Ghost Hunter - Michelle Paver

All good things must eventually come to an end.

Those who read my review last year of books four and five, Outcast and Oathbreaker, will already know how excited I have been about the sixth and final installment of Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

Set 6,000 years ago, Paver's series follows the young Torak in his fight against the Soul Eaters and save the clans of the Forest, Mountains and Sea from evil. Torak is accompanied in his journey by his Raven clan friend, Renn, and his pack-brother, Wolf.

In the final novel, Torak finds himself up against the last and deadliest of the Soul Eaters, the Eagle Owl Mage, Eostra. Wolf is now a fully grown adult and has his own family and cubs with mate Darkfur. Eostra is casting a dark cloud of evil over the clans, and Torak leaves to stop the evil mage and exact revenge for his father's death. When Wolf's pack is mortally attacked, he too is forced to leave the Forest, and all three friends find themselves on a dark journey. Without giving anything away, suffice to say that Ghost Hunter is possibly the most exciting book of the series. With characters old and new, Paver expertly takes the story down new paths with Torak and his companions again forced to make some difficult choices.

It is the tangible nature of Paver's world that is so compelling. The smell of the trees, the feel of the earth, the method of making a bow, knife or skin paddle boat. These are not words pulled from thin air, but observations made by the author as she spent time with the Inuit and Sami peoples of the Arctic. Paver's storytelling is intricate, as she draws together these details while weaving a tale full of beauty and horror. Torak's plight is unimaginable. An orphan struggling to survive in a world he little understands, his mission against evil thrust upon him, Torak is forced to find his own way and confront his greatest fears.

I consider myself a spiritual person, one with a deep connection to the world around me, something I share with the clans in Paver's world. These hunter-gather tribes have a solemn reverence for and understanding of Nature, something which should appeal to the young audience that Paver is aiming for. I was never afraid that this series would disappoint, though I was very intrigued with how the series would be ended. With this wonderful tale carried expertly through six books, we are granted a finale so thrilling and heart-wrenching, that this particular reader considers well well worth the wait.

Although satisfied with the outcome of the tale, there is an inevitable sense of loss when such a beautifully crafted series comes to an end. I cannot recommend this fabulous series enough and hope that it will reach the wider audience that it deserves.

Paper Towns - John Green

It's hard to believe that little over a year ago, this particular blogger was unaware of the existence of a somewhat well-known and renowned American author named John Green. His first main novel was the astoundingly brilliant Looking for Alaska, one of my favourite books of last year, followed by An Abundance of Katherines, which I must admit, did not rock my world.

Paper Towns is the third young adult novel from this fabulous young John Green. I was a little wary, after being disappointed by Katherines, but need not have worried. Paper Towns is the story of high school student Quentin Jacobsen, who has lived next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman since he was two years old. They were best friends until one day, at nine years old, they discovered a dead body. Now high-school seniors, Quentin is still besotted with the wilful and independent Margo, but they no longer speak. So one night, when she climbs through his bedroom window and invites him to help her in her all-night mission for revenge, Quentin cannot refuse. The night is insane and daring, impulsive and every bit as exciting as Quentin could have hoped, but the next day at school he discovers that Margo has disappeared. However, Margo has left clues for Quentin and his friends to follow, and he soon finds himself on a journey that will change his life.

It is safe to say that Paper Towns is not what I expected. What begins as an adventurous romance soon turns into something quite different. Quentin is the anchor of the story. The main protagonist, it is Quentin's desire to find Margo that drives the plot, and his confusion about her that keeps the reader so involved. He is so normal that it is easy to identify with him. Margo on the other hand, while intriguing, is very hard to understand. She is the enigma, the mystery that is slowly revealed. Paper Towns is witty, warm and magical, touching deeply into the meaning of truth and friendship and what it is to feel hope, despair or love. Although the ending may also not be what the reader expects, it is the journey that makes the story worthwhile.

Brilliant brilliant brilliant! Green will most certainly go down in my book as one of the most astute authors when dealing with characters making that final transition to adulthood.

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The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle

Read for: Challenge with Rhinoa

Although considered by many to be one of the greatest classic children's fantasy novels of the last few decades, The Last Unicorn is largely unknown this side of the Atlantic. Now I will confess to having seen the animated film adaptation only once, as an adult, and really was not particularly impressed. But then, with many films, it is hard to appreciate them as an adult, when you didn't grow up with them, so I gave the book a chance.

The Last Unicorn is exactly that. A unicorn quite happily living her sheltered existence in her forest, until she overhears two hunters talking, and realises that she may indeed be the last living unicorn. She leaves the wood in search of her kin, only to be caught by Mommy Fortuna, and caged as part of her travelling menagerie. She is rescued by the mysterious Schmendrick the Magician who joins her on her journey. The two companions seek King Haggard and his Red Bull, en route encountering many hazardous situations and a new friend, Molly Grue.

Although based in fairy tale, with poetic prose and characters from myth and legend, The Last Unicorn feels somewhat conflicted. In places far more mature than a simple children's fairy tale, much of the story feels far too adult to be understood or appreciated by younger readers. At its heart, it is a tale of seeking what was lost, and accepting what can never be. A beautiful yet sad and bittersweet tale, and altogether a very pleasant surprise for this reader. And as with so many books I have recently read, it was the writing that I loved the most, here is a little taste.

"The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless colour of sea foam but rather the colour of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea."

Thoroughly recommended for lovers of fairy tale and fantasy alike. And hopefully the first of many Beagle novels for me.

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett

Read for: Dewey's Books Reading Challenge

I am probably one of the last people to read and review this adorable little novella, but it was well worth it. Alan Bennett is one of Britain's most well loved playwrights, although I am not sure how well known he is outside our small Isle.

The Uncommon Reader is the short tale of a most unusual encounter and how it affects one person's life in particular. That person of course is the British Queen, who comes across a mobile library when she is persuing her corgis across the lawn of Buckingham Palace. After apologising profusely for the racket, she finds it only polite to borrow a book and takes her leave. Although she did not particularly enjoy the book, she persevered and borrowed another, awakening in herself a deep passion for literature. A passion that slowly begins to affect her everyday life and her very public job.

I most definitely had a smile on myself through this one! The Queen is very much a figurehead in my country. Although we acknowledge her presence and place in our history, most (save the royalists) are glad that she has so little authority, and as such, show very little interest in her private life, which she keeps under wraps. This book gave a little insight into an idea of a person, one who is so very public. That idea was amusing and warm, stern and responsible, but who hadn't truly lived in the way your average person has. Such a sheltered life, I almost pity the woman, though thinking back to the changes she must have witnessed over the years, I imagine she might be a very interesting person to have a cup of tea and a chat with.

Full of British politicians and quirky Palace employees, and of course, the Queen herself, The Uncommon Reader is a tale of one woman realising, it is never too late to discover a passion that can completely change your life. A highly enjoyable though very short read, and oh so worth it!

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I am Morgan le Fay - Nancy Springer

Read for: Arthurian Challenge

"I am Morgan le Fay, and I will never die. I hover on the wind, and fate falls out of each slow beat of my wings. That is what my name means: Morgan the fate, Morgan the magical, fey Morgan of the otherworld, Morgan who must be feared. But I was not always Morgan le Fay. When they killed my father, I was only little Morgan. "

Quite faithful to the famous legend in places, all the familar faces are present, Morgause, Merlin, Uther, Igraine and Arthur himself. But this story is most certainly Morgan's, eschewing many events of the traditional tale in favour of following Morgan from childhood to her eventual rise as a woman of great power. This is the second of Springer's Arthurian tales, following but not necessarily linked to her first novel, I am Mordred.

Morgan herself is a feisty young girl, her father's "firebrand", and it understandably confused when her mother is bedded by a man resembling her father, at the same time of his death. Morgan's whole world is uprooted, and she and her sister Morgause are cared for by their nurse, while their mother Igraine is taken away and married to the High King, Uther Pendragon. Morgan's hatred for the King, (and his magical advisor Merlin) and his treatment of her mother, and the creation of their offspring, the boy who would be king, Arthur. All the while, her power, and the power of Avalon grows, and ultimately leads to the choice Morgan must make.

I am Morgan le Fay is a short book, with simple but effective storytelling that was surprisingly satisfying. Morgan is a great protagonist, with the reader deeply involved in her life from the start, although she is inevitably a bitter and confused young woman. It is Morgan's character flaws that make the story so readable, there is no black and white, good and evil. Springer acknowledges that human nature is far too complicated for that and her characters are very much shaped by their experiences and emotions. An interesting addition to this tale was the integration of True Thomas, Thomas the Rhymer, as Morgan's companion. This allowed us to see another side of Morgan, one that ultimately leads to its own destruction and takes Morgan down a far darker path.

A tale of love and loss, of war and grief, of power and betrayal. And a very pleasant read.

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Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Read for: RIP IV Challenge

Few people need an introduction to Mary Shelley's classic monster novel, Frankenstein. Although I am very familar with the film adaptations of the novel, I had yet to read it.

Frankenstein is not what I expected. Far from the mad scientist films that have become popular myth, the novel begins by following Dr Frankenstein to the Arctic, in order to gain justice, to right a wrong. The story then returns to his youth, following Frankenstein's progression from young man to a university student, and ultimately to his foolish, arrogant experiments in cheating death. The being Frankenstein then creates follows him, causing him despair and pain as it tries to understand its place in the world and what has been done to it.

Sadly, because I was already familar with the premise, the novel held little shock value for me. Way ahead of its time, and controversially written by a very young woman, Frankenstein is still a ground-breaking work and deliciously gothic in its prose and atmosphere. However, several sections felt overly elaborate, with Shelley spending far too much time on building scenes, dialogue and describing her protagonist's state of mind. It felt to me like a young inexperienced author, with a wealth of imagination, but still growing into her skill as a novelist. I am not familar with Shelley's later work, but am curious as to how much she improved as an author!

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Dewey - Vicki Myron

Some speed reviews now, as I'm so behind!

Dewey is the titular cat who was found one morning as a tiny scared and half frozen kitten who had been shoved into a library drop-box overnight. Nursed back to health by Vicki Myron and her staff, Dewey became a permanent addition to the library, bringing his own unique personality to the team. After endearing himself to the locals, Dewey soon brought in visitors from much further afield, ending up as one of many talented and special cats on a Japanese television documentary.

Myron's biography of Dewey is very entertaining and enjoyable, though she does completely anthropomorphise the cat, his personality and emotions, occasionally with overly cheesy gusto. Although straying well beyond the boundaries of sentimentality, it is still a heartfelt and utterly endearing book of a cat who truly touched a lot of lives. Packed with classic comedy moments, Dewey is a sweet enough tale that it may have brought a tear to the eye!

One for any cat lovers out there, and perhaps also those who enjoy reading about the impact a library can have on a community.

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