Sorceline’s apprenticeship with Professor Balzar is just a teensy bit more interesting than anything you’ve got planned for summer. She’s on the Isle of Vorn to study cryptozoology.
“It’s the study of cryptids: amazing creatures that most humans don’t think exist.”
She and her fellow students will be learning how to heal magical creatures and one of them, the best one (nothing like some healthy competition), will become the Professor’s assistant. And, boy, does he need one.
In a world where unicorns, vampires, gorgons and zombie pixies all exist, there’s plenty of healing to be done. There’s also time for some mysterious goings on. Students are disappearing and Sorceline, who somehow has the ability to identify creatures simply by looking at them, thinks it’s all her fault.
“Don’t ever doubt your incredible gifts, Sorceline!”
Translated from French, this graphic novel combines the first three volumes of Sorceline’s story. I really enjoyed the world building. The story itself felt disjointed at times but, because I was so busy drooling over the pictures, I didn’t really mind. Paola Antista’s illustrations are absolutely incredible, particularly those that showcase the scenery.
Beware the cliffhanger. I have so many questions that are demanding answers so will be travelling back to the Isle of Vorn as soon as possible.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Welcome to the Isle of Vorn, where mythical creatures roam free and only the brightest students are invited to study them. In Book 1 of this riveting new middle grade graphic novel series, a gifted young cryptozoologist-in-training must learn to tame powerful beasts – including her own inner demons.
For as long as she can remember, Sorceline has had a knack for the study of mythical creatures. Now a student at Professor Archibald Balzar’s prestigious school of cryptozoology, she’s eager to test her skills and earn a spot as one of Balzar’s apprentices.
But for all her knowledge of gorgons, vampires, and griffins, Sorceline is mystified by her fellow humans. While she excels in her studies, she quickly clashes with her classmates, revealing her fiery temper.
When one of her rivals suddenly disappears, Sorceline must set aside her anger and join the quest to find her. But the mystery only deepens, leading Sorceline on a journey far darker and more personal than she expected …
Self confessed romantiphobe here. So why did I put my hand up to read a romance anthology? In my defence, there’s time travel, one of my very favourite things to read about and do. Shh! You’re not supposed to mention that bit.
Also, there are contributions by two of my favourite authors, Alix E. Harrow and Seanan McGuire, so it was kind of inevitable that this book would find its way to me in every timeline.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow
When Floyd approaches the pillar of sandstone covered in graffiti, he’s certain he knows what he’s searching for.
“Did you find your destiny?”
The Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho
Rui is using the Past Life Reconstruction Service because he’s seeking inspiration.
“Your dream won’t affect anyone or anything else. The most it can do is change the world inside you.”
First Aid by Seanan McGuire
Taylor has been preparing for her one way trip to Elizabethan England for years.
There was no going back. There never had been.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey
When you work for the Agency, a short straw trip means you’re not coming back.
Everybody draws the short straw in the end.
The Golden Hour by Jeffrey Ford
Mr Russell is trying to write his novel when he meets the time traveller.
“Past or future?” I asked. “Where the clues lead, young man. Where else?”
The Lichens by Nina Allan
There’s something important in the past that’s not accessible in Josephine’s time. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here fantasising about the idea of books being able to be transported to the past.
So you know about lichens?
Kronia by Elizabeth Hand
So many fleeting moments, finding one another over the course of lifetimes.
Unrecognized: I never knew you.
Bergamot and Vetiver by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
To save the past, this time traveller is willing to destroy their future.
“To thirst is to be alive, but to devour is to be monstrous.”
The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valente
Loving the space/time continuum can be complicated.
Be my wife forever, limited puddle-being.
Unbashed, Or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller
It all comes back to this moment.
“Walk me home?”
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman
Communicating through books is probably the most romantic thing ever.
Beth steadied herself; after all she had spent her whole life in training for this moment, preparing unreservedly to believe in the impossible.
The Place of All the Souls by Margo Lanagan
In that realm, they’re perfect. In this one, they’re happily married … but not to one another.
Whatever came of the discovery, there was at least a moment’s peace to be enjoyed, now that she knew.
Timed Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui
Two time travellers meet throughout time.
“Was discovering random historical factoids what drew you into this line of work?”
A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss
Guinevere loves Arthur in every lifetime.
“You’re going to be dead in twenty-four hours. Would you like to save the world?”
Dead Poets by Carrie Vaughn
The love of poems and poets.
The study of literature is the process of continually falling in love with dead people.
Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages
Sara Baxter Clarke has been Dr. McCullough’s hero since she was a child.
“I’m offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
I have four favourite reads in this anthology: the two I was here for in the first place (no big surprise there) and two by authors who were new to me.
Rowan Coleman’s story made me tear up. It was also the only story that made me interrupt the reader sitting beside me (who was partway through a chapter of the book they were reading), declaring that they need to read this right now. In case you’re wondering, I was forgiven; they loved it as much as I did. It’s just such a beautiful story.
Ellen Klages’ story, where heroes can live up to your expectations, had me railing against injustice even as I was feeling all mushy about the growing love between the protagonists.
The bottom line? If a romantiphobe can find so much to love about this anthology, then the rest of you are in for a treat.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Solaris, an imprint of Rebellion Publishing, for the opportunity to read this anthology.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Anthology of inclusive tales of people through time looking for one another and for ways for the world to be better.
Even time travel can’t unravel love.
Time travel is a way for writers to play with history and imagine different futures – for better, or worse.
When romance is thrown into the mix, time travel becomes a passionate tool, or heart-breaking weapon. A time agent in the 22nd century puts their whole mission at risk when they fall in love with the wrong person. No matter which part of history a man visits, he cannot not escape his ex. A woman is desperately in love with the space/time continuum, but it doesn’t love her back. As time passes and falls apart, a time traveller must say goodbye to their soulmate.
With stories from best-selling and award-winning authors such as Seanan McGuire, Alix E. Harrow and Nina Allan, this anthology gives a taste for the rich treasure trove of stories we can imagine with love, loss and reunion across time and space.
Including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages.
This is the third (and final) anthology of addiction horror edited by Mark Matthews, but my first. I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this read but that feels so inappropriate given the subject matter. Some stories were horrific; not the jump scare variety, but the type that gets under your skin. Many of the stories will be accompanying me for a while, whether I want them to or not.
You Wait For It, Like It Waits For You by Kealan Patrick Burke
Reality isn’t easily distinguishable for Sean, as the days pass in the room with no door.
“Do you know where you are?” “Inside myself.”
One Last Blast by S.A. Cosby
Sometimes not even death can stop you from needing a fix.
“I … can … smell it.”
What We Name Our Dead by Cassandra Khaw
Eleanor returns to her childhood home, a place of fear and pain.
Hurt changes you. Hurt stays. Hurt gnaws a nest for itself in the heart and stays burrowed there until you die.
Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free by John F.D. Taff
Alan Denbrough is a collector. If you have trypophobia, you may want to skip this one.
I don’t hoard so much as … collect. And yes, there’s a distinction.
Through the Looking Glass and Straight Into Hell by Christa Carmen
This rehab offers something different: virtual reality recovery simulation.
“What do you wish it would show you?”
Holding On by Gabino Iglesias
Guillermo needs to get Max and Alondra out of Section C before it’s too late.
In Section C, nothing good ever happens at night.
Buyer’s Remorse by Samantha Kolesnik
Sometimes the punishment fits the crime.
“Everything has a price”
A Solid Black Lighthouse on a Pier in the Cryptic by Josh Malerman
If you draw the attention of a witch in a bar, be prepared for the consequences.
“Drink and you are drunk.”
Singularity by Kathe Koja
We’re in space, but I was fairly lost. I may need to reread this one.
You know you’ve never been wanted the way the dark wants you now.
My Soul’s Bliss by Mark Matthews
We meet two addicts, whose lives had diverged, at a funeral.
Because that’s what happens with certain moments. They imprint themselves on you and you can’t change them. They define you, become the hinge all your decisions swing upon.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began this anthology but out of ten stories, I came away with five favourites, those by Cassandra Khaw, John F.D. Taff, Christa Carmen, Josh Malerman and Mark Matthews.
Now I’m keen to read Garden of Fiends and Lullabies for Suffering.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wicked Run Press for the opportunity to read this anthology.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
“My soul’s bliss kills my body, but does not satisfy itself.” – Emily Bronte
Addiction is the perpetual epidemic, where swarms of human moths flutter to the flames of hell. Because that warm blanket of a heroin high, that joyful intoxication of a pint of vodka, that electric energy from a line of cocaine, over time leaves you with a cold loneliness and a bitter heart. Relationships destroyed, bodies deteriorate, loved ones lost, yet the craving continues for that which is killing us – living, as the title suggests, like an Orphan of Bliss.
Welcome to the third and final fix of addiction horror and the follow up to the Shirley Jackson Award Finalist, Lullabies for Suffering. A diverse table of contents brought together for an explosive grand finale – an unflinching look at the insidious nature of addiction, told with searing honesty but compassion for those who suffer.
Table of Contents includes:
Kealan Patrick Burke Cassandra Khaw Josh Malerman S.A. Cosby John FD Taff Christa Carmen Gabino Iglesias Samantha Kolesnik Mark Matthews Kathe Koja
The three Addiction Horror anthologies, Garden of Fiends, Lullabies for Suffering, and Orphans of Bliss, do not have to be read in order and are not sequential.
Bea starts her second diary at the beginning of November, on the first day of half-term. It’s only fifty days until Winter Solstice, which is the “longest and witchiest night of the year”. Before that, though, the students at the School of Extraordinary Arts will be participating in the Grand Tournament, which is “only the biggest, SPORTIEST day in the witchy calendar!”
Bea has learned a lot since we first met her. Our witch-in-training is getting better at flying and her levitation skills are improving.
Her incantations may also, well, she needs to find words that rhyme with ‘piggle’ before we discover how she’s faring with those.
There’s still an us and them mentality in Little Spellshire, with Witches and Ordinaries staying well away from one another. This makes it awkward for Bea because, coming from a family of Ordinaries but training to be a witch, Bea has a foot in each world. She’s also friends with Ash, the Ordinary next door, but can’t tell him she’s a witch, no matter how much she wants to.
‘Those of us who know, know and those of them who don’t, can’t.’
Something’s going on with Ash as well and Bea means to ask him what it is, really she does, but she’s just so busy. She needs to prepare for both the Grand Tournament and the Winter Solstice, and take care of Stan and Egg. And there’s homework to do too.
I enjoyed this book just as much I did the first in the series. With a focus on friendships and breaking down the barriers between people, this was a fun read that also included some sage advice.
“Friendships are a bit like eggs you know, Bea. They can be fragile. Best to look after them carefully.”
Katie Saunders’ illustrations bring Bea’s diary to life. I particularly loved the froggy pictures and the ones that showcase the fashionistas that are Bea’s School of Extraordinary Arts’ friends.
I’m looking forward to next term. There’s going to be a residential trip for Year Seven students and a new teacher to meet. I don’t know about you but a geography teacher who is a “world expert on caves, lairs and unexplained snares” sounds like someone I need to befriend, if only so I’m invited along for their adventures.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Little Tiger Group, an imprint of Stripes Publishing, for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Monday 1st November
There’s only fifty days until the Winter Solstice, the longest and witchiest night of the year. But before that there’s the Grand Tournament – the biggest and sportiest day in the witchy calendar! And I can’t wait!
Bea Black is all settled into her new life in Little Spellshire, a town with a magical secret. She’s made tonnes of friends at witch school, learned how to levitate frogs (just about) and been working hard on polishing up her broom skills. So when the Winter Solstice Grand Tournament rolls round, she’s ready to rise to the next challenge and fly high.
But then Ms Sparks decides that this year’s tournament will be a bit … er … different. That is, it won’t be an Extraordinary Grand Tournament at all, but rather a very ordinary sports day with Spellshire Academy! With magic firmly forbidden and rivalry reaching new heights, who will emerge victorious? And more importantly, will Bea’s friendship with her best non-witchy friend Ash survive the competition?
Approximately seven out of ten birds that migrate over North America rely on prairie wetlands during part of their life cycle
This book was my introduction to America’s prairie wetlands, which span “parts of five states – Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa – and three Canadian provinces – Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.”
This book and the IMAX 3D movie Wings Over Water are aimed at awakening the continent and the world to the need to protect the prairie wetlands, North America’s greatest ecological asset. The prairies are key to abundant birds, clean water, and sufficient grasslands to keep our continent healthy. Without them, we face a future of depleted water resources, decreased water quality, ruinous flooding, and a greatly diminished ability to sequester carbon. The implications for the continent’s bird populations are even more bleak.
The film runs for 44 minutes, a fraction of the over 220 hours of footage that was shot. Although a number of birds are included in this book, the film focuses on three: mallards, sandhill cranes and yellow warblers. It doesn’t hurt that it’s being narrated by Michael Keaton.
I’ve done this backwards, reading the companion book prior to seeing the film. I expect I will appreciate the behind the scenes information more once I’ve watched the film.
I’m hoping the facts about the birds and their life cycles that I was keen to learn from this book will be presented on screen. There were a few, just not as many as I would have liked. My favourite fun fact was that yellow warblers weigh “less than three sheets of paper”.
I adored the photos in this book and had trouble choosing a favourite, so instead I’ll share one each of the three stars of the film.
When I was growing up, the only times I experienced IMAX was at the IMAX Theatre at Dreamworld in Queensland when my family did the theme park hop while we were on holiday. I was always mesmerised by them and still remember one scene where my stomach did the first drop of a rollercoaster lurch as the camera suddenly dipped into a gaping canyon. I couldn’t get enough.
I haven’t seen an IMAX film for years but definitely want to find a way to watch Wings Over Water. If this book is any indication, the cinematography is going to be breathtaking. Don’t believe me? Check out the trailer!
You may also want to have a wander around the film’s website.
Marvel at the richness of this northern kingdom for wildlife. Then find your own place in the movement to save the stunning prairie wetlands of North America.
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Girl Friday Productions and Flashpoint for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
A beautiful, photo-rich companion book to the internationally distributed IMAX film of the same name, Wings Over Water celebrates the prairie wetlands of North America and the birds that live and breed in this critical habitat.
Covering 300,000 square miles stretching from Canada through Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa, the prairie wetlands are one of Earth’s most important, yet little-known, ecosystems. More than half of all North American migratory waterfowl and 96 species of songbirds breed and nest there, and more than 60 percent of the continent’s ducks are hatched there. Wings Over Water immerses readers in this awe-inspiring, essential place, using more than 300 breathtaking photos and inspiring essays from some of the North America’s foremost conservationists to shine a spotlight on these critical breeding grounds and the necessity of preserving these threatened environments.
Wings Over Water is a joint venture of the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation, which works to secure the future of hunting, fishing, and land management; Ducks Unlimited Inc. and Ducks Unlimited Canada, the world’s largest nonprofit organisations dedicated to conserving North America’s disappearing wetland and waterfowl habitats; and the National Audubon Society, the world’s oldest nonprofit environmental organisations dedicated to bird conservation.
Well, that was disturbing. Todd Bowden, thirteen years old at the beginning of this story, has discovered his “GREAT INTEREST” and it’s a doozy. His fascination with the atrocities committed during the Holocaust take on a whole new life when he meets a new fiend. No, that’s not a typo. Mr Dussander, the Blood Fiend of Patin, lives in Todd’s neighbourhood and Todd’s keen to learn all of the “gooshy stuff” from Dussander’s past.
Two psychopaths hanging out together is a recipe for all things bad, and there’s a lot of bad in this book. There were bits that made me squeamish and bits that had me wondering why I wasn’t putting this book aside for a reasonable length of time. Like forever.
I wondered how King was able to do mundane, everyday things while he was inhabiting the darkness necessary to bring these characters to life. I thought about all of the times over the years that I considered reading this book and instead chose something lighter because I just couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to spend their time gazing into the abyss. Even when I picked this book up again this morning I was certain it would be returned to the library unread. But it sucked me in, even as I was mentally trying to backpedal.
See, there’s a part of me that needs to know what it is about specific people that makes them act in ways that I will never truly understand. There’s this other part that wants to stick around long enough to see evil receive its comeuppance. Because there has to be a comeuppance, right? That part won in the end.
I spent most of the book detesting both of the main characters, eagerly anticipating what I hoped would be appropriately hellish demises. It’s always a little disconcerting to learn what twisted things your imagination can come up with when you’re face to page with some of the worst of what humanity has to offer, but I guess there’s darkness in all of us. I came up with some gruesome let the punishment fit the crime scenarios.
‘If I die today … tomorrow … everything will come out. Everything.’
I feel like I need a long, hot shower to wash away any traces of these characters. That, or cleanse my reading palette by devouring something full of rainbows and unicorns and all things sugary sweet. King has done a really good job of making me uncomfortable and intrigued and disgusted all at once. I’m horrified by humanity and at my own ability to come up with some pretty disturbing revenge fantasies.
I both hate and love this book. I never want to think about it again but I suspect it’s not going to leave me quietly.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
If you don’t believe in the existence of evil, you have a lot to learn.
Todd Bowden is an apt pupil. Good grades, good family, a paper route. But he is about to meet a different kind of teacher, Mr. Dussander, and to learn all about Dussander’s dark and deadly past … a decades-old manhunt Dussander has escaped to this day. Yet Todd doesn’t want to turn his teacher in. Todd wants to know more. Much more. He is about to face his fears and learn the real meaning of power – and the seductive lure of evil.
A classic story from Stephen King, Apt Pupil reveals layers upon layers of deception – and horror – as finally there is only one left standing.
Sasha Patience Pruitt lives her life on fast forward and her middle name is a bit of a misnomer. Her new friend, Mr. Sloth, is, well, a sloth and let’s face it, algae doesn’t typically grow on your fur if you’re quick enough to outrun it.
This friendship of opposites has the potential to either be the best thing ever or a super fast/super slow disaster in the making.
Katy Hudson is one of my all time favourite illustrators. She’s the picture equivalent for me of that one author you’re certain could transform a shopping list into a literary masterpiece. I’m sure I’d be captivated if Katy drew a stickman.
Which made it disconcerting when I didn’t immediately fall in love with Sasha. I’ve adored every character I’ve met in Katy’s previous books and I loved Mr. Sloth at first sight. I read and reread this book until I finally figured out what the problem was. Me.
It turns out I have a bias where picture books are concerned. I can tolerate, and even find cute, all types of bad and/or potentially annoying behaviour from animal characters but apparently I judge humans differently. Not that Sasha was going around chucking tantrums or anything but her impatience frustrated me time and time again. I thought back to when I read Sloth and Squirrel in a Pickle, where Squirrel is the speedy equivalent of Sasha, and not once was I frustrated by Squirrel.
Having done a deep dive into my soul, I reread this book once again, with a new understanding of myself as a reader. This time Sasha was simply a young girl with a lot of energy, someone who doesn’t realise she’s missing out on a variety of amazing things because they’re a blur to her. Once she slows down enough and pays attention, she discovers the beauty that surrounds her and learns that some things are best enjoyed at a different speed.
Once again, the illustrations in this book were absolutely gorgeous. Bonus points for the cameos of the author’s previous books.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Capstone Editions, an imprint of Capstone, for the opportunity to read this picture book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Sasha has one speed – fast. She loves to do lots of things, all at once, as fast as possible. Mr. Sloth has one speed – slow. He loves to do things one at a time, at a nice, easy pace. Can Mr. Sloth’s mindful ways teach Sasha to slow down and enjoy life? Best-selling author Katy Hudson gently weaves a mindfulness theme into this unlikely friendship tale between an energetic girl and a sloth, encouraging children to stop, breathe, and be present in every moment.
I absolutely adore Renée Treml’s Sherlock Bones books so I was keen to get my hands on the first two books in her new series. I was not disappointed. The engaging characters, the gorgeous illustrations, the accidental learning and the humour I loved in Sherlock Bones were all here, just for a younger audience.
We’re introduced to Ollie the owl and Bea the bunny. They’re destined to become best friends. We also meet CeeCee the otter, Pedro the chameleon, Sera the deer and Simon the squirrel, who each have their own superpower.
I adored Ollie and Bea straight away, mostly because they’re both struggling with insecurities. Ollie, unlike other owls, has poor eyesight and needs to wear glasses. Bea’s feet, which are so long they should probably come with a trip hazard warning, make her feel self conscious.
Together, our new friends try to find a way to turn what they perceive as their weaknesses into superpowers.
My favourite piece of accidental learning in this book was “an owl can hear ten times better than a human”.
Some of the humour in this book comes from the puns. When Bea gets angry, she’s a “hot cross bunny”.
The illustrations are “otter-ly awesome!” Bonus points from me because they’re in colour.
The target audience are kidlets aged from 4 to 7 years. It’s the kind of book I’d be happy to read aloud repeatedly. Emerging bookworms should manage this book well as there aren’t many words on each page. There are a couple of Spanish words towards the end of the book but readers don’t need to know Spanish as the meanings are explained in English.
I’m looking forward to the next book, Squeal on Wheels, which features rollerskating animals. What’s not to love?!
Thank you so much to Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Ollie and Bea will delight young readers in Book 1 of this super sweet and funny full-colour graphic novel series that celebrates friendship and the differences that make us special.
Come with Ollie and Bea on a HARE-raising adventure with a HOPPY ending!
Ollie is an owl who wears glasses. And Bea is a bunny with very big feet. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to be best friends. Can they help each other to find their OTTER-LY awesome inner superhero?
Join Ollie and Bea in this charming, funny, cute story about the joys of making friends and having fun. The perfect book for young readers who love to laugh.
It’s always just been Alex and her Uncle Henry. That is, if you don’t count the consistent groups of strangers who have been trying to sneak a peek at Alex her entire life. There are actual coaches full of them. But, hey, maybe this is normal. It’s not like Alex has any friends to compare notes with.
Until she meets Jasper on her twelfth birthday. We love Jasper, although we don’t really know a lot about him for the longest time.
For a boy who loved asking other people questions, he was an expert at avoiding them himself.
We do know he’s a sweetheart, though, and he’s a really good best (and first) friend to have. We adore him, even after he suddenly disappears before Alex’s eyes. Fortunately, Alex likes Jasper as much as we do so she’s determined to find him. No matter what.
‘And this time I don’t think logic is the answer.’
I spent the entire book trying to figure out what I could possibly say about it that didn’t give away the whole time travel component, which is one of my all time favourite things to read about. I needn’t have worried; one look at the book’s blurb and I discovered that what I thought was a secret is well and truly out of the bag. I probably would have read this book sooner had I known. All I had to go by when I decided this was the book for me was the title and Thy Bui’s incredible cover illustration.
Speaking of design, something so simple yet so appropriate accompanied the chapter titles. Remember how I mentioned the literal coaches full of people who want to catch a glimpse of Alex? A coach starts appearing in the first chapter and slowly makes its way across the page, chapter by chapter. Brilliant!
Besides loving Alex and Jasper, I also wanted to get to know Uncle Henry, whose ideas on learning were all I needed to know to want to hang out with him forever. I also really liked Gerty, who Alex meets when she’s searching for her missing friend.
I adored the way time travel is explored in this book. There were a couple of time travel related head-scratchers, though. The Laws of Time all made sense to me but I had trouble believing, based on my extensive time travel experience with Marty McFly, that a Time Tourist hadn’t inadvertently rewritten history by now. Although, if Timeless is to be taken as time travel gospel, then maybe only the people personally involved in the rewrite would remember how things used to play out.
The time travel quandary that remains for me is why the bazillion Time Tourists who not so secretly spied on Alex as she was growing up didn’t immediately recognise her in the future. Sure, it’s not like she was expected to show up there unannounced and oftentimes we don’t recognise the obvious right before our very eyes when we don’t expect them to be there, but … someone should have been pointing at her and whispering to the person next to them, ‘Hey, look! Doesn’t that girl look like Alex when she was young?’
I figured out fairly early on who future Alex was going to be and why she became famous. If kid me had read this book, though, it would have been your job to pick me up off the floor once I’d made it to the reveal.
Although the time travel is absolutely wonderful and it made me want to do it even more, my take away from this book is going to be the friendship between Alex and Jasper. It made me feel all warm and squishy inside. In a good way.
‘Never underestimate the power of a best friend. A friend who loves you for who you are, who believes in the person you will become even when you don’t. Who believes you are stronger, smarter, better than you believe yourself to be. A friend who can put you in your place when you need it. More than talent, more than success, friendship is what matters most.’
Book in a book: Jasper gives Alex a copy of The Secret Garden, one of the many reasons I loved him.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
On the day Alex was born, crowds surrounded the hospital. On her first day of school, people spied from the gates. And recently, strangers came to watch her perform in her school play … as the llama.
But why? Alex has always been a nobody.
Then a mysterious boy named Jasper starts at school and he alone seems to know the answer. But before he can tell Alex, he disappears … into the future. Can Alex brave traveling into the future to discover what’s happened to him and to unravel the secret of her own astonishing destiny … before time runs out?
This book is an exploration of mental health and it’s a coming of age story. It’s about our relationships, with other people and with ourselves. It’s about how our feelings of not being good enough, pretty enough, thin enough, smart enough, [insert your own adjective here] enough can manifest in self-destructive behaviours. It’s about cows and snowflakes and stars and dreams.
Debbie grew up in Kildare. She and her Mam, Maeve, live on a dairy farm owned by her uncle Billy. Billy lives in a caravan on the property. Maeve has been writing a book about dreams practically forever and Billy is an alcoholic.
Debbie doesn’t have any friends and her most complicated relationship is with the boy who stands at the back of mass, a boy she’s never spoken to. Now Debbie, a self-proclaimed culchie, is going to university. There she meets Xanthe.
My only friend. Friend? Acquaintance? Person who knows my name?
I’m struggling to think of ways to explain what I liked about each character without getting into spoiler territory. Instead of telling you about specific characters, I’ll tell you what I loved about the characters as a whole.
Every major character is damaged in some way, whether by a personal trauma or the way they see themselves. Every character is trying the best they can with what resources, external and internal, they have to work with. Things might knock them down but they don’t stay down. Everyone is a work in progress.
‘There’s no way to catch a snowflake. And I haven’t met anyone who is able to catch a dream.’
There was an authenticity in the way mental health conditions and emotional pain were addressed throughout the book. Sometimes a sentence that appeared simple enough on the surface felt more profound when I slowed down and reread it.
The bathroom is where I go to recharge, let myself cry and pull myself together just enough to define my edges so I seem solid on the outside.
There were aspects of the story I wanted to delve into further: Maeve’s dreams, Debbie’s dreams, Billy’s mental health…
A character that I could have read an entire book about was Audrey. I wanted to go with her on the journey that led to her making her curiosity cabinet. I felt like she had a backstory that was worth exploring.
Oh, and that quote at the beginning of my review? It’s an Irish saying that means “People live in each other’s shadows.” Basically put, we need one another. I love it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Eighteen-year-old Debbie White lives on a dairy farm with her mother, Maeve, and her uncle, Billy. Billy sleeps out in a caravan in the garden with a bottle of whiskey and the stars overhead for company. Maeve spends her days recording her dreams, which she believes to be prophecies.
This world is Debbie’s normal, but she is about to step into life as a student at Trinity College in Dublin. As she navigates between sophisticated new friends and the family bubble, things begin to unravel. Maeve’s eccentricity tilts into something darker, while Billy’s drinking gets worse. Debbie struggles to cope with the weirdest, most difficult parts of herself, her family and her small life. But the fierce love of the White family is never in doubt, and Debbie discovers that even the oddest of families are places of safety.
A startling, honest, laugh and cry novel about growing up and leaving home, only to find that you’ve taken it with you, Snowflake is a novel for a generation, and for everyone who’s taken those first, terrifying steps towards adulthood.
Schizanthus Nerd 