Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 416

Book: For Review*

Genre: Horror, Historical, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Mild Swearing, Drug and Opium References

No Alcohol References

Author's Site: Chris Priestley

Author's Blog: Chris Priestley

Keep an eye out for the awesome guest post Chris has written for us as part of his blog tour!  It'll go up tomorrow, and there's a giveaway involved!

Can a monster and a boy ever really be friends?

1818.  London.

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief.

Mr Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets.  Their relationship begins as pure convenience. 

But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target… Victor Frankenstein.

Review:

Billy is a thief.  Mister Creecher is an outsider, a freakish giant with a monstrous face, who while on the trail of mysterious Frankenstein, saves Billy from death.  To begin with, their relationship is pure convenience.  Creecher needs Billy to follow Frankenstein.  Billy needs Creecher for protection from other thieves.  But soon a bond forms between the two, as they realise they may have more in common than they first thought.

But as they follow Frankenstein, can their friendship last?  Or will it end up as bloody as their journey?

I read and loved Priestley’s The Dead of Winter, and I love Frankenstein so I of course had to me hooked from the start. A story about friendship in the unlikeliest places, it was bothget my hands on this one!  And it did not disappoint!  Creepy, suspenseful and thrilling, it had  beautiful and horrible.  I can’t wait for Priestley’s next book! 

15-year-old Billy was a boy who had seen a lot, been through more and lost more still.  He had the feel of a street child – one from Dickensian novels.  He was sneaky, brilliant at observation, with the occasional snarkiness and was just a really resourceful and smart-thinking boy.  But he had this resentment in him: he was withdrawn, cut off because of everything that had happened to him.  And he felt really real to me, even if I wanted to yell at him at times!

Mister Creecher was a very complicated and odd character, one I did feel sorry for.  He knew how his looks made others think of him, and was sure he could never by happy. He was strangely vulnerable, sweet hearted, and desperate for love.  Yet he wasn’t afraid to kill.  He may not have been wholly human, but he had desires and longings, just liked humans.  Was he bad?  Good?  I think he was both. 

And I loved Billy and Creecher’s relationship, how it changed.  It slowly shifted and I just loved how Priestley did this.  The friendship that blossomed felt natural to me.  Creecher was the only true friend Billy had ever had and vice versa.  Although everything changed again, they truly were friends. 

I adore Chris Priestley’s writing: oddly beautiful, lyrical, creepy and utterly addictive.  He doesn’t shy from the gore, the suspense.  I was completely absorbed in the story, under its spell.  It was shocking, creepy, beautiful, bloody and spooky.  The plot was equally amazing, and so unexpected.  I really had no idea where the story was going.  And the end… God.  I never saw it coming!

The setting was just amazing – London, 1818.  It was so vivid, so lifelike – it jumped off the page and into my head.  Priestley has a real talent for creating gritty and vivid settings that make me feel like I’ve gone back in time.  Or they’re so real it feels like I’ve picked up a Dickens novel.  And he truly made London back then creepy, gothic and spooky: I loved it! 

I loved how the story tied in with Frankenstein and another novel from around that time, one I didn’t realise was more than just an influence until I looked the book picture up and stumbled across an award.  Until right toward the end, I didn’t even know how much Book 2 tied in with the story.  I almost felt like smiling as it was revealed.  In a strange, horrible and rather shocking way, it was perfect.  It was so unexpected.  Which made that final twist all the more brilliant.

Creecher kills and Billy steals.  Both should be Bad.  Both should be Not Liked.  But… I couldn’t hate them.  Creecher was looked upon in horror, so he became what was thought of him.  Billy stole because he had to, to survive.  Creecher loved to read and just didn’t want to be alone.  Billy wanted a family, a friend.  Although they should be bad, I couldn’t hate them.  They were human.  While both had their downfalls, they also had redeeming qualities.  Good is in all, even ‘monsters’ and thieves.  They made me question everything.

A book of contradictions, friendship, betrayal, murder, science and the search of happiness, Mister Creecher was one heck of a book, a gothic horror story, full of twists and chills, with the most amazing setting and beautiful writing.  I could go on forever, so all I shall say is READ THIS!  You will not regret it.  It’s a horror story that makes you think, especially about one question: Nature Vs Nurture.  Perfect.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Published: 1^st March 2012

Stones For My Father by Trilby Kent

Publisher: Alma

Format: Paperback

Published: 19^th January 2012

Number of Pages: 300

Book: For Review*

Genre: Historical, Realistic-Fiction, Suspense, Coming-Of-Age, YA, YA-Child Crossover, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Mild Violence, Death, Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Tribly Kent

A powerful story about a forgotten war, a family divided and a child’s fight for survival.

Corlie Roux’s farm life in South Africa is not easy: the Transvaal is beautiful, but it is also a harsh place where the heat can be so intense that even raindrops sizzle.  When her beloved father dies, she is left with a mother who is as devoted to her sons as she is cruel to her daughter.  Despite this, Corlie finds comfort in her friend Sipho, in Africa itself and the stories she creates for her brothers.  But Corlie’s world is about to vanish: the British are invading and driving Boer families like hers from their farms.  Some escape into the bush to fight the enemy.  The unlucky ones are rounded up and sent to internment camps.

Will Corlie’s strength and devotion to her country sustain her through the suffering and misery she finds in the camp at Kroonstad?  That may depend on a soldier from faraway Canada and on inner resources Corlie never dreamt she had…

                                                                   Review:

Twelve-year-old Corlie Roux lives in South Africa, a beautiful but dangerous place.  Her father is dead and her mother is horrible to her, but she loves her brothers, best friend Sipho and the African bush. 

But everything is changing, falling apart.  The British are attacking, destroying Boer’s farms and homes.  Some of the men have made it into the bush to fight, and some families have been able to escape.  The unlucky ones have been taken to internment camps.

When everything she knew is changing, and the ones she loves are lost, can Corlie’s strength and love for her country be enough to get her through the raging war?  Or will she rely more on a kind soldier from Canada…?

I love, love, love historical fiction, but I must admit I’ve never read anything about the Boer War.  After Stones From My Father, I’m desperate to read more, and to read anything else by the author.  I fell totally in love with Corlie, with Africa.  I cried, laughed and loved – and I adored every single moment.

Corlie was amazing!  She loved inventing stories for her brothers, had the most amazing imagination.  And she was just so strong!  If my mother was as mean to me as Corlie’s was to her I wouldn’t half as brave as Corlie.  She was even brave enough to be optimistic, curious and always tried to help.  I completely fell in love with Corlie, who was so loyal and loving to her family – mother included – and so in touch with Africa.  She was just brilliant: I especially loved it when she was crafty!

The supporting characters were equally amazing.  Gert Roux, Corlie’s eight-year-old brother, was brilliant; I loved him!  He was smart, the “big man”, clever and sneaky.  He really loved Corlie, and she adored him back.  ‘Ma’, on the other hand, I did not love.   She doted on her sons, and was constantly cruel to Corlie.  But as much as I hated Ma from the word go for being so horrid to Corlie, I couldn’t help being impressed by her strength.  The question that bothered me throughout?  Why does she hate Corlie so much?  The answer explained everything, but didn’t really redeem her in my eyes, though I did feel sorry for her.  Finally, Corporal Malachi Byrne, who was a Canadian soldier, who was really nice to Corlie.  He was also one of my favourite characters.  He was so lovely, and it was interesting seeing him talk: he wasn’t sure why he was fighting, as he had never even been to England.  He was wonderful: cheerful and patient.

As I mentioned before, I really don’t know much about the Boer War: somehow, it’s managed to escape me.  Therefore I loved to see it through Corlie’s eyes.  It was terrible, obviously as all wars are, but it was just amazing seeing it through a child’s point-of-view.  To begin with it was one-sided (obviously, as it was written by the daughter of a Boer soldier!), but by the end Corlie started to see everything, and the individual Tommies soldiers were shown in almost as a light as the Boers.  Of course, she wasn’t a fan of the British as a whole, but I liked seeing the balanced view.

The writing was amazing – emotional, beautiful, strong.  Plus it was so Corlie!  It made me laugh, cry and fear.  The descriptions were just amazing: so vivid and real, as if I were there.  I saw Africa as I read; saw Corlie and Gert, saw everything.  And when I started, I didn’t really think this would be a twisty book, but boy was I wrong!  There were some I suspected, and some that completely shocked me.  As you’ve probably guessed from my rambling, I adored every moment of my time in Africa, even if I was crying a lot of the time! 

As for the characters, well, they were wonderfully done – they all felt so real to me!  They were three dimensional –just jumped right off of the page and into my head.  Some I loved with all my heart, some I didn’t, some I pitied, some I grieved.  I loved (most of) them so much!

A strong girl, a country crippled by war and a family caught in the middle, Stone For My Father was a powerful, emotional, moving, beautiful story I won’t forget in any kind of a hurry.  Corlie, Byrne, Gert and the soldiers on both sides will stay with me for a long time.  I’ve already informed my mother, aunt and cousin that they have to read this. Therefore: most certainly recommended (I only shove good books on the relatives)!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Medina Hill by Trilby Kent

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Annexed by Sharon Dogar

 In The Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Alma in exchange for an honest review

India Dark by Kirsty Murray

Publisher: Templar

Format: ARC

Published: 1^st January 2012

Number of Pages: 336

Book: For Review*

Genre: Historical, Realistic-Fiction, True-To-Life Fiction, Thriller-Suspense, Action-Adventure, Mystery, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Mild Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Kirsty Murray

MADRAS, 1910: two girls are caught up in a scandal that will change their lives forever. Singing and dancing across a hundred stages in a troupe of child performers, they travel by steam train into the heart of India. But as one disaster follows another, money runs short and tempers fray. What must the girls do to protect themselves, and how many lives will be ruined if they try to break free?

Review:

Poesy Swift and Tilly Sweetrick are Lilliputians – child performers who tour the world, singing and dancing, having the times of their lives before becoming ladies, gentlemen and ‘real’ actors.  To begin with, it is just like that for Poesy: she’s escaped the shattered remains of her family, is with her old friend and doing what she loves best.  But soon the money starts running out.  Illness strikes.  Under the pressure, the manager Mr Arthur soon shows his true colours.  And before they know it, Poesy and Tilly are trapped at the centre of a scandal.  Unsure of who to trustm who their true friends are, the two must find a way to escape.  Without destroying everything – including their own future careers – as they do…

I love historical novels.  I love the feeling of going back in time, getting a glimpse of the past, feeling like I’m there.  The last one is the trickiest to find in a book.  But with India Dark…  I found it!  I travelled back to the early 1900s, touring India and such with the Lilliputian troop.  I fell in love with the world, the writing, the characters: sweet, too-naïve Poesy and overly-confident, always-scheming Tilly…  I couldn’t wait for my two narrators to reveal the scandal, but at the same time I didn’t want to leave!  Ever!

Poesy Swift, aged thirteen, was sweet, sensitive and really naïve.  She had a brilliant imagination and I just adored her voice.  She really loved her family, you could tell, but couldn’t cope anymore – not after her father’s death.  Poesy tried to see the best in everyone, and therefore overlooked things obvious to the rest of us.  But we all knew that sooner or later, Poesy would have to open her eyes and accept.  I just felt so bad for her the moment she did…  I loved Poesy, but, sometimes her blatant ignorance annoyed me…  She just had to grow up too soon, like so many of the others in this book.

Tilly Sweetrick, fifteen, didn’t care what anybody thought of her.  She was confident, bold, totally cool under pressure and really funny at times.  She loved being the centre of attention – in fact, the kids at school used to call her “Little Miss Noticebox”.  And once her mind was made up, it was final: No forgiveness to those who have wronged her.  She was an amazing leader: strong, fair.  She did seem to care for Poesy – she wanted her to grow up, explore life...  But she was rather cruel in her educating…  She could be truly wicked and manipulative at times, but I knew she only wanted the truth to come out.  To be free.  Tilly Sweetrick was a series of contradictions.  For ages, I couldn’t tell whether I absolutely adored Tilly or not.  She wasn’t nice at times, but I couldn’t help loving her.  It’s so hard to describe… 

Charlie Byrne, thirteen, was kind, sweet, wise, wonderfully odd and always there for Poesy.  He didn’t hide anything from Poesy: he always spoke his mind and he kept out of trouble.  Training to be a magician, I loved that Charlie believed in ‘real magic’.  He was just a real sweetie, loyal to the end, and always taking care of Poesy.  I loved him!  My star character!

Initially, Poesy and Charlie were like brother and sister.  But it soon turned into something else.  When they were together, I was so full of happiness at the sweetness of their friendship.  And the potential of something more…  Charlie was Poesy’s anchor, and I just loved seeing their relationship develop.    They were perfect, a wonderful break and some of my favourite scenes.  Plus: they were so cute!

Tilly and Poesy...  It was really interesting, seeing how the two’s memories of the same events differed – who was remembering the truth?  Or were they both merely seeing their own versions of the truth?  Seeing the world through both girls’ eyes was misleading to begin with.  Murray played it well, had me constantly guessing about what the two would do.  Why Tilly called Poesy a liar on the first page, whether it truly was Poesy lying…  I couldn’t tell, and I loved the feeling of mystery.  I was completely wrong at the beginning!

From the word go, hints of a scandal were dropped.  Accusations were implied, never written, never told aloud.  I was constantly forming suspicions as to what the scandal was.  As I read on, they got wilder, sillier and more unlikely.  All these hints, these guesses, made me desperate to know WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!  I sped through the book to find the answer of my question.  So much foreboding, it just drove me insane!  And I adored every second of the plot, the twists, the turns, the hints.  Every single chapter had me under its power, the entire book was more effective than the mesmerising Tilly attempted.  It was a powerful book, one that consumed me and made me race to the end, desperate to find out what would happen to the characters, if the scandal was the one I felt it was.  And even though slow at times, I was never bored.

I adored the writing!  It was beautiful, powerful, emotional.  I just loved all the different metaphors, the descriptions…  I could tell the two girls apart – they each had distinct styles, but most of all the FEEL of their voices were different.  Tilly was more snarky, wiser, than Poesy’s more naïve, inexperienced voice.  Poesy was more delicate and gentle in her choice of words than Tilly, who being bold, confident and sure of herself didn’t have the same… shyness as Poesy.  I admired the subtle difference between the two girls, who I got to know as well as if I were in the troop with them.  ‘Though neither were that reliable as narrators: Tilly was a drama queen and Poesy was determined to only see the good.  But as I said, I adored Murray’s writing: so descriptive of all the different, amazing scenes, without being heavy and dull.  I loved learning about all the exotic places I’ve never been – especially as it was over 100 years ago!  More than that: I loved seeing the future.  I loved seeing what happened to my favourites, even if sometimes it was really sad (I cried!).  

Two unique heroines, one harsh guardian, a boy magician, a troop of young performers and one heck of a scandal, India Dark had me under its spell from start to finish.  I adored every moment, and I can’t wait for Kirsty’s next book!  And while I am aware there will never be another book in this world, I still long for one.  I want to know more about the girls!

If you want to hear more about Kirsty’s charcters – check out the guest post she’s doing for us tomorrow: it’s awesome! 

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Children of the Wind by Kirsty Murray

Anything by Celia Rees or Mary Hooper

Annexed by Sharon Dogar 

Before We Say Goodbye by Gabriella Ambrosio

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Templar in exchange for an honest review

The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood

Based on a Concept By: The Duchess of Northumberland

Series: The Poison Diaries, Book One

Publisher: HarperCollins

Format: Paperback

Published: 27^th May 2010

Number of Pages: 240

Book: Bought

Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Paranormal, Magic, Mystery, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Poisons

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Blog:

Check out My Giveaway of Nightshade - the second in the series!

foxglove

IN THE

oleander

RIGHT DOSE,

moonseed

EVERYTHING

belladonna

IS A POISON

love

Review:

Jessamine Luxton’s father, Thomas, is a botanist, a healer.  He collects rare plants, and uses them in his potions.  Jessamine has seen all of his gardens, except one.  The garden locked behind a heavy iron gate.  She has never been inside, but she knows it holds her father’s rarest and most powerful plants.  One day, a man shows up at their house, saying he has a gift for Thomas.  He reveals a boy – young man really – who he claims has healed the mad in his care.  Thomas Luxton takes the boy in, desperate to find out what this strange boy called Weed knows.  For Jessamine, Weed offers an escape from her solitude.  Only, Weed has a secret, one that will reveal the evil behind the iron gates…  But will he be too late…?

I love historical fiction – always have.  But my favourite kinds are the ones with paranormal twists.  And this twist?  Epic.  Unlike anything I’d ever read before – historical or not.  And, may I just say, the historical setting was pretty amazing itself: wonderfully thought-out and written.  I just loved this book.  I was completely addicted from the word go, and was left wanting more.

Jessamine Luxton was a nice girl, a good heroine: very lonely, kind and caring.  She was just someone I liked straight away.  The poor girl seemed to be on her own a lot, (hence the lonely) – and I just felt really sorry for her.  She was so great with plants, poisons, and she wanted to be a healer, just like her father.  She wanted to know more about plants and healing – truth be told, so do I, after reading this!  I just fell in love with her voice!  It suited the time zone, but had a reasonably snarky twinge.  Awesome!  Jessamine was independent and stubborn (like father, like daughter), but at times I could feel how vulnerable she truly was.   Her weakness and strength together made her just a very likeable character.  Plus she was rather funny! 

Weed was an orphan, quiet, thoughtful, funny and rather odd.  He was good with plants and potions.  He’d had such a hard life: his first carer was a drunk monk, and the second used him as practically slave-labour.  He was all alone.  Which is why his cheekiness really made me smile!  At times, he was rather like a child: naïve and vulnerable, always keeping his thoughts to himself.  But, he was also strong willed and minded, romantic and just plain yummy, for lack of a better word!  And when he got his confidence… wow.  He just didn’t know what it is to be truly human – he lived in a whole other world.  He was special, and raised the whole: “mad or unique” line of thought… 

Thomas Luxton, Jessamine’s father, was away a lot; a quiet man, a healer: the one everyone turned to when they were ill.  He was more trusted than the doctors, and considered himself a “man of science”.  What he had with Jessamine was wonderful: a really sweet bond.  But what is he hiding from her?  What is the book he is looking for?  Why is he so desperate for monky knowledge?  Those were the questions that plagued me as I read.  And once I got to know him, my whole view changed.  He was a real scientist: quite withdrawn, stubborn, driven, rather cold…  He was obsessed with knowledge, but what knowledge? 

The relationship between Weed and Jessamine was amazing.  Jessamine had been alone for so long, and she was over the moon to have someone to talk to. Weed had never had anyone, so I think having Jessamine was what he really needed and wanted.  Their friendship was special.  Plus, I could so feel the chemistry.  Weed trusted her enough to tell her his secret.  She was the first one to believe him.  He thought no one would ever believe him… 

Poison, healing, death, life.  I loved how everything blurred, how a plant that poisons in one dose can in heal in another.  And the way Weed laid it all out… amazing.  It was brilliant!

The writing was beautiful, lyrical, almost poetic, and so Jessamine.  I especially loved hearing her describe her garden and the seasons.  And then, I loved how it was split between Jessamine and Weed.  Even if most of what Jessamine said then was rather… um, odd.  It could get a teeny bit confusing, but the two did actually sound different.  And, I loved that, even though it’s a historical novel, there were kisses.  And that Jessamine wasn’t too perfect-daddy’s-girl-esque.  She could be rather snarky.  Even if it was in her head.  Plus, there were the kisses.

I loved all the plants, but even more, I loved learning about them.  Angel’s Trumpet: caused hallucinations.  Hemlock: killed you from the feet up.  And then The Secret…  Whoa.  It intriguing, interesting, brilliant and oddly, darkly funny.  And scary.  Very, very scary.

And the plot: amazing.  I am kicking myself for not guessing!  The twists were just amazing.  I didn’t see them coming.  One I completely ruined by reading a Goodreads blurb, but the others stunned me.  I love twisty-turvy plots, ones that have me guessing and wanting more.  Poison Diaries?  So one of those.

Love, hate, poison, murder…  This book honestly had everything.  The historical setting was absolutely stunning, the romance completely believable (with some kisses thrown in free) and overall it was just so addictive.  Loved it!  I am just desperate, desperate to read Book Two!

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Velvet by Mary Hooper

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Benedict by Joss Stirling

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Book Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)

Megan