City of Saints and Thieves - Natalie Anderson - Review

Book: City of Saints and Thieves
Author: Natalie Anderson
Publisher: Oneworld
ISBN: 9781786072290
Rating: A

Street-thief Tina breaks in to the luxurious house where her mother was killed to steal from Mr. Greyhill and nail him for her mother’s murder. She is caught red-handed.Saved by Mr. Greyhill’s gorgeous son, Michael, the pair set in motion a cascade of dangerous events that lead them deeper into the mystery, and reveal dark and shocking secrets from Tina’s past.Tina and her mother fled the Congo years ago as refugees, trading the uncertain danger of their besieged village for a new, safer life in the bustling Kenyan metropolis. The corruption and politics of the Congo, and the gangster world of Sangui City, are behind Tina’s mother’s downfall. Is Tina tough enough to find the truth and bring the killer to justice?

This was one of the reads that I was most anticipating this year, for a number of reasons, and let me start by telling you that it did not disappoint.

Let's begin with the premise; it's definitely not something usually read, and yet it was what made it so different that made me so interested in it. It's a mystery, filled with gang fare and secrets, but minus any of the typical paranormalcy that usually accompanies those things in YA. Instead, it manages to translate these themes into a riveting and fast-paced novel that grounds itself in the real world. Another part of what intrigued me with this novel was the fact that it was set in modern day Africa. It's both a setting and culture that we rarely see in YA books, and that, for me, was enough to make we want to read it - and again, it didn't disappoint. Anderson gives us this beautiful and descriptive insight into modern Africa, what it is like, and helps us to understand just how different the lives of those living there are to ours. The way she crafted the African setting was both rich and vivid, so much so that I really felt like I was there.

I think part of what made this world so real, and really made me appreciate the life I have and how different it is in England, is how brutally honest this book is. It touched upon dark themes, which are ones that need to be spoken about. It highlights the prevalence of rape and torture in African society, but tackles them artfully, weaving them into the story in a way that isn't too aggressive or 'too much.' I think part of this was what made me love the story even more - because there really was no sugar coating to make it 'teen-friendly' or PC. It was brutal and real, which for me is a winner. This book makes you feel something, and if a book makes you feel something you know it's doing something right.

This, in turn, meant that the story flowed beautifully. Supported by Anderson's masterful writing, the story managed to give me just enough information to keep me interested, but at the same, keep enough secrets to keep me reading. Honestly, I found it hard to put this one down. Anderson's prose was absolutely stunning, and the dedication that has gone into crafting this plot is apparent. She's crafted this absolutely wonderful mystery, with so many different layers; each answer gives you more questions and makes you totally unable to put this novel down.

Following Tina was something I also really enjoyed, as I felt she was a strong and likeable protagonist. She's been crafted in such a way that you really connect with her and understand her emotions, as well as fully understanding, and supporting, the decisions she takes. I also felt like Anderson succeeded in manifesting a really fleshed out and grounded character; there was no vapidity and I definitely felt like I knew Tina enough to be fully invested in her story. This, in turn, makes the novel so much more lifelike, in the sense that I really was pulled in. The others characters, such as Kiki, Boyboy and Michael, all added so well to the novel, making it absolutely perfect. Most characters complemented each other in all the right ways, leading to a world of characters that I felt I both knew and wanted to follow.

Overall I can say that I really enjoyed this book and the journey it took me on. Yes, the journey was hard sometimes, in that it was a lot to handle emotionally and in terms of the acts that were happening, but at the same, the story was absolutely riveting. Filled with strong characters and deep secrets, City of Saints and Thieves will have you captured from the first page.

LOKI'S WOLVES - K.L. ARMSTRONG & M.A. MARR - REVIEW

Book: Loki's Wolves
Authors: K.L. Armstrong, M.A. Marr
Publisher: Little Brown Younger Readers
ISBN: 9780349001524
Rating: B

In Viking times, Norse myths predicted the end of the world, an event called Ragnarok that only the gods can stop. When this apocalypse happens, the gods must battle the monsters - wolves the size of the sun, serpents that span the seabeds - all bent on destroying the world. But the gods died a long time ago. Matt Thorsen knows every Norse myth, saga, and god as if it was family history - because it is family history. Most people in the modern-day town of Blackwell, in fact, are direct descendants of either Thor or Loki, including Matt's classmates Fen and Laurie Brekke. But knowing the legends and completely believing them are two different things. When the rune readers reveal that Ragnarok is coming and kids - led by Matt - must stand in for the gods in the final battle, Matt can hardly believe it. Matt's, Laurie's, and Fen's lives will never be the same as they race to put together an unstoppable team to stop the end of the world.

I'm not sure the reasons that I decided to pick this up and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. I think maybe personally I wasn't keen on it but for the target age it was perfect. The main reason, I guess i did pick this up is because of the authors. Both Melissa Marr and Kelley Armstrong are fantastic authors, both of which I have read books and thoroughly enjoyed. I also gave this a spin because it focused on Norse mythology which there isn't much of in fiction and I wanted to read more. I know Riordan's next series is Norse and the need series touched on it but this seemed like a very full on children's fantasy that would bring Norse mythology to life, and don't get me wrong it did, just something didn't do it for me.

This is a children's novel and that is something I need to bear in mind whilst reviewing this. I guess I've become so accustomed to reading YA and adult or maybe it was because I never read anything this simple but I found this too simple. I felt like it told me everything there and then, literally spelling out to me what was happening, and yet with so many words it lacked description. Furthermore the plot was very simple. Now this is my personal opinion but if we go professional then this is a wonderful novel because for the age group this is aimed at this has the simplicity is perfect. For younger and maybe reluctant readers it will be an easy read that they can grasp and enjoy easily. They will love the action packed chapters that leave them on end, I guess the just didn't leave me on end.

The story and theme of this is continuously fun. The mythology has been twisted into the story in a smart way making it both interesting and enjoyable. I liked how whilst making it fantasy and action packed the authors used this opportunity to actually educate children about Norse mythology and give some back story to it rather than just to have troll fights every chapter which is my next point. They was crazy thrilling. Every chapter left you gasping for more, and this will you child having many sleepless nights, but in the good way. Cliffhangers were the pinnacle of this, exciting and riveting scenes leaving you thirsting for more.

I think when writing an Actioney/Mythological children's fantasy it can often sway towards more of a male book, especially with most in this sub genre having male protagonists but I felt this could easily appeal to girls are well with the use of Multiple POV including a female. In fact the authors have tactfully made each character both unique and interesting whilst easy to follow, remember and understand. There were 3 main characters, meaning it's an easy book to follow and even between the 3 characters there;s a love hate relationship that creates the sort of chemistry you need to keep a book from slumping miserably.

As for the writing, as I said above, personally it doesn't do it for me, but however for a juvenile fictions its perfect. Minimal and easy yet still relatable for kids and has the charm of fantasy books. Not an awful lot of description but int he case of children too much will bore them so I think in terms of it being a younger readers novel the authors have nailed it on the head.

Overall I think it's a fun snappy fast paced novel, brimming with magic and mythology that will keep any child enchanted whilst they read this book.