Author spotlight – Tate James

Sometimes you see an authors name get thrown around and you wonder, is the hype warranted. Are they really that good at what they do?

As I said a few weeks ago, I’ve was planning on reading pretty much all romance this month. I had a heap of authors I wanted to try and I managed to snag free kindle unlimited, so I’ve had plenty to choose from. Tate James is a name I’ve been hearing about on instagram for months and when I finally joined the TikTok ranks the romance readers seemed to love her. I selected 6 or so authors and was only going to read one book from each author. 

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

I enjoyed Trail of lightning and when I saw all the hype around Black Sun I purposely stayed away from reviews to avoid spoiling it for myself. I went in blind so to speak.

BEST DESCISION EVER

What an absolute delight. Reading Black Sun is an absolute experience. It has popped straight to the list of books I wish I could read again for the very first time.

The characters, the lore, the way the multiple pov’s weave in around each other. Each and every aspect of Black Sun is a masterclass on how to do epic fantasy.

Synopsis –

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

Welcome to Blackwood by Khaiah Thomson

A chance encounter at the hairdresser brought this book to my attention and I’m very glad it happened. So thank you to my hairdresser for fitting me in and introducing me to the author in the basin next to me.

Welcome to Blackwood is Khaiah Thomson’s debut novel and she has smashed it out of the park with an engaging, well written story.

It is set in the lush, secretive town of Blackwood. The descriptions are fantastic and I want to live there. Not even for all the supernatural shenanigans, but for the absolutely beautiful setting. It has the forest, beach and small town vibes. It sounds like heaven.

Australian authors I have loved.

I originally posted this in 2018 and I wanted to update it a little to add some other Australian authors that I have since discovered and thoroughly enjoyed. It’s going to make it a chonky post so I hope you make it all the way through.

John Marsden – born in Victoria in 1950, he had an interest in writing from a young age. He was a teacher and has written many books, he is successful internationally as well as at home.

The Tomorrow when the War Began series was my favourite series as a young teen. A group of kids go camping for a weekend and when they get back they discover that their area/country has been invaded. Their loved ones are held captive, so they do the only thing they can do – Guerrilla warfare. Ellie and her friends are a diverse bunch with many skills, they use these country kid skills to cause mayhem for the invading forces. I absolutely loved the idea of kids kicking arse and taking it to the bad guys. The relationships between the kids were complex and well written. John Marsden didn’t skim over the details, he handled the mental challenges the kids faced really well, the fallout for them. It’s not all sunshine and lollipops, these kids go through hell and their mental health reflects this. I still reread this series every couple of years. I cannot wait for my daughter to read this series. There are seven books in the series and I just discovered a follow-up series called the Ellie Chronicles that I have yet to read.

(2021 update – My daughter was not a fan of this and didn’t even make it through the first book… Does this mean I failed as a mum? lol)

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Goodreads  –  Amazon

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The Build-up Season by Megan Jacobson

I don’t know about you, but I’m a total cover whore. I don’t need to read the blurb, if it’s bright, shiny and pretty, my inner 4 year old comes out and I have to have it. Admit it, we all do it.

That is how I found one of my top 2016 reads; Yellow by Megan Jacobson. It had some of the most authentic Australian teenage dialogue and I read it in one sitting. So when I stumbled across The Build-Up Season, I didn’t read the synopsis, I didn’t check reviews, I didn’t care about that stuff, Yellow was such a strong, engaging read that I will automatically buy her next 10 books.

The Gulp by Alan Baxter

“Welcome to The Gulp, where nothing is as it seems.”

Moody – Dark – Gorey – engaging – Supernatural

Synopsis – Strange things happen in The Gulp. The residents have grown used to it. The isolated Australian harbour town of Gulpepper is not like other places. Some maps don’t even show it. And only outsiders use the full name. Everyone who lives there calls it The Gulp. The place has a habit of swallowing people.
A truck driver thinks the stories about The Gulp are made up to scare him. Until he gets there. Teenage siblings try to cover up the death of their mother, but their plans go drastically awry. A rock band invite four backpackers to a party at their house, where things get dangerously out of hand. A young man loses a drug shipment and his boss gives him 48 hours to make good on his mistake. Under the blinking eye of the old lighthouse, a rock fisher makes the strangest catch of his life.

Five novellas. Five descents into darkness. 

Favourites of 2020

Well it’s a week or so later than I originally planned, but finally it’s here. My wrap up of 2020. Life wise all has been well here, where I live we have managed to avoid, for now, Covid affecting our lives too much. The kids had a couple of weeks off school and a lot of business was closed for a while. I was off work for six months, but a lot of other people were affected way more than us. My daughter and I have started volunteering at a wildlife hospital, my son has taken up a new sport and I’m looking forward to trying new things in 2021 (Well maybe saying that I’m looking forward to new things is a bit strong lol). I also fell in love with reading middle grade books and they kept me reading while I was teetering on the verge of a massive slump.

Amari and The Night Brothers by B. B. Alston

This past month has been a time of silence on the review front which means I missed my slot on this blog tour, ran by Dave from Write Reads Tours. My lack of review is not a negative reflection of this book, in fact it’s the opposite.. I wanted to write this review when I had some time to put it together, not while rushing around trying to do 100 things. I wanted to attempt to give this book the review it deserves.

Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr

Your eyes don’t deceive you, it’s actually happening, I’m reviewing a contemporary read. And what a delightful read it was.

• Australian author 

• Female author

• Own voices

• Autistic female main character

Please Don’t Hug Me ticks all the boxes. That title is simply the best. The story was told in letter format. The characters are all incredibly relatable and just trying to do their best. The family was flawed but truly wonderful. It was heart warming, engaging and an absolute delight. 

Synopsis – A funny-serious own-voices story about what happens when you stop trying to be the person other people expect you to be and give yourself a go.

Erin is looking forward to Schoolies, at least she thinks she is. But things are not going to plan. Life is getting messy, and for Erin, who is autistic, that’s a big problem. She’s lost her job at Surf Zone after an incident that clearly was not her fault. Her driving test went badly even though she followed the instructions perfectly. Her boyfriend is not turning out to be the romantic type. And she’s missing her brother, Rudy, who left almost a year ago.

But now that she’s writing letters to him, some things are beginning to make just a tiny bit of sense.

Erin is the most wonderful main character. She is absolutely adorable and is doing her absolute best to be who everyone wants her to be. But it’s not easy and as she is growing up, she realises things aren’t going to work out the way she had planned. 

I can empathise with Erin and her family so much. The way they are written is brilliant. The style brings us right into Erin’s head, we see everything the way she does and I think it’s fantastic. She is a delight with a kind heart. This was a really beautiful coming of age story. The growth throughout was realistic and had me cheering for Erin and her family. Her little brother was such a sweet, innocent character. Also fantastic female friendships for the win!!

Please Don’t Hug Me is such an easy read. The format makes it fly by. I read it a couple of hours as I couldn’t put it down. If you are after a contemporary absolutely brimming with heart, this is the book for you. It will leave you with a massive smile on your face, even after it rips your heart out. 

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Goodreads  –  Amazon  –  Released: 28th April 2020

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Girl on Fire by Gemma Amor

I first came across Girl on Fire when someone was talking about the author on Twitter. I can’t remember who, but if it was you, thank you. The cover stole my attention and the synopsis made sure I pre-ordered it. 

What an absolute ride. It starts as it intends to finish; brutal, powerful and jarring. Girl on Fire gripped me tight and pulled me along. I had no choice, I had to keep turning the pages. It is intense and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Ruby stood, fire flowing from her like water, her face set and stony, her head cocked to one side. I realised that she was not new to killing, she had done it before, and would do it again. I knew what I was looking at: anger, fresh and unfettered, and I knew there was an endless well of it inside of her, I just knew.”

Ruby is an intense character. She is pure rage and considering her experiences you can see why. Raped by her Daddy, believed by no one, what is left for her to do but escape. Only she crashes her car and is burnt up in the inferno. When the flames die down she is reborn, ready to take out the trash.

I can’t emphasize enough just how perfect the writing style is for this book. The sentences bring Ruby, her pain and her anger, to life. They pack a punch, they have purpose and deliver the story in style.

I’m actually not sure how to review this one, it’s such a powerful, emotional read. I want to do it justice, do Ruby justice. Ruby isn’t a character you will love, she is a broken monster, but I empathise with her and how she got to the point where her only option is to set fire to the world. And that’s exactly what she does, she harnesses her anger, her rage, her hate and she lets loose on the world that failed her.

Gemma Amor is an author that isn’t afraid to take the story where it needs to go, and I will be hunting down her books and diving into the stories within.

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Goodreads  –  Amazon

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