Book Review: That Burning Summer by Lydia Syson

England, 1940

 

With was raging in the skies above the Channel, Peggy is putting on a brave face, but she knows Germany could invade any day. Though the family farm and her brother, Ernert's, worries keep her busy, it's hard to ignore the rumble of guns, the rumours of spies and the malicious gossip in town. Peggy must grown up fast - and when a young Polish pilot, Henryk, crash-lands near her home, she  faces a terrible test of love and loyalty. When so much could go wrong.

In one extraordinary burning summer, her life will change forever.

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'That Burning Summer' was an eye-opening book. Bringing forward a hidden part of History in the form of Henryk, it had a sophisticated yet simple writing style that brought alive a captivating romance that I was willing on!  Set in England during 1940, Germany could invade any day but, no one knows when. In the middle of this is sixteen year old Peggy who, does something that may have severe consequences for two of our main protagonists.

 

I felt very connected to the characters from the beginning; their stories were realistic and from the switching point of views, you got a very clear image of their personalities. Not just that though, you got a sense of their fears - and I liked that their experiences had affected them - and a piece of their past in the form of flashbacks from Henryk about his time in the Polish Air Force.  Of course, with Henryk there were always a wavering doubt with him - but, the way Syson has written it allows you to see various sides of the same time in History. Peggy is the driving-force of this novel, no doubt. She is coming-of-age in a difficult time and falling in love when all she can rely on is trust. While reading this book, you won't be able to help imagining yourself in her shoes. Ernest was a character that represented the fact that children can't just be hidden from War - I did like that they all stood for something; that they were all telling the same story although very different ideas. But, siblings and their curiosity get in the way, don't they?

 

A leaflet is presented to you at the beginning at the book that you soon find out was sent out to all members of the public detailing how to act in a German invasion. The novel was set around 'If the Invader Comes' and each part was set around one of the rules listed.  Peggy's brother becomes fixated on these rules, and keeps a watchful eye out for the Germans. Ernest wants to be the man in the family yet, feels he has to prove it to himself. At this point, the excitement really picked up!  The listing idea gave the novel a clear-structure, something I really liked and even foreshadowed what may happen in the next chapter. This was one of the main parts of the book, it kept me reading. I couldn't help but guess, think about and start going 'I know what's going to happen!" Syson took on a challenging part of this period of History - I know the story behind what happened but, only the more well-known information.

 

There was a romance building up throughout this - and, I'm not over-exaggerating when I say this is one of the most well-written I have come across in a while. It was given time to build-up and kept me turning the pages - I was rooting for them, and the danger of things going wrong brought tension into the plot.

 

Although, I enjoyed this, I did find some parts of the plot confusing at times, which meant I had to flick back and try to find out which character it was, for example. Also, 'That Burning Summer' came to a really abrupt ending. At what I felt was in the middle of the action, and a good-chance to throw in a heart-racing scene, it stopped - and an Epilogue that was quite blunt filled it's place. The Epilogue wasn't needed for me, and left me with too many loose-ends. I know there's not any sequel in the works at the moment but, I wanted more from the execution of ending the book the way it began. The writing also lost a poetic-feel it had in the first few chapters - something I adored as it was so unique in a crowded-place. I do feel like I am being a bit harsh on this book - but, I am definitely going to find some time to read Syson's other novel.

 

Thank you Hot Key Books!

 

I had a free-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 

 

I do completely recommended checking out Lydia's website which I linked above! I am the only one who just adores the layout? Also, If you want to check out my new rating system and what it means, you can find it on my sidebar!

Mini Reviews: Amber & Resist(Breathe #2)

'Resist' by Sarah Crossan

Everyone knows that life beyond The Pod is possible. But they are trapped - each breth controlled by the Ministry.

 

The Grove was rebels' chance of freedom. Now the Ministry has destroyed it and survivors must search for hope elsewhere. Alina lead the way to the only remaining Resistance base, Sequia. There she uncovers a radical plot that could wipe out the Pod...and all those in it.

 

Together with Quinn, Alina must escape Sequoia and save the people they love.

  

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I've been anticipating Resist for a long time, especially since Breathe has a high-ranking place on my favourite books list. Sadly, though, I found myself disappointed when I started to read this book.

 

I'll begin by mentioning the cover; the green completely reflects the environment and what the Resistance is fighting for. Sadly though, the main focus - and heart - of the series was lost in this sequel, with the writing feeling forced at times. The romance, between Bea and Quinn, involved too many cliché lines for me personally, and I felt I lost my connection with them because of this. I really wanted to love this book, by sadly my expectations fell short.

 

Resist is once again told from multiple narratives, this time adding a new character called Ronan into the mix. I adore this style of telling a novel, even so, I wish the main characters could have come-together more often and made choices regarding The Pod and Resistance. Crossan is able to, something that makes her a really talented writer, create four distinguishable characters with very different experiences despite living in the same world. Alina, Quinn and Bea, our three main protagonists that have followed us through from the first book have all grown, despite still being the people we first met at the beginning of Breathe. Alina is strong-willed, fighting for her right to Breathe and is undeniable loyal, something that is admirable in this heroine while Bea is intelligent, witty and has the strength to continue despite her parents' deaths. Despite not being the number one fan of the plot, no-matter what I was rooting for these characters. Quinn and Ronan have complicated story-lines in which their characters cross-paths which I would have definitely have liked to see become more in-depth.

 

Whilst I struggled to immerse myself in this book during the first three parts, the final two were much stronger. Finally, I found heart-racing and fast-paced action, in which I found the style of Crossan's writing that I loved from the first-novel seeping through. There was a lot of tension built up in these closing one hundred pages, and I couldn't put the book down. Resist left me constantly wondering and waiting, I never did know for sure what would happen next! There were some loose-ends when it all came to an end; I can't help but question what happened to my favourite side-characters!

Resist was much more mature than the initial book, something I wasn't expecting and found myself feeling slightly uncomfortable reading. So, as for the sequel, I do recommend it for slightly older readers, leaning towards 13+.

Thank you to Bloomsbury for proving me with this copy in exchange for a review!

'Amber' by Julie Sykes 

How do you live by the rules if you don’t know what they are?

A teenage girl wakes up with no memory of who she is or where she has come from. The only clues to her identity are a dead mobile phone in her pocket and a beautiful amber necklace around her neck.

 

Suddenly, 'Amber' has a brand-new life, a brand-new name and a whole lot of questions. Disturbed by strange visions and powers, she struggles to understand the rules that everyone seems to know. How can Amber make sense of the person she seems to be? Does she even want to be that person anymore?

And by falling in love with her new friend, Dan is she breaking the one

rule that really matters?

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From the gorgeous cover(Which I must admit is one of my favourites) to a captivating plot, Amber is a gem-stone of a novel! It has a perfect mix of genres: fantasy, contemporary and romance, with some time-travel thrown in, all coming together to make this un-putdownable. I will admit, while reading, there was a point where I thought I had over one-hundred pages left, but really there were only forty! I didn't leave this book long before picking it back up and continuing!

 

Our main protagonist, a teenage girl who names herself Amber because of the necklace she finds around her neck after she wakes up with no recollection of who she is. Amber is plagued by strange visions and powers that feel so naturally yet, it comes to a point where she realises she must hide them. The way Sykes has written this allows us to get snippets, and small pieces of information handed to us, like she is constantly teasing the reader. This only made me become more intrigued; while also creating a balance of Amber finding a new-life, making new friends, and discovering herself. In many ways, being thrown into a situation you feel out-of-place in is something many young people can relate to. Although, Amber must do this, and find herself when she has no-idea who she is or what she might have done in the past.

 

The writing is the book allowed time for each new setting to be given a detailed description, as well as match the voice of a teenage girl. It was completely creative, bringing new inventive ideas into a genre I have read many times, as well as throwing in a love-interest and 'villains' to make this plot even better. Amber was completely packed with suspense and surprises, the excitement is there throughout. I spent most of the weekend I read it in with my head buried in this book!

This book has everything that I was expecting and more; an intriguing plot, a rule-breaking romance and hidden secrets bringing in the suspense. Definitely one that anyone will find an enjoyable read!

 

Thank you to Amber from The Mile Long Bookshelf for my amazing new rating system!

Thank you to Curious Fox for another review-copy as part of Team Fox!