the only person who has been watching but that also isn't the only secret he will uncover in that vast wilderness. On a journey of first love and self-discovery, Peter will learn about the dark secret of Wranglestone and how they have been living a lie for fifteen years.

Darren Charlton's debut young adult novel has been described as a mix between Brokeback Mountain and The Walking Dead. As a huge fan of The Walking Dead, I loved the post-apocalyptic setting of Wranglestone, the depiction of the Dead, the memories of previous lives and the exploration of life in this frightening new world. The book often felt like TWD fan-fiction, but it had enough going for it, especially with the introduction of the Pale Wanderers, to keep it fresh and interesting.

The growing relationship between Peter and Cooper is beautifully written and shows great tenderness and love. I loved this aspect of the novel and how Wranglestone wasn't about the characters being gay but about gay characters having an extraordinary adventure in a snowy, post-apocalyptic wasteland.

I also liked the twist, the uncovering of the great lie that had kept the community isolated and controlled. Indeed, there was a great deal to like about Wranglestone but I felt really confused at the end. While I wouldn't say it was rushed, there were too many 'knowing glances' and loose ends to really know what was going on. Perhaps I would have been kinder had I known we were being set up for a sequel but in its execution, it felt awkward and staged.

It is with a fair measure of disappointment that I give Wranglestone an okay three out of five stars. Given my abundance of feelings in the first half of the book, I expected to love this. I did like a good deal of it but I was left seriously underwhelmed by the vague ending,having not appreciated that we were heading for a sequel. Perhaps I'll feel differently once I've read the sequel - I certainly hope so - I've been known to re-read entire series again to appreciate the whole story.

★★★☆☆

Wranglestone is published by Little Tiger Group and will be released on 6 February 2020.

I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley. In my search for superior young adult fiction, I will always provide an honest review, whether books are provided to me or purchased by me.

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Victoria Schwab's 'Tunnel of Bones' (Cassidy Blake #2) on Audiobook ★★★★★

It's official. After reading Victoria Schwab's Tunnel of Bones I am emphatically a fan of the Cassidy Blake series. Following immediately after the events in City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones finds the Inspectres and their ghost-hunting daughter in Paris to film the city's most-haunted sites.

While Cassidy's parents might not exactly be supernaturally gifted, Cassidy certainly is on account of a near-death experience and a ghost for a best friend. It doesn't take Cassidy long to find trouble and soon she is dealing with a very mischievous poltergeist. If you know anything about poltergeists it's that their behaviour escalates to utter mayhem and Cassidy must work against the clock to prevent Paris from descending into chaos.

I love the relationship between Cassidy and her ethereal best-friend Jacob. We learn much more about Jacob in Tunnel of Bones and it adds tangible angst to the story as Cassidy and Jacob grapple with who they are and their fears of what they might become.

Most interesting is the story about the poltergeist himself and how he came to find himself on the other side of the veil. Cassidy turns genealogist as she tracks down the poltergeist's living family to solve the riddle of his death.

With haunted graveyards, tunnels full of bones, near-misses and an escalating threat, Tunnel of Bones is non-stop adventure that makes me ask two questions: when can we expect the third book in the series and when are they going to make this into a TV series?

I can answer the first question as Bridge of Souls is due out in 2020 but can only hope about an announcement for the second.

I listened to Tunnel of Bones on audiobook, narrated by Reba Buhr. Reba did a fantastic job of Cassidy and Jacob's voices as well a the multiple Parisian characters in the book. I would definitely recommend this series on audiobook.

I loved Tunnel of Bones and give it a superb five out of five stars. I'd recommend to fans of Harry Potter, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Mortal Instruments.

★★★★★

I received a complementary Audible credit to review this title. As always in my search for superior young adult fiction, all enthusiasm and love this novel is genuine and my own.

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Victoria Schwab's City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) - on Audiobook ★★★★☆

Hurrah for fun books! I enjoyed Season of the Witch (the prequel novel to the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) so much that I was on the search for another young adult supernatural adventure. Realising that Tunnel of Bones (the second book in Victoria Schwab’s Cassidy Blake series) is out in September, I decided to give the first book City of Ghosts a chance and I'm so very glad I did.

City of Ghosts is just what I was looking for - fun, creepy and very scary in parts. Cassidy Blake is the daughter of famous paranormal writers The Inspectres who land a TV show and whisk the family off to Edinburgh for a summer of filming. The only thing is that while her parents might be famous ghost hunters, they wouldn't know a ghost if it jumped up and down in front of them, which is exactly what Cassidy's best friend Jacob does. See, Jacob is a ghost and he came into Cassidy's life when he saved her from a near-death experience.

As someone who also had a ghost for a best friend as a teen, I endorse this storyline.

Edinburgh is, of course, incredibly haunted although you wouldn't know it for all the 'evidence' Cassidy's parents collect. Yet just beyond the scary stories and urban legends, Cassidy finds a deeper, more sinister threat that seems to be targeting her directly. Can Cassidy solve the mystery and stay out of danger?

I listened to City of Ghosts on audiobook, narrated by Reba Buhr. Reba did a great job of giving a voice to Cassidy and Jacob but she definitely struggled with the Edinburgh accent, a notoriously difficult accent to do. I have to admit, Reba's Edinburgh accent is infinitely better than mine and she successfully brought Victoria Schwab's world to life. I listened to the audiobook any chance I got and will absolutely be downloading Tunnel of Bones when it's released next week.

I give City of Ghosts an excellent four out of five stars and recommend it to fans of Harry Potter, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and The Mortal Instruments.

★★★★☆

Review: Claire Legrand's Enthralling Sawkill Girls ★★★★★

In my perpetual quest for superior paranormal young adult fiction, I discovered Claire Legrand's Sawkill Girls, which has been getting great reviews since its release in October 2018. Suffering somewhat from paranormal series fatigue and thrilled to have discovered a stand alone novel, I was immediately drawn in to this story about the exclusive island community of Sawkill Rock with its astonishing displays of wealth and privilege set against a background of disappearing girls and unfathomable evil.

Sawkill Girls is written in a lyrical, almost poetic style that reminds me of my first-loved Lauren Oliver novel Delirium. Like Delirium, I read this novel over the Christmas holidays and begrudgingly resented quality time that my family stole away from reading to spend with them. I kid but book lovers across the world know the pain of being torn away from certain books.

Despite an almost whimsical style, Claire Legrand's every word in Sawkill Girls is of importance. This is evident from the opening pages with the appallingly inadequate words people utter in the face of grief to the climax of the story and the willingness of men to sacrifice women to achieve unproven and deluded ends.

In a book where magic and evil are metaphors for greed, power and patriarchy, it is most satisfying to encounter a paranormal plot that is well thought out and expertly constructed. This is the first of Legrand's books that I have read but I'm intrigued by her intelligent and complex storytelling, often so lacking in young adult paranormal fiction.

Ultimately, no one describes Sawkill Girls better than Legrand herself on Goodreads: "This is a book about girls - girls loving girls, girls kissing girls, girls being friends with girls, girls helping girls. Girls who hunger, girls who rage, Girls who fight, girls who make mistakes, girls who dream and pine. It's also about magic and monsters, family secrets and soul-friends, moths and wild horses and the churning wild sea, and trampling the patriarchy".

Which brings me to the part of the book that I most loved, and there was a lot to love in a book where every page contained a little bit of magic. Asexuality is often invisible and in the rare instances that asexual characters appear in books, they are often merely caricatures. In Sawkill Girls, Claire Legrand has created a complex, asexual protagonist in Zoey where her orientation, while explored in depth, is nowhere near the most interesting or important thing she achieves in this novel.

I clearly loved Sawkill Girls and I give it superb five out of five stars. I recommend it to anyone seeking intelligent, character and plot driven paranormal young adult fiction, while simultaneously smashing the patriarchy.

★★★★★

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Reviewed: As I Descended by Robin Talley

In a world of ambition, where would you stop to get what you want? It all starts with a Ouija board and what Maria Lyon thinks she is asking for is to win the coveted Kingsley Prize, an all-expenses paid pass to the best school in the country. But what she is actually asking for is something much darker and more sinister. Who was it who said, “be careful what you wish for”?

Maria, Brandon and Lily are seniors at Acheron Academy, a campus located on an old plantation, built by slaves and the home of unbearable tragedy over the centuries. What they begin on that dark night with the Ouija board soon descends into a fiery web of horror and devastation that will continue to burn out of control until it has destroyed everyone in its wake.

What is really happening on the campus? A series of unfortunate accidents or a force that will bring each character in the story to their knees? When does ambition end and true horror begin?

As I Descended is the powerful new young adult release from Robin Talley, author of the critically acclaimed Lies We Tell Ourselves which won the inaugural Amnesty CILIP Honour in 2016. Set in a privileged boarding school, on the surface it is a story of high ambition and competitiveness but it is also a book that tackles racism, depression, mental illness, suicide and physical impairment.

One of the greatest calls in 2016 is for more diversity in books and Robin Talley is known for writing diverse characters into her stories. Rather than writing token or stereotypical supporting characters, As I Descended features diverse characters who are central to  the story – Maria is Spanish and gay, Lily and Brandon are gay too and Lily is physically impaired following a car accident.

None of the characters is static either, cardboard cut-outs waiting to come to life when the protagonist is in the room. We learn about the thoughts, fears and histories of Maria, Lily and Brandon, but also of the people around them including Brandon’s boyfriend Mateo, Maria’s rival Delilah and to some extent, siblings Austin and Felicia.

As I Descended is a book that will keep you guessing until the final pages. Is there really a supernatural element to the story or is this a case of serious mental illness? Does it have to be one or the other? Without divulging any spoilers, Robin Talley gives the rarest of gifts and lets the reader choose for themselves.

One thing I can say is that As I Descended is as scary as heck and reading it alone, in the dark, is not one of the finest ideas I’ve ever had. There are bumps and scratches, apparitions and fatalities and this is not a book for the faint-hearted.

Ultimately, this is a story about redemption and the power to make the right decision, no matter how long that choice is in the making.

I give As I Descended an excellent four out of five stars and would recommend to fans of both paranormal young adult fiction. This is the first of Robin Talley's books that I have read but I already have Lies We Tell Ourselves on my Kindle waiting to be read.

I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of this review. I’d certainly recommend joining Netgalley if you read and review books online.

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Daughters of Shadow & Blood, Book II: Elena by J. Matthew Saunders

Three years ago, I was in the most beautiful town on earth and not a day has gone by since that I haven't wanted to return. That place is Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina and together with Sarajevo holds a very special place in my heart. If I couldn't return to the place I love, I did the next best thing this week and read a book set there; it took me back to the streets I love and the places I know, to parts that are still in ruins and parts that have been lovingly restored. It felt like coming home.

Reading Daughters of Shadow & Blood, Book II: Elena by J. Matthew Saunders represented a return on a second level too. It is the sequel to Daughters of Shadow & Blood, Book I: Yasamin which I read and adored last year. I loved having the opportunity to dive back into Matthew’s prose again, to drown myself in his epic tale of power, betrayal, lust and pure evil in the Balkans.

In Daughters of Shadow & Blood, Book II: Elena, we return once again to Adam Mire and his determination to rid the world of evil. We meet Adam's former girlfriend Clara who has rushed to the Balkans to track Adam down and we also meet Elena, the second of Dracula's brides. This is a story about vampires and the ‘true’ story behind Dracula’s brides but more than that, this is a story about power and deception in one of the most troubled regions in the world. Through flashbacks, Elena takes us back to life in rural Kosovo at the end of the 17th century, to the stirrings of the Greater Serbia movement and the hope and fear generated by the advancing Hapsburg armies.

This is a book rich in folklore and religious imagery, with vivid references to the devastation of the Balkan region at the end of the 17th century and 300 years later when the area was torn apart by war. It was fascinating to walk down the streets of Sarajevo and Mostar again, to recognise Stari Most, the old bridge in Mostar which was destroyed at the time of the story but has since been rebuilt. I loved visiting Vijecnica again, which was almost completely destroyed in the Siege of Sarajevo and the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral which stood across the road from my hostel.

There are simply not enough accolades to deliver in order to judge the work of J. Matthew Saunders. If you love historical fiction and if, like me, you are fascinated with the history of the Balkans, then you will love his novels. I wasn’t sure whether he could surpass his work in Book I: Yasamin for I loved his depiction of the medieval Ottoman haremlik and the power struggles amongst the women, but he has certainly matched it with Daughters of Shadow & Blood, Book II: Elena

I give Daughters of Shadow & Blood, Book II: Elena by J. Matthew Saunders a superb five out of five stars and recommend to fans of supernatural and historical fiction alike. If you're a fan of one genre and haven't tried the other, then this series would be an excellent place to start. The book will especially appeal to you if, like me, you love the Balkans.

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Book Review: ‘Bird Box’ by Josh Malerman

Whatever you do, don't open your eyes. Malorie stands alone in her house in what was once a nice neighbourhood in Detroit. Her furniture is carefully placed to hide the blood stains on the walls and carpet and her children sleep blindfolded down the hall. Today they will escape.

In Josh Malerman's Bird Box, an unknown terror is so awe-inspiring and terrible that it is causing people to end their lives in the most spectacular ways. Those who remain learn to live in a carefully constructed world of darkness and near blindness in order to survive.

Bird Box is quite simply the most terrifying book that I have ever read. I was merely 25 pages in when I realised that I would not be able to put this book down but more importantly that I should not read it alone or late at night. It is a thrilling read, not unlike the exhilaration of a fun fair house of horrors ride, but at its heart is deeply disturbing.

Malerman makes use of two timelines to weave his story, alternating between the present and the past when the threat first emerged. Yet knowing where the story is going makes the revelations no less horrific or frightening. Bird Box couldn't be creepier if it was woven together with cobwebs and dust using rodent bones as needles.

Bird Box is a very clever book. There were times when I found myself in denial as to the nature of the threat, only to realise that certain aspects of it had been confirmed already. Without giving anything away, I will confirm that the scariest part of the book was waiting for the 'catch' and then realising that maybe there isn't one?

Published by Harper Collins, Bird Box is a superb debut by Josh Malerman. The film rights have been sold to Andres Muschietti, who directed the horror film Mama but I have to be honest, I don't know if I could watch the film. If it is true to the book, this has the potential to be the scariest horror film ever made.

I give Bird Box five out of five stars and recommend it to even the most reluctant of horror readers. The book is so well-written that it has created an appetite in me for more horror.

You can purchase Josh Malerman’s Bird Box at Amazon.co.uk or pre-order from Amazon.com.

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An advance copy of this book was provided to me for the purposes of this review and all opinions contain herein are my own. This review contains affiliate links.

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