GoGoGo for GoGoPo!

Our newly bestickered GoGoPo stand is ready to GoGoGo! (I know. I'm ashamed of the pun.) GoGoPo is a range of very cool stationery at a great price; €2.50 each, or 3 pieces for €6. Get the kids ready for back to school without breaking the bank.

Review: A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Griz's family live on an island in the Outer Hebrides, about a century after most humans have become infertile. They survive by fishing, farming and scavenging what they can from other islands and the mainland. Griz has never seen more than a handful of people.

But then a trader arrives, charms the whole family - and steals one of their dogs on the way out. Griz isn't going to stand for that. Dogs are family, after all. But the long journey over the mainland will turn the whole world upside down.


In one of those strange coincidences that often show up in publishing, this is the second book I've read recently featuring apocalypse by infertility. The Quiet at the End of the World is a quieter meditation on what being human means; this is much more action packed and covers a wider area, allowing us to see the effects a lack of humanity would have on the world more clearly. I loved the little comments here and there from Griz, wondering whether we found things strange and exciting or were just used to them - things like cars and music players.

None of the other characters really stood out for me, but they weren't the point of the book anyway. There was an excellent twist near the end, one that really took me by surprise. However, I didn't like the formatting; speech isn't marked out at all, no quotation marks or even dashes, and sometimes one character's dialogue runs straight on from another's so I had to go back and reread a couple of times to untangle it. It took me right out of the story every time; I've marked the book down a star for it. Luckily, Griz is alone for huge swathes of the story, so I was able to ignore it.

This story will stay with me for a long time.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


This isn't the best representation of the writing, but it's the section that has stayed with me the most.
It didn't make sense. He'd stolen her. But she wasn't on the boat. And she wasn't here. She'd have barked if she smelled me. I wondered if they'd done something terrible to her. Or had she jumped overboard and tried to swim home and drowned? Had I been so set on following the distant red sails all day that I'd missed a small and loyal dog's head in the waves as I passed it? Had she barked in relief as I got closer to her and then watched the Sweethope sail past, leaving her alone and bewildered on the wave waste as the cold took her?
All of those thoughts kept repeating in my head, images that got worse and more detailed every time they came around. And the more I tried not to think of her last moments, the closer I seemed to get to them. I could easily have missed a dog's barking in the sound of the wind. Jip could have missed her scent. As my head whirled round and round on it, I became more and more convinced. We had betrayed her. But me most of all.
It hurt like losing Joy all those years ago, worse really because that lose had not been my fault, and by the time Brand came back after what felt like an hour or more I had persuaded myself that she was dead and had died in the terrible way I had imagined.

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Review: William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls

William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Mean Girls by Ian Doescher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastically funny read. I didn't really like the William Shakespeare Star Wars books, I couldn't get into them, but here the style seemed to fit perfectly. My only regret is that I couldn't source the movie itself to watch; I think a readalong would have been amazing. Ah well, next time it's on!


REceiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

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Review: The Princess and the Fangirl

The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, the need for fandom knowledge is strong with this one! I know that that's the whole point of this series, but I worry that it will turn away casual readers who may not be too sure what a kamahameha is. However, it shouldn't, as this is a sweet retelling of The Prince and the Pauper dressed up in cosplay. I loved the little references ... the ones I got, anyway, I'm sure I missed some ... and it was nice to return to the world of Starfield. (It did irritate me a little that absolutely everyone curses in Starfield's vernacular. How about a frack or a shazbot thrown in there for variety?)

A brilliant read I will definitely be recommending, and I hope there's plenty more to come in this series.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


I am the best parts of her, and part of the Amaras I pass in the crowd - the gender-bent one across the aisle, the ten-year-old one with glitter in her hair, the Black Nebula Federation Princess Amara come back from the grave. I'm a part of every Amara at the con, every Amara on the screen - just as the first Amara is a part of me.
And we don't die quietly.
There are stories that you tell and stories that tell things to you; stories that win awards and stories that win hearts. Sometimes the stories you want aren't the stories you need, and the ones you need are the ones you never thought you'd like.
Perhaps this is one of those stories.

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Review: The Boy Who Steals Houses

The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sam has been let down by every adult in his life. None of them know, or are willing to learn, how to deal with Avery, Sam's autistic older brother. So Sam keeps them safe. He survives by breaking into empty houses when the owners are away. One day, sick with flu, he misjudges and finds himself in the middle of a large, rowdy family. Everyone assumes he's someone else's friend, and for a little while he feels safe and warm, as though this life - this crazy, chaotic life - can really be his.

Until his past catches up with him in the worst way possible.


I thought I was ready for this. I've read - wait, not read. What's the word? - destroyed. I've been destroyed by A Thousand Perfect Notes a few times now, so I thought I was ready to read this one. But nope. This book is heartbreaking in all the best ways. Poor Sam has everything taken from him again and again and again. Yes, he makes some stupid decisions, but he's fifteen and trying to protect a brother who, though no fault of his own, doesn't make it easy.

The characters are brilliant, the setting is fantastic, and I would love to meet these characters again. Perhaps with a cameo from the famous composer Beck? :D

A fantastic read.


Sammy nudges Avery with his elbow. 'Together?'

'You,' Avery whispers, 'and me. We.'

They burst across the roof in a howling run and spring off the edge, their mouths full of the moon and eyes full of stars.

Aunt Karen hollers at them.

They hit the trampoline and bounce high and the poor abused mat gives a wailling r-iiiiii-p

and they go straight through and hit the grass.

Idiots.

They smack together as they tumble through the split. Lightning sheets of agony jolt up Sammy's legs and he rolls, grabbing Avery's head before it slams into the ground. They tangle for a second in the uncut lawn. Chests heave. The trampoline waves torn threads in apology.

'Anything broken?' Sammy says. 'Because we kind of have to run right now.'

Avery moans and touches his cheek where he collided with Sammy's head. 'Your stupid skull broke me.'

'But worth it?'

Avery's lips are a fractured smile.

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Review: We Set the Dark on Fire

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great read, a very clever imagining of a deeply divided culture. Dani is a great character, a girl doing her best to survive in a world almost designed to make sure she can't.

I do wish Mateo hadn't been so pantomime-villian evil - think what a great story it would have been if she hadn't been sure which side he was on! - but I enjoyed it very much and will look out for more in the series.


Receiving an ARC did not alter my review in any way.


It took Dani a moment to turn to stone this time. A hundred shades of a girl, he'd called her, and though she hadn't appreciated the delivery, he'd been right. Dani slid into her lies like second skins. It was part of survival. She had no doubt she could do what he was asking her to do. The only question was, what would she be setting into motion when she did?

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Review: We are Blood and Thunder

We are Blood and Thunder by Kesia Lupo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Lena has grown up as a cryptling in Duke's Forest, tending to the revered dead and forbidden from venturing above ground. A pestilence has been attacking the town for several years, and the people fear magic. When a body Lena is tending moves, the brutish Justice has her flung from the city to be hunted down by his dogs.

As Lena is desperately trying to escape, Constance is trying to get in. Having fled the city years before, she's now returning, determined to find the source of the spell that holds Duke's Forest in its grip. Although they don't know it, these two women and their strange connection hold the future of Duke's Forest in their hands.


This is a good, but not great, story. I enjoyed it, but I feel like a lot of Lena's storyline was basically just passing time until Constance caught up. However, I didn't think that while I was reading, only when I got to the end and looked back. There was a twist that looked like it was going one way but then went the complete opposite way, which I appreciated. I'm not sure if this is a series; I thought my copy said 'trilogy' but when I looked again it didn't, but I'd gladly read more titles set in this world. It's an intriguing place and we've only just scratched the surface of it.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

'He is not like us, Lena. He could never understand.'
'What?'
'We are not like other people,' Constance said softly, her glowing cane hovering over Lena's heart, ready to continue her work. 'Other people are flesh and bone and sinew, and they wander through life like cattle or sheep, aimless and happy. But we are different.' She smiled a hidden smile. 'We are blood and thunder.'

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Review: Music and Malice in Hurricane Town

Music and Malice in Hurricane Town by Alex Bell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Apologies in advance if I use any pejorative terms, please correct me and I will alter.)

Baton Noir is a city of magic, gods and spirits known as legba. Sadly, not all the magic is good or kind. Jude finds herself caught up in vengeance from beyond the grave when a cajou queen locks on to her, determined to see her plans carried out even after death. Unraveling it will take luck, strange allies - and maybe a little magic.


Alex Bell is the queen of horror stories. This is less bone chilling than Frozen Charlotte, more creepy than downright terrifying, but it's a fascinating world and Alex has clearly done her homework on Southern magic. There's a level of detail here that really creeped me out. I'm looking forward to reading more in this universe; there's a lot to unpick.

The romance story didn't do much for me, although I liked the male character in all other respects; I just thought the romance part was kind of tacked on. That's entirely like me when it comes to romance, though. I liked the characters, and a twist near the end took me by surprise, which I always love.

I'll be looking out for more in this series, I'm very eager to find out what happens next.


An hour or so after she'd laid down, she realised Beau was on the bed with her, curling his large body round her in a way that was strangely comforting.
"How did he get here?" Jude asked. "And how did he appear before, in the Ghost Station?"
He can sense where I am, and so where you are, Ivory said. He's never far away. And he can use the spirit world to travel around. It seems like he's taken a bit of a shine to you. In fact, he's been more affectionate to you than he was with me in recent years. She sighed. I suppose he never quite forgave me for killing Betty.
"But...then why didn't he appear at the Blue Lady?" Jude asked. "When you were murdered?"
The cajou queen was silent for a moment. Then, she said, (sic)"I'm not sure. Perhaps...perhaps he sensed that he wouldn't be able to do anything against a magical attack? It hardly matters now."
The snake tucked his flat head into the groove of Jude's shoulder and she felt the same glow of warmth as before, her fear lessened and so did the piercing pain in her finger. She ran her fingers slowly down the snake's smooth skin. With him there she suddenly felt safer and the thought of bats no longer troubled her.
"Thank you, Beau," she said.
The warmth from the snake glowed a little brighter and, soon afterwards, Jude fell asleep.

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Review: The Last 8

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Action packed and full of twists, this is an alien invasion story with a difference. No plucky bands of fighters finding that one weakness and saving the world; the only people left here are teenagers. I'll admit to some confusion about their ages; they're all described as high teens, but most of them should have been born less than fifteen years prior to the story for certain other elements to work. It's not a huge issue but it did take me out of the story a little.

I saw a couple of twists coming, but not the rest of them. The information says this is the first of a series and I'll be looking forward to reading more adventures with this group. I think it could be a great one.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.


I'm taken aback by his question, because it's not like Brooklyn's or the others'. He really wants to know.
"Raised by my grandparents. I've only seen my mom in pictures."
"That must suck."
"Not so much. It's not like I can miss her." You can't miss something you never had.
He looks at me. "Do you ever wonder if...?"
I know where his thought are going. I've wondered this myself a couple of times in the last six months. If my mother were alive, would I recognize her? I don't even know if she was alive before the aliens landed. She came home one day with a baby in her arms and left during the night. No one ever heard from her again.
"It doesn't matter. She's not really my mother, you know? If she's out there, she's only a stranger." I pause. I don't pity myself. I don't pity my mother either. "And if she'd dead, I mourn for her like I mourn for the rest of humanity."
"And how's that?"
"A little. And sometimes not at all."
He nods, turning his gaze back to the horizon. And we just let ourselves stay there in silence, until we are engulfed in darkness.

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