Thursday 31 December 2015

TheDaisyDeer's Best Books of 2015

I've read a lot less than I had wanted this year,
but I've definitely found some of my favourite books of all time.
It's also the end of my first year reviewing for NetGalley as well as Harper Collins
and I've found some really great books thanks to the generous publishers
that have been kind enough to approve my work.
Without further ado, here are my best books I've read in 2015.

Best Overall Novel read in 2015:

70897
The Secret History
Donna Tartt

Novel with the Best Story read in 2015:
23848145
Queen of Shadows
Sarah J. Maas

Novel with the Best Writing read in 2015:
7261699
Eon
Alison Goodman

Novel with the Best Entertainment read in 2015:
25337864
A Thousand Nights
E. K. Johnston

Best New Discovery read in 2015:
24070160
The Walled City
Ryan Graudin

Best Fantasy Novel read in 2015:
23403402
A Darker Shade of Magic
V. E. Schwab

Best Supernatural Novel read in 2015:
25600032
Demon Road
Derek Landy

Best Dystopian Novel read in 2015:
23306186
Station Eleven
Emily St John Mandel

Best Historical Novel read in 2015:
17329126
Cassandra

Best Contemporary Novel read in 2015:
19057
I Am the Messenger
Markus Zusak

Best Romantic Novel read in 2015:
22910900
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Patrick Ness

Best Classic Novel read in 2015:
12916
The Aeneid
Virgil

Best Mystery/Thriller Novel read in 2015:
23006119
Six of Crows
Leigh Bardugo

Best Graphic Novel read in 2015:
23131087
Nimona
Noelle Stevenson
Read my summary of Nimona here!

Best Review Copy read in 2015:
25511627
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
provided by NetGalley & Bloomsbury
Natasha Pulley


Image Sources:
The Secret History - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/70897.The_Secret_History
Queen of Shadows - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848145-queen-of-shadows
Eon - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7261699-eon
A Thousand Nights - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25337864-a-thousand-nights
The Walled City - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24070160-the-walled-city
A Darker Shade of Magic - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23403402-a-darker-shade-of-magic
Demon Road - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25600032-demon-road
Station Eleven - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23306186-station-eleven
Cassandra - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17329126-cassandra
I Am the Messenger - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19057.I_Am_the_Messenger
The Rest of Us Just Live Here - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22910900-the-rest-of-us-just-live-here
The Aeneid - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12916.The_Aeneid
Six of Crows - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23006119-six-of-crows
Nimona - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23131087-nimona
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25511627-the-watchmaker-of-filigree-street

Sunday 27 December 2015

Frozen Tides

17342701

Book Title: Frozen Tides
Author: Morgan Rhodes
Series: Falling Kingdoms #4
Date Started: December 24th 2015
Date Completed: December 27th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Mystery
Quality Rating: Five Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Star
Final Rating: Five stars
Review:

I really love this series, and part of why is that it's very good at what it is. The Falling Kingdoms series doesn't try to be overly sophisticated in its politics, or extremely brutal in its violence, it takes characters and it throws them around in a high fantasy adventure - and it's so nice to just read something that's happy pulling off what it is well, instead of trying to something it isn't and tearing the story to shreds.

Rhodes doesn't have the most complex and beautiful writing I've ever read, but it's solid and it's adaptable. She knows the right elements to focus on in certain situations or locations, and she can explain a situation or feeling appropriately to get the atmosphere she needs. However, it is the structuring of her stories that are what stands her further out from the crowd. Things nearly got too complicated with perspectives this time, with at least two characters per side-story (and about three or four of those going on at the same time) having their own chapters, but Rhodes is always focused on the main plot line. People's stories are actually starting to cross over more now, even as the world itself expands, and it really feels like we're approaching the end (even with two more books to go - and a lot can happen in these books).

Like I've said, the Falling Kingdoms series is always so much fun to read. I admit, that the story has start to become a little formulaic: if a girl and boy are in the same side-story they're probably going to fall in love (though there are hints of this changing); pretty much all the royals have evil, prejudice fathers; the 'evil' people aren't actually evil but instead are incredibly vulnerable (fine, but it's starting to feel like the same explanation every single time and I feel like there's a better way this could be pulled off). Having said that, there are always new little twists throughout the every book, and Rhodes is very fluid with the way she can move characters around and separate them from others quickly. It gives little bits of surprise in a world that could potentially become quite predictable.
And then there are always awesome endings. Rhodes knows how to pull of a simultaneous climax over an entire continent (and further this time). While loose ends are tied up and we definitely have some sort of resolution, there are plenty of new questions to be answered, and a gaping hole for the characters to somehow get through next.

There are definitely two people in this series that I will always look forward to reading above anyone else, but while the others are at times annoying they still have valuable places in the story and it wouldn't be the same without them (and that is a very important thing when it comes to writing these stories told from so many different perspectives).
Cleo and Magnus will forever be my favourite characters and however much they beat around the bush about their feelings and manipulate each other and sacrifice things for their countries that put them in big trouble, I will always look forward to their stories. Every time they reach what seems like a climax, there's another problem just behind it, and something even bigger for them to figure out - but every time they do it and every time they meet it with determination. Put aside how fun they are to read about, they, as characters, are really well crafted for the world they live in. I often think that Rhodes favours these two the most since they're definitely the most sensible and developed people in Mytica.
I've grown to like Jonas a lot more than I have in previous books. He is still an idiot in my eyes, and has a talent for choosing the worst times to be stupid, but he's definitely the center of adding danger and more knots to the situation; if he wasn't there things would be a lot more dull.
However, I still dislike Lucia as much as I did at the start of these books. Past the fact she's ridiculously easy to manipulate, even the decisions she herself makes are not good ones. I'm still never bored when I read her chapters, but I have to say she as a character - and a person - can be quite irritating.

I absolutely blaze through these books; they're so much fun to read and I never want to put them down. Sometimes this is because I would much rather get to a certain character's story rather than who I'm currently reading, admittedly, but even so there's no point where I get bored. I'm sure I could have read Frozen Tides in a day if it hadn't been Christmas.

As I always say with this series, Game of Thrones or high fantasy lovers will enjoy these books massively, and if you're daunted by either this is the perfect place to start: there's a lot of familiar territory for YA readers, but Rhodes definitely takes the steps towards a more traditional epic. I think it's the perfect transition between the two, and hugely entertaining for anyone already comfortable with both.

Image Source - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17342701-frozen-tides

Friday 25 December 2015

Most Anticipated Books 2016

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays to anyone who doesn't celebrate it!
I've got my annual Best Books of the Year coming on New Year's Eve,
but I thought I'd do another little blog post about the top ten books
I'm most excited for in the coming year.
I don't really look ahead to what books are coming out,
so the majority of these are sequels to existing series that I'm aware of.

A Gathering of Shadows
Victoria Schwab
2340340225400972
A Darker Shade of Magic #2


Untitled
Sarah J. Maas
13519397176707092061763623848145
Throne of Glass #5


Crooked Kingdom
Leigh Bardugo
23006119
Six of Crows #2


Strange the Dreamer
Laini Taylor
28145767
Strange the Dreamer #1


The Song Rising
Samantha Shannon
1719950417901125
The Bone Season #3


Untitled
Morgan Rhodes
12954620160000441734270017342701
Falling Kingdoms #5


The Fever Code
James Dashner
2244947823267628
220415281019369925026162
The Maze Runner #0.6


This Savage Song
Victoria Schwab
23299512
Monsters of Verity #1


Lady Midnight
Cassandra Clare
25494343
The Dark Artifices #1


The Raven King
Maggie Stiefvater
17675462173473891737850817378527
The Raven Cycle #4



Image Sources - 
A Darker Shade of Magic - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23403402-a-darker-shade-of-magic
A Gathering of Shadows - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25400972-a-gathering-of-shadows
Throne of Glass - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13519397-throne-of-glass
Crown of Midnight - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17670709-crown-of-midnight
Heir of Fire - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20617636-heir-of-fire
Queen of Shadows - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848145-queen-of-shadows
Six of Crows - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23006119-six-of-crows
Strange the Dreamer - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28145767-strange-the-dreamer?from_search=true&search_version=service
The Bone Season - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17199504-the-bone-season?from_search=true&search_version=service
The Mime Order - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17901125-the-mime-order
Falling Kingdoms - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12954620-falling-kingdoms?from_search=true&search_version=service
Rebel Spring - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16000044-rebel-spring
Gathering Darkness - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17342700-gathering-darkness
Frozen Tides - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17342701-frozen-tides
The Kill Order - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22449478-the-kill-order
The Fever Code - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23267628-the-fever-code
The Maze Runner - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22041528-the-maze-runner
The Scorch Trials - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10193699-the-scorch-trials
The Death Cure - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25026162-the-death-cure
This Savage Song - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23299512-this-savage-song?from_search=true&search_version=service
Lady Midnight - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25494343-lady-midnight?from_search=true&search_version=service
The Raven Boys - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17675462-the-raven-boys?from_search=true&search_version=service
The Dream Thieves - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17347389-the-dream-thieves
Blue Lily, Lily Blue - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17378508-blue-lily-lily-blue
The Raven King - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17378527-the-raven-king

Tuesday 22 December 2015

The Golden Yarn

28042859

Book Title: The Golden Yarn
Author: Cornelia Funke
Series: The Mirrorworld Series #3
Date Started: December 13th 2015
Date Completed: December 15th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Star
Final Rating: Four stars
Review:

I've waited what feels like years for this book to be released and then translated, and as much as it pains me to say it, it really wasn’t what I was hoping for. Now it’s still a good book, but every time I picked it up there was a sinking feeling in my stomach because the magic had gone for me. It’s taken me quite a few days to come around to writing this review because I wanted to see if I’d get a stronger feeling of disappointment or contentment after a little distance, but actually I haven’t really felt anything at all about it. And I think that might be worse.

To my knowledge this is the first of her own books that Funke has translated herself. And I applaud her for that, writing and translating something is difficult and a lot of work, and going over your own writing as many times as it takes to rewrite it in another language takes courage. But I have to be brutally honest and say that she isn’t as good a translator as she is a writer. I can see that beautiful flare that’s in every other book of hers I’ve read, but it feels like there was an invisible wall just between us this time, and there isn’t the rhythm and rhyme I’m so used to (you can literally see little riddles that are clearly supposed to thyme and undoubtedly do in German, but just haven’t quite been replicated in English).
Don’t get me wrong, I still adore the world building and there’s plenty of the beautiful Mirrorworld still there; we even get some really nice introductions into some modern links without feeling completely alienated from the fairytale world we love so much. It’s just a shame we didn’t quite reach it feeling like a fairytale in itself.

The Golden Yarn had a few too many stories going on for me. I appreciate they all kind of link but very loosely, and it’s quite inconsistent. It became confusing a times, but mainly it was just irritating because it cuts up the main storyline and quite frankly I didn’t really understand the benefit. I know I should be interested in more than just Jacob and Fox (and I normally am) but it feels like just as their story picks up pace we’re ambushed by all these other ones that are just scattered without much logic to it.
I also feel like the Young Adult archetypes are starting to set in too. Maybe I’m just very aware of the tropes these days, but the romance felt very dominating while I was reading. I had really enjoyed it when it was clear that Jacob and Fox loved each other, but mainly left it unsaid because it was clear enough as it was - but because of this they really kept going on as individuals (they really do ‘belong only to [themselves]’). Unfortunately their story was very focused on a romance both of them refused to admit, which was not only infuriating, but also not really justified enough for me (I understand the threats, but come on, this is a fairytale world play around with it, convince me properly).
However the most disappointing aspect for me was the fact that the story doesn’t wrap up at the end. This is the first book I’ve ever really read of Funke’s that relies on future sequels for anything to be resolved, and that makes me very, very sad. I loved the episodic but gradually expanding way the Mirrorworld was developing, but now it feels like it’s trying to fit into the YA market a little more comfortably.

There were a few characters I felt were cheated in how they were presented and were given no chance for redemption for the things they’d done, but for the most part I still enjoyed reading about all the characters. It may not have been what I was hoping for, but Funke still knows how to twist traditional fairytales around her finger without losing what they are.
Jacob is again a good protagonist, though at times he was a little bit defeatist. Of course that’s why he has the wonderful Fox to even him out. Those two really do work wonderfully as a partnership, even more so because their imbalances when they’re separated are all the more obvious: Fox is anxious, reckless and sharp; Jacob dismissive, hopeless and harsh. As much as I love them together, they’re the kind of characters that you could honestly see just being the closest friends forever - and I think that’s why their pairing works even better: it is genuinely built on trust and loyalty, regardless of honesty and danger, and we really get to see that.

I got through The Golden Yarn really fast, regardless for how it made me feel when I picked it up, though admittedly this was mainly because I just wanted to get back to Jacob and Fox. I really like how the world is expanding and we’re seeing loads of different characters and landscapes, but it was quite infuriating that it felt like the protagonists were in less than half of the book. It at times felt like the plot wasn’t even moving in any of the side stories, so we were almost wasting time hearing about them when the main storyline was put on hold.

I honestly can’t say that I loved this book, as much as I want to, and I’m so conflicted about my love of the characters and the world. Having said that, I enjoyed it enough to read it quickly and I’ll undoubtedly read the next instalment (part of why it annoyed me was the fact that it depends on another instalment, but I’ll eat my words if it gives me back the Mirrorworld), and I’m so happy that The Golden Yarn got picked up by another publisher. Again, I have only love and respect for Cornelia, but I do hope she goes back to her old style next time.

Image Source - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28042859-the-golden-yarn

Sunday 13 December 2015

Our Endless Numbered Days

26230625

Book Title: Our Endless Numbered Days
Author: Claire Fuller
Date Started: December 4th 2015
Date Completed: December 13th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Mystery
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Star
Final Rating: Five stars
Review:

◆ Thank you NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

Upon hearing a few good things about this story where a girl lives in the middle of a wood and believes the whole world is dead because her father told her, I just immediately thought of fairytales and of some sort of modern twist on traditional tales of abduction. However, I didn't expect it to be quite as harrowing and personal - and that's kind of the point with these stories. People only think of them as stories until they're pushed to realise their weight.

Fuller's writing really surprised me as I was reading this book. She has a way of gently tricking you into feeling like a child again - a memory, a sensation, an innocent thought - so you really go through these things with Peggy at the age she is. There's this weird juxtaposition where half of you feels almost comforted at times, but then your detached self realises almost guiltily that these aren't things you should be comforted by. But because of where we're positioned we genuinely do get that sense of wrongness we're led into, and I guess we get even closer to understanding Peggy's ambivalence because of it.

Our Endless Numbered Days deals with some really, really difficult subjects, and it does make you uncomfortable. But rightly so. I feel like a lot of people shy away from reading books with darker subjects because it isn't something we feel pleasant learning about (understandably), but I think it's still important that there are stories showing them. I felt Fuller dealt with abduction, abuse, PTSD and some of the other issues in this book really well and in a way that people could get through even if they were hesitant about the subject matter. We're spared what could have been disturbing graphic recounts and instead are allowed to piece together things ourselves (which, admittedly, at times is equally if not more disturbing). I also think the strong fairytale and childlike atmosphere softens some of the darker points: Fuller had the opportunity to present everything as an absolute bleak wasteland similar to that of a dystopian, but she chose a gentler approach to leave room for people to realise things are rarely as easy as crime and punishment.
I think thought the book was really well structured to make the audience feel like we're aware of what's going on, and to encourage us to ignore the voice at the back of our heads saying otherwise. Of course there was always more to things that what we're immediately told, but it's human nature to take what you have and run with it, perhaps mistakenly leaving some details behind. While I did work out the ending before it happened, I think the way Fuller left it literally until the last page to make sense of everything for us was extremely effective - all the more so because we're left with the revelation right before the book ends, and the abrupt end finalises how this is what happened, and now Peggy has to live with it forever.

While it's indisputable that this is Peggy's story (and perhaps her father's) Fuller still put thought and development into the other characters, and it really pays off. They may be sympathetic, but they still react in the very human way of treating something they don't understand with ignorance and alienation under the pretence of understanding.
I don't have much to say about Peggy since we're encouraged so heavily to project ourselves onto her; she still has her own personality and value as a character of course, but looking back I realise how early we're made to relate to her in various situations, and therefore how deeply we're lost in everything when it comes to the climax of the book. Having said that, seeing her grow from an eight-year-old into a seventeen-year-old you can definitely see the development of her person, but also the influence her father has had. She still seems reasonably childish, even when her actions mature, and her thoughts are so heavily monitored that it really reinforces the effects of her situation - but reminds us of her humanity as an individual as well.

Due to Fuller's structuring, Our Endless Numbered Days is actually quite quick to get through; the writing is told in a similar style to a child's thoughts, even when Peggy grows, and the pacing of action was well distributed throughout the whole novel. It was at time hard to read in big chunks, but this was more from the fact that I had worked out what was going on in Peggy's situation and honestly felt a little bit sick. But again, this wasn't the brutality (or at times gentleness) of what we're directly told, but more from the implications it had that Peggy couldn't see herself.

Our Endless Numbered Days takes a subject few people like to talk about in real circumstances, and moulds it into a book where you're taken in to sit by the fire as a small child - and little but little Fuller reveals the reality of what's happened. Not only is it a brilliant crafted novel, but it gives the reader a platform to learn and understand more about abduction and abuse in a way where we are both literally in the middle of it, and also detached by time and place: we're confronted with the ambivalence Peggy feels and the confusion of those around her. This is an important book, and an important story.

Image Source https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26230625-our-endless-numbered-days

Friday 4 December 2015

The Marvels

23566909

Book Title: The Marvels
Author: Brian Selznick
Date Started: November 27th 2015
Date Completed: December 4th 2015
Genres: Adventure, Historical, Mystery
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Star
Final Rating: Four stars
Review:

I always eagerly await Selznick's novels and I certainly wasn't disappointed. After Wonderstuck - which I still liked don't get me wrong - I did have a suspicion that nothing he wrote again would reach the heights of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. However, while it still wasn't the author's magical debut, I fell in love with this traditional adventure story told in a new and beautiful way.

Selznick is a phenomenal storyteller: both in his writing and his illustration. And to see him create such vivid narratives through both is refreshing and unique. I was really happy to see him trying a slightly different structure with his work this time (the first section of the book is told entirely through drawings, then entirely through prose, and then another little closing image sequence) and while I generally prefer his previous consistent breaks in the writing with images, I still enjoyed these two stories being told separately and then gradually weaving together.
The wonderful thing about Selznick's writing is he can put so many of his passions into one story without overloading the reader. Even without knowing anything about the author (which, admittedly, I do) you can see his fascination with theatres, museums, curiosities, old photographs and records, classic cinemas - he is truly a man after my own heart. And even past this, he has such a natural and gentle way of showing 'issues' without making them into issues: neglect, HIV, pyromania, death, homosexuality (which should be shown in normality more often for younger readers), the affect of modern economics unpeople and cultures etc. We're often not shown in the story how these things came about, which is something I really admired; it's not about whose fault it was or where it came from or why it is that way, it's about how to accept and embrace it and live happily regardless. It's so important in children's fiction, but it's often forgotten in adult's fiction, which is why I think Selznick's stories are perfect for any reader.

I felt The Marvels lost itself a little bit at times and the pacing was strangely ordered, which was fine until we got to the break between two big reveals This just didn't fit for me and made me a little bit lost for the rest of the story. Having said that, the narrative itself was lovely and the echoes of Selznick's recurring themes made me smile. There's always a troubled creator in his books, and I think that's something for the adults reading them. But if you want your child to be creative, give them these books; they show they magical side of creativity, but also the (sometimes) sad and lonely side too. If you can teach children that creation isn't always going to be perfect, but that you can still create beautiful things and find happiness in them, I think a lot more people will be unafraid to do what they love.
I did call the twist towards the end, but I still praise it for its cleverness. Again, Selznick knows exactly what to give children, because it's more than just a twist in a story. It has a truly emotional affect without having to understand the complexities of the people experiencing it because the reader has grown just as emotionally attached as they have - and all under the pretence that they're supposed to. It was very clever, and it was also heartbreaking. Until I remembered that it doesn't matter if they're just characters in a story: they can mean just as much to you.

I didn't engage much with individual characters in this book; it felt like the story was really the 'main character' and the other people were ways to illustrate this. At the end of the day I don't feel like this had a negative impact on the book, and I feel like younger readers would invest more in the characters.
Joseph was quite a neutral protagonist, and that worked well for the story. It's very much about letting the narrative of these people's lives play out without pushing them in a certain direction to create drama or suspense. I actually really enjoyed this and I think it would be good for children to see a story that isn't really saved deliberately by a main character they can relate to - Joseph actually saves the day by being kind and patient.

It wasn't so much the pacing that I had issues with, but more the ordering. For a children's book focusing on a place and people and history you expect to get the sometimes long descriptions (never once did I find these boring I might add), but the placement of these passages sometimes felt strange to me. Particularly around the end: we get a twist and then we have this wind down of normality - it felt quite strange to me. I was expecting Joseph to start looking at things differently, and perhaps the point is that it didn't really matter in the end, but I wasn't quite sure whether I was supposed to get used to this new equilibrium or if I was still supposed to be amazed and mystified.

Part of me is still quite conflicted about the rating for this book but, as much as I loved it, the 'pre-ending' just coming down from the climax but before the end brought everything lower in expectations for me. Regardless, Selznick has once again made me feel like a little kid that just wants to hide in books and theatres and museums and old houses forever. If you want to give a child a sense of wonderment in reality then give them Selznick's books - and the afterword is definitely worth a read to show you that these things can be real.

Image Source - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23566909-the-marvels