Girl Power: fairy tales and feminism

Guest post by Katharine Corr

To begin with: I’m not an expert on myths or fantasy literature. I studied history at university, not English. But – like most people, I suspect – I was brought up on fairy tales. Ladybird ‘Well Loved Tales’ are some of the first books I remember possessing: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White & Rose Red. I fell in love with those illustrations long before I could read the words.               

One of the things I liked about fairy tales as a child was how many of them were about girls. Sure, some of them concerned boys (Jack and The Beanstalk), animals (The Little Red Hen) or baked goods (The Gingerbread Man). But on the whole I was reading about female protagonists. It didn’t really bother me that Cinderella’s main skills seemed to be subservience and looking pretty; it was her story and her name on the front of the book, not Prince Charming’s.

Then there were all the subsidiary characters. The men in the stories tended to be attractive place-holders (Prince Charming, again) or curiously weedy and pathetic (pretty much any King or father you’d care to mention). But the women… I read about witches (good and bad), fairies, stepmothers and Queens. Women with real power, even if they were misusing it.

As I got older, I realised that these women were often more interesting than the pure-as-the-driven-snow protagonists (though intrepid Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, is an exception to this). Who wouldn’t sympathise a tiny bit with side-lined Maleficent’s desire for revenge? Who wouldn’t at least understand the Evil Queen’s wish to be ‘the fairest of them all’? And there are fairy tales which give the Fairy Godmother a more robust and interesting attitude to granting wishes. A lot of tales, due to the ‘damsel-in-distress’ behaviour of the heroine, have the reputation of being anti-feminist. But I can imagine the creators of these stories (of which more below) slipping these strong supporting women into their tales, giving them powers and freedoms which women have been denied for so much of history. Could this not be an early form of feminism?

Not all fairy tales fit this mould, obviously. For every Clever Gretel, the Grimm’s hungry cook who tricks her master, there is a Little Mermaid: a story that, like The Wild Swans (another Hans Christian Andersen tale) seems to suggest that the ideal woman is a silent one.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh on Andersen. But, I do wonder whether the best fairy tales – the ones with the powerful female villains that leap off the page at you – are the oldest ones. They may have been collected and recorded by men, but I’d be willing to bet that they were originally made up by women. I like to imagine a medieval mother, sitting in the shadows by the fire, laying aside her distaff and turning with a sigh to the insistent children sitting at her feet: ‘Very well, then. Once upon a time…’

Fairy tales have staying power: they endure. That’s why so many writers have chosen them as a starting point, reinterpreting characters and themes for their own times. And now my sister and I have done the same. Our Sleeping Beauty is an Anglo-Saxon prince, and his potential rescuer is an untrained, uncertain teenage witch. The story is inspired by the original tale, rather than being an exact retelling. But we still have curses, true love, and more than one powerful woman. We hope our fairy-tale-telling foremothers are looking on from somewhere with approval.

Katharine and Elizabeth Corr are sisters.  They both read history at university, worked in London, took a break from work to raise their families and now live in Surrey.  The pair decided they wanted to write novels and it seemed obvious that they should do this together.  In addition to writing, Katharine loves playing the harp and learning dead languages.  When Elizabeth is not writing she enjoys sketching, dancing round the kitchen and hatching plans for free time away from children and cats.  

                 

'How Not to Disappear' Sets the Bar for YA in 2016

'How Not to Disappear' by Clare Furniss

Review by Chris

Summary:

Our memories are what make us who we are. Some are real. Some are made up. But they are the stories that tell us who we are. Without them we are nobody.

 

Hattie's summer isn't going as planned. Her two best friends have abandoned her: Reuben has run off to Europe to 'find himself' and Kat is in Edinburgh with her new girlfriend. Meanwhile Hattie is stuck babysitting her twin siblings and dealing with endless drama around her mum's wedding. Oh, and she's also just discovered that she's pregnant with Reuben's baby.

 

Then Gloria, Hattie's great-aunt who no one even knew existed, comes crashing into her life. Gloria's fiercely independent, rather too fond of a gin sling and is in the early stages of dementia. Together the two of them set out on a road trip of self-discovery - Gloria to finally confront the secrets of her past before they are erased from her memory forever and Hattie to face the hard choices that will determine her future.

 

Non Pratt's Trouble meets Thelma and Louise with a touch of Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. Clare Furniss' remarkable How Not To Disappear is an emotional rollercoaster of a novel that will make you laugh and break your heart.

 

Review:

There is so much to love about this story: the relationship between Hattie and her great-aunt, the exploration of her rollercoaster relationship with her best friend Reuben, how she grows, develops and deals with her pregnancy, the physical journey (echoed in the mental and emotional journeys Hattie and Gloria undergo) and Hattie's twin siblings. And Gloria - let's not forget Gloria and her gin slings.

 

At first, I found the story to be a little bit slow but once it gets going, once Hattie meets Gloria, the story really begins and the characters jump off the page with so much life and warmth. I don't want to divulge too much but there's plenty in here with the pregnancy, Gloria's story and Hattie's only family. If you're going to pick up one YA book this Spring, make it How Not to Disappear.

 

Furniss played my heartstrings; at times, with a bow but more often, with a hacksaw. I'll never be the same again. I can't recommend this story enough. Comfortably falling into the category of #diverseYA (for its exploration of mental health and the often under-represented third generation-first generation relationship among other issues), this story will emotionally sucker-punch you over and over again and it's chock full of compelling characters. If Furniss was worried about one-off success (with The Year of the Rat), she need not fear; How Not to Disappear is, without doubt, a 2016 YA highlight.

 

 

Rating: 5/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

 

Christopher Moore:

  

Christopher is a co-founder of the YAfictionados blog and is best known as the YAblooker. He is a twenty-five year old book blogger who has previously worked in marketing and consumer insight for various publishing houses and writes in his spare time. He loves to travel and will read anything YA-related and some general fiction and fantasy.

Rachel McIntyre Exclsuive Interview

Rachel McIntyre is the author of Me and Mr J and her upcoming book, The #1 Rule for Girls which publishes on the 25th February 2016. Both are published my Egmont's Electric Monkey imprint.



What have you been working on?

Well, I’ve finished my next book, it’s called The #1 Rule for Girls and it’s out on February 25th next year. Very exciting! And I’m currently writing the third, which is as yet untitled.


What’s The #1 Rule for Girls about?
The main character is a girl called Daisy who has split up from The Love of Her Life and rebounds unwisely into the arms of a good-looking bad boy. Along the way, she makes a few mistakes before finally realising she needs to follow The #1 Rule for Girls.


Which is…?

Not telling. You’ll have to read the book!


What inspired you to write The #1 Rule for Girls?

Oooh, quite a few ideas whirling around my head suddenly merged into one idea. First, I’d read a certain immensely popular series featuring a very bad boy protagonist and a young submissive girl. (You know the one I mean). Women’s reactions to this character interested me (I thought he was repulsive, many, many readers didn’t) and it got me thinking about the gap between fiction and reality. Maybe I’m a bitch, but I’ll take kindness and a sense of humour over a six pack and narcissistic introspection any day of the week. So, yes, first thing I was thinking was the perennial appeal of bad boys in fiction.

Second, I once overheard a former student of mine (a rugby player) shouting “Oy, get here” at his girlfriend, who then did as she was told to a sexist chorus from his team-mates. (I’ve met some lovely rugby players in my time, but the ones in my book aren’t based on them. It’s nothing personal: I chose rugby players because of that one incident I witnessed. If they’d been members of a string quartet, I’d have used that.) It struck a chord with me; about what we put up with when we think we’re in love.

Finally, whenever I’ve taught Wuthering Heights, opinion has been divided on the Heathcliff question. I.e. Does his devotion to Catherine outweigh the fact his utter hideousness towards the other women in the book? Cathy? Isabella (he hangs her dog!)? Again, it’s the idea that one reader’s Tortured Romantic Soul is another’s Total Nightmare.


Bad real life boyfriends. Any anecdotes?

Oh yes. I played Snog the Frog for much of my adolescence and, unfortunately, for a few years after that. Take the one who bought me a mop for Christmas. Not even a steam mop, just a plain Vileda, no bucket or anything. We didn’t last long after that. Then there was the one who didn’t get me a Valentine’s card because “Valentine’s Day is for people who are in love.” I think that was the final nail in the coffin for that relationship too. And when I was in the first year at uni, my then-boyfriend from home came to stay….and snogged my flat-mate. I forgave her (it was the cider-goggles) and carried on seeing him. (Why, younger self? WHY?)

I eventually found the right one for me and, many years of loveliness later, I can confirm he was definitely worth the wait!

Me & Mr J was a hard-hitting book about a very controversial subject. Is The #1 Rule for Girls similar?

Me & Mr J was a difficult book to write because of the subject matter (terrible bullying, family breakdown and a forbidden relationship). There’s a lot of comedy woven in it, but the themes are so dark that, at times, it’s a very sad book. Although #1 Rule deals with some serious issues, there’s less shade and the overall tone is much lighter.


Is The #1 Rule for Girls written as a diary, like Me & Mr J?

No, it’s first person narrative. Me & Mr J worked as a diary because it’s such a claustrophobic form and it reflected Lara’s isolation and desperation: she has no-one she can confide in. One of the underpinning themes of the book is keeping things hidden: the bullying because she doesn’t want to jeopardise her family’s financial stability (her mum works for the family of the bully); and also her illegal relationship with Mr J.

Wow, Rachel! Thanks for this scoop. I can't wait to read The #1 Rule for Girls out the 25th February. Pre-order it here.

Thank you for having me on the YA Takeover and wishing you a spectacularly Happy New Year!


Anytime! It's our pleasure

The #YAtakeover Schedule

8th January 2016
 

Twitter Chat: Best Reads of 2015

 

Time: 7.00pm-7.45pm

 

Readers, bloggers, authors and booksellers chat about their favourite reads of 2015. Looking for book recommendations? This could be just the chat for you!

 

Prizes in YA

 

Time: 8.00pm-8.50pm

Interview Panel: Charlotte Eyre, Jake Hope and Katie Webber

Host: @Joyisreading

Join us as some of the book industry's finest talent talk us through YA prizes and why they are so important to the genre.



Libraries and Reading in the Digital Age

 

Time: 09.00pm-09.40pm

Interview Panel: Alexia Casale and E. R. Murray

Host: @helloiammariam

Alexia and Elizabeth discuss the importance of libraries, reaching readers in the digital age and the future of YA literature.

 

 

Art in YA

 

Time: 9.50pm-10.30pm

Interview Panel: Jenn Bennett and Melissa Keil

Host: @Jenny_books_art

Jenny discusses representations of art in YA literature and more closely in their respective works.

 

 

'It's All in Your Head': Suicide and Depression in YA Literature

Time: 10.40pm-11.30pm

Interview Panel: Jasmine Warga and Jennifer Niven

Host: @ChelleToy

Michelle is joined by Jennifer and Jasmine who will chat about the stigmas of depression and the consequences of suicide in their work.

 

 

 

 

9th January 2016

 

 

The Bizarre and the Brilliant

 

Time: 12.00am-12.45am

Interview Panel: Andrew Smith

Host: @Lottie_LovesB

Andrew Smith discusses his unique writing style, what inspires him and teenage literacy.

'LGBT: You Be Who You Want To Be'

Time: 02.00am-02.50am
Interview Panel: Becky Albertalli & I. W. Gregorio
Host: @YAblooker

Becky and Ilene discuss sexual identity and being true to yourself.

Angels and Demons

Time: 03.15am-04.00am

Interview Panel: Jana Oliver and Lauren Kate
Host: @City_Of_YA

Jana and Lauren chat about representations of angels and demons in YA literature and more closely in their own stories.
   

No Frills Fiction

Time: 04.15am-5.00am
Interview Panel: Lynn Weingarten and Ryan Graudin
Host: @YAblooker

 
Lynn and Ryan discuss the grittier side to fiction.

Gothic Fiction:

 

Time: 05.10am-05.50am

Interview Panel: Kendare Blake

Host: @YAblooker 

Kendare chats to us about everything from ghosts to gods. Not to be missed!

Crossover Fiction

 

Time: 06.00am-06.40am

Interview Panel: Christi J. Whitney

Host: @YAblooker

Christopher questions Christi on YA literature's increasing popularity and it's crossover appeal to both adults and teens. 

Supernatural Seduction

Time: 09.00am-09.45am
Interview Panel: Anna McKerrow, C. J. Daugherty and Lu Hersey
Host: @maximumpopbooks

The supernatural has always been a strong trope in YA literature. Anna, C. J. and Lu discuss the supernatural in their work.

 

 Mental Health is Not a Spectator Sport

Time: 09.55am-10.40am

Interview Panel: Brian Conaghan, Eve Ainsworth, Siobhan Curham and Tabitha Suzuma

Host: @helloiammariam

 Four of YA's most talented authors come together to chat to Mariam about the representation of mental health in YA literature and the portrayals in their respective books.

 Keep Your Friends Close

Time: 10.50am-11.30ampm

Interview Panel: Jess Vallance and Marcus Sedgwick

Host: @ChelleToy

 

Our panel discuss the representation of friendship in YA literature.

Fantastic Fantasy

Time: 11.40am-12.25pm
Interview Panel: Melinda Salisbury and Samantha Shannon
Host: @AssassinGrisha

Our panel consists of two of 2015's most successful Fantasy writers.

 

If You Can't Love Yourself, How in the Hell Are You Going to Love Someone Else?

 

Time: 12.35pm-1.15pm

Interview Panel: Abbie Rushton, Lisa Williamson and Liz Kessler,

Host: @JoshuaJAuthor

Joshua looks at love and sexual identity in YA literature.

The End of the World

 

Time: 1.25pm-2.05pm

Interview Panel: Teri Terry and Virginia Bergin

Host: @ChelleToy

Teri And Virginia discuss their latest books and dystopia in their work.

Everybody Say Love!

Time: 2.10pm-2.55pm

Interview Panel: C. J. Skuse, Cat Clark, Keren David, L. A. Weatherly and Laura Jarratt

Host: @ChouettBlog

Our panel discusses love in all its forms.

 It's Behind You!

Time: 3.00pm-3.45pm

Interview Panel: Darren Shan and Matt Whyman

Host: @MyBookishLife

Our panel discuss horror in their writing.

Crime and Mystery

Time: 4.00pm-4.40pm

Interview Panel: Lauren Oliver and Robin Stevens

Host: @ChelleToy

Lauren and Robin discuss two very diverse representations of crime and mystery.

Rude, Crude and Uncouth: The Shouldn'ts, Couldn'ts and Wouldn'ts of YA Lit

Time: 4.55pm-5.40pm

Interview Panel: Louise O'Neill, Non Pratt and Sally Green

Host: @EmilyDrabs

Our panel discuss taboo in their work and the need to represent taboo in YA lit.

Playing the Victim

Time: 5.50pm-6.30pm

Interview Panel: Holly Smale and Sarah Mussi

Host: @YAblooker

Our panel discuss representations of female characters that refuse to be victims of circumstance.

 

 

Blood is Thicker Than Water

Time: 6.45pm-7.30pm

Interview Panel: Clare Furniss, Lisa Heathfield and Sarah Crossan

Host: @ChelleToy 

Our panel discuss three very different portraits of familial relations. 

Alternate Reader Channels

Time: 7.40pm-8.20pm

Interview Panel: Alice Oseman and Taran Matharu

Host: @Lottie_LovesB

Our panel discuss different ways of reaching readers and why this is so important in a digital age.

Fact or Fiction

Time: 8.30pm-9.10pm

Interview Panel: Frances Hardinge and M. G. Harris

Host: @YAblooker

Our panel talk about deception and secrets as they discuss the multi-faceted characters and intricate plots they have created.

Twitter Chat: Most Anticipated 2016 Reads

Time: 9.30pm-10.00pm

We take a look at some of the most hyped and sought-after books in 2016. Have a pen ready because your TBR pile is about to get a whole lot bigger!

 

 

There will be tons of giveaways throughout the event across Twitter and Instagram. To be in with a chance of winning, follow us on Twitter @YAfictionados and on Instagram yafictionados. We will feature blog posts, giveaways, Twitter chats and interviews so be sure to mark this event in your calenders!

 

Please note that all times are GMT. The schedule is subject to change.



#YAtakeover Literary Classics and YA Lit Chat

Join us this Friday the 18^th December 2015 when we will be discussing literary classics and Young Adult literature using the #YAtakeover hashtag. From 7.30-9.00pm GMT, we will be hosting a discussion on the importance of literary classics and their impact and influence on YA lit. Whether it’s Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte, Mary Shelley or Sylvia Plath, tweet us your thoughts and network with bloggers, authors, readers and more!

Please note: The day has been amended from Thursday to Friday due to unforeseen circumstances.

 

#PassTheParcel

#PassTheParcel 

 

To spread some festive, book-ish cheer in the run-up to Christmas (and the #YAtakeover), we are launching a book-tubing venture in the form of a game.

 

#PassTheParcel will see a package delivered to three book-tubers. They will film themselves opening the package (which will contain a book - one that is personal to me) and a set of twenty flash cards plus instructions. Each card will have a clue to a particular book (a recreation of a well-known, YA cover, for example) or something more subjective (such as your favourite YA villain). The answering of these clues will be filmed, timed and posted on Youtube. The package is then re-sealed and the process repeated (it includes everything plus a book that is personal to you).


Everyone that takes part between now and the #YAtakeover on the 9th January 2016 will be in with a chance to win a copy of Tess Sharpe's Far From You and Robyn Schneider's Extraordinary Means. This is not just for book-tubers and book bloggers. Absolutely anyone can take part. You don't have to have a fancy, state-of-the-art camera to take part. A smart phone or tablet does the job just as well!

If you're interested in taking part, e-mail us at yafictionados@hotmail.com with #PassTheParcel in the subject line or tweet us at @YAfictionados.

 

Help us spread the book-ish cheer!

The #YAtakeover Author Line-Up

The author line-up for the #YAtakeover:

1.   C. J. Skuse (Monster)
2.   Frances Hardinge (The Lie Tree)
3.   Siobhan Curham (True Face)
4.   E. R. Murray (The Book of Learning)
5.   Matt Whyman (The Savages)
6.   Melinda Salisbury (The Sin Eater's Daughter)
7.   Becky Albertalli (Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda)
8.   Virginia Bergin (The Rain)
9.   MG Harris (Gemini Force One)
10. Cat Clarke (The Lost and the Found)
11. Non Pratt (Remix)
12. Lisa Heathfield (Seed)
13. Sarah Mussi (Siege)
14. Alexia Casale (The Bone Dragon)
15. Holly Smale (Geek Girl)
16. Rachel McIntyre (Me and Mr J)
17. Clare Furniss (How Not to Disappear)
18. Jana Oliver (The Demon Trappers)
19. Andrew Smith (Grasshopper Jungle)
20. Jess Vallance (Birdy)
21. Anna McKerrow (Crow Moon)
22. Jess Vallance (Birdy)
23. Louise O'Neill (Asking For It)
24. Marcus Sedgwick (The Ghosts of Heaven)
25. Jennifer Niven (All the Bright Places)
26. Ryan Graudin (Wolf by Wolf)
27. Kendare Blake (Mortal Gods)
28. Sally Green (Half Wild)
29. Samantha Shannon (The Mime Order)
30. Keren David (This is Not a Love Story)
31. Liz Kessler (Read Me Like A Book)
32. Alice Oseman (Solitaire)
33. Lu Hersey (Deep Water)
34. Lynn Weingarten (Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls)
35. Taran Matharu (The Novice)
36. C. J. Daugherty (Night School)
37. Robin Stevens (Murder Most Unladylike)
38. L. A. Weatherly (Angel)
39. Christi J. Whitney (Grey)
40. Eve Ainsworth (7 Days)
41. Jenn Bennett (Night Owls)
42. Jasmine Warga (My Heart and Other Black Holes)
43. Tabitha Suzuma (Forbidden)
44. Teri Terry (Mind Games)
45. Lauren Kate (Fallen)
46. I. W. Gregorio (None of the Above)
47. Darren Shan (The Vampire's Assistant)
48. Lisa Williamson (The Art of Being Normal)
49. Laura Jarratt (Louder Than Words)
50. Brian Conaghan (When Mr. Dog Bites)
51. Charlotte Eyre
52. Jake Hope
53. Katie Webber
54. Joy Court

'Messenger of Fear' Review

'Messenger of Fear' by Michael Grant

Review by Megan

Summary:

“I could call him Messenger, but his full title was Messenger of Fear...”

A girl wakes covered in mist.  She doesn't remember anything about herself: just her name.  Mara. She walks into a church and finds a beautiful boy.  He is the Messenger.  And she is under his control. At first, Mara hopes this strange land and boy are all figments of her imagination, a dream, but soon it becomes all too apparent that this is real.  He is real.

The Messenger has a job: he must keep the balance.  Those who have darkness in their hearts – those who have done wrong – are his jurisdiction.  He gives them a choice: Play... Or Pay… If they play his game and win, they go free.  If they fail, they must face their greatest fear... And Mara must help him – she must help the Messenger of Fear... But why?  And how can she escape?  What is this place the Messenger and the other beings inhabit? And how did Mara come to be here too...?

Excerpt:

“Who are you?”

That was the first question I asked the boy in front of me.  The pale, solemn young man in the black coat with small silver skulls for buttons.

But he didn’t answer it.  Instead he answered the question I never asked, but which was nevertheless what I really wanted to know.

Am I dead?

No.  Not dead, he told me.

But surely not quite alive, either.  How could I be?  I remembered my name – Mara.  But, standing in that ghostly place, still shuddering at the memory of the creeping yellow mist that had awoken me in that strange, silent land, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began.

Review:

I have adored every single one of Michael Grant's books that I've read. But in about five pages, Messenger Of Fear instantly became one of my favourites.  I love the fast-paced, non-stop action of the Fayz and BZRK series, but this... it was freaking terrifying! Grant is king of creepy, but in Messenger of Fear he takes it to a whole new level. The amount of psychological suspense, fear, thrills and tangled webs in this book... whoa. He also takes some serious issues and manages to brilliantly incorporate them into this fantastical and creepy story. Plus, Messenger of Fear was just the star - I cannot wait to delve deeper into this world with the sequel!

I think it's kind of hard to judge Mara as a character: for the majority of the book, she herself didn't even know who she was, so how were we really meant to? I think she did have an impressive character arc though, and I look forward to seeing more of her.  And then there’s the Messenger, who was absolutely fascinating to me. I do love the mysterious, dark types (though not quite as much as my snarky, borderline-bad-boys) and Messenger was just... so interesting. 

There was a whole host of other mysterious characters – from Oriax to the Game Master. I'm very excited to learn more about them – about the whole world, actually! I'm not going to say anything else about the other characters – can't give out too many spoilers, can I – but I really did admire the way Grant made them all; different shades of grey, all of them. Because, yes, I hated some of the characters and liked others, but I really understood them all, and could appreciate their characterisation and purpose.

Oh, and guys! GUYS. There was no romance in the book!  Seriously!  I mean, Messenger is a guy and Mara is a girl and both were the lead characters, but no romance - amazing, right?! Sure, she didn't really trust him. Sure, if you touched him, something pretty bad happened (not telling: no spoilers).  But still, I’m really excited by this romance-less plot. Hopefully it will invite more focus on the story rather than a relationship - don't ruin it now, Michael Grant!

On to the writing, which was really different from Grant's usual style: more elegant, more lyrical and more descriptive. Less bang-bang-bang, with everything being thrown at you; more refined and slow, like a mist that creeps into your mind and captures you. I liked it very much. On another note - and I’m not going to lie - fans who are used to Grant's signature bloody action might be a little disappointed with the plot of Messenger of Fear.  But if you love exciting and intense psychological suspense, lots of mysteries to be solved, justice to be dealt and webs to be unraveled, you will lap this plot up, just like I did. I really did like the story. It wasn't the fastest, but it was brilliantly suspenseful – we were constantly given little clues, new mysteries and bundles of foreshadowing. As a gal who dotes on mysteries, I really did enjoy the slow build and the endless secrets to unravel. And that last reveal... maybe I should've seen it coming. But I really didn't. It shocked me. And left me desperate for more!

But don't get me wrong; as much as I enjoyed Messenger Of Fear, lots of it was really hard to read. There was this one bit... around eighty pages in... I found it so, so hard to carry on with that chapter – I was literally yelling (in my head) at the characters involved, begging.  It was... rough, to say the least. And then towards the end... the violence... the blood of this one scene...  That was hard too. But as well as these tough (and brilliantly written) scenes, lots of other difficult issues were tackled: bullying, secrecy, being a victim, injustice, pain... 

Messenger Of Fear was a truly gripping and original book – one that completely surprised me and one that I really enjoyed.  It might not be for all of Michael Grant's BZRK-er fans, but for those of you who love supernatural mystery books, with lots of creepiness and secrets to unwind, Messenger Of Fear is not to be missed!

So, what are you waiting for?  Read or pay, people!

Rating: 4/5 Stars  ★ ★ ★ ★

  

Read this book if you liked:
 

The Fayz series by Michael Grant

The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancey

Abhorsen by Garth Nix

Happy Reading

Megan, The Book Addicted Girl

* This book was received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review