'In the Vanishing Hour' by Sarah Beth Martin | Book Review ★★★★☆

The best parts of historical fiction are the ones that take us back to a certain time and a certain place. We get to learn more about what people wore, how they thought and what the atmosphere was like during that time. For me, historical fiction doesn't even need to be centred around major historical events, I'm just looking for glimpses into the past. When I picked up Sarah Beth Martin's In the Vanishing Hour, it was with this in mind - I was captivated by the idea of twin mysteries set in a small Massachusetts town in the early 1950s and 1970s.

Frances Adams is haunted by the death of her brother Mac in 1951. He was just a teenager when he drowned in the Charles River and Frances cannot escape the weight of his loss. When she gets a job as a window dresser in a department store, Frances meets model Gwen who invites her into a world of fashion, lights, fragrance and colour. It is a world where Frances can reinvent herself and become so much more than the sister of a dead brother.

When tragedy strikes again, Frances is drawn into a web of mysteries that will force her to confront not only her own past and that of her family, but also the secrets that Gwen sought to solve.

With hints of fern, teal and emerald in the book cover, In the Vanishing Hour is a whole mood. I loved being immersed in the heady days of late-50s fashions, propriety and women's aspirations to enter the workforce and be something more. This was contrasted with the yellow brown aesthetic of the early 70s, with a decidedly more laid-back vibe tinged with edges of regret.

Throughout the novel, Sarah Beth Martin digs deep into the impact of the events that haunt us, the mysteries that weigh us down and the impossible task of moving forward in a world that you never imagined for yourself.

I enjoyed In the Vanishing Hour both as a mystery and as a work of historical fiction. Mystery thrillers are no longer my bag, which is strange given that I read every Kellerman and Cornwell back in the day, but the mystery here was interesting and poignant enough to keep me interested with a lesser emphasis on danger and none of the gory details.

For a vivid and mysterious journey through time, I give In the Vanishing Hour an excellent four out of five stars.

★★★★☆

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

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'Black Butterflies' by Priscilla Morris - A Tale of Survival and Loss During the Siege of Sarajevo ★★★★★

I've finished Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris. I wanted to say 'finally finished' but I realise that it only took me two weeks to read. I have a bad habit of not finishing books on Bosnia. After studying both the war and genocide, and visiting Mostar and Sarajevo, I find the topic quite harrowing and exhausting because I know what's coming. Somehow I managed to push through with this novel but I'm quite depleted.

This is going to be a case of the book being far, far better than my review because I'm battling to separate this excellent book from all the emotions it's provoked in me.

Black Butterflies is superb. It is a fictional account by Priscilla Morris but she explains in the afterword that the characters are based on members of her own family, specifically her great-uncle and her maternal grandparents. The book is exceptionally well-researched and transports the reader to the siege of Sarajevo amid the Bosnian War.

Zora Kočović is an artist living in the cosmopolitan, multi-cultural city of Sarajevo when war breaks out and the city is placed under siege on 5 April 1992. Her husband Franjo is able to escape with Zora's mother to live with their daughter in England but Zora decides to stay behind, to continue her work as an artist and teacher and to look after both their home and her mother's apartment.

It is a decision with dire consequences.

Black Butterflies takes place in the first year of the Siege of Sarajevo and delves into the hunger, cold and desperation of Sarajevans as both water and electricity supplies are cut off, food and water become scarce, and Serbs relentlessly shell the city. We spend endless days with Zora and her neighbours as the seasons bleed into one another and the friends encounter unfathomable losses.

Morris does such a good job of fleshing out the characters of the book, weaving their various nationalities into their stories as we meet the Serbs, Croats and Muslims that lived in Sarajevo before the war (Morris explains that she does not use the term 'Bosniak' in the book as she does not believe that it would have been used by Zora in Sarajevo in 1992. This corresponds with reports that the term emerged in the mid-1990s).

Zora makes daily visits to the Vijećnica (City Hall) and Baščaršija (the old bazaar), she muses about bridges and the connections between people, and she works to resolve the often painful memories from her childhood.

Black Butterflies is a rare gem that combines historical events with deep character study. I loved, and lived, every minute of this book.

Lasting 1425 days (over 3 years and 10 months), the siege of Sarajevo remains the longest siege of a major city in modern history. The scale of deprivation and loss endured by Sarajevans during that time is unfathomable but their determination and resourcefulness equally admirable . I love that Morris chose to write about these events and look forward to more of her work.

I give Black Butterflies a superb five out of five stars and recommend to fans of historic fiction.

★★★★★

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

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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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An Epic Tale of War and Loss: 'The Spanish Girl' by Jules Hayes ★★★★☆

I'm so pleased I chose historic fiction as my theme for my holiday away in Spain. My second read is especially relevant as I've chosen Jules Hayes's The Spanish Girl, a historic novel spanning both the Spanish Civil War in the 30s and the death of Franco and subsequent rise of the Basque separatist movement in the 70s.

I initially believed that The Spanish Girl wasn't for me, incorrectly believing it to be a light romance novel. Granted, I'd sought out that exact genre due to suggestions from other readers on how to overcome my pandemic reading slump, but The Spanish Girl exceeded my expectations in every way.

The Spanish Girl begins in December 1937, at the height of the Spanish civil war, with a young boy witnessing the horrific murder of a mother and newborn baby. The reader is swiftly transported to Bilbao, Spain in May 1976 where journalist Isabella prepares to meet with a member of the Basque nationalist movement.

Isabella soon learns of an incredible personal connection between the people she is meeting and her own mother who disappeared before Isabella ever met her. Told through alternating timelines between the 30s and 70s, we learn of the full story of Isabella's parents and how she comes to learn about her own true history.

There is definitely romance in The Spanish Girl but if romance isn't really your thing (it's not really mine as a stand-alone genre) I believe that the epic story between these pages would appeal nonetheless.

This the the second novel I've read about Franco's Spain, the first being Ruta Sepetys's excellent historic novel The Fountains of Silence. Both novels have served to make me thirsty to learn more about Spain in the 20th century, which makes sense seeing as I spend so much time here.

The Spanish Girl is a rich and powerful novel, invoking the sights and aromas of Spain with vivid descriptions of its music, geography and food. The vibrancy and colour of this beautiful country is juxtaposed with the horror and violence of the Spanish civil war, fascism and terrorism, all of which is brought to life by Hayes's impressive research.

For bringing to life two pivotal moments in Spain's history, I give The Spanish Girl an excellent four out of five stars and recommend to lovers of historical fiction, especially non-WWII history. Don't get me wrong, I've read a lot of WWII history myself but steer towards non-fiction accounts of WWII lately.

★★★★☆

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

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Lyrical Yet Brutal: Morowa Yejidé's 'Creatures of Passage' - Book Review ★★★★★

One of the absolute truths about judging novels is that a review can in no way adequately capture a book and this is never more true than in Morowa Yejidé's incredible Creatures of Passage. Compared to Toni Morrison's Beloved, Creatures of Passage is a beautifully written, lyrical novel that deals with exceptionally heavy topics. As such, it must come with trigger warnings for child rape, murder, grief, racism, slavery and genocide.

Creatures of Passage is a tale about several lives torn apart by the actions of men. Nephthys Kinwell has been floating through life, cast adrift by the unexplained murder of her twin brother Osiris and burdened by the unbearable inertia of one.

Her alcohol-soaked existence is disturbed by the arrival at her front door of her great-nephew Dash. Dash has been plagued by visions of something he witnessed at school and he has been holding conversations with a ghost on the banks of the Anacostia River. It will take Nephthys longer to figure it out than the reader, but Dash is in grave danger.

Critical to Creatures of Passage is a magical realism that is so well written that the reader can't help but suspend disbelief. Of course magic, ghosts and post-life experiences are real in a novel that puzzles together the whole of existence in 1970s Washington DC from ancient cultures, through genocide, slavery, Jim Crow and racism, to murder and child abuse.

Creatures of Passage is a brutal read and I can understand why readers might feel unable to complete it. It raises the question of how do you talk about child sexual abuse, especially in fiction? In her unflinching style, Yejidé digs deep into the planning, intention, manipulation and delusion of the paedophile. These are not accidental events but a planned assault against a vulnerable individual. I once found myself in the crosshairs of such a person and despite my own trauma and triggers, I carried on reading to access that insight.

While this is but one topic in Creatures of Passage, Yejidé treats all of the other topics with a similar brutality. It's been a while since I've highlighted passages with such regularity in a fiction novel, moved as I was by the concepts and writing.

"And there would be latter-day nationalists and citizen circles and patriots, who from the forgotten fiefdoms of the territories heard the claxon bells of an orange-skinned king"

"And here Rosetta stopped, panting and dizzy, because she knew - as all the abused do - that there were no nouns or verbs or grammatical constructs to describe the depths of her outrage and pain"

I give Creatures of Passage a superb five out of five stars. This book stopped me in my tracks, causing an existential discomfort and making me contemplate the sheer unfairness of it all. Recommended for fans of literature that pushes the reader to contemplate the big issues.

★★★★★

Creatures of Passage is available on Amazon and Bookshop.org (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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Randi Pink's 'Angel of Greenwood' ★★☆☆☆

May 2021 marks one hundred years since the Tulsa Massacre when the thriving African American community of Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma was attacked by a mob of armed white Tulsans, killing as many as 300 people and displacing 8,000 more. I first read about the events in Lynn Hudson's excellent West of Jim Crow: The Fight Against California's Color Line and followed that up with the superb middle grade picture book Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper. Naturally I was very interested when I first heard about Randi Pink's Angel of Greenwood, a YA novel set during the terrible events of Tulsa in 1921.

This book has received almost universal acclaim, so it feels daunting to be an outlier. I do think many people will love this novel and they should definitely read it but I'm going to explain why it didn't work for me.

Angel of Greenwood: Bringing to Life Greenwood in 1921

Greenwood in 1921 was a thriving community and the high street was known across the States as the "Black Wall Street". Randi Pink does an exceptional job of depicting the bright colours, bustling high street, vibrant fashions, diverse occupations, culture, and sense of community of Greenwood's residents.

Angel of Greenwood: Historical Novel or Romance?

While we get a taste for the cultural richness of Greenwood, Angel of Greenwood is not simply a novel about a certain point in time; it is a novel about a horrifying event in history. If we consider the purpose of an historical novel, to educate readers about historical events and times, Angel of Greenwood fails because we learn very little about the actual Tulsa massacre, except in the end notes of the book.

Instead Angel of Greenwood is, for 80% of the book, a romance novel but it wasn't quite a romance I felt comfortable shipping.

Angel of Greenwood: Characterisations

There is an enduring theme of worthiness in the novel. People treat the main character Angel well because she is perceived to be churchgoing and virtuous. The boy in the story, Isaiah, initially bullies Angel. He begins to treat her better than he treats his own girlfriend Dorothy Mae once he sees Angel as intellectual and worthy in his mind. I did not like this at all. What about treating people with respect just because that's the right thing to do? More than that, worthiness is an enduring theme in many abusive relationships. I cannot trust a love interest who pits women (or girls) against each other and puts one on a pedestal while treating another like an object.

The problem was two-fold: while portraying prominent themes of the time, Isaiah expresses extremely outdated ideas about girls which ultimately go unchecked. We see this in his treatment of Dorothy Mae and how he patronises Angel. In addition, all of the characters are one-dimensional: Angel is good, Isaiah is misunderstood, the people on the other side of town are poor, and Isaiah's best friend is bad. Perhaps most offensive of all was that Dorothy Mae was probably the most mature, kind character in the book and yet she wasn't treated well at all and again, that goes unchecked.

The issue with one-dimensional characters is that you can immediately spot when they do something out of character and this becomes obvious during the last 20% of the book when Angel and Isaiah make incredibly unrealistic and uncharacteristic responses during the fires and chaos. Also, I wish authors (and directors) would learn more about the true nature of fire before having characters do impossible things during fires on page and on screen.

Ultimately, Angel of Greenwood fell very flat for me. I wanted to learn more about the events of Tulsa in 1921 but instead I'm tied up worrying about one-dimensional characters, an unlikely love story and impossible heroics during a fire.

With a heavy heart, I give Angel of Greenwood a disappointing two out of five stars, one for the beautiful depictions of life in Greenwood, one for drawing attention to an important event in history, and the other for the gorgeous cover, but less one star for the issues I mentioned above. I'm not saying 'don't read it', just that there are better sources if you're seeking to learn more about the Tulsa race massacre in 1921.

★★☆☆☆

I'm compiling a list of superior YA fiction. Visit the Addicted to Media YA Fiction Bookshop to see my recommendations (affiliate link; I will receive a small commission if you purchase using this link 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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Georgina Young's Text-Prize-Winning "Loner" | New Adult Book Review ★★★☆☆

I'm trying to work out why I chose to read Loner. It was partly the hype; the first I heard of Georgina Young's Loner was that it was winner of the 2019 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing. The description sounded enticing, with mention of roller DJs, Harry Potter fans and old school photography. I suspect I was also riding high on the Normal People wave and may have seen an article comparing Loner to Sally Rooney's exceptionally popular book.

Whatever lead me to Loner was not what I found in the book and that is little surprise.

Had I properly read the blurb, I would have realised that a book about a university dropout aimlessly navigating social isolation, unrequited love and a perpetual sense of failure was never going to be exciting reading. In fact, it was all rather bland.

Perhaps it was that my own memories of university were of an identical inertia, an inability to function that slowly marched its way to a bone-grinding depression? Whatever the case, Loner was not the quirky, uplifting book I was in the market for and perhaps the hint was in the title?

Despite my reservations and lukewarm reception, I strongly suspect that this will somehow become a television series. The critical hype is immense - hence the Text Prize - but for those of us seeking a bit of escape during the worst year ever? Not so much. Ultimately, Loner reminded me of why I don't read New Adult fiction.

I give Loner an okay three out of five stars. Recommended if you're looking for the post-millennial version of Douglas Coupland's Generation X.

★★★☆☆

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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Believe by Julie Mathison | Book Review ★★★☆☆

There is a magical world that children can escape to when middle school gets to be too much to handle and they have problems making friends. A world of adventure and happiness, friends and allies, all you need is an imagination. In Believe, debut novel by Julie Mathison, eleven-year-old Melanie is one such believer, a bullied child going through a rough patch and one in desperate need of a friend.

Things start looking up when Melanie meets Sabrina and she even lands the role as Peter Pan in her school play. The only problem? Melanie's mother is missing, possibly involved in a fight to bring down the mob, and Melanie misses her dearly.

Believe is an enchanting story about grief, friendship and trust. Set in 1980, it harks back to a simpler time before the advent of technology and when the original Charlie's Angels was on TV.

There are twists in Believe and I somehow guessed both of them in the opening paragraphs. I'm not sure that early middle-graders would though which would make the reveals especially interesting and will generate a lot of conversation on the issues addressed. The final reveal was very well done indeed.

My main criticism of Believe would be the quotes of Peter Pan throughout the novel. I've always been a fan of Peter Pan and Melanie's experience playing Peter is integral to her development throughout the story. However, Peter Pan is a play marred by racism and from the quotes used I deduce that the children are performing the original, unabridged stage version.

This would have been absolutely normal in 1980 when the book was set (and Melanie does reflect on how uncomfortable some of the terms make her feel) but there are references to 'Indians' and 'natives' throughout the book and Melanie goes on to use the term 'pygmy' in a story which is an equally racist term.

The author has responded to feedback from ARC readers and edited certain passages in the book including a passage using ableist language. Mathison notes that she has attempted to encourage “discussion with kids about the impact of our historical use of derogatory language and depictions in public discourse” but ultimately I feel there was insufficient analysis of the racist terminology common in the era in which it was set. I give Believe an okay three out of five stars and recommend that parents and teachers engage in deeper discussions on the racist language present in the book.

★★★☆☆

I received an advanced copy of this novel on Netgalley and edited this review based on alterations made in the final copy, based on the author's response to initial criticism.

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Brandy Colbert's Spectacular 'The Revolution of Birdie Randolph' | YA Book Review ★★★★★

Have you ever fallen in love with a book from the moment you saw its cover? I spotted Brandy Colbert's The Revolution of Birdie Randolph on my Goodreads timeline and I immediately knew I had to read it. Even better? The book promised to deal with issues such as addiction, incarceration and growing up black or gay in Chicago.

The Revolution of Birdie Randolph absolutely lives up to its promises and is my first easy five-star read in what feels like an age.

Sixteen-year-old Dove "Birdie" Randolph is serious about her future and ready to toe the line her parents have drawn for her. She's given up football to focus on her grades and she has also fallen in love with Booker. The only problem? Birdie's parents definitely won't like Booker or his brush with the law.

The quiet and respectable Randolph household is turned upside-down when Birdie's recovering-addict aunt Carlene comes to stay with them. As Carlene does all she can to make this time count, Birdie can't help but notice the tension increasing in the household. What secrets are the adults all keeping?

I love books that are effortlessly diverse and where characters just are, as opposing to being poster children for their labels. The Revolution of Birdie Randolph is one of those books. Birdie's sister Mimi is gay, rocking a series of fades and haircuts that had me wanting to chop my own hair off. Birdie's best friend Laz is also gay, as was his father, and is working through his own set of issues in coming out to his family.

The more I think about it, the more taken I am by this rich, vibrant story. There is so much that happens in this book, so many issues faced, yet rather than feeling too full like some books might, it rather feels like I've spent two weeks in an immersive film. It is indeed rare that characters pop off the page for me like this but I'm especially eager to read more of Brandy Colbert's work now.

There is a great reveal in the book and moments of heartache but on the whole, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph is an uplifting, thoroughly enjoyable novel that I'd love to see on screen one day.

I give The Revolution of Birdie Randolph a superb five out of five stars and recommend to lovers of diverse, superior YA fiction.

★★★★★

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Tahereh Mafi's Dystopian Thriller 'Shatter Me' - Review ★★★★☆

I only picked up Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me because I love, love, loved her novel A Very Large Expanse of Sea. I had a feeling that I wouldn't enjoy the Shatter Me series, reviews that I read described it as tropey dystopian, but I wanted to see how her writing had developed from the first Shatter Me novel to the masterpiece of young adult fiction that is A Very Large Expanse of Sea.

The world of Shatter Me is very strange. Radioactive and crumbling, diseased and destroyed, birds no longer fly and the clouds are all wrong. Juliette has been locked up in isolation for almost a year, her mind fragmenting, when suddenly Adam appears and everything changes. Juliette can kill people with a single touch, what do people want to use her for?

Exchanging one prison for another, Juliette encounters Warner, a privileged young man who basks in all the power of his father. Warner is one of the best-written antagonists I have ever read, his level of evil on par with Nazis and his moral vacancy chilling at times.

There are three main settings in Shatter Me and it's hard to divulge more without spoiling the plot. Nevertheless, despite my doubts on beginning this novel, there were glimpses of brilliance and I'll be reading the rest of the books in the Shatter Me series.

For an epic love story and unforgivable villain, I give Shatter Me an excellent four out of five stars and recommend to fans of Hunger Games and Divergent.

★★★★☆

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Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's Harrowing 'All American Boys' ★★★★★

Three minutes from the end and I have to stop reading All American Boys. I have goosebumps on every part of my body and tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Michael Brown"
"Absent again today"
"Tamir Rice"
"Absent again today"
"Eric Garner"
"Absent again today"

Written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, All American Boys is about Rashad Butler, an ROTC kid and talented artist who walks into a convenience store one evening. While there, a lady trips over him, causing Rashad to drop a bag of chips and suddenly a cop is beating Rashad over and over again.

"Rashad is absent again today"

Quinn Collins witnesses the attack. Well, he's not sure what to make of what he saw and he certainly can't tell anyone about it. He witnessed his best friend's older brother beating up one of his classmates.

As Rashad recovers in hospital and Quinn keeps his silence, a fire begins to burn in Springfield as the community divides over what really happened that night. There are those who believe the cop Paul Galluzzo when he insists Rashad was stealing and those who realise that this was a show of excessive force against a young, black teenager.

Over and over again, we're reminded that Rashad is absent from school again today and the reason for that was an unprovoked and violent attack by a white policeman.

All American Boys is a powerful, devastating novel that has never been more relevant than now, in the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor's murders. The novel is told in alternating chapters by Rashad and Quinn and shows incredible character development and growth by both boys as they come to terms with the events of that night and begin to shape their own narrative, often finding themselves at odds with those around them.

If I had to offer a criticism, I'd say that in many ways, Paul Galluzzo's character is too absolute, his community closes around him with too much loyalty; nevertheless, while this might not stand up in normal works of fiction, the truth is that we witness this absolutism too often in cases of racist violence and police brutality. These are extremely polarising events as was portrayed in the novel.

I give All American Boys a superb five out of five stars and recommend to everyone seeking black and minority authors and stories, especially those inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

★★★★★

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Emily St. John Mandel's Incredible 'Station Eleven' ★★★★★

There could be no weirder time to read a book about a global pandemic that wipes out most of the world's population. When I began reading Emily St John Mandel's Station Eleven on New Years Eve 2019, I was simply looking for an incredible, compelling book that would really move me. By the time I finished it 11 days later, our world had changed irrevocably.

It took some time to understand that this was not an extinction-level event but I nevertheless had to pack away my feelings for Station Eleven until I was ready to deal with them again. Sometimes life really is stranger than fiction.

Station Eleven is one of the best books I've ever read. It took me much longer to read than it should have because I was so enamoured by the writing that I was trying my very best to drag it out.

So... just trying to pick up the pieces of my life and get back on track. I managed to spread out the final 30 minutes of Station Eleven over 72 hours but it's over now and I feel empty. I doubt I'll easily find another book to read after that.

— Mandy Southgate (@mandyist) January 11, 2020

Station Eleven begins at the end. Or you could say it is a beginning, the beginning of the end of civilisation. Within a matter of days, weeks at most, most of society succumbs to a deadly flu virus. Civilisation crumbles, planes are permanently grounded and technology as we know it comes to a halt.

In this terrifying new landscape, St John Mandel weaves together the stories of a handful of interconnected individuals. Everyone knows where they were in those fateful days, turning points in human history, but in the world of Station Eleven, that has little bearing on who they become and how they end up.

It's rare that a book moves me to the extent that Station Eleven did but I can already predict that I will read it again, perhaps I'll listen to it on audiobook. Before the strange new world of COVID-19, there was meant to be an HBO mini-series of Station Eleven starring Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate). Sadly, I don't think there will be much appetite for that now, which is a real pity.

I give Station Eleven a superb five out of five stars and recommend to absolutely everyone. Believe the hype about this novel.

★★★★★

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Sara Zarr's Coming of Age Novel 'Goodbye from Nowhere' - Review ★★★☆☆

Oh. Have you ever picked up a book, highly recommended by everybody, and you just didn't like it? Actually, that's not really accurate, I liked a lot about Sara Zarr's Goodbye from Nowhere but there was a lot I didn't like about it and I was seriously considering not finishing it at one point.

Goodbye from Nowhere starts on Thanksgiving with Kyle at his family farm Nowhere with his huge family. He's invited a girl, Nadia and he really likes her.

Then he finds out his mother is having an affair and somehow manages to make it all about him while ghosting Nadia completely, as if it is her problem. When Nadia (understandably) moves on, he manages to make that all about him too, while failing to understand that he effectively moved on too while he was crushing over his first cousin Emily the whole time.

Goodbye from Nowhere is one of those books that reminds me how it is so much easier to forgive horrible characters in television and film. Kyle would have been hot in the screen version, obviously, and you'd find yourself relating to him - to his gestures and mannerisms - despite yourself. You'd maybe even like him a bit and probably start to hate Nadia who never, ever did anything wrong. Reading this as a novel, however, meant that I didn't like Kyle at all and definitely shared Nadia's bewilderment.

If you've ever had the disconcerting feeling of joining a huge family for a big event and spent the whole time trying to tell them apart, remember their names and figure out how they all fit together, you'll relate a lot to Goodbye from Nowhere.

There are so many characters and while I felt for the nostalgia of it all, I just couldn't get over Kyle's narcissism and his creepy crushing on Emily. For teenage girls, life is littered with enough people-who-we-thought-were-friends lusting after us, it's just too much to add first-cousins-who-we-trusted-with-our-lives to that mix.

I give Goodbye from Nowhere a disappointing three out of five stars. It's not so bad it deserves a lower rating and I'm conscious that hating a story or its character isn't a good reason to rate a book down but I didn't enjoy it.

★★★☆☆

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Robin Talley's Dazzling 'Music From Another World' ★★★★★

It seems strange that Robin Talley's new YA novel is being called 'historical fiction' because the 1970s don't seem all that long ago but it reminds us that LGBTIA rights were only won recently in many countries and the fight still continues in others. Music From Another World is set in California in the heady days of the late 1970s. Harvey Milk is running for election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors while individuals like Anita Bryant and John Briggs seek to deprive gays and lesbians of their freedom from discrimination.

Two seventeen-year-old girls are connected through a Christian pen pal project. Tammy knows she is gay and knows she can never tell anyone, choosing instead to confide in unsent letters to Harvey Milk. Sharon has a secret too but it's not her own. Her brother is gay and she knows that she has to protect him in the current hostile climate.

Against a backdrop of political activism, emerging feminism and excellent punk music, Tammy and Sharon begin to forge a friendship that will change both their lives forever.

Music From Another World is an absolute tour de force and a triumph of a historical novel. It brings to life the late 1970s, especially the music and the fight for equal rights. It reminded me of the fight against Apartheid in Johannesburg in the early 1990s; just like we had political refugees in the city for political reasons, young people were travelling to places like San Francisco in the 1970s because they were simply safer. And just like we had rallies and protests against Apartheid, often at our own peril (and with copious amounts of tear gas), the characters in Music From Another World attend Harvey Milk rallies and protest against Prop6 in an environment of constant threats and persecution.

There was so much to love about Music From Another World. It was interesting to see how Tammy and Sharon slowly begin to trust each other, to stand up for their beliefs and to overcome very real doubts and fears. One of the most interesting aspects of the novel was how we come to know each of the girls first through how they view themselves and later through how others see them. It was a fascinating juxtaposition and character study.

Music From Another World is perfectly placed as a historical novel for it deals with issues that are as pertinent today as they were 40 years ago. Homosexuality is still illegal in many countries while many otherwise progressive countries continue to ban same-sex marriage. As such, this book would be a great starting point for discussions about the fight for equal rights.

I've touched briefly on the music throughout this review but need to stress it more. With a tag line of "start dancing to your own beat", Music From Another World is all about the music. From Patti Smith, X-Ray Spex and Avengers to Iggy Pop and David Bowie, this the kind of book that is absolutely begging for a playlist so I've made one on Spotify: Music From Another World playlist.

For bringing the fight for gay rights in the 1970s to life and for featuring an excellent soundtrack, I give Music From Another World a superb five out of five stars and recommend to all fans of superior historical young adult 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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Danielle Jawando's Devastating 'And The Stars Were Burning Brightly' ★★★★★

It’s been a strange time to read And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, a book about suicide in England. While February got incrementally weirder with Brexit, Coronavirus and the tragic passing of Caroline Flack, I could be found hiding away from the world with a cup of tea and Danielle Jawando’s latest young adult novel about the suicide of a brilliant and beloved straight-A student.

Nathan’s brother Al has committed suicide. There was no warning and the only note, if you can call it that, was a drawing of Al surrounded by ominous, threatening figures while he desperately cries for help. For Al was everything to those who knew him: a talented artist, an older brother, a kind friend and a fascinated star-gazer who could tell you any one of a million factoids about space and the universe.

Yet while Al’s gaze was focused on the skies, his world was falling apart around him.

Nathan’s shock at the death of his brother knows no beginning and no end. He can’t begin to understand the reasons why but as he works through his own guilt surrounding Al’s suicide, he becomes determined to find out the reason why.

Megan was one of Al’s closest friends but you wouldn’t know it given how rarely they were seen together in public. As Megan reaches out in the wake of her grief, she finds herself in Nathan’s orbit and his search for the truth.

In a book that explores the devastation of suicide, the depths of grief, the complexity of being an LGBTIQ teen, the trickiness of social media and the ever-present scourge of bullying, there is also time for beauty and wonder as we discover Al’s writing about the universe, stars, hope and his love of art.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is set in Manchester, and the reader is ”proper” aware of this as Jawando has captured the local accent perfectly. I grew up not far from Manchester in Rainhill and the characters could be my cousins. While this certainly made the book feel closer to my heart, it is the source of my only (minor) complaint about the novel being the abundance of “wot” and “cos” on the pages. It’s something we see more in British YA novels than American or other countries but I definitely prefer to see proper words.

It won’t impact my rating though because I was crying big, ugly tears on a train to London as I finished this book last Saturday.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a beautiful novel with lyrical writing. Despite its heavy subject matter, Jawando has captured perfectly that moment when the clouds begin to part on grief and we let life back in. It definitely made me want to grab all my loved ones and hold them close to my heart because you never know when tragedy is around the corner.

I give And The Stars Were Burning Brightly a superb five out of five stars and recommend to fans of superior British young adult fiction.

★★★★★

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is published by Simon and Schuster Children's UK and is due out on 9 March 2020.

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Love on the New York subway: This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Williams ★★★★☆

Of all the loves I have, New York City and trains are amongst my most enduring. When I heard about This Train Is Being Held by Ismée Williams, a story about chance encounters on the New York subway, I knew I had to read it.

What attracted me the most was the promise of a character-driven story about two Latino teens whose lives couldn't be more different. Living in an exclusive Upper East Side apartment and attending private school, Isa wants nothing more than to be a ballet dancer but her Havana-born mother wants Isa to become a doctor. She certainly doesn't want her blonde-haired, light-skinned daughter dating Latino boys.

Alex is an extremely talented Dominican-American baseball player. His parents have long split up and all his father cares about is Alex going pro. While that would certainly solve his family's financial woes, it isn't what Alex wants to do. He has a secret talent and wants to be a poet.

When Isa and Alex meet on the downtown 1 train, they can't help noticing each other. Isa remembers Alex's green eyes and good manners, while Alex notices Isa's easy rich-kid confidence. Over the course of the next three years, their encounters increase until they are irrevocably drawn into each other's lives.

Wait, what? Three years? This Train Is Being Held is a massive slow-burn of a book. There were so many times that I almost gave up on this novel because it moves very slowly - exactly as you'd imagine chance encounters on a train to move - and for the longest time it just felt like a romance but it is so much more.

For the patient ones who stick with this book, and I do recommend that you do, there is the reward of an incredibly rich tapestry of themes. Alex's story focuses on racism, the prejudice he encounters because of his dark skin and the ever-present scourge of gangs. He dreams of being better, achieving at sport and becoming something but he wants to become something else too, a writer and a dreamer.

Isa has a rich, spoiled and privileged background but she wants to be a dancer and sticks to that dream despite the extremely challenging events in the book and the devastating impact of bipolar disorder on her family.

The hardest thing about This Train Is Being Held was how much Isa and Alex pushed each other away to deal with stuff that should have been shared. It was also very realistic and indicative of life in the digital age. It is so easy to ghost and block people when living in a city of millions of people but sometimes you need to let people in.

Ultimately, I loved so much about This Train Is Being Held. I loved the New York setting and want to go back so badly now. The fact that most of the story took place on trains also made the trainspotter in me extremely happy.

I tore through those last pages, holding my breath with my heart pounding out of my chest. Despite initially moving slower than a train at a red-signal, I give This Train Is Being Held an excellent four out of five stars and recommend to readers seeking diverse voices and explorations of themes such as mental illness and racism.

★★★★☆

This Train Is Being Held is published by Amulet Books and will be released on 11 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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A Year of Superior Young Adult Books: My Top Ten of 2019

Some time ago, disenchanted with the state of YA, I embarked on a quest to discover superior young adult fiction: fantastic, diverse, original, heartbreaking, uplifting, powerful, moving, inspiring books. 2019 has been a fantastic year for superior young adult fiction and these are the books that really moved me. I have numbered each of the books because while one shouldn't have favourites, I did want to highlight how superb those at the top of the list were.

10. How to Make Friends With the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow

Kathleen Glasgow's devastating novel about grief stopped me in my tracks. On a day that begins with an argument about a dance and ends with the death of her mother, Tiger Tolliver finds herself in the dark without a safety net. As she is shifted from foster home to foster home, Tiger's journey leads her through a web of addiction and pain as she discovers the meaning of family.

Full review: Devastating and Powerful: Kathleen Glasgow's How to Make Friends With the Dark

9. Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

This devastating and powerful coming-of-age novel is set against the backdrop of Philippine President Duterte's war against drugs. High school senior Jay Reguero is looking forward to a summer of video games before taking up his place at University of Michigan. That all ends when his cousin Jun is murdered in Manila and Jay travels to the Philippines to discover the truth behind Jun's death. With themes touching on poverty, slums, addiction, drug use, extrajudicial killings, guilt and redemption, Patron Saints of Nothing is a powerful and devastating story.

Full review: Randy Ribay's Devastating Patron Saints of Nothing

8. 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

Pure and uplifting, 100 Days of Sunlight is a wonderful young adult debut by Abbie Emmons about getting back up again after life has knocked you down. When sixteen-year-old Tessa Dickinson is involved in a terrible car accident, she temporarily loses her eyesight. Despondent and isolated from her life as an online poet, Tessa takes an instant dislike to Weston Ludovico, the boy hired by her grandparents to help transcribe her poems. What Tessa can't see is Weston's secret and an indomitable spirit that will change her world.

Full review: Abbie Emmons's Wonderfully Uplifting 100 Days of Sunlight

7. The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Set in Franco's Spain 15 years after the Spanish Civil War, The Fountains of Silence tells the story of forbidden love and stolen babies in an authoritarian state. I read and loved Ruta Sepetys's Salt to the Sea and this epic story of life in Madrid during the 1970s firmed her position as my favourite historical fiction author. In fact, I was so impressed by this novel that I've decided to concentrate far more on historical YA fiction in 2020; I loved that one book could teach me so much about a part of history that I'd formerly known little about.

Full review: Powerful and Moving : The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

6. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by Charlie Fletcher

One of the most exciting things to happen to me in 2019 was winning a copy of Charlie Fletcher's speculative masterpiece A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World. Griz has grown up in an empty world, not the result of some grand cataclysmic event but simply a world where people stopped being able to reproduce. When a stranger steals the family dog, Griz embarks on a journey to the ends of the world to track them down. Featuring a trek across a barely recognisable Britain, this book has one of the best twists I've ever encountered.

Full review: Charlie Fletcher's Superb A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

5. Season of the Witch (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina # 1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

So, spoiler alert: I wasn't going to include audiobooks on this list because I have a whole other post planned just for all the amazing audiobooks I listened to this year. Nevertheless, I loved Season of the Witch so much that it absolutely deserves a place on this list. It'll also be on the other list. Taking place just before the events in Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 1, Season of the Witch sees Sabrina preparing for her dark baptism and I'll-advisedly putting a love spell on Harvey. Delightfully dark and full of angst, this book made me a firm fan of both author Sarah Rees Brennan and narrator Jesse Vilinsky.

Full review: Sarah Rees Brennan's Delightfully Dark Season of the Witch, Prequel to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Audiobook

4. On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

This is another book that I consumed on audiobook, expertly narrated by Bahni Turpin. I loved Angie Thomas's debut novel The Hate U Give but I think I possibly adored this one more. Bri is an aspiring young rapper growing up in Garden Heights, hoping to use her talents to rise to the same levels of fame as her late father Lawless. With her mother struggling to make ends meet and her aunt in deep with a local gang, Bri needs this break more than ever; the only problem is that she starts getting all the wrong types of attention in her bid to make a name for herself.

Full review: A Brilliant Follow Up to The Hate U Give: Angie Thomas's On the Come Up on Audiobook

3. A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

The first book I read in 2019, Tahereh Mafi's superb semi-autobiographical novel about a Muslim teen living in America post-911 took me through every emotion possible. Wise beyond her sixteen years and weary of all the racist, bigoted things people say to her, Shirin is biding her time in high school by putting in her earphones and ignoring the world around her. That's until she meets Ocean in bio class and decides, against her better instincts, to let him in. Warning: this book will break your heart.

Full review: Tahereh Mafi's Superb A Very Large Expanse of Sea

2. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

This was a truly difficult choice because Akwaeke Emezi's Pet is absolutely spectacular. Set in the near-future in a world that has been rid of monsters, Pet is the story of Jam, a transgender girl with selective mutism, who unleashes a creature of justice and vengeance into the world. For monsters aren't always who you'd expect and something very dark is happening in a home in the town of Lucille. I love this book so much and recommend it to everyone.

Full review: Akwaeke Emezi's Incredible Pet

1. Sadie by Courtney Summers

Sadie tore out my heart and tore it to tiny little bits. This superb young adult novel is about a murdered girl, her missing sister, the police who don't care enough to investigate her disappearance and the radio personality who goes against his better judgement to discover the truth. It was told in chapters alternating between Sadie's story and West McCray's podcast 'The Girls'. While I loved reading this book, I believe the audiobook is especially powerful which means I get to revisit it again soon. With so many great books out there, I only reserve re-reads (and read-to-listens) for my very favourite books. And Sadie is one of my favourite, not just of 2019 but of all time.

Full review: Courtney Summers' Superb Sadie

Honourable Mentions

They didn't quite make the top ten but there are two books that need to be on this list. Hannah Alkaf's excellent debut The Weight of Our Sky looks at the May 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia through the eyes of Melati, a sixteen-year-old music-loving schoolgirl and OCD sufferer (full review). Mindy McGinnis is one of my favourite authors and Heroine is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the opioid crisis in America (full review).

What a list of fantastic YA novels. 2019 was a brilliant year for reading and I can't wait to see what 2020 brings.

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