Greg James, Chris Smith. Bloomsbury. (416p) ISBN 9781408884553
Kid Normal and the Rogue Heroes
In Kid Normal and the Rogue Heroes we follow Murph, Hilda, Nellie, Mary and Billy in the continuing adventures of the Super Zeroes against an even greater danger than that wasp guy, you know the one.
Another well written and funny book by Greg James and Chris Smith showing that heroes don’t need superpowers to be true heroes, and friends.
The action kicks off right from the start as the Super Zeroes continue working for the Heroes’ Alliance in solving crimes and it shows them working together well as a team. Relying on, and helping each other through their missions.
We see the return of some favourites and see how they develop, filling out some back-story and building their characters a bit more.
I really love the asides from the authors that pepper the story so generously, they mostly add to the pace and keep you on your toes.
Another cracking, author-asiding, cape-less adventure for Murph and the Zeroes, battling a truly evil supervillian and one not so evil sidekick (mainkick and his sidekick).
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Cerrie Burnell. Oxford University Press. (240p) ISBN 9780192767547
The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth
I’ve read and enjoyed some of Cerrie Burnell’s book for younger readers (as have the younger people that I read them with and to) and was looking forward to reading this Middle Grade outing.
The adventure in The Girl with the Shark’s Teeth centres around Minnow’s search for her mother who has been taken whilst protecting her, but Minnow doesn’t know who she was being protected from or why.
Along the way she enlists the help of Raife, a young ice-diver from Iceland, and her grandmother who lives in Reykjavik. With their help she discovers her own gifts and secrets that had been hidden.
The world of the Wild Deep is a magical place, full of mythical creatures and the secrets of the oceans, and this is where Minnow must travel to to rescue her mum.
Beautiful world building, mysterious creatures, dashing adventure, firm friendships, and much more make this an exciting read from start to finish
And what is really good? I can see this world being expanded to follow the adventures of Mercy and Minnow further, with some side adventures from Raife exploring his story.
Perfect for those that love a magical adventure with a strong girl protagonist, if you liked ‘The Ice Sea Pirates’ by Frida Nilsson you will love this.
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Neal Shusterman. Walker Books. (528p) ISBN 9781406379532
Thunderhead
Now, it’s not unknown but it’s rare, very rare that I rate a sequel higher than the first book in a series, but I really loved Thunderhead, the sequel to Scythe by Neal Shusterman.
We follow on from the incidents in the first book and see where Rowan and City have got to since the dramatic ending in Scythe.
Rowan has continued his self-imposed quest and has broken more than one rule of Scythdom, but one of the most important is he dresses in black as a Reaper.
Citra is following the tenets of old-school Scythdom but with a twist which alienates some of the old-school, but could help develop the institution into one that bridges both.
But things couldn’t be that simple could they, and Neal throws a massive, massive twist in that was so unexpected but really spiced up the book, I did actually gasp at the reveal.
The development of Thunderhead throughout is also handled well, and with another result that wasn’t really expected.
Another cracking book set in a well-thought out dystopian future.
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Getting back into blogging about books now that I’ve had a few moments of clarity on my projects and got quite a bit going on them. It also seems that I’ve started reading at a reasonable pace once more, mainly middle grade but it’s a start.
I’ve been working away solidly at the Indie Publisher website compiling a spreadsheet of contact information, along with other bits of information to help me get a directory out as soon as I can. This does seem to be taking up a lot of my free time right now.
I’ve also been consolidating information onto my Patreon, gradually getting all the recipes, film reviews, art manifesto and other bits across there for my patrons.
Here are several books that I’m quite hyped about for July 2021.
Mordew by Alex Pheby
This book I have as I’m a Galley Beggar Press Buddy, but I also got it in hardback as the cover is stunning. This is the first in a trilogy I always wanted to read and Alex has produced a stunner of a book, it’s now coming out in paperback in July, please make sure you read it. 9781913111120
The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes
This one I first saw in the recently closed Oswell’s in Barnard Castle and it went straight on my Wish List, exploring the inequality of land ownership in the UK and the politics and history behind this. 9781526604729
The Giant Dark by Sarvat Hasin
I’ve really loved the recent spate of reimagining of Greek myths into either contemporary settings, or rephrasing from the oppressed’s perspective. This sounds like a fascinating reimagining of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and the use of another, especially a lover as a muse. 9780349701738
Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder
This feels like a werewolf book, but with a difference. Sharp and witty is what everyone is saying and I’m so looking forward to finding out. 9781787302648
Test Signal edited by Nathan Connolly
An anthology of Northern writers feels like a great way to explore the region and the current thought going on in it, some great writers in here, and published by one of my favourites, Dead Ink Books. 9781526630919
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
Out in paperback at the end of the month and that still feels a bit too long to wait, but waiting for an N.K. Jemisin book is always worth it. Alternative New York (tick) Ancient Evil (tick) Trilogy (tick) – this just sounds perfect 9780356512686
A Short History of the World in 50 Animals by Jacob F. Field
I’m a sucker for this type of list book, exploring the world, our part in it, and what else makes up the world around us, and the illustrations look stunning 9781789292954
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