Although not all my reviews are spoilery, which I do not consider this one to be, here is a little warning just in case.

Review Written: 20th July 2012

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

I just showed the book to mum and the first thing she asked is why the main character is named after a herb. While the book never addresses why our main character is named after a herb, it may have something to do with her potion making mother. Set in Cromwell’s rule after the English Civil War which resulted in Charles I losing his head, the real adventure of the story starts the day Coriander receives a pair of silver shoes in the post. She doesn’t quite understand why her mother won’t allow her to have them, resulting in her stealing them. This is when Coriander meets the villain of the piece - the evil Queen Rosmore.

 Things change after this meeting; her mother sadly passes away and her father is persuaded to marry a good Puritan woman to push away doubt that he is still loyal to the monarchy. This attempt fails and he flees leaving his daughter in the hands of her evil stepmother, Maud and the preacher who moves in, Arise Fell. Throughout this period, she goes in and out of a ‘fairyland’, time passing quicker there and on one occasion, she is there for three years!!

Here in ‘fairyland’ as I have now dubbed it, she meets Prince Tyco, forced to marry a Princess or he’ll be turned into a fox. With Coriander’s help, he refuses to go through with the wedding meaning, unfortunately, he becomes a fox. Only Coriander can save him, if she finds her mother’s shadow, given to Coriander’s father on their wedding night, something that Queen Rosmore is after too.

              

I really like Gardner’s writing style and the way she mixes history, fiction and the supernatural for younger readers to enjoy. While the emphasis on romance is not as large as in The Red Necklace & The Silver Blade, we are given a strong female character who can save the day by herself. She is described as having red curls, so I just envision Merida from Brave, and from what I see in the trailer (we unlucky folk in Britain have to wait until August), her personality also mirrors.

                

This is clearly a fairytale and the ending certainly mirrors, with everyone living happily ever after. However, not much focus is given to the end with the story reaching the conclusion in two pages proving that sometimes it is the journey that is more important than the destination itself. Isn’t that what all fairytales teach us?

NEXT REVIEW: MELISSA MARR’S GRAVEMINDER

Yes, you've noticed. This still isn't the Rachel Caine review

I'm afraid Rachel Caine's Black Dawn is at university and I am not as I've come home for Bank Holiday Weekend.

You may recall an earlier post where I told you of an audio book I listened to: The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner and so wonderfully read by Tom Hiddleston. Seeing as Rachel Caine's book hadn't arrived by the time I left this weekend, I went to the library and got the sequel. So, here is my review.

This review is NOT a spoiler for The Silver Blade but it does spoil the ending of The Red Necklace. This is the warning part :)

Review Written: 7th May 2012

The Silver Blade by Sally Gardner

First things first; I adore Gardner's writing. There is something so intelligent and sophisticated about it, and although the book is aimed at teenagers, the writing does not echo other teen books. The characters are also very perfect.

The book picks up where The Red Necklace left us. Sido, having been rescued by Yann, is living in London with her aunt and uncle. Her aunt believes her love for Yann is a simple infatuation and wishes she'd move onto high society men. Yann, on the other hand, is back in France and rescuing those wrongly imprisoned and sentenced to death. It is the guillotine part of the French Revolution so lots of death and even more blood. 

The villain of the book is once again Count Kalliovski, mysteriously back from the dead and still in pursuit of Sido.

With plenty of magic, thrills and of course, romance, The Silver Blade was a very enjoyable book and I can't recommend it strongly enough for those who wish to read a slightly more challenging teenage book for once!

Just a little note to say... 

My last review took me so long as I was listening to Tom Hiddleston read The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner.  

 We have a problem...I now want to buy the physical copy of the book and it's sequel. Or perhaps half the attraction came from Hiddleston's excellent array of voices!

Set in the French Revolution, the story focuses on Yann Margoza, a seventeen year old boy with the power of mind reading. He has spent his life with his friend Tetu after his mother died. Travelling with a magician and being asked to perform at one of the Marquis de Villeduval's parties, there he meets Sido, his very unloved daughter.

And there begins the entwined fates of Yann and Sido.

Kalliovski is a really, really creepy villain and you can't help but hate him. Many a nobleman in France borrowed money from him in exchange for revealing their secrets. When they failed to pay him back, well...they kind of disappeared. Then their bodies were found with a red ribbon of garnets around their neck. The payment he wants from the Marquis de Villeduval who borrowed heavily from him, is Sido whom he wishes to make his wife.

If you know your history, a lot of noblemen died or were imprisoned in the French Revolution. After having been sent to England to escape Kalliovski, Yann returns as an educated gentleman keen to rescue Sido from her father, the rebels and Kalliovski. Along the way, secrets about Yann's past get revealed, as does Sido's.

At the end of the first book, Yann and Sido's story was not quite complete. It is a necessity that I read the next one. It may not be read to me by my favourite actor, but I'm sure I'll enjoy the continuation of Yann and Sido's story.