Hello all!! Long-time no see! Since I’m being so totally rubbish with blogging lately, I figured the best thing to get me out of this rut is to hit the crazy backlog of unreviewed books- because *arghh* I am so disorganised and these books are not gonna review themselves!!
I’m excited to talk about this particular book, because it’s by my lovely blogger friend Daley Downing– if you don’t know who she is, you *must* check her out *right now*, because her blog is full to the brim with endlessly different discussions, lists and posts!! And now she’s a published author as well!! RESPECT *fist bumps*!
I am so glad to say that I had so much fun with her book. First off, it is charmingly written and naturally very sweet. I will say it felt reminiscent of books aimed at younger teens, but that’s in no way a criticism- because I love me some cuteness!! Especially when said cuteness involves cats!
All the characters felt different and very real (yes, I’m including the cats in this again). I also felt like there were a lot of things you don’t normally see, like representation of an autistic character woven seamlessly into the story- you guys know I love subtlety and this just worked so well for me. And let’s talk about the parents in this one- I feel like Daley got the balance perfectly right between parents that understand the need for their children to spread their wings, but they aren’t those clueless parents you usually get in YA where their children can practically be screaming “I’m just hanging out with my vampire pals” and the parent’s response is “that’s nice dear”.
It did take a while for the plot to really get going, but when the action does happen, it cranks up the tension nicely and brings the feels. Plus, since I was so immersed in the world building early on, it didn’t feel slow, I just felt immersed in the world. In fact, the build-up is one of the things that was so great about the book, because it allowed me to get to know the characters and family dynamic.
In terms of world building I felt like it was pretty flawless- there was an authentic feel to it and though certain creatures, like angels, can be hit and miss for me, they worked so well here. Also, who doesn’t love a cool dorky reference- cos this has those in abundance!
The best thing about this book though was that it felt fresh and different. I mean, how often are us book bloggers moaning to the world that we want to read something new that isn’t jam packed with tropes?! Well the massive selling point of non-traditionally published books is that they offer something different.
So if you are bored of samey samey books, definitely give this a go!
Rating: 4/5 bananas
So have you read this? Do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
So exciting to read a friends book:)
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Yes absolutely!!
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Oh very nice!
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Thank you!
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Well, if this didn’t make my day! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
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Aww I’m so glad!!! 😀 I really did! 😀
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Reblogged this on The Invisible Moth.
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Daley’s blog does look great! Congratulations and best wishes to her 😊
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Yes it really was!! 😀
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Sounds so good! I’m glad you liked it… it would be hard for me to tell my friend if I couldn’t give their book a really decent review. Writer work so hard *cries* that I COULD NOT crush them! I checked out her blog and it it too cool! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
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Yes it was! Yeah I know what you mean- for me, I would have just not said anything if I hadn’t liked it 😉 (actually that’s usually my practice for indie books I don’t like- I don’t fancy giving a self-pub author a bad review- but I won’t lie and say that I did) Fortunately I did!! Excellent- glad you liked it 😀
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I would actually really like to read this!! Thanks for reviewing it 😊 xx
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Oh fantastic- I’m so glad!! 😊 xx
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It’s okay 😊 xx
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Wow, this sounds so refreshing, unique and OMG cat cuteness!!!! I love it when fellow blogger friends get published and it’s a fabulous surprise and addition to the world of books, like this one seems to be!
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It really was!! And I so agree!! 😀
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It’s great to see when a book has the perfect balance, great characters and by the sound of it- author’s intelligence to power it!
Funnily enough, I used to be a major cat person and have now turned into a dog person…
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Yes absolutely!!!
Hahha I’ve vacillated between the two- now I think I’m probably both 😉
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This sounds really good I was drawn in as soon as I seen the cat on the cover. It’s about time we had a novel where the parents actually play a part in the characters life 🙂
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Ahh yes, it was really enjoyable! And yes that is so true!!
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This one sounds really intriguing! I am both a cat-lover and fantasy-lover, so I will have to check it out 🙂 Cool that it’s by a blogger friend – I’ve previously read and enjoyed some of Daley’s comments on your blog, but now I will go check out her blog and her book!
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Ahh awesome!!! Yes- it really is 😀 And ‘m glad you want to check her out now 😀
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So cool when a friend blogger publishes a book! Glad to see you enjoyed it as well. It sounds like it was well-executed. Fantastic review! 🙂
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Ahh yes absolutely 😀 Thank you!!
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Hi! I’m new here. Please check out my page and give your reviews 🙂
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Sure no problem!
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