Applause for JK

Via the wonderful tool that is facebook, I - along with many others - have just been alerted to the fact that the wonderful JK Rowling has this year published another book. This time, however, under a pseudonym.
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith has recieved fantastic reviews from critics and readers over the last couple of months; being complimented for it's compelling characters, descriptions and it's maturity for a supposed debut. Well, we now know that it isn't, though it is Miss Rowling's first dive into crime novels.
The secret was discovered when people noticed that Robert Galbraith and JK Rowling shared the same editor and agent. Fortunately, this discovery doesn't seem to have changed the possibility of a sequel.
As a certified Potterhead already (and avid reader besides that) I'll be sure to pick this book up ASAP and add it to my summer reading list, along with The Casual Vacancy.
In the meantime: JK Rowling, I salute you.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Okay, I'm really behind on reviews right now. I read this and Raven Boys all the way back in October and still haven't taken time to actually post a review. Time to remedy that.

First things first: I haven't actually seen the film of this yet (though I very much want to) so this is entirely based on the book itself rather than comparing with the film.
I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this book. The trailer for the film was pretty ambiguous and could be interpreted several different ways - of which I got the wrong one. It turned out nothing like I expected, but I could not be happier about that.
It's very much a narrative that grows with the main character. To start with the prose is not particularly fluent and seems slightly stilted - plenty of room for improvement. As you progress throughout the book the fluency, language and pretty much everything else changes and fluctuates as the main character experiments, learns and grows as a person. You go on the journey along with him and I came out feeling like I, too, had expanded as a human being. It's a hard feeling to describe and something you can only really understand from reading the book yourself.
Since it's written in letter form rather than direct narrative the setting is pretty ambiguous, but you still get to know the other characters well, and in some ways it's better, as you learn about them the same way you would by meeting them yourself.
Imparts plenty of lessons and wisdom. Some very profound moments.
One of the books you have to read in your lifetime. Seriously, I can't do it justice here. You have to experience it yourself.

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

I discovered Maggie Stiefvater's books about two years ago and was completely hooked. Her writing style suits me completely, and she pretty much covers every story theme I love and creates some brilliant fantasy elements. She's also a damn funny blogger and I'd recommend her for a follow.

The Raven Boys is the first of a new series and a book I had been looking forward to for quite a while (it had been nearly a year since her last release and I was having withdrawal trouble). This series, so far, seems to be based on Celtic folklore.
As with her other books, Maggie creates a vivid fictional setting for her novel - based in the real world but certainly not anywhere on a known map - this time a village called Henrietta. Perfectly created and with it's own specific atmosphere that seemed snatched from reality.
The characters all have their own little quirks, habits and twists (one a particularly big twist) , their own distinct personalities. We get to see from the points of view of several of them and get to understand their different motivations and back stories.
There's plenty of humour, healthy lashings of drama and still plenty of things still left to be unsolved (it's only the first book after all). A different tone to all Maggie's previous books, but the quality is as high as ever. Highly recommended.

Hold In

You say the thoughts that have crossed my head a thousand times before.

I listen to it; bite my tongue down, while my mind screams ‘no more’.

I try to find the words to say, and the strength to say them.

But in all these years the fear’s still there and my mind remains in mayhem.

Watch it burn

Hiss, crackle, smell of smoke,
As matches light and burn.
Hold it before me - no fear or alarm;
Watch the flame flicker and turn.
Oh, to be so bright and strong:
I'll let this be my lesson to learn.

The Kingmaker's Daughter - Philippa Gregory

Wow, really getting behind on reviews. It's been about a month since I've done one, even though I've read several books in that time. Oh well, better get started on the catch-up.
Actually read this way before Iron Knight but completely forgot to do a review, so here it goes.

This is the latest addition to Philippa Gregory's Cousins' War series, set during the War of the Roses. The other three books have been from the points of view of: Elizabeth Woodville, Henry VIII's maternal grandmother; Margaret Beaufort, his paternal grandmother and Jacquetta Woodville, his maternal great-grandmother. This new book is about Anne Neville, the daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, aka the Kingmaker. It documents her life from the age of eight, to her death twenty years later.
With all of these books it's really amazing how Gregory keeps switching points of view in the same time-frame. Three of the four novels of this series happen at the same time, but shown from the points of view of three very different women, seeing three completely different things. I loved Elizabeth Woodville's point of view in The White Queen and sympathised with her very much, but this book convincingly paints her as a terrifying figure, cold and distant, and it's obvious why. These books show how vastly different perspectives can be, simply by people growing up in different ways and being told different things from birth.
The storyline itself is, of course, historical, so I can't exactly comment on the originality or believability of the plot, but it's certainly very engaging and you definitely want to keep reading.

Anne's voice throughout struck me very much as being that of a child. She clung to her fears and relied a lot on others. She certainly wasn't a brave or assertive character but clearly someone who wanted more out of life but had not the means to achieve it. She did succeed, but with the help of many others.

Overall it is - as with all of Philippa Gregory's books - wonderfully written and creates such a rich image of historical events. I'll be waiting for the next in the series.

The Iron Legends - Julie Kagawa

And the final book in the Iron Fey series (at least until Lost Prince comes out for the new series). This book contains the three novellas; Winter's Passage, Summer's Crossing and Iron's Prophecy, as well as an extended guide to the Nevernever. I hadn't a chance to read the e-novella versions of the first two and the third was new, so I was naturally very excited.

The first novella had a tantalising description - a near-death experience for Ash and plenty of danger. However, the actually story, while there was an element of being hunted and a rather brutal fight, it never quite got to the stakes expected. Not bad but not as much drama as I'd hoped.
The second novella, however, lived up to its promise of humour (being narrated by Puck) and managed to add in a slightly darker element of betrayal too. You can sense more of the layers there are to Puck and how he hides or represses his feelings sometimes. A very amusing and interesting read and I'm hoping Julie Kagawa will conjour us up another story from the famous trickster.
The final novella was the one I was most looking forward to: a hint of what might come in the next series, plus the final say on Meghan and Ash's story. Thankfully, I enjoyed as much as I'd hoped. You get to see Meghan and Ash's relationship now that they know it's forever, Meghan's newfound power and confidence (take that Mab!) and you get the old team of Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grim back together - albeit briefly. It was pretty obvious that this novella did a bit of setting up for the new series, and therefore left lots of unanswered questions that I'm already desperate for the answers to, but it still made a good little story all by itself. A good end for the lovebirds and the Old Team.
I haven't really had the chance to peruse the final section - a guide to the Nevernever - properly, only really skimming so far. But I can say that there is a lot more detail than the guide included in previous Iron Fey novels and I'll be sure to read and absorb its advice at a later date.
For the book as a whole, I'd say it's a must-buy for fans of the series. A way to close off the first series and make way for the new one. (Plus another pretty addition the the bookshelf)