Title: The Dawn of Skye
Author: E. B. Heimdal
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 314
Rating: 4*/5
E. B. Heimdal – The Dawn of Skye
Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.
I almost gave up on this book, but I’m glad that I didn’t – after soldiering on with it, I decided it was definitely worth it, although I also thought it was just the right length. It essentially follows the story of a group of kids in a world without adults who are just trying to survive. I wouldn’t quite call it post-apocalyptic, but rather like an interesting spin on fantasy that starts to resolve itself throughout the novel.
Still, it leaves the reader with plenty of unanswered questions, which is a good thing if you want to get hooked on a series but not so much if you’re looking for a standalone. I thought it was fun enough though, and I’ll pick up the next book if I come across. I just wouldn’t go out of my way for it.
I don’t want to go too much further into the plot, but what I will say is that the mechanism behind the sickness in the story was quite interesting and definitely worth more exploration. Likewise, there were some great character–driven moments that could only exist because the characterisation throughout was pretty solid, although I didn’t like Flo because she felt like too much of a stereotype. She was just a jealous little girl who put lives at risk because she didn’t get things her own way.
All in all, I was impressed. I’m not sure whether this is a debut novel or not, but that in itself should count for something. The world-building and the story line was good although the pacing was occasionally slow, and it earns bonus points for the cover.
E. B. Heimdal
John Williams – Stoner | Review
Title: Stoner
Author: John Williams
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 298
Rating: 5/5
I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this, and I basically picked it up because I saw a beautiful copy of it in a charity shop and then kept it on my shelves for a while until my BookTube friend Mara mentioned she was picking it up and I asked her if she fancied a buddy read.
I’m glad that it gave me the motivation to pick this up, because it turned out to be pretty much the perfect novel. Sure, it was bleak and sad throughout, but I like that from books and so I wasn’t exactly complaining. I also thought it did an excellent job of telling the story of Stoner’s life from start to finish.
If you’re looking for a plot-driven read then you should probably look elsewhere, because that’s not what this is. The good news is that I tend to prefer plot-driven reads to character-driven reads, but I thought this was fantastic despite my personal preferences, so there might still be hope for you.
I think what Williams did well was to show some very human characteristics in some very flawed characters. I even liked reading about Edith, Stoner’s wife, even though she was kind of a terrible person. Because she was a part of Stoner’s story and we follow his wife from start to finish, we can see how she becomes the way she ends up being. The same is true of his daughter, too.
Then there’s the commentary on the first and the second world wars, and you really feel their impact in the small community of Stoner’s university. This is a contender for my top ten books of the year.
Click here to buy Stoner.