Man I've done a lot of reading recently. Here's my update.
I've recently read three books I got for Christmas - Clock of Stars by Francesca Gibbons, The Ickabog by JK Rowling, and The Danger Gang by Tom Fletcher (I love Tom Fletcher's books!) I have some thoughts on them, and I'll try not to be too spoilery in my mini reviews:
Clock of Stars was incredible. Very fantastical, and illustrated by Chris Riddell, and I do like his illustrations. The description that prompted me to read it sounded quite 'Wonderlandy' with a girl following a moth through a door in a tree, only to find herself in a new world (followed by her sister!) I had my gripes, as the main character was quite unlikable with her attitude towards her sister, but the story offered time for growth and I was very impressed. I'd totally read it again. It's also the first in a trilogy! Bring it on!
The Danger Gang was written as a series of letters from a boy to his friend after he'd moved house. Very unusual method of telling a story, and I enjoyed it, although admittedly I'd have preferred it to be written as a chaptered story like Tom Fletcher's other books. Reading about all these kids developing super powers after a strange event was quite a lot of fun, and often unbelievable XD
The Ickabog surprised me, as it both was and wasn't what I'd expected. I'd thought it would be centred around the two child characters looking for this mysterious creature of legend, but it was about so many different characters involved in a huge, epic lie that went out of control I often found myself wondering if I was really enjoying it. I was satisfied by the end, when it all came together, so it earned the 4 stars I gave it on Goodreads.
I'm now looking for something else to read, as I'm trying to tackle Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, but I keep falling asleep... (I probably shouldn't be solely reading it at night, I guess...) I might pick up Narnia since, despite it's influence on my writing, I've never actually sat down and read it!
