BOOK REVIEW - FANTSAY FRIDAY - One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig - Audiobook - 4*

BOOK REVIEW

One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig

Welcome back to Fantasy Friday, and welcome to my book review of the romantasy read, One Dark Window, by Rachel Gillig. 

Why this book? I loved the cover art firstly, gothic and creepy, giving me Little Red Riding Hood vibes. I also liked the premise of a hidden brain demon, which I suspected would add a dynamic that steers clear of the trope of a woman who needs to be rescued, who is weak without her man, you get the drift.

BOOK REVIEW - Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian - Physical Book - 5*

BOOK REVIEW

Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian

Well, this is the book that started it all. When I decided, in December 2022, that my New Year's Resolution was to read more, Goodnight Mister Tom immediately sprang to mind. As a youngster, I read this story many times, it tore me apart, built me back up, and showed me a world that only reading can deliver. I wanted to experiment, to see if this book was truly as magical as pre-teen KC thought. 

So, shortly after January 1st 2023, I toddled off to the library, got my very own library card, signed it, and headed to the Children's Classics section. It only feels right to complete a book review for this absolute classic. I've also recently started a YouTube channel (KC's Book Corner) and my first ever video was a review of this book, read to the end and have a watch!

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Tom tucked a blanket round him, drew up a chair by the fire and watched Willie fall asleep. The tales he had heard about evacuees didn't seem to fit Willie. 'Ungrateful' and 'wild' were the adjectives he'd heard used, or just plain 'homesick'. He was quite unprepared for this timid, sickly little specimen. 

Britain, 1940. With World War Two raging all around, young children are being sent from their homes in the city to the countryside for safety. When eight-year-old Willie Beech first arrives on Tom Oakley's doorstep, neither are quite sure what to make of each another. 

Brought up in terrible poverty, Willie is terribly shy, and totally unprepared for village life - but the gruff-but-gentle 'Mister Tom' quickly takes him under his wing. Neither he nor Willie could ever have predicted the journey they will go on together - nor the unbreakable bond that will be formed. 

Winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, and rightly hailed as a true classic of children's literature, Goodnight Mister Tom is a beautifully told, deeply moving story about the power of friendship, kindness, hope - and love. 

'Everyone's idea of a smash-hit novel: full blown characters to love and hate, moments of grief and joy, and a marvellous story that knows just how to grab the emotions' - Guardian

MY REVIEW

Oh boy. As I said, Goodnight Mister Tom was the book that started it all for me, back when I was in school, and again in 2023 when I picked up a book...this book...for the first time in years. It gripped me the same way it did when I read it for the first time. Captivating, moving, and changing me as a reader (and in some ways as a person, cheesy but true). 

In some ways, this book impacted me differently now that I am an adult and a parent. Now that I know more about the darkness within life, the hold that mental health can have on a person, and the impact that small acts of kindness can have on someone's day, life, and outlook. This book taught me empathy in a way I can't describe, and reading the familiar words again as an adult was indescribable (though I am trying my best to portray it!). 

Since starting this journey, not only have I found an outlet for taking care of my wellbeing, I've started pushing myself to do better, to be better. I'm now at college, studying social science. I've started a blog, I'm starting a YouTube channel, and I've found a way of really challenging myself to be creative, to put myself out there. Amazing that one small decision can create a ripple effect that lasts forever! 

This is a children's novel, that addresses mature themes of grief, war, mental health, poverty, abuse, and loss. The words come to life on the page, painting a vivid picture of trauma and sadness, while also expressing hope, joy, and the true love of a found family. 

Willie is a frightfully shy, small boy, sent to the countryside as an evacuee with nothing but the clothes on his back and a bible. Tom is a robust, dour, grieving man who lives his life in a solitary way, minding his own business, just him and his dog. Together they learn to live a life of value, find happiness, and overcome their pasts, learning to look forward to the future. 

The chapter where Willie learns to ride his bike is one of the most poignant, beautiful, and stunning pieces of writing I have ever read. I don't even know if it really is well written, it could be plagued with errors, but I wouldn't notice, I'm just there with him, willing him on, tears in my eyes. I actually feel emotional writing about it, even though it's been 18 months since I borrowed and read this book. 

The characters are so pure, so real, and padded out that they could be real people. Their backstories, motives, and beliefs feel so natural that it's hard to comprehend that this is a piece of fiction. 

Michelle Magorian takes you on a rollercoaster journey, through the highs and lows of Willie and Tom's journey. They make friends, true friends, with the others in their village, and watching them both blossom is captivating, to say the least. It's a hard read at times, in terms of the subject matter, but on the whole, it's a perfect example of what a book should be. Difficult subjects shouldn't be avoided, even in children's books. Done right, these subjects can be broached and discussed, and the stories can capture, heal, and inspire generations. 

I am so grateful to this book for reminding me what a joy it is, to read, to be immersed, and to have a pathway of self-care that was long forgotten. 

Goodnight Mister Tom is, and always will be, my favourite book of all time. If you've read it, what did you think? 

Here's my YouTube debut, covering this review and a bit of my reading adventure so far, I'd love it if you had a little watch, gave me a like, comment or subscribe to the channel, it means alot!

If, by some stroke of luck, you made it to the end of this post and thought, "Wow, what a great review, I'd love to read more!" you can FOLLOW MY BLOG by clicking the link and subscribing :) I also post bookish content on Instagram

BOOK REVIEW - Maestra - L.S Hilton - Physical Book - 4*

BOOK REVIEW

 Maestra - L.S Hilton

This book has been sitting on my physical TBR shelf for the best part of a year after reading the tagline and thinking "yup that looks like my cup of tea". After reading The Time Traveller's Wife (click here for my review) I wanted to head back to my comfort zone of the thriller and this one seemed to fit the bill. 

The cover gives nothing away, which I always find intriguing, but I definitely wanted to read "the most shocking thriller you'll read this year"!

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THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

GLAMOUR'S WRITER OF THE YEAR.

WHERE DO YOU GO WHEN YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR?

Fatal Attraction meets The Talented Mr Ripley, and soon to be a major Hollywood film - prepare for this year's Girl on the Train. 

By day, Judith Rashleigh is a put-upon assistant at a London auction house. 

By night she's a hostess in one of the capital's unsavoury bars. 

Desperate to make something of herself, Judith knows she has to play the game. She's learned to dress, speak and act in the interests of men. She's learned to be a good girl. But after uncovering a dark secret at the heart of the art world, Judith is fired and her dreams of a better life are torn apart. 

So she turns to a long-neglected friend. 

A friend that kept her chin up and back straight through every past slight. 

A friend that a good girl like her shouldn't have. Rage. 

The Talented Mr Ripley meets Gone Girl in this darkly decadent and compelling thriller that asks:

Where do you go when you've gone too far?

MY REVIEW

I'll admit, I stopped reading in my early teens, when my forays into so-called "spicy scenes" were from borrowed readings of my mum's Mills & Boon books. In the last year, through fate rather than any other reason, most of my books have either been non-romance or fairly closed-door in their depictions of romance and sex. A Touch of Darkness, which I listened to earlier this year, was the spiciest book I had read (except for Fifty Shades of Grey) and I now realise that this was reasonably, erm, vanilla for want of a better term. 

I didn't pick up, from the tag-line or the blurb, that Maestra is what's classed as an Erotic Thriller. It wouldn't have put me off though, I am not averse to a bit of spice, and the whole point of me going on this reading journey is to explore different genres and sub-genres. 

Yes, there are some pretty spicy scenes. Some surprised me in their bluntness (again, Mills & Boon brain!) of language and lack of feeling. What impressed me though was that these scenes were from a female point of view. Women can enjoy the spice for what it is too, without the fireworks and lovey-dovey palava. The surprise at the course language was based on my own naivety of this type of scene being played out in writing. Maybe I am also a little immature, for a 38-year-old woman! I did have to do some position maths while I worked out what bits of people were where. That was fun! Poor Mike, my other half, had to deal with my expressions of sheer surprise, followed by a bewildered explanation of what I had just read!

I'd suggest that if you're not a spice reader, this might not be for you. There's scenes with multiple people and, erm, activities of a spicy nature, so maybe have a look at content warnings if you're not sure. I won't say too much more here though as I feel like it's a bit of a spolier! 

OK, moving away from the spice (which is an addition to, and not the entirety of, the plot). I read this book in under 24 hours, I found it really engaging and it all came together (no pun intended) nicely at the end with a twist that I wasn't expecting. It's the first book of a trilogy and I'm excited to read the others. 

Part one was a little slow and I wasn't sure how it fit into the rest of the story until later on. The pace picked up nicely though and soon I was engrossed. Some of the art references went over my head, as did some of the millennial speak (had to Google some terms to avoid getting muddled). Overall though this was an enjoyable book and a great change of pace from some of my other recent reads. There was enough intrigue to prevent it from becoming predictable and the end served as a great lead into the next books.

Judith is the epitome of the morally grey main character. She's unlikeable in a likeable way, unforgiving, sly, but really quite vulnerable too. Add this to high-class art shenanigans, cat-and-mouse games, bad guys, badder guys, betrayal, conniving, and plotting, and you've got yourself a great thriller read. Follow her on her Eurpoean travels, discover the friendships (and enemies) she makes on the way, and you'll find yourself rooting for her, even when you don't want to. Maybe that says more about me than anything else!

Solid four stars, well-written, engaging, and compelling. Has anyone else read this or have plans to add it to their TBR? 

If, by some stroke of luck, you made it to the end of this post and thought "Wow, what a great review, I'd love to read more!", you can FOLLOW MY BLOG by clicking the link and subscribing :) I also post bookish content on Instagram. Happy reading!