Katya's World by Jonathon L. Howard

review by Maryom

Katya's World, Russalka,  is one of endless ocean with no landmass to interrupt it. The colonists mostly live in sealed environments dug out of the sea bed, moving between them by submarine and rarely seeing daylight.
Katya Kuriakova is just starting her first job as navigator on her Uncle's submarine, Pushkin's Baby. She's expecting a routine start to a routine job, transporting cargo along well-known submarine routes. Then the sub is commandeered by the Federal Maritime Authority to transport the infamous pirate, Havilland Kane, to prison forcing the sub to take the direct route through The Weft, an area of unusually random currents normally avoided. When they disturb something monstrous lurking there, things are never going to be routine again.

Katya's World is what I think of as a proper old-fashioned sci-fi story - set on a world somewhere out in space with strange geography and lifestyles - not so common in these days of paranormal fantasy. With Russalka, Howard has created a complete believable world, thought out its advantages and drawbacks, explored its history - the only thing I felt was slightly lacking was an exploration of the inhabited stations - I hope this will come with later books. On this world he's set an amazing story with pirates, rebels and a monster lurking in the depths that may bring an end to life as the Russalkins know it. It has almost more twists and turns than I would have thought possible!

Katya is a heroine clever and resourceful beyond her 15 years - think of Star Trek's Wesley Crusher crossed with Alien's Ripley and you're getting close. The other characters are equally well developed with unexpected depths and subtleties - not the two-dimensional cut-outs so often found in sci-fi.

Katya's World is just the first of a series - I just hope the rest are as good. It's marketed as Young Adult but I found it a totally compelling read regardless, so don't be put off if you are older than YA.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Strange Chemistry
Genre - Sci-Fi, Adventure, YA/adult

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When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald

Review by The Mole

"When It Happens to You" is a story of life crises that hops from one person to the next. It starts with Greta and Philip and the disaster that is Philip cheating on his wife. The story switches to a school friend of their daughter. The stories move to neighbours, relatives and lovers before finally returning to Greta and Philip.

I was very quickly intrigued and thinking 'Desperate Housewives' without the comedy but with more reality added. Each character had their own tale to tell, and one very different to the others.

I have to admit, though, to a little disappointment during the second half of the book when the story stopped its jumping but focussed on one story, as it returned to Greta and Philip and began to look like romantic fiction.

Some people are describing it as a collection of short stories, but you you can dip in and out of a collection but here you must take each story in turn.

The tales are captivating and enjoyable as the story weaves its way back and forth but how would I describe it's genre? It's romantic fiction, but not romantic fiction perhaps it's better to say it's contemporary fiction and will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Genre - Adult Contemporary Fiction

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Some Kind Of Peace by Camilla Grebe and Asa Traff

review by Maryom

Siri Bergman is a psychotherapist. Good at helping others out with their problems and fears, she refuses to acknowledge her own. Since her husband's death in a diving accident, she's continued to live in their remote seaside cottage, pretending nothing has changed but at night the only way she can sleep is to leave all the lights blazing. Somewhere out there, she feels someone is watching her - and soon her fears start to come true. At first the lights are switched off and her emergency torch disappears - irritating things, suspicious things but in themselves relatively harmless. Then the dead body of one of her patients is found floating in the bay by the cottage. At first the police dismiss it as suicide but events soon lead them, and Siri, to believe that things have taken a more dangerous turn.

Some Kind Of Peace is an excellent thriller from a pair of Swedish writers new to me. It 's the sort of story that starts calmly but with each new event the tension mounts. If you've ever imagined eyes watching you in the dark, or footsteps following you down the street, you're in for a really scary read - even without those fears you'll be gripped! There are snippets interspersed with the action to allow the reader inside the stalker's head - and maybe help identify him/her. I think that's the only negative comment I have to make - I guessed whodunnit!  While Siri was starting to think twice about her work colleagues, friends and patients, to wonder if one of them might be behind the dreadful things happening to those around her, I'd made my mind up about who the stalker was. I don't really think it lessened my enjoyment of the story though, just made me feel smug when I was proved right!
One aspect I really liked was the 'foreign', Swedish feel of the setting. A lot of Scandinavian Noir is gripping and gritty but, apart from excessive cold or a glimpse of midnight sun, could be taking place anywhere. From the opening scene, Some Kind of Peace unfolds against a backdrop of Swedish sights - from bustling Stockholm to Siri's coastal cottage, from the continuous light of summer to almost perpetual dark of winter I felt I was really there.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars

Publisher - Simon & Schuster

Genre - crime, adult fiction, Nordic Noir


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Another Life by Keren David

Ty's back - with a new look!

post by Maryom

Another Life is the third, and possibly final, instalment in the life of Ty -  who after witnessing a knifing incident found himself bustled away into the witness protection programme for the safety of him and his family. With each change of name Ty has become a different person, developing a character that suits his new name, and always hiding his past. This time he's having to face up to the consequences of what happened seemingly so long ago in that North London playground and, whatever identity he hides behind, it's Ty himself who has to take the rap.
The story-telling passes to his cousin Archie - a pampered irritating Rich Kid who thinks he can play at 'undercover cop' and be a hero. Both boys learn that you have to face the consequences of your actions - perhaps a harder lesson for Archie than for Ty.

The whole series has had a re-packaging, one that I personally feel will be more appealing to boys glancing idly along bookshelves. If they'd got as far as reading the blurb, the story would always have drawn them in. I just wonder whether in retrospect the original covers with the moody-looking guy could have been mistaken for 'girls' books. Hopefully Ty is now off to find a whole new gang of fans.





Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Teen/YA Contemporary Fiction

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Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Review by The Mole

Saba, her twin brother Lugh, Emmi and their father are surviving on a lakeside during a drought in a post- apolcalytic world. Her father reads the stars and sees the future but Saba doesn't think she believes in it and her brother certainly doesn't. Then one day the Tonton come visiting with a neighbour and take Lugh away after killing her father and leaving the two girls alone. Can they survive on their own? Who are the Tonton and why did they take Lugh. And will they ever see Lugh again?



Fast paced from the beginning this book drags you in and involves you. There are times when you want to tell the characters to choose other options but that is always a mark of characters that you believe in and care about.

Yes, the spelling and language takes you by surprise and it certainly slowed my reading at first but stick with it.

You expect the heroine to be honest and honourable but you may get a surprise or two from Saba as she becomes very selfish in her hunt for her twin excluding everyone else from her world. As with all sci-fi novels there are niggles that leave you wondering, but with this story you will only get chance to consider them retrospectively as you race along with the plot.

A truly worthy winner of the Costa Children's Book award and left with a nice twist or two for the sequel. You are left wondering why the characters behaved that way at the end.... a sure sign of a sequel.

Publisher -  Marion LLoyd Books (Scholastic)
Genre - teens, Sci-Fi, Action Adventure

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Torn by David Massey

review by Maryom

Ellie is on her first tour of duty as an army medic in Afghanistan but no amount of training could have prepared her for the reality of life there. She finds herself immediately plunged in at the deep end with roadside bombs and bullets whizzing past. Through the hail of bullets wanders a young Afghan girl, seemingly unafraid and unharmed. Trying to find out who this girl is and why she is there leads Ellie into dangerous mountain country, home to armed gangs and Taliban supporters.

I've read quite a few novels - aimed at both teens and adults - with some or all of the story set in Afghanistan and this is the first that really made me feel I was there. Massey succeeds in capturing the overpowering heat, freezing nights, dust and stark beauty of the country; the fear, camaraderie and bravery of the soldiers. He manages throughout to avoid the politics of the situation and concentrates on telling a gripping story with a slight supernatural twist. Ellie and her fellow soldiers are real young people engaged in something that is not quite what they expected, though I found my heart going out more to the Afghan children caught up in a war that seems 'normal' to them.
It's a slightly strange mix of female lead in what may be considered a 'male' story-setting, though I grew up reading real life WW2 exploits (Dad's library books) rather than romantic fiction (Mother's). Overall an excellent debut novel that I'd recommend to all teens/young adults with a liking for action adventure.

Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Chicken House
Genre - war, teen/YA /adult

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Sammy Feral's Diaries of Weird By Eleanor Hawken

Review by The Mole 

Sammy Feral is a normal boy, if you can call someone whose family own a zoo 'normal', until one day his life gets turned upside down and he finds out that werewolves may not be as fictional as he thought. Can he save his family and the zoo in time?

Written as a 'diary' this story should appeal to the younger reader as it's format is very much designed for them. Short chapters, occasional illustrations and a generous sprinkling of humour is used to bring a plot to life that moves quickly and is easy to read.

I found myself spellbound and smiling throughout the book and was pleased that the plot was not overly simple. However, I am sure we have not heard the last of Sammy, Donny and Red (or the zoo come to that) and this book will develop a fan base amongst it's readers. Boys and girls will love this book.

Publisher - Quercus Kids 
Genre - Readers 8+ 

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