Review - Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley

Title: Lady Mary

Author: Lucy Worsley

Pages: 384

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Release Date: 5th April 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

By turns thrilling, dramatic and touching, this is the story of Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Aragon's divorce as you've never heard it before - from the eyes of their daughter, Princess Mary.

More than anything Mary just wants her family to stay together; for her mother and her father - and for her - to all be in the same place at once. But when her father announces that his marriage to her mother was void and by turns that Mary doesn't really count as his child, she realises things will never be as she hoped.

Things only get worse when her father marries again. Separated from her mother and forced to work as a servant for her new sister, Mary must dig deep to find the strength to stand up against those who wish to bring her down. Despite what anyone says, she will always be a princess. She has the blood of a princess and she is ready to fight for what is rightfully hers.

 

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My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and NetGalley*

Mary Tudor loves her parents Henry the Eighth and Catherine of Aragon. She wishes they could all spend more time together.

Then Mary's world is turned upside down when her father announces that his marriage to Catherine isn't legal and he plans to marry again.

Henry marries Anne Boleyn and Mary is separated from her mother. No longer a princess, Mary resists those who wish her to become a servant for the new princess, Anne and Henry's daughter Elizabeth.

Does Mary have the strength to fight back?

Will she regain her former title of princess?

I have always been interested in the Tudors, but I never knew much about Mary. This book has definitely made me want to find out more about her. As a fan of Lucy Worsley and her documentaries, I was very intrigued to read this.

Mary was a likeable protagonist and I felt sorry for her - her family was torn apart and she was treated badly.

The plot was interesting and held my attention. I don't know how accurate it is, but it seemed believable.

I enjoyed the writing style and would read more fiction books by Lucy Worsley.

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

 

Review - Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Title: Starfish

Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman

Pages: 320

Publisher: Ink Road

Release Date: 5th April 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

Kiko Himura has always had a hard time saying exactly what she’s thinking. With a mother who makes her feel unremarkable and a half-Japanese heritage she doesn’t quite understand, Kiko prefers to keep her head down, certain that once she makes it into her dream art school, Prism, her real life will begin.

But then Kiko doesn’t get into Prism, at the same time as her abusive uncle moves back in with her family. So when she receives an invitation from her childhood friend to leave her small town and tour art schools on the West Coast, Kiko jumps at the opportunity in spite of the anxieties and fears that attempt to hold her back. And now that she is finally free to be her own person outside the constricting walls of her home life, Kiko learns transformative truths about herself, her past, and how to be brave.

A luminous, heartbreaking story of identity, family, and the beauty that emerges when we embrace our true selves.

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US









My Review:
 

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Black & White Publishing and NetGalley*

Kiko Himura has never felt comfortable in her own skin. She's half-Asian and finds confrontation and social situations stressful. Kiko blames herself for her parents' divorce and seeks approval from her mother who puts Kiko down at every opportunity.

Kiko escapes in her art and dreams of leaving home to study at Prism, an art college.

Kiko's plans fall apart when she doesn't get a place at Prism. To make things worse, her abusive uncle moves in.

Then Kiko bumps into her childhood best friend and she gets the chance to leave town and look at art schools in California.

Can Kiko overcome her anxieties and become the person she wants to be?

Can Kiko ever have the relationship she wants with her mother?

Starfish is an emotional and powerful read about learning to accept yourself.

I really liked Kiko as a protagonist and felt sorry for the things she had been through.

I liked Jamie, Emery and the friends that Kiko made.

The romance was sweet but not overpowering.

I thought anxiety was portrayed very well.

The plot was interesting and held my attention. I found myself blinking away tears several times.

I enjoyed the writing style and definitely plan to read the author's next book.

Overall this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

Review - The Smoke Thieves (The Smoke Thieves, #1) by Sally Green

Title: The Smoke Thieves (The Smoke Thieves, #1)

Author: Sally Green

Pages: 512

Publisher: Penguin Books Limited

Release Date: 3rd May 2018

Blurb from Goodreads: 

A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict.

In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell.

As alliances shift and shatter, and old certainties are overturned, our four heroes find their past lives transformed and their futures inextricably linked by the unpredictable tides of magic and war. Who will rise and who will fall? And who will claim the ultimate prize?

 Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

  

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Penguin Random House UK Children's and NetGalley*

Boot-obsessed Tash lures demons to their deaths and sells their smoke for a living.

Catherine is a princess and daughter of the king of Brigant, a ruthless man who has no love for her. Catherine has feelings for Ambrose, her guard, but cannot act on them as she is soon to marry the prince of Pitoria. The match is one Catherine's father has arranged, and she has no choice but to do as the king wishes.

Ambrose is loyal to Catherine. He will protect her at all costs but must keep his feelings for the princess secret lest someone finds out - in which case, Ambrose might just lose his life.

March is a servant to the prince of Calidor, a man March detests for allowing March's people to be slaughtered. March will do anything to get revenge.

Edyon is a thief whose bad habit might just get him into trouble one day.

Can Catherine be happy in her marriage and new home?

Will March get his revenge?

Can Edyon trust the foreigner with the strange eyes?

But, most importantly, will Tash buy those boots?

The Smoke Thieves was an interesting read with some intriguing ideas - in particular, that of demon smoke.

The novel is told from five different perspectives - Catherine, Ambrose, Tash, March, and Edyon. I found Catherine, Ambrose and Tash's chapters the most interesting. I wasn't as keen on March and Edyon. I really liked Tash and Gravell's relationship.

I was worried that I might find five perspectives to be too many, but I didn't have any trouble switching between them.

The romance wasn't a huge part of the book, which I appreciated as it might have taken away from the story.

The plot was interesting, but the action scenes didn't grip me as much as they should have.

I liked the writing style, which was easy to follow.

This did feel a tad too long at over five hundred pages, but it only dragged once or twice.

I'm definitely intrigued to see what happens in the next book.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and a good start to the series.