Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Lazlo Strange has always been somewhat of an anomaly. An orphan cared for by monks, as a child, he was always fascinated by stories and magic. As a young man, he was lucky enough to get a job in a library, where his love of stories - and particularly that of a lost, Unseen City - grew and was nourished by the pages around him. Lazlo seemed to live more in his books that in the world occupied by those around him. While he may have been an expert of the Unseen City, he was dubbed a dreamer by his contemporaries, and dismissed as a lover of the trivial. Yet when representatives of The Unseen City arrive in Lazlo's sheltered city ans request help, he cannot deny fate,  and becomes part of the delegation to save Weep, as the Unseen City is called.

While coming to terms with the fact that his obsession was, in fact, grounded on truth and not the fancies of a dreamer, Lazlo begins to experience magic as he never dreamed possible. The delegation has the task of saving Weep from the horrors that made it disappear, made it become forgotten and subject of tales told to youths in faraway lands. It is only through being in a place many assumed did not exist, with countless unknown truths, that Lazlo discovers his own history and purpose - both of which are far beyond anything the dreamer could have imagined.

Strange the Dreamer has an already cemented popularity and following, so it was with some trepidation that I began to read; already late to the party. Despite this, it is easy to see why the world Taylor has created is so popular, and her characters so beloved,. Filled with a bloody history, adversity, love, courage and the very essence of magic,this is an enjoyable story. A new and intriguing world beset with demons, angels and gods is revealed in poetic beauty, seemingly attainable and tangible with Taylor's gorgeous prose. It's a hard book to put down, made all the harder in that it is the start of a series, and the second book isn't out yet.

Strange the Dreamer is an enjoyable book which has a unique and deeply moving love story at its centre. Taylor also beautifully illustrates that sometimes, the power of unknown is enough to conquer disbelief; if we only have the courage to follow our hearts, we may be surprised by the results.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor is published by Hodder & Stoughton (an imprint of Hachette Books) and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers. 

Review: All Rivers Run Free by Natasha Carthew

In a world of unremarkable grey, Ia searches for a rainbow. For 13 years she’s lived in a caravan along the Cornwell coast; an outcast and anomaly among her own people. Throughout this time, her only solace has been the peace afforded her when her husband is away fishing – Ia’s world is two-part; the seen and unseen.

Her seen world comprises hard work, an abusive husband, and a narrow and uninspiring existence that revolves around fish and chores. Yet while he is off fishing, Ia has precious moments to herself. In this fragile private sanctuary, Ia collects an array of objects offered up by the ocean, and recalls her past in painful yet vivid detail. In an attempt to merge her two worlds into a solid whole, Ia seeks something bigger than herself to cherish, adore, and mold into beauty.

Somehow, against the backdrop of a broken country submerged in floodwaters and riddled with gangs, the grey world seems to relent; the ocean brings Ia the most precious gift yet; a splash of colour in the form of a child.

All Rivers Run Free is steeped in the unexpected and is all the more impressive for it. Perhaps the most striking feature of this novel is not the intensely dramatic and beautiful imagery, but the jarring nature of the prose itself. While Ia is a barb in the fabric of society – isolated and rough to the touch – so too is this narrative interrupted by something unfamiliar and distracting, yet undeniably vital.

Carthew has poetry in her, that much is obvious.

As Ia strives to meet her past and dabble in possibility, she must learn her world anew. While undertaking this journey, the reader is not just invited into Ia’s universe, but her heart and soul; her mind. All Rivers Run Free features strikingly chaotic steam-of-consciousness that disjoints a sense of reality and duplicates the protagonist’s fragmented thoughts. Carthew’s style leaves you dumbstruck but yearning; reeling in a comforting strangeness composed of the thoughts of another.

This book is immersion in the deepest, darkest sense. It’s a monumental achievement of providing the unsuspecting reader with an addictive discomfort - a masochism of the mind.

If you read only one book this year, let it be this. All Rivers Run Free is unparalleled – it is gritty, artistic and disturbing in the best sense. This story is equal parts beauty and brutality, and will stay with you long after you think you’re done with it; a pleasant and necessary haunting.

All Rivers Run Free by Natasha Carthew is published by Riverrun books, an imprint of Quercus, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Achtung Baby by Sara Zaske

Sara Zaske may have German roots, but she’s a proud American. However, when her husband is offered a job in Germany and the family relocates to Berlin, Zaske realizes that not everything in the land of the free is the best.

Despite being in a country where her grasp of the language was questionable, and where natives have an unusual love of bureaucracy and files, Zaske discovered that there’s one thing the Germans truly excel at, and it’s not automotive engineering. It’s raising independent humans.

The mistakes of times past and mass human rights violations throughout the world wars were likely a trigger for the reformation of raising German children, but Zaske is adamant that the Germans are doing it properly. Reflecting on her preconditioned tendency to be a helicopter parent, Zaske examines what’s wrong with raising kids in the USA, and what the Germans do better.

While you may be inclined to think that one woman’s experiences and opinions hardly warrant a book praising an entire nation’s child-rearing skills, Zaske cites several studies and experts in explaining her admiration of the Germans and how they handle their offspring. Achtung Baby is an easy to read and easy to follow book that will have you reconsidering not only how families treat their young, but how whole societies do it.

If, like me, you don’t have children, don’t let that put you off reading this book. There are lessons and insights that go beyond child-rearing, and make sense of societal trends, communal tendencies, and family psychology. In short, it’s a brief study about habits of our time, and how we ingrain these in those that proceed us.

Achtung Baby by Sara Zaske is published by Piatkus, an imprint of Hachette Books, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Everything about You by Heather Child

Freya’s life is not extraordinary. She works in retail, has few friends, and lives with her ex-boyfriend. Despite her mundane day-to-day existence, Freya is waiting – for something better, for change, and for word on her long-missing sister, Ruby. It’s as though when Ruby disappeared and became a ghost in Freya’s life, both girls stopped living. Thankfully, a discarded gift meant for Freya’s recluse ex makes its debut in her life instead; a top-of-the-line virtual assistant that does it all.

The smart device is programmed to work with its user’s available data, and so it knows everything about you based on what you share online. This is why Freya is thrown for a loop when her device’s interface is based on the elusive Ruby. While Freya becomes ever more enamoured with her device, she also becomes convinced that the flesh-and-bones Ruby may still be out there, and so the decade-long hunt for answers continues, with the help of modern data and algorithms. The only question that remains is at what cost does the knowledge come?

While the premise of humans becoming overly dependent on technology is not new, Heather Child presents this scenario in a fun, easy to read form. This is not a version of artificial intelligence adaption that will have you lying awake at night, afraid to use your toaster. Instead, it’s a telling look into human nature and dependency, and how both can become destructive and malicious. This is a story in which technology is not the bad guy – instead, it’s humans who plot their own downfall. You won’t need an algorithm to predict that in a world that becomes ever-more selfish and isolated, humans are the root of their own issues.

If you are looking for good-old escapism and happy endings, with a hint of drama, revelation and a twist, this is a perfect read.

Everything about You by Heather Child is published by Orbit Books and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

Review: Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews

Dominika was well on her way to becoming a prima ballerina, when a broken foot promptly stomped on that idea. While she finds herself deciding what new path to explore in life, her father passes away. At his funeral, her uncle presents her with an option; work for the SVR. Become a spy.

Nate Nash is a recent CIA recruit earning his stripes in Russia, when his assignment goes awry. Facing the possibility of a career in tatters, he is sent to Helsinki to salvage his reputation and do some good.

What neither agent immediately knows is that each is the subject of the other’s investigation. Once they make this connection, however, the Game truly begins. Oh my, the twists.

Red Sparrow gets off to a somewhat slow start, but in this case it’s absolutely worth it. The story is so intricate and the plot so involved that it’s absolutely necessary to warm up before we go full steam ahead. The word ‘complexity’ doesn’t do this book justice – it’s an entire glorious world on its own.

It’s much more than just a spy novel – it is drama, intrigue, mystery, politics, current affairs and love all wrapped up into a sexy narrative that’s as immersive as it is impressive. Jason Matthews is a craftsman – his narrative is rich in detail, filled with exceptional language and brilliant descriptions. 

This book will have you running through every emotion possible, but you’ll enjoy the feeling. You’re going to need several cups of coffee, because I guarantee you’ll be up late into the night reading. And if that wasn’t enough, you’ll end as I did; frantically wanting to get your hands on the next book in the series. This one is a kicker.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews is published by Simon & Schuster, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.