I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was last week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about One of Us is Back by Karen McManus. Thank you to Candy Ikwuwunna at Penguin Random House Children’s UK for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Life hasn’t been easy for the Bayview Crew. First they had to prove they weren’t killers. Then a new generation had to outwit a vengeful copycat. Now, it’s beginning again.
At first the mysterious billboard seems like a bad joke: Time for a new game, Bayview. But when a member of the crew disappears, it’s clear this ‘game’ just got serious – and no-one understands the rules.
Everyone’s a target. And now that someone unexpected has returned to Bayview, things are starting to get deadly. Simon was right about secrets – they all come out in the end.
Publication Date: 27th July
TW: death, blood, violence, drugging, kidnapping, stalking, sexual assault (mentioned), gun violence, hospitalisation, alcohol, alcoholism, murder
My Thoughts:
One of Us is Back is an explosive, entertaining and endlessly enjoyable YA mystery that sinks its hooks deep in your skin and will not let go until the final page.
This is right up there with Two Can Keep A Secret as my favourite McManus yet.
It is an incredible culmination of the Bayview Crew’s story, asking searing questions about the cyclical nature of revenge, justice and the lengths to which one should go to right the wrongs of the past. This really sits with those moral and ethical dilemmas, leaving you in some ambiguous territory. It is also a story of hope and healing at its core. There is love, light and a focus on the power of friendship and recovery. On that note, I can say anyone who loves a good ship will be in their element here. McManus has tied the series together exquisitely, though I will never say no if she decides to return to the Bayview Crew one day.
The pacing, the twists and the atmosphere are all top-tier. This is a book that delights in bewildering and surprising you. There are so many rabbit holes to delve into and McManus leads you along on a wild and unpredictable chase. Her twists are legendary and still pack such a punch here. I sat totally enraptured on the train, having to keep checking that I had not missed my stop because I was so engrossed in these pages. She just has that innate quality of keeping you totally captivated and constantly on your toes. Of course, it helped that I already knew and loved these characters, though you may be surprised with a few of the character arcs that develop here. They have come so far from The Breakfast Club-esque cliches they pretended to be in One of Us is Lying. This Crew has been to hell and back and McManus ensures that there is no rest for the wicked here.
One of Us is Back proves once and forever that there is a reason why McManus is known as a Queen of YA thrillers.
Next up, I’d like to talk about Mister Magic by Kiersten White. Thank you to Del Rey for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.
But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who – or what – the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former circle of friends have.
Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they somehow understand one another better than anyone has since.
After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?
Publication Date: 1st August
TW: death, violence, indoctrination, religious trauma, homophobia
My Thoughts:
Mister Magic creeped me out. This is the type of horror that permeates your brain and invades your thoughts, leaving you jumping at shadows and contemplating deeper issues through the guise of monsters.
After loving Hide last year, I knew I had to pick up White’s next horror book. Mister Magic had a premise that made that desire become a need. I mean, that mix of an exploration of trauma and a lingering sense of something deeply wrong is a recipe for an absolute nightmare-inducing book for me. White capitalises on this premise perfectly, tapping into the weaponised nostalgia and the inherent creepiness of old children’s TV shows. That whole aesthetic is just that bit uncanny and the narrative choices heighten it so much. You have excerpts from online forums discussing Mister Magic – a show that no longer seems to exist anywhere but everyone has such strong memories of. It is totally the Mandela effect taken to the maximum fear factor.
At the same time, this is a deeply personal and quietly devastating book. White’s author note broke me and built me back up at the same time. It is a testament to hope, while exploring the lingering effects of familial relationships and trauma, specifically connected to religious experiences. It is not a straight transferal into the story, but you can connect the allusion and metaphor. This was particularly striking for me in some of the town scenes and the underlying dynamics that rippled throughout the book. Those interview scenes were so chilling as well. I thought I had everything worked out, but yet again White proved me totally wrong. There is a strong mystery element to the story, as you try to piece together exactly what happened all those years ago.
Mister Magic takes that uncanny sense of something going wrong and just builds and builds into an unrelenting and terrifying force.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons. Thank you to Manilla Press for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Was the greatest ever love story a lie? The first time Romeo Montague sees young Rosaline Capulet he falls instantly in love.
Rosaline, headstrong and independent, is unsure of Romeo’s attentions but with her father determined that she join a convent, this handsome and charming stranger offers her the chance of a different life. Soon though, Rosaline begins to doubt all that Romeo has told her.
She breaks off the match, only for Romeo’s gaze to turn towards her cousin, thirteen-year-old Juliet. Gradually Rosaline realises that it is not only Juliet’s reputation at stake, but her life.
With only hours remaining before she will be banished behind the nunnery walls, will Rosaline save Juliet from her Romeo? Or can this story only ever end one way?
Publication Date: 3rd August
TW: death, violence, suicidal thoughts, grooming, sexual abuse, rape, paedophilia, child abuse, emotional abuse, gaslighting, manipulation
My Thoughts:
Fair Rosaline is a feminist retelling of Romeo and Juliet that is stark with rage at a world determined to crush young women.
This was such a stark and brutally honest take on the Romeo and Juliet narrative, one that exposes the violence enmeshed in the ‘romance’ of Shakespeare’s tale. It is gut-churning at times and exposes the horrors of patriarchal society. By using this lens, Solomons brings a new take to one of the most beloved tales of all time. For example, something that I have never fully considered is the true age of Juliet, which makes for horrifying reading here. I cannot think of a production that emphasises this at all, rather just the romanticised, rose-tinted romance.
Rosaline is a fantastic protagonist. Solomons writes her with a distinctively modern voice at times, becoming more accessible for a current reader, while still tapping into the Shakespearean style. It is flowery and descriptive, but deeply human and cuts like a knife. Solomons blends that heady rush of romance with the gritty reality of Rosaline’s life. This is still a deeply tragic tale. Though you know the bare bones of the story, you still mourn the events that occur. I would just argue that you mourn them in very different ways as different aspects of characters come to light. There is also somewhat of a mystery plot interwoven into the tragic ‘romance’, one that comes with a steep price of blood to pay. This is still a book marred by death and suffering. Solomons uses this to explore the cyclical nature of patriarchal violence and of violence itself. There is some excellent social commentary that rings very true for our age, allowing Solomons to use this classic tale as a vehicle to teach modern lessons around violence and revenge.
Fair Rosaline is far from the shrinking violet of its titular character in the original play. It has a thirst for blood and will stop at nothing to deliver the necessary truths of its story.
A Short Book Lover 
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