Reading And Watching Joyously

 I enjoyed this book, although I found it took me a long time to read - I didn't ever get absorbed and read it for long periods at a time. I related to the main character's anxiety, and liked the use of and comparisons of language (Irish, English, colonial English, Cantonese). It was an unusual setting (an Irish woman in Hong Kong) and dealt with a lot of issues surrounding identity, which I always enjoy.

I loved this book so much! It was sent to me by the library in my box and I had never heard of it. It looked interesting, a teen paranormal mystery - I was only a couple of chapters in before I just wanted to sit and read it all day. Fairies and forbidden romance are my favourite combination of topics (not fairies like Tinkerbell, but mythological fairies (Faeries, Seelie) and that's what this book had. AND it was set in Australia which I hadn't encountered before - an Australian setting for a fantasy novel. It was scary at times and often exciting. The first person narrative gave a good insight into the fear and determination and confusion of the main character, she was a very believable 17 year old. There were a couple of moments that didn't quite flow, as if the story had changed a bit and an edit had been missed, but it didn't detract from the story. Halfway through I realised that it is the first book in a series, which means there's more to come - I can't ...