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Review: White Rose by Kip Wilson

November 24, 2019 Yvonne Leave a Comment

White Rose by Kip Wilson
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on April 2, 2019
ISBN: 9780358049173
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Historical, Holocaust, Novels in Verse, Social Themes, Prejudice & Racism, People & Places, Europe
Pages: 368
Format: eBook
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four stars - Review: White Rose by Kip Wilson

“In a searing indictment of silent complicity, White Rose shines a light on one remarkable young woman’s insistence on the power of truth, no matter the cost. A timely call to resistance.” – Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint
“White Rose is a resonant testament to courage. In a time of horrific brutality, young people found a nonviolent way to resist. Told in the form of poetry, the story of their hopes is honored and brought back to life, still relevant today, when regimes that spread hatred are once again thriving, and words are our most powerful defensive weapon.” – Margarita Engle, author of Newbery Honoree The Surrender Tree and 2017-2019 Young People's Poet Laureate.
"Both heart-wrenching and inspiring, Sophie Scholl's story, as retold by Kip Wilson in White Rose, is a stunning reminder to stand against evil, even when you stand alone. This is the kind of book that sticks in your heart long after you've finished. An incredible story of heroism incredibly told." – Mackenzi Lee, author of New York Times Bestseller The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue
"White Rose is a deftly plotted, absorbing read. A bold tribute to a brave hero of the German resistance during World War II. Wilson’s debut is a triumph!" —Melanie Crowder, author of National Jewish Book Award finalist Audacity
“A graceful, moving portrait of a heroic young woman’s defiant refusal to remain complicit with Nazi oppression.” – Julie Berry, Printz Honor author of The Passion of Dolssa A gorgeous and timely novel based on the incredible story of Sophie Scholl, a young German college student who challenged the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.
Disillusioned by the propaganda of Nazi Germany, Sophie Scholl, her brother, and his fellow soldiers formed the White Rose, a group that wrote and distributed anonymous letters criticizing the Nazi regime and calling for action from their fellow German citizens. The following year, Sophie and her brother were arrested for treason and interrogated for information about their collaborators. This debut novel recounts the lives of Sophie and her friends and highlights their brave stand against fascism in Nazi Germany.

I am a huge fan of Historical Fiction. This refreshing take on Young Adult Historical Fiction was just sublime. It was such a beautiful take on prose and I enjoyed it immensely. It is a novel written in verse and let me be honest I haven’t ever really connected with a novel being written in this format. Kip Wilson however, nails the craft and had me hungering for more…I inhaled this book in a mere afternoon. The writing style just blew my mind. This author now has a firm fan in me and I just hope that their other books have a similar effect because they are getting added to my TBR pronto!

The book cover and title immediately captured my interest. It was captivating, the synopsis delivered a crushing triple threat. From the first page I felt like I fell into a book lovers party that only I had the golden ticket for. There was just something so uniquely special about the story I was slowly falling in love with. It felt like something beautiful that a grandmother would share with her only grandchild. I was listening, and I was enraptured. I fell within the pages. It felt like a magnetic force pulling me inwards. I couldn’t refuse. I didn’t want to.

I skipped through the pages so quickly that I didn’t really have the chance to take notes like I usually do so hopefully this review makes sense. If you want a beautiful book that you will immediately fall in love with…buy this book. Buy it for yourself, buy it for your child, buy IT. I fell hard for the main characters, their spunky can-do attitude, their love of their country and the need to make it better, their love as a family and most importantly their innate desire to do the right thing. The stakes have never been higher…the threat of being caught by the Nazis mean being tried with treason, persuading people that they must do what is right, to start a revolution. There is plenty of thrills and tears but mega loads of resolve. The characters take us on a journey of self-discovery, consequences, ingenious plans and a strengthening of bonds.

Luckily, I started this book on an afternoon where I had no plans. I literally couldn’t stop reading. Each page just blended into the next, there was no stopping me! I was truly at the mercy of the author. I loved the style of the writing, injecting enough fear and thrills to keep me engaged. You know the story, but the journey is untraveled, but I was buckled in ready for the experience.

Sophie was a hero. Her gender didn’t hold her back in wanting to take a stand, her age wouldn’t hold her back. Her determination of character was her greatest strength. She was mesmerising. The author has such talent for writing that I connected to Sophie on a deep level. I wanted to look out for her, care for her but I wanted her to succeed more than anything. She was a truly revolutionary character. How would they implement their plan? Would they succeed?

White Rose is a deeply addictive read. Steeped in brutality, courage and a resounding need to do what is right. It’s an emotion punch to the jugular.

Blog Tour: The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh

November 8, 2019 Yvonne Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

the secrets he kept by jackie walsh - Blog Tour: The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh

The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh
Published by Hera books Ltd on November 6, 2019
ISBN: 9781912973200
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Domestic, Family & Relationships, Parenting, Fatherhood, Stepparenting, Suspense, Psychological, Travel, Europe, Ireland, Mystery & Detective, General
Pages: 281
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
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four stars - Blog Tour: The Secrets He Kept by Jackie Walsh

‘will have you gripped from start to finish, so much so that you really don’t want to stop reading!’ (5 stars) Reader review
'I was hooked straight in from the first chapter and it really didn't let up. Fast paced and thrilling.’ (5 stars) Reader review
You know everything about your husband. Don’t you?
He loves you. He loves your children. He’d never put his family in danger.
One of these is a lie.
It started like any other day at the hairdressers where Sally works as a stylist... until her first client innocently shows her a family photograph; a photograph that causes Sally to collapse in shock.
In one moment, Sally discovers that Tom has been hiding an explosive secret – one that could tear apart the life they’ve built together. Faced with an impossible dilemma - search for the truth, or keep her contented life? – Sally is about to discover that even those closest to us have secrets... and that sometimes the truth is the last thing we want to hear.
A completely gripping, suspenseful psychological thriller that fans of T.M. Logan, My Lovely Wife and K.L. Slater won't be able to put down.
Readers can’t get enough of The Secrets He Kept:
‘I read this in one sitting, loved it!! Quickly paced, great story!! Kept me guessing to the very end!!’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘I loved, loved this book. It was engaging from the first page and kept me up half the night.’ Reader review
‘Every few chapters provide a new twist in this story, all ending with a very satisfying conclusion...I could not recommend this book more!’ (5 stars)
‘Wow, this was one gripping read!...A roller coaster of a read that thrills and excites.’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘a fast paced and twisty ride that kept me gripped from start to finish...kept me addicted till the very last page.’ Reader review
‘A fast paced, twisty domestic thriller...an engrossing read with a likable character and a host of thrilling twists and turns, enjoy!’ Reader review
‘I was intrigued by this book from the start... A highly recommended and enjoyable read’ Reader review
‘a very compelling thriller...I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy psychological thrillers.’ Reader review
‘The moment the first jaw-dropping bombshell landed in the first chapter, I was hooked... Clever cliff-hangers...and a twist you couldn't guess even if you tried. A gripping, hard-hitting read’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘a splendid thriller that will leave you guessing until the end...I would recommend this book to anyone who loves psychological thrillers.’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘What a brilliant fast paced book. I was guessing all the way through.’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘Fantastic read! Great plot that grabs you from the very beginning. A masterful story that keeps you endlessly intrigued...HIGHLY RECOMMEND!’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘A brilliant roller coaster of a read...full of twists and turns and I was gripped from the very first page’ Reader review
‘The characters were well drawn and the story flowed seamlessly. Highly recommended.’ (5 stars) Reader review
‘kept me fully engaged from beginning to end...a riveting and twisty tale that will have you racing to get to the bottom of it all.’ Reader review
‘The story is full of twists and turns and kept me hooked throughout...will have you flying through the chapters to see how it will all unravel.’ Reader review
‘loved all the twists and turns; kept me guessing! I really enjoyed this, read it in one sitting!’ (5 stars) Reader review

Thank you to Sarah from Books on the Brightside publicity and the publisher for my spot on the blog tour and the arc of the book. My review is unbiased and honest. Books in the Psychological Thriller genre are my absolute favourite and the secrets he kept was an instalove affair with the cover, its intriguing and atmospheric and it didn’t disappoint.

How can I put into words just how this book made me feel? Well the only way is, Alice falling into the rabbit hole. This analogy is I’m sure accurate for Sally who ends up having her world destroyed at its axis. At first glance Sally seems to have the perfect life but Sally is struggling in the aftermath of a revelation that leaves her reeling. The novel doesn’t do gentle, the tone is immediately felt, and its haunting. Sally is a hairdresser and during her usual uneventful day has a client that shows her the one thing that can decimate her perfect existence, a photograph of her husband and this girl’s boyfriend but also her husband’s son. He doesn’t have a son, does he? Sally can’t process, her mind is like mashed potato. Things don’t make sense…her husband wouldn’t keep secrets of this magnitude, would he? I really enjoy the spousal secret plotline, but this novel uses it in a powerful depiction.

Reading The secrets, he kept felt like being in a super busy train station. Everyone and everything was moving around me, but it was all a blur. My psyche knew that they were moving but I couldn’t bring myself to look up. It was engrossing. Why is Tom lying? Is he protecting something or someone? Does Sally really want to know, or is this secret better left buried? The chapters were dark and disturbing, and it just increased the secrecy and level of paranoia surrounding Sally. Jackie Walsh is a master of the creeping unrest, the suffocating feeling of complexity, as if everything isn’t as it should be. The lies stabbed at me, why couldn’t Tom share this secret with her. Could this discovery kill her also? Just what level of interference did Kenny have? I wanted to hug Sally, the impact of this upon her life was irreparable. Be fully prepared to shout at your book or throw it across the room like I did, seriously. Some of the turns that came up had me not believing what I was reading, poor Sally.

It’s been a while since I read a book that had me feeling anxious and worried for a character. I struggled with my feelings for Tom and Kenny, the way things played out made me dislike them for the way they treated Sally, it was incomprehensible. What could possible justify behaving like that towards someone that is on your team? There through the darkness and the light, your biggest advocate. The story was complex, and the final picture would manifest itself and leave Sally and myself reeling. The truth must have been festering within Sally’s mind, how, what, where and when must have turned into a poisoned wound within her mind. Pushing for the truth was bold, but what would she do when she got it?

The authors writing skill is transcendent. The character arcs were fulfilled and brought to fruition. She draws you in and the story delivers a hauntingly devastating tale of betrayal, secrecy and the pace will ensure you buckle your seatbelt because you are in for a hell of a ride!

Jackie Walsh lives in Dublin with her husband Paul and dog Layla. After years spent building her own business, she decided to take time out and pursue her interest in writing. With a lot to learn, she spent years attending classes and writing groups, going to festivals and launches, writing and rewriting, until eventually sending her words out into the world. Now she is thrilled to have landed a publisher. Especially Hera Books, a new company headed by two women who have years of experience and love a good story.

Jackie is a member of the Irish Writers Centre, The Irish Crime writers group and proof that perseverance can work.

Review: Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro & Cornelia Funke

August 11, 2019 Yvonne 8 Comments

Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del ToroCornelia Funke
on July 2, 2019
ISBN: 9780062414489
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy, General, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Adaptations, War & Military, Historical, Europe
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
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five stars - Review: Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo Del Toro & Cornelia Funke

A New York Times Bestseller!
Fans of dark fairy-tales like The Hazel Wood and The Cruel Prince will relish this atmospheric and absorbing book based on Guillermo del Toro’s critically acclaimed movie.
Oscar winning writer-director Guillermo del Toro and bestselling author Cornelia Funke have come together to transform del Toro’s hit movie Pan’s Labyrinth into an epic and dark fantasy novel for readers of all ages, complete with haunting illustrations and enchanting short stories that flesh out the folklore of this fascinating world.
This spellbinding tale takes readers to a sinister, magical, and war-torn world filled with richly drawn characters like trickster fauns, murderous soldiers, child-eating monsters, courageous rebels, and a long-lost princess hoping to be reunited with her family.
A brilliant collaboration between masterful storytellers that’s not to be missed.
“Perfectly unsettling and deeply felt, this reminded me of the best kind of fairytales wherein each chapter is a jewel that, when held up to the light, reframes how we see the world around us.” —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and Aru Shah and the End of Time
“A fearless and moving adaption of the film, and a gorgeously written, emotional, frightening parable about the courage of young women amid the brutality of war.” —Michael Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Gone

The magic and wonder of Pan’s Labyrinth somehow escaped me the first time it came out and I have no idea how?! If you think that this is a perfect, child friendly happy ever after fairy tale you are in for a rather nasty shock. I think it’s always a risky business turning film into novel, but this dark fantasy ticks all my gothic needs in one full swoop. Ophelia is a heroine that gives us all the feels, she is a character that we can relate to in one way or another. She has that childhood naivety that we all had only to have it crushed from blow after blow, loss after loss.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a Dark story of Fascism, Magic, Beasts and Horror. Funke has multi-faceted the deep penetrating layers of childhood wants and fears with enough symbolism to create terror and hope. The creatures and characters have been created beautifully and the illustrations and descriptions can manifest within even the most lacklustre imagination. Whether or not you enjoyed the masterpiece that is the film original, you will love the magic that the novelisation has brought. The book opens and immediately introduces us to Ophelia a girl suffering and struggling with the events that led us to the death of her ever-loving father. Those two had the kind of bond that all daughters wish they had with their fathers. The love was pure, and nothing could touch it. Ophelia’s mother was to remarry – the man was described as a wolf, but a snake is it what he was. Her mother is dreadfully ill with the pregnancy she runs into the forest to find a source of water – she meets a fairy. Now, this is not your run in the mill fairy – this is not your average fairy tale, kids! Cornelia has the descriptions flowing off the pages…the illustration of these beings is so perfect.

Can I just highlight just how amazing Funke is at making the reader have a deeper understanding of her power of lyrical mastery? She talks about how evil shows itself.

“Little more than a whisper, a betrayal and then it grows and takes root.”

Evil isn’t the big nasty, its obviousness there from the start, it’s there picking bit by bit until there is a festering open wound, where everyone can see how bad it gone.

The story reminds of the humanity of characters and how even in the worst situations there can always be lightness within the deepest depths of despair. Mercedes is one such character. She is described as an enchantress. Her beauty is unfounded, she’s caring, and she would do anything to protect the innocents that the evil in this world don’t deserve to break. She’s an amazing character, one with incredible strength and resilience and family is the most important thing to her…its worth protecting and cherishing. Nothing means more.

Ophelia discovers the Labyrinth. On first sight it’s this big dangerous, carnivorous being, but the fairies give her strength and determination and whilst living in a world of uncertainty and fear, this is the safest place she’s ever experienced. Ophelia meets Pan – Wow, the illustrations and descriptions of this half goat half tree creature are outstanding. He reveals a pretty massive secret about her and how she must return to claim her birth right. Ophelia is steeped in history and ancestry. She is a girl born again through prophecy.

The writing from Funke is outstanding – flows beautifully and the symbolism brings a 3D layer to the usual fairy tales. It’s more believable – life is full of demons and wolfs in sheep’s clothing. I will read anything that Funke writes from this moment on, she is a master of the skill of storytelling and an inspiration to a generation.

We meet a manner of beasts and mythical creatures. Some awe inspiring some pretty terrifying. One thing that rings true is that the good will mostly win out. The bad will always get them commence and morals will always fare well in love and family.

Pan’s Labyrinth isn’t a run in the mill fairy-tale. There is no knight in shining Armor to save the day. This is a feminist dream and a story to last the generations. An utter masterpiece.

Europe

White Rose is a deeply addictive read. Steeped in brutality, courage and a resounding need to do what is right. It’s an emotion punch to the jugular.

Pan’s Labyrinth isn’t a run in the mill fairy-tale. There is no knight in shining Armor to save the day. This is a feminist dream and a story to last the generations. An utter masterpiece.

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