Bloomsbury Australia Archives

Book Review: The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

Apr 22, 2017

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

Pages: 416
Publish date: May 5th, 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 1408866617
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Before Verity . . . there was Julie.

When fifteen-year-old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital, she knows the lazy summer break she’d imagined won’t be exactly like she anticipated. And once she returns to her grandfather’s estate, a bit banged up but alive, she begins to realise that her injury might not have been an accident. One of her family’s employees is missing, and he disappeared on the very same day she landed in the hospital.

Desperate to figure out what happened, she befriends Euan McEwen, the Scots Traveller boy who found her when she was injured, and his standoffish sister Ellen. As Julie grows closer to this family, she experiences some of the prejudices they’ve grown used to firsthand, a stark contrast to her own upbringing, and finds herself exploring thrilling new experiences that have nothing to do with a missing-person investigation.

Her memory of that day returns to her in pieces, and when a body is discovered, her new friends are caught in the crosshairs of long-held biases about Travellers. Julie must get to the bottom of the mystery in order to keep them from being framed for the crime.

The Pearl Thief:

I received an earc of The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein from Bloomsbury Australia via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I was really looking forward to The Pearl Thief. I’ve been wanting to read Code Name Verity for some time. But when I heard there was going to be a prequel, I thought it was the best way to start. Sadly, I was disappointed. It wasn’t what I expected to be and with so much hype around this world and the author I was looking for something more. While it wasn’t what I was expecting, I also didn’t hate it and enjoyed aspects of the book.

The Pearl Thief follows fifteen-year-old Julia Beaufort-Stuart who after waking up in the hospital is trying to fill in the gaps. In the meantime, she meets some new people and they take her on a journey that changes her life and who is really she. With her memory coming back in pieces, will she be able to remember what happened to her before it’s too late?

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about Julia as a protagonist. There were parts where I did enjoy her as a character. I loved when she was able to stand up for herself and others. She has this allure about her that I did enjoy, especially for a girl of her time. However other times I found her; bland. I am not how to put it, but I wasn’t interested in her story at times. She just wanted to kiss everyone. And while at times this isn’t bad, she doesn’t even remember what got her to the hospital.

The romance aspects of The Pearl Thief were enjoyable. Although Julia did kiss a fair few people throughout the short span of the book. There was one relationship that I really did enjoy. I don’t want to spoil it overly, but it was something different, especially for a historically based novel.

The notion of family was a big aspect of The Pearl Thief. Not as much as the interaction of family, but what it means and where you come from were. I really enjoyed Julia’s interaction between her brothers. I loved that they cared for one another, and would do a lot of each other. But, we also saw how money and family status influence what happens in the world and how you are treated.

The mystery elements of The Pearl Thief were totally there. I didn’t guess what was happening at all – which is fantastic. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. Or what was going to trigger Julia into remembering something about the incident. It was really good.

I also liked the plot of The Pearl Thief, however, I felt that parts were far to dragged on and I was totally bored. There were pages that I wanted to skip and find out some more or for something to happen. I did enjoy the incorporation of pearl finding – that was a nice touch.

Overall, The Pearl Thief was just an okay read. It explores the notion of a girl in her time and where she stands. It explores family and friendship and standing up for what you believe in. There was the mystery, romance and beautiful friendships. I hope that I will be able to read more of Wein’s books soon and hope that the hype stands true.

Have you read The Pearl Thief? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read anything else by Elizabeth Wein? What did you think? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan & Brain Conaghan

Feb 24, 2017

We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brain Conaghan

Pages: 336
Publish date: 9th February 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
ISBN: 1408878860
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his new home. Meanwhile, Jess’s home life is overshadowed by violence. When Nicu and Jess meet, what starts out as friendship grows into romance as the two bond over their painful pasts and hopeful futures. But will they be able to save each other, let alone themselves?
For fans of Una LaMarche’s Like No Other, this illuminating story told in dual points of view through vibrant verse will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the last page.

We Come Apart:

I received an ARC of We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brain Conaghan from Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I didn’t know how I was going to feel about this one, verse isn’t usually my thing and I had yet to read one that I loved. And although I didn’t love We Come Apart, I still very much liked it.

We Come Apart follows two protagonists, Nicu and Jess who are torn apart both on the outside and the inside. When these two are brought together things start to change for the both of them. And some of those things aren’t for the better.

Nicu; oh how he caught my heart. At first, it’s a little hard to really understand Nicu. It’s one of my first verse novels and he also speaks broken English. But, as the novel went on, I came to love him. And understand exactly how he is feeling. Not only is Nicu in an entirely different county, but he is not welcomed at all. It’s the heartbreaking reality of people moving to a place where they aren’t from, it’s even worse when you don’t speak their language or understand the cultural of said country. All Nicu wants to do is live his life, like his wants. He wants to have friends, and being the odd one out isn’t easy.

Jess on the other should fit in, but she doesn’t seem too. Jess was much harder to get along with simply because of her attitude and the way she went a round things. She had this fire in her and I wanted her to let it go. I wanted Jess to be her. But her home life is shit all and school isn’t that much better. So she has taken to stealing, and it breaks my heart – the things that she does.

The notion of family is a big focus in We Come Apart. But, not in a good sense. I know I say that we need to have a good family portrayal in books, but sometimes Nicu and Jess’ families need to be front and center. Jess’s home life, is full of violence and hate. It’s heartbreaking seeing both Jess and her mum waste away. While Nicu’s family hated leaving Romania and put so much pressure on Nicu. Not only that, they want to marry Nicu off to a nice Romanian girl.

I had a love/hate relationship with the romance aspects of We Come Apart. It all happens fast, and even though I think they have some amazing connection. I am not entirely sure if it was all real. Nicu cared a lot for Jess, like a hell of a lot. But, I am not sure how much Jess felt the same. She is really closed off and even though we were in her head. I still wasn’t sure how she felt.

The writing style of We Come Apart is very unique. Like I’ve said before I haven’t read much verse, but now I am totally intrigued. I haven’t read anything by each of the authors. So, I couldn’t tell the different between the two. I loved the aspect of Nicu’s broken English, but it was also very hard to read at times.

Overall, We Come Apart is a poignant, heartbreaking story of two different people brought together by strange circumstances. It explores the notion of love, family, friends and what it’s like it be different. We Come Apart will tear you apart with this heart wrenching, but also a beautiful story.

Have you read We Come Apart yet? What did you think? Are you planning on reading it? Have you read anything else by the authors? Let’s Chat!

Book Review: The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman

Aug 17, 2016

The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman

Pages: 278
Publish date: 31 May 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 0802736629
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Ten years ago, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, seven-year-old Samantha and her next door neighbor, Remy, watched as a man broke into Sam’s home and took her younger sister, Turtle, from her sleeping bag. Remy and Sam, too afraid to intervene at the time, later identified the man as Sam’s sister Gretchen’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steven, who was sent to prison for Turtle’s murder.

Now, Sam’s shattered family is returning to her childhood home in an effort to heal. As long-buried memories begin to surface, Sam wonders if she and Remy accurately registered everything they saw. The more they re-examine the events of that fateful night, the more questions they discover about what really happened to Turtle.

The Last Good Day of the Year:

I received a review copy of The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman from Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for a review, this has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I picked up The Last Good Day of the Year on a whim. I had heard nothing about it and had never read anything by the author, and I had no idea what to expect. Overall, I liked it the book, but I did have some problems with it.

The Last Good Day of the Year follows protagonist Sam 10 years after the kidnapping of her young sister Turtle when she and her family return to where it all happened. The kidnapper was caught, but as she starts to re-evaluate the weeks leading up to the disappearance and those around her – she starts to think that maybe the kidnapper is still out there.

I love mystery/thriller novels, they are probably one of my favourite books to read apart from fantasy, so I was looking forward to see where The Last Good Day of the Year took me. I loved where it was going until the last 50 pages or so where I didn’t even understand what was going on. I had to re-read it a couple of times and still I don’t know what happened. However, nearly everything leading up to that I enjoyed.

I loved the mystery element of The Last Good Day of the Year. It was captivating and interesting to read. I wanted to know what happened, how everything came to par. I didn’t know what was going to happen next and I was on the edge of my seat. Everyone was unreliable and that is perfect for this type of novel. I was intrigued.

I wasn’t a massive fan of protagonist Sam, I cannot pinpoint why exactly, and there was just something about her that didn’t fit right with me. I wanted to see more character development as well, at times I felt like she was 12 years old. However, by the end, I was quite happy with who she becomes.

The family is another story – I pretty much disliked them all the way through. The mother, I understand that she lost a child – but the way that she treats some of her kids – you would think that after losing one child she would treasure the rest. The father was kind of ‘not there’ for me, I didn’t feel him as a character.

I also wasn’t a massive fan of how the book was set out. Most of the book was set in the present day, however there was quite a few chapters set in the year of the kidnapping and it wasn’t as strong as the rest of the book. Those chapters could have easily been done as flashbacks or summaries. I felt that it jolted the flow of the book being pushed back in time.

Another thing that I did enjoy was the romance, it might have seemed quick. But Sam and Remy have known each other quite a long time and it felt ‘right.’ They had already built a friendship and even though it was rocky, it all worked.

Overall, The Last Good Day of the Year was a compelling read. The tension was perfect and convinced me to feel anxious and on the tip of my toes wanting to find out more. However, I wanted more from the protagonist and author.

Have you read The Last Good Day of the Year by Jessica Warman? Did you like it? Are you going to read it? Have you read any other books by her? Let’s Chat!