Characters - I enjoyed all the characters, for such a short book they felt developed enough but not as well fleshed out of course... Final verdict: 4 shooting stars. This is the sort of book that both makes you want to believe in magic and fear it at the same time. Definitely recommend! It sounds creepy. There’s the element of abuse, too, with the son who’s disabled, and then this Englishman comes along and marries into the family.

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The Best of the Realms: The Stories of Elaine Cunningham (Forgotten Realms: The Best of the Realms, #3)This book has been described as a Jane Austen inspired YA fantasy involving a magical book. It certainly has pride & prejudice and emma vibes. The author is German and so I was also interested in it because I love reading translated books for the different perspectives. Yes, he would jump about genre a lot so that does make it difficult. His poetry was published by Stephen Spender in Encounter. He was acclaimed, and people knew he was a great writer, but he just didn’t catch somehow. He wrote sailing thrillers as well, and he designed a special keel that was used in the America’s Cup. I really did enjoy reading this even though not everything worked for me. I liked Emma and her friendships with the other girls at school. I liked the magic book itself, how it worked, and the mysteries that needed to be solved. There were secret tunnels which are always awesome. I loved many of the Austen-esque vibes. The ending also worked very well for me. Now that that is out of the way, I am able to mention that false retelling aside, this was a really wonderful book. I thought the main aspect of a magical book where what you write in it comes true was really original, and blended well with the other Austen-inspired storylines. I loved Emma as a character: her curiosity, determinism, and drive, which was occasionally pushed aside in favour of her choosing to make really dumb - but entertaining - decisions. She's 16, so she's allowed to make mistakes. The setting was gorgeous - a German castle turned into a boarding school, with creepy catacombs and hidden entrances. The writing itself was really lovely, and that's gotta be a bonus because this was translated from the original German. The narration was good as well, and I enjoyed listening to Erin Spencer deliver the story.

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I have a degree of scepticism about the term ‘forgotten classic’. People often talk about a classic having been forgotten, when it has only ever been forgotten by major publishers. So it’s marketing. Stoner (1965) by John Williams is a good example. It was re-issued in 2013 as ‘one of the great forgotten novels of the past century’, but – though it was neglected – it wasn’t forgotten and people had been talking about it, and re-issues had been coming out, on and off down the decades. So there’s a difference between neglected and forgotten, and there’s also the question of by whom? Wow! Let me just say, wow. I have never read a book like this, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. That aside, though, I loved how Gläser treated these characters in the new setting. Unlike other contemporary retellings I have read, these characters do feel like a modern variant, though they are ones that are true to their original. It's unsurprising that Darcy was my favourite: while he comes across as condescending and arrogant, he's actually a really nice guy and a loving brother. I also really enjoyed Emma, even if I do believe she should have been Elizabeth. She is one of the best-developed voices of a teenager I've come across: she sways between hey I'm just a kid and I am all so grown up. She makes a lot of stupid mistakes but she is willing to admit her own faults. She can be snarky and out of line but she's a genuinely good friend. I like that she cared about the school itself, that the younger students felt welcome and that she looked out for her father.Gets a star for just its gorgeous looking cover. It’s so bright and colourful and detailed and amazing. Whoever designed the cover should get a medal. Beyond the beautiful cover and the hint of magic and romance was what made me read this book. Okay, it was mainly the amazing cover. Does the book live up to the cover. Uhh… not really? I mean, it’s not that bad, but I’ll explain why I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. Let’s talk about Caroline Slade’s book, Sterile Sun, published in 1936. I’d never heard of this and it sounds utterly fascinating. Convinced that these visions are merely a side-effect of his injuries, he attempts to ignore them, just to learn that he might not be nearly as crazy as he first believed. The enemy is in fact real and even closer than he had imagined, and they will do whatever it takes to keep him from rediscovering the centuries lost starship. Happily, though, we have another resource to help you through this struggle: an article from Make Use Of, which shares several search engines that can help you figure out a book title that you’ve forgotten. Related post