Relic Hamilton Genie Hunter The Door Of The Dead - Joseph Coelho

 

'Ravenna, the king of evil genies, has taken over Taya's body and has gone underground finding powerful genie allies ... its over to Relic and the Hermitic Sodality of Genie Hunters to try and stem the flood of chaos! But one genie proves a bigger threat than all the others combined: The Archivist was a terrible genie, so terrible that his lamp was kept hidden in Windsor Castle for centuries. Relic and the team must get to it before Ravenna...'

Relic Hamilton has been a firm favourite in school since its publication (and Joseph's visit) - you can read my review here - so I was thrilled to be able to read The Door Of The Dead over the Easter holiday.

Relic is getting used to his new life as part of the Hermetic Sodality of Genie Hunters but he is thrown into the middle of this adventure when this new adventure begins.  This time, he is more confident in his abilities, having honed them in the first book, but this time the danger level is raised.

This is an actin-packed adventure that will have readers on the edge of their seat and will leave them desperate for book 3.  

The Silver Kingdom - Radiya Hafiza

 

Prince Zayd lives in Dakaria with a loving family; however, his father is seriously ill and Zayd needs to prepare to become king, which means an arranged marriage.  Princess Layla lives in Sawan with a mother who is far from loving and desperate to invade Dakaria due to their silver stores.; an arranged marriage for Layla is the only way for Sawan to be strong enough to do this. Layla is dead against the marriage, especially as she is discovering latent powers she didn't realise she had, and this terrifies her.  When Layla's mother announces a visit to Dakaria, Zayd and Layla meet and their lives become entwined in ways neither could expect. 

Told in dual narrative, from both Zayd and Layla's point of view, The Silver Kingdom is an epic story of love, power, war and family. 

Both Zayd and Layla are strong characters but in very different ways.  Whilst Layla is desperate for independence and wants to run away and live her own life, Zayd is loyal to his family and cares deeply for them.  When the pair meet, it is clear there are sparks, even if they don't get on.  As the book progresses, Layla's powers become more apparent to her, something she finds terrifying and hides at all costs, for she knows the consequences. The will they won't they aspect of the book is deliciously tempting and, coupled with the dual narrative, makes it a book you won't want to put down.

The idea of forbidden love, secrets, lies and waring families is all tangled up in this swoony romance which makes it a wonderful escape.  I gobbled the book up and am already desperate for book 2 so I can discover hat happens next.

The Silver Kingdom publishes on the 4th June and will make a perfect summer read. 

According To Plan - Christen Randall

Mal spends their days living by their plan as they find it the best way to stay on top of things.  But when Collage, the school magazine, is cancelled, everything changes and Mal feels as if their plan is falling apart.  Then Emerson suggests launching a zine and putting it together outside of school, and Mal finds the idea terrifying.  When MixxedMedia is born, Mal begins to realise that deviating from the plan may not be the worst thing in the world.

Mal is simply trying to find their way. Collage feels like it's where they belong but when it's cancelled that all comes crashing down. It's the only extra-curricular club they attend and they need it for their college application.  The change is unsettling to say the least so when Emerson suggests the new, rogue idea, they feel it's possible, but they need to learn to accept that things don't always go the way they want them to and sometimes that's ok. 

Mal and Emerson are very different in their temperaments but the pair seem to work well together and the back room in the coffee shop where Emerson works part-time soon becomes a real home for MixxedMedia.  The experience gives Mal some confidence in their ability in terms of the magazine but their parents, especially their mum, don't see this.  Mal seems to live in the shadow of their sister, a sister who has her back but doesn't always understand when Mal's work on Zine means they can't be there for her football matches.

The diversity in the book was woven seamlessly into the characters so it was very much part of who they were and not forced into the book - I always like to see that.  Readers need to see authentic characters they can relate to and I feel that Christen achieves this well.  Family dynamics, living in a sibling's shadow and parental expectations are also woven into the plot in this heart-warming, cosy YA read about finding your way, finding your passion and finding love.

According To Plan is out now. 

The Midnight Train - Matt Haig

After Wilbur dies as an old man, he gets the chance to relive his best moments after he boards The Midnight Train.  He quickly realises that his best days were with Maggie on their honeymoon in Venice, but knows only too well that things don't work out the way he had expected them to.  Now, as his life literally flashes before his eyes, he wishes he go back and do things differently, but that could risk everything. 

It must be quite something to have your life flash before you, to have to relive the painful moments and to find you can't linger as long as you would like to with the moment to that brought you the most happiness. But what if you can do something about your regrets?  Wilbur by many standards has had a very successful life, certainly career-wise, but his one regret is losing the love of his life and, as his journey on the Midnight Train progresses, he desperately feels that he needs to do something about it, but his guide, Agnes, has already told him in no uncertain terms that he must not interfere with the past as it could have catastrophic repercussions. 

I have to say that this was a really wonderful read and one I found myself completely lost in.  The second in the Midnight series, it was lovely to see Nora whilst also getting to know Wilbur and Maggie.  Matt's writing is full of heart and emotion as we see Wilbur realise the consequences of various actions at different times in his life: he is forced to face the decisions he made and to accept those actions. 

Without doubt, The Midnight Train is a thought-provoking read and one that has stayed with me after I've finished reading it, both in terms of Wilbur and Maggie's story, but also my own.  What exactly would I see from the window of my own midnight train? I started the book on a flight last week and finished it lying on a sunbed, and it definitely reminded me that it's good to reflect upon things and to remember what's important in our life. 

The Midnight Library publishes on the 21st May.

Six Weeks - Matt Goodfellow

When Alfie's mum dies, everything changes for him. He goes to live with his Dad and his new family, leaving him (his step-dad) behind.  But as the first anniversary arrives, and the summer holidays loom ahead, Alfie begins to think about everything that happened, and without even realising it, ends up back at his old home, the home he still lives in . And they end up getting to know each other again.

Alfie has no choice but to navigate life without his mum.  He feels alone, despite having his dad and his new family there who are are wonderful with him.   All he can do is his best, taking it one day at a time.  With six weeks of summer ahead, Alfie turns to his bike and rides to help.

I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to lose your mum at such an early age but Matt explores this in a sensitive and beautiful way, whilst also looking at the wider impact on his father and the grief of Alfie's step-dad.  The use of poetry is, once again, wonderful and Joe Todd-Stanton's illustrations perfectly compliment the writing. 

Having loved Matt's previous two books (The Final Year and The First Year), I was thrilled to receive a proof copy of Six Weeks and it immediately went on the pile of books I was taking on holiday with me over the Easter break.  I'd heard from bookish friends that this was a story that would make me cry but I don't think I was really prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this book took me on (I had tissues, wore sunglasses and was incredibly glad there was nobody else around). From the very beginning, the book reaches in and twists at your heart-strings. It's beautiful, emotional, raw, heart-breaking, heart-warming ... I don't think I quite have the words to say how wonderful this book is. 

Six Weeks is a book you have to just sit with after you've finished it so you can fully absorb everything. It's a book I hugged at the end (between the tears). It's a book full of heart-break, healing and hope. 

I really don't think I can do Six Weeks the justice it deserves so please pre-order it so you can see what I'm talking about when it publishes on the 6th June.

Café Chaos That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles - Catherine Wilkins

After her mum accidentally orders way too many tins of baked beans, the family is forced to change the menu to include as many bean-containing meals as possible.  Suddenly, the whole family are involved in meetings to come up with original ideas as to how to use the beans, and although Hope is trying not to get too involved, it isn't long before café and school life collide again and the answer to the bean problem may just be in the form of a most unlikely source. 

Hope is just getting used to having her bedroom to herself again but the baked bean delivery changes everything; now instead of sharing her room with her auntie, she's sharing it with tins of beans - lots and lots of them! Unable to return the excessive order, the family have no choice but to use them so they don't lose money, but they only have a couple of months before the beans are out of date, and there are only so many beans one family can eat before it begins to have rather hilarious consequences on their digestion.

As well as this, Hope is desperately trying to find her passion in life, her USP, and she is taking the time to explore different ideas.  Add that to the idea of a fashion show taking place at the café and things really do start to get chaotic again!

This is the second in the Café Chaos series (you can read my review of My Family Is Not A Piece Of Cake here) so it was lovely to catch-up with Hope.  The writing is, once again, full of relatable moments and heart, and will have readers laughing out loud as well as empathising with Hope.  With messages about being yourself, dealing with failure and friendship woven in, and Katie's brilliant illustrations, That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles is a great second book in the series.  I can't wait to see what's in store for Hope and her family next!

The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates -Jenny Pearson

After Freddie's grandma dies unexpectedly, he discovers that she's left him a letter, one that contains his birth certificate. Freddie's always known that his dad wasn't his biological dad, but until that moment, he hadn't known anything about his birth dad, and now he knows his name - Alan Froggley. Having lost his Mum shortly after he was born, and now that he's lost his grandma, Freddie worries that he won't have any family left if something happens to his dad, so he decides he needs to find his birth dad.  So, along with his two best friends, Freddie sets out on and adventure he will never forget. 

OK, at this point, I need to say that I can't believe I haven't read this book before! I'm a big fan of Jenny's books as you'll see from my blog, and she's a lovely person (she's been to school twice for book events and always goes down a storm ... she even got the entire school to sing happy birthday to me on her first visit!) so how this book has passed me by, I'll never know. However, a holiday trip to Barter Books in Alnwick earlier this week rectified that (if you've never been, I can highly recommend a visit if you're ever in Northumberland: it's an amazing second hand book stores in the most gorgeous setting). Anyway, I digress!

Freddie is struggling following the death of his grandma, and is looking for answers (he's a kid who loves facts so needing answers makes sense -I love that the book is peppered with unusual facts, by the way!). A quick internet search of his biological dad's name leads him to a company in Wales so with the school holidays having just started, he and his best friends, Ben and Charlie, decide to concoct a plan to head off on an overnight trip.  Easy really: tell parents they're staying at each other's houses, nip off on the train, meet Alan, head back the next day, no problem ... except it doesn't quite go like that! What ensues is a hilarious and often mad-capped adventure that will have you laughing out loud. It's a brilliant read with a host of wonderful characters who are very relatable for readers.  The bond between the boys is evident to see: friends and absolutely there for each other no matter what, but still arguing and disagreeing at times - it's a real friendship and it's good for readers to see that friends argue.  

I must, at this stage, mention Rob Biddulph's wonderful illustrations which perfectly compliment the story and add to the humour - it's the perfect pairing. 

Jenny has a way of being able to weave laughter, warmth and tears seamlessly into a book and The Super Miraculous Journey Of Freddie Yates is a perfect example of this. I laughed on so many occasions but also definitely found a tear rolling down my face at the end. With important messages about family and friendship woven in (and a host of facts to illuminate you along the way), this is a book you need to read.