What happened to my reading list?

Well nothing happened exactly, I just got side-tracked from my last reported reading list. I failed to get around to Angie Sage’s Magyk, and having been distracted I’ve remained continually distracted for months! I intend to post a series of reports on books I’ve read recently, all of which I’ve enjoyed. Whether I manage pictures will depend on whether I can locate my camera!

I did an event a little while ago at Gosford Hill School with Sarah Singleton, author of four novels for teenagers so far: Century, Heretic, Sacrifice and The Amethyst Child. Before doing the event, I felt I really should read one of her books. So I did. I chose Sacrifice. Wow! What a great book! I was totally hooked on her writing in no time flat … hence I’ve now also read all the others.

I think the thing that struck me with Sacrifice was that Sarah managed to blend historical fiction with dark fantasy in a way that gave it that great gothic feeling, but without losing pace. Somehow she manages to draw you through the story with vivid descriptions and wonderful settings, yet gives a sense of action and movement to the story throughout. I’ve not come across many writers who can achieve this so completely.

Century is delightfully spooky. It’s actually quite a complex idea made easy to understand by brilliant writing. I don’t want to give any spoilers to either story. I have written a review of Sacrifice on the Chronicles website, which you can read here – Sacrifice Review.

Heretic has perhaps the highest fantasy element of Sarah’s stories to date. It’s set in Elizabethan times and follows the story of a Catholic girl who meets with one of the legendary green children. Both had been persecuted for their religion, so their bond was not surprising, but the faery element of the story was not what I was expecting at all. Sarah does build her sense of historical place with such ease that it is easy to feel the first half of the book to be bordering on a work of straight historical fiction, but the latter half leaps across the border into fantasy with both feet. It’s both a surprising and satisfying read.

The Amethyst Child is contemporary, so marks a departure from her earlier books. That said, I found myself marvelling at the ease with which Sarah drew me into a story unlike any I would normally choose to pick up. This is a cautionary tale of a young girl who is drawn into a modern day cult. There is only the faintest hint of anything fantastical in it, but I was mesmerised by the story. When one reads as much as I have during my life there are not many stories that stick in the mind, but this is one of them. It is both everyday, yet remarkable. The characters felt disturbingly real. Their situation frighteningly believable. The Amethyst Child will most certainly remain sharp in my mind for some time to come.

In short, let me encourage you to try one of her books. I doubt you would be disappointed. One of my other heroine writers of dark fantasy has also been singing the praises of Sarah’s work recently. Freda Warrington is a wonderful author of many works of fantasy. You can see what she thought of The Amethyst Child here. Look at the entry posted on 27th May.