quippe | Entries tagged with celia rees

The Blurb On The Back:

Caro
She’s beautiful, impulsive.
And trouble.

Jamie
He wanted her to notice him.
Can’t believe she did.

Rob
Back from Afghanistan. Wounded.
Secretive. Out of reach.
Except with Caro. He lets her in.

Over the course of one summer, their lives collide and entwine with dangerous results.

The brightest flames always leave the deepest scars.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Celia Rees’s YA psychological thriller is a tense, well constructed affair that combines PTSD, teenage obsession, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and Red Army Faction ideology. It’s an intelligent, non-judgemental book with insightful characterisation that allows the reader to make up their own mind as to what happened. My only real criticism is that I found the ending far too rushed and would have liked it to unfold more slowly so that the psychological aspects were explored a little more deeply. Other than that, it’s a strong read from the reliable Rees.

The Blurb On The Back:

”’My name is Feste.’ The clown cradled the folly stick to his chest, twisting its face away to avoid further scrutiny. He turned to welcome his companion back. ‘This is Violetta.’”.

Violetta and Feste are in London, the year is 1601 and William Shakespeare is enjoying success at the Globe Theatre. But Violetta is not there to admire his plays; she is in England to retrieve her country’s greatest treasure, stolen by the evil Malvolio, and she needs help.

In an adventure that stretches from the shores of Illyria to the Forest of Arden, romance and danger go hand in hand. In a quest that could mean life or death, can Violetta manage to recover the precious relic and save her country and herself?

Brilliant and original, The Fool’s Girl is a jewel of a book.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

A clever, intricate historical novel with fantasy undertones that takes TWELFTH NIGHT as its starting point and imagines what happened afterwards. It’s an absorbing and intelligent read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.