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 Little Bang by Kelly McCaughrain. Thank you to Walker Books for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Beneath the New Year’s Eve fireworks, shy science-nerd Mel and slacker songwriter Sid get pregnant on their first date. Any sixteen-year-olds would expect trouble – but this is Northern Ireland 2018, where abortion is still illegal. Mel’s religious parents insist she must keep the baby, whilst Sid’s feminist mum pushes for a termination.
Mel and Sid are determined to do this together, but they soon discover that pregnancy is totally different for boys and girls. When their relationship starts to fall apart under all the pressure, Mel finds herself feeling alone with the impossible dilemma of the Little Bang growing inside her.
Publication Date: 4th January
TW: abortion, pregnancy, fertility issues, control, manipulation, religion
My Thoughts:
Little Bang was a delicate, softly beautiful YA coming of age narrative with a fierce, quiet strength within its core.
This contemporary book was so gorgeous to read with prose that just wrapped me up and completely transported me into the story. It was real and raw and messy – McCaughrain has got the mood spot on. This is a tough read at times as it goes deep into issues surrounding pregnancy, abortion, relationships, religion and familial problems. It is particularly exacerbated by the specific setting of Northern Ireland and serves to highlight political and structural failings around the topics of abortion and women’s rights. For me, it is startling to think how recent the historical milestones have been. McCaughrain is incredibly brave to tackle these necessary topics and to depict them in such a nuanced light. There are many grey areas and we remain in those ambiguous moments – moving like treacle as we puzzle through the options.
Mel serves as the beating heart of this, caught in tangled webs of relationships and trying to puzzle out what she wants. She is a very smart and capable young woman wanting love and life at her fingertips. I also really loved Sid’s narrative voice and how he was also just trying to navigate this complicated situation. At times, they both angered me with their decisions and actions, but this just made them that much more authentic. They are messy and real, leaping off the page and into your heart. Their relationship is brilliantly written, capturing those first flutterings and some great dialogue that crackles with tension. I love how three-dimensional every significant character is in this book, even those more on the periphery are given page time and an opportunity to have a moment of development. Some stay fixed though.
Little Bang lives up to its name in this moving and magnificent YA contemporary tale.
Next up, I’d like to talk about The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna. Thank you to Usborne Books for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Deka is a goddess-in-waiting with the potential to save her people from the brutal ancient goddesses who terrorize her kingdom of Otera. But first she must find her celestial essence – and if the Gilded Ones find it before she does, they will drain her power and tear Otera apart.
Alongside her army of friends, Deka faces the hardest battle of her life – not just with the goddesses but with her own doubts. What if becoming a goddess makes her as evil as the Gilded Ones? And is she ready to leave her earthly life and loves behind?
Publication Date: 15th February
TW: death, grief, murder, war, graphic violence, injury, blood, decapitation, sexism, sacrifice, indoctrination
My Thoughts:
With The Eternal Ones, Forna brings this epic YA trilogy to a close in bombastic style.
The Gilded Ones has always set a high bar for itself. This final chapter has excellent world-building, characterisation and even more twists. However, at its core, this has always been Deka’s story and she remains fully in focus. This entire trilogy has been fascinating to witness as she grew and evolved into her full power. It is very much centred around destiny, fate and being comfortable within yourself. You are more than your prescribed role and there are infinite possibilities for you, waiting just beyond reach. Deka’s journey exemplifies that in an empowering message and this is particularly important for young Black girls who get to see a brilliant, brave, vulnerable and complex heroine who looks like them stand proud on the covers. This trilogy is blazing trails in so many ways, but also sits happily in the growing shelves of Black excellence within YA literature. Long may it continue.
The world building in this book was absolutely fantastic. That has been a real strength of this trilogy, going from level to level of excellent worldbuilding. From mythologies, landscapes and cultures to individualised detail of a sprawling world, Forna has had it down pat. Without giving anything away, we encounter some of my favourite parts of the series here. We learn so much more about this world and its inhabitants, which adds new depth to previous events and also just sticks in my brain as powerful and beautifully crafted imagery. Forna’s writing is so incredibly immersive and her characterisation soars. There is a throughline about grief that really stuck with me. This is both bereavement for lost loved ones but also a grief for the person you used to be. It is profound and heart-breaking as it is stunning and strengthening. As I have come to expect from this series, there are also some jaw-dropping twists in store. Every action has consequences and these are some far reaching ones indeed. The way the entire trilogy fits together by the end is just fantastic.
The Eternal Ones brings an amazing YA fantasy trilogy to a close in truly fantastic fashion.
Finally, I’d like to delve into Five Nights by Rachel Wolf. Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
You’re invited to join the infamous Scarmardo family on a five night voyage aboard their glamorous new ship. It’s a chance to see your best friend, Belle, newly married to Mattia Scarmardo. You haven’t seen her in years.
FIVE
On the first night, you’ll be wrapped up in the glamour of the ship.
FOUR
On the second night, you’ll wonder who is sending you threatening notes.
THREE
On the third night, someone will die.
TWO
On the fourth night, you’ll discover that someone knows the truth of what you did.
ONE
On the last night, you’ll be left for dead.
WILL YOU MAKE IT BACK TO SHORE ALIVE?
Publication Date: 29th February
TW: death, murder, violence, gaslighting, emotional abuse, infidelity, parental death, grief, manipulation, PTSD, traumatic flashbacks, forced captivity, kidnapping
My Thoughts:
Five Nights reads as the love child of Succession and The White Lotus in this thriller dripping with privilege, glamour and deadly secrets.
Wolf takes the locked room setting to new heights in this scandalous and suspenseful read. This is a book that just oozes suspense and suspicion. Like the privileged lives it follows, it is all about appearances that are deceitful, conniving and hiding more than a few secrets. Though Emily is a great in for the audience as the outsider peeking in for the trip, she is also not being entirely truthful to everyone around her. There are some great timeline narrative fractures that play influential roles in the story and serve to up the dramatic tension. You have multiple mysteries to solve and Wolf has packed the pages with clues, red herrings and rabbit holes for you to go running down. It is a sleek and well paced book that glitters and gleams.
The prose is sharp, including some excellent social commentary that leans more on the sun drenched scandal side of it. In particular, this is the sort of unfathomable wealth that then makes for the best headlines when a whiff of imperfection is uncovered. There is a really interesting thread about the lasting effects of trauma and survivor’s guilt, which feeds into some of the character dynamics in unexpected and surprising ways. There is a history here, teased and pulled out in small glimpses until you can fit all the pieces together. It is such a character focused plot – all centering around inheritance, legacy and the consequences of long buried actions. Everything is a facade and you have to reveal the villains hiding behind smiling faces. It is a luxurious nightmare.
Five Nights is a fantastic thriller, full of intrigue, glamour and a peek behind the curtain of the uber rich.
A Short Book Lover 
Thanks for your mini-reviews.
GREAT how you reviewed “Five Nights”, we love it.
Happy Valentine’s Day
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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