VIXEN - JILLIAN LARKIN - REVIEW

Book: Vixen
Author: Jillian Larkin
Publisher: Corgi
ISBN: 9780552565042
Rating: A+


Three girls. One city. Who will be the last flapper standing? It's Chicago 1924. Born into American high society, Gloria is the girl who has it all. Living the debutante dream along with her best friend Lorraine, Gloria is just a trip down the aisle away from her future life as Mrs Sebastian Grey. But surely there's time for a little partying before she settles down? With an illegal speakeasy on every corner and mobsters rubbing shoulders with the city's most sensational flappers, Chicago's jazz-fuelled underworld is certainly not the kind of place for a society princess like Gloria. And she's never had so much fun.


I was a tad skeptical about this book, I thought it would be too much like Bright Young Things, but I had nothing to worry about. This book was glorious. (You'll get it once you've read it) No really, it was like 400 pages of pure bliss and excitement. It was jam packed with a thrilling story that will have you hooked from start to end.


The plot was like nothing I have read before. And although I read it in two days I felt like I had been reading it for a week because so much happened in such a limited amount of pages and I felt like I had been there in the book for the whole time that it played in my head because it was just so vivid. The story line was definitely thought about a lot and a lot of research must have been put into this novel and it didn't disappoint. That's what's good about Larkin. She hasn't gone halfway with the research, she's gone all out and written the book to perfection.


The prose was gorgeous. The writing was smoulderingly good and the essence and description of it really sent you to the musky world of flappers and exposed the true 1920's to my mind. The writing is so good, good being the climax of every other word variant of it. I don't like to use good and I set it aside for when a string of words can not describe how good something is and then I use good. Because then that means it is the best. And this novel really was the best. The writing was powerful and strong, drawing you in from the beginning and keeping you there, leeching of every word, leaving at the end wanting more.


The characters were so perfect for the book and it just had some many twists and turns, underlying layers of characters getting exposed as the book progresses. I mean trust me, there are some dramatic surprises in this novel. But what I like about the novel was that for every character there was an opposite, which kept the book nice and balanced. The character formed well in you mind and you felt very close to them. Lorraine is my favourite character. She was strong and shrewd but living in Gloria's shadow and i just felt so overwhelmed when she started to want take Gloria's perfection away from her. I couldn't help but imagine her as the Lady Gaga of the 1920's.


Overall I adored this novel with a passion! It was fantastic, beautifully written novel, full of twist turns and smouldering story just eating to be told.

SWEETLY - JACKSON PEARCE - REVIEW

Book: Sweetly

Author: Jackson Pearce

Publisher: Hodder Chhildrens

ISBN: 9781444900590

Rating: A+

As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch-like monster in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear, too. When their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out as teens, they stumble upon a sleepy Southern town and are invited to stay with Sophia Kelly at her sweet shop. Sophia moulds candied magic: coveted treats that inspire confidence, bravery, and passion. Life seems idyllic and Gretchen and Ansel finally start to forget their haunted past - until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel, who gives Gretchen a reason to fear Sophia: girls have been vanishing at Sophia's annual chocolate festival, taken by the insatiable 'witch' of Gretchen's nightmares. Can Gretchen save herself, the girls of Live Oak, and Sophia? Of one thing, Gretchen is certain: a monster is coming, and it will never go away hungry.

I read sisters red by Jackson Pearce last summer and instantly fell in love with the magical world that she had created. It was so brilliantly fantastic that when I heard about Sweetly I got it as quick as I could.

I loved how Jackson Pearce used the basis of Red Riding Hood to create a beautiful tale and when I heard that Sweetly was a Mix of Hansel and Gretel with her unique magical world I was both thrilled that she was following her theme of fairy tales and to see what she had in store.

I adore Jackson Pearce’s writing. It’s so descriptive and rich and what better way to put that to full use than with a chocolate shop. The writing was so full and luxurious, and most definitely a pleasure to read. The prose is truly full of sparkle.

The plot was so totally unique just as Sisters Red. It was obviously thought out in detail and was not easy to plan as it was a nice complex plot, though extremely easy to follow throughout the whole of the amazing novel.

The characters are all special to themselves in various ways and all built up well so you feel for them very closely and understand them as your friends. I know I felt very close to the characters, and you automatically felt certain feeling for certain characters. My favourite would have to be Sophia. She was so sweet and innocent and she just wanted to save her sister and she would do anything for that.

I think if you break the story away there is a core moral, and it is: Love your family because if they go you’ll regret every bad thing you did. The book had many significant and great moments but my favourite was incredibly sad and made me ache inside. It was when Sophia was shot because she sacrificed herself to join her sister.

Overall the book was a wonderful beautiful tale filled with magic that will warm your heart. It may have sad bits but it is truly a wonderful novel and I honestly loved every letter down to the last word. It is really beautiful.