A Time for Silence by Thorne Moore

In a gloomy corner of Wales a wreck of a cottage holds the secrets of Sarah's family. Keen to renovate her Grandmother's old home as a weekend retreat, Sarah isn't prepared for what she will find. Her grandmother Gwen was the epitome of dutiful housewife, Gwen's husband John was the pride of the village choir. As Sarah brings the cottage back to life, she hopes to recreate a sense of this unknown family. A mother playing the piano, children dutifully gathered around her knees. A father returning home after a hard day's work in the fields.

As Gwen's voice begins to be woven through the narrative, we soon gather that Sarah's nostalgia grates awkwardly against the truth. The family's quaint cottage was the site of a murder. Sarah's grandfather was shot in his own home. But who was the murderer, and why were they never caught? And why was this kept secret from Sarah for so long? 

Desperate to reveal the truth and keen to avoid confronting her coming wedding, Sarah launches a full-scale investigation. In much the same way, Gwen willfully ignores the dark truths in her own home, determined to show a united, honourable front to the world. Can Sarah solve this mystery alone? And is she ready for what it will reveal?

A Time for Silence is a gripping family drama published by Honno Welsh Women's Press, which strives to promote local female writing. My copy was given to me by my godmother, as Thorne Moore is an old friend of hers. Aware of her natural bias, it took me a few weeks to begin reading. But after a few short chapters I was hooked by the simplicity of the women's voices. 

Thorne Moore captures the importance of the everyday details, conversations and daydreams that make up our lives. Piece by piece, she builds these women's lives until they sneak into our affections. This is especially true for Gwen, a character whom I have next to nothing in common with. The most chilling part of Thorne Moore's skill is the way that she represents evil. Far from a distant, unknowable and easily hated quality, evil exists in the everyday. By documenting the growth of this within a seemingly perfect family, Thorne Moore emulates real life. 

The good news is that she sets this all in the past, soothing the reader with the brightness of Sarah's home improvements. This foray into family research ultimately strengthens Sarah, allowing her to approve the future having learnt from the past. But for me, this didn't lessen the important truth within the novel: that evil is most corrosive when it's buried in everyday, seemingly normal lives.

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

A confident and talented music hall performer, Nimira is tied of being billed as an exotic sideshow. She didn't travel hundreds of miles from her eastern home to wind up singing for next to nothing.

So when powerful sorcerer, Hollin Parry offers her a better wage and a bigger stage, how can she say no? Nimira has been chosen to duet with a musical automaton, a robot with impeccable piano skills, and is taken back to Parry's mansion to practice.

But is Nimira really better off in Parry's care? Strange noises from the attic, macabre fairy specimens and rumours of impending war keep Nimira from being able to relax in her new home.

That is, until she discovers a friend in the shape of a cursed fairy stuck in the body of the automaton. Determined to bring the automaton back to life, Nimira begins to uncover Parry's secrets and quickly becomes tangled in a secret world of sabotage and deathly magic.

Jaclyn Dolamore's tale felt like a breath of fresh air in many ways. Nimira's voice is clear and consistent. Sometimes she's strong, sometimes she collapses in tears. As much as I love the confident, strong and physical characters so popular in Young Adult fiction right now, I think it's really important to have a wide variety of characters for readers to identify with. Do you agree, or do you cringe when protagonists appear vulnerable?

The truth is, Nimira lives in a world in which she's officially powerless as a female. Although Parry sweeps her away from the leering men of the music hall, as a lone young girl, she still depends on male approval for survival. To gain any kind of autonomy in the old fashioned world portrayed here, she has to display strength. But unlike the Katnisses or Beatrices of this world, Nimira's strength lies in persuasion, integrity and kindness, rather than physical skill or agility.

Magic Under Glass has been billed as a romance but I think Nimira and Erris's relationship is more complex than that. There's is not a simple case of boy meets girl, and although it was touching to see their physical connection grow- all their interactions are coloured by the limitations of Erris' automaton body.

So whilst I'm more swayed by adrenaline filled thrillers like Throne of Glass and Divergent, I think there's definitely an audience for this quirky and charming tale.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel is the first in The Infernal Devices trilogy, a prequel series to the Mortal Instruments series (yes, I'm confused too). Set in a dark and eerie Victorian London it begins with the arrival of sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray, fresh off a boat from the big apple. 

A friendless orphan, Tessa has returned to England to live with her errant brother Nathaniel. In his place, Tessa is met by two cold women, the Dark sisters, and soon imprisoned in their London home. Believing Tessa to have special powers they force her to undergo painful magical transformations. It's soon clear that there's something not quite human about Tessa, but how did the sisters know? And where is Nathaniel?

Tessa's London is threatened by a magical underworld of vampires, warlocks, demons - held together by self-appointed peacemakers, The Shadowhunters. Just as the sisters begin to hint at an upcoming forced marriage to their master, The Magister, a shockingly handsome Shadowhunter named Will arrives to sweep her away to safety. 

Installed in the Shadowhunters headquarters Tessa continues to ask questions. Is she safe with The Shadowhunters? What does The Magister want with her? And why does Will mercilessly tease her one moment, then completely ignore her the next?

This is a thrilling, satisfying instalment that definitely made me keen to continue with the series. In some ways it reminded me of the Harry Potter books - multiple characters and sub-plots knocking around a building so old and impenetrable that it's almost a character in itself. Magical beings climbing out of the woodwork and a baffled but likable main character with unwanted power. That being said, I'd much rather have Tessa fighting in my corner than Harry.

There were more than enough twists to keep me reading and Cassandra Clare kept me guessing along with Tessa on which characters to trust. Whilst there are some touching scenes, genuine portrayals of friendships and a little bit of romance, most of the book is concentrated on the action. And this makes it a brilliant read. 

Enough questions were answered in this instalment for it to feel like a complete story, whilst those that went unanswered are intriguing enough to make me impatient to begin the next book. Highly recommend.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Imagine a world without war. Sounds great, right? 

For 16-year-old Beatrice, peace has come at a price. Her world is divided into factions, each of which prioritises a different human characteristic. Beatrice and her family live in the Abnegation faction where all members are expected to act selflessly at all times. Beatrice's problem? She's human.

Exhausted from constantly suppressing her individuality and self-interest, Beatrice approaches the traditional choosing ceremony. As they reach adulthood, teenagers are required to pick the faction that they belong in. This faction is where they will remain all their lives. No pressure then.

Beatrice faces a decision which is often mirrored in adolescence on a slightly less intense scale. Does she love herself more than her family? Can she bear to leave them in order to be free to be herself? And if so, for which faction?

This novel struck me as authentic, thrilling and touching. It was easy to empathise with Beatrice as she struggles to first know herself, and then prove her worth in an unfriendly world. She goes through a huge amount of trauma in the novel, coming out physically and emotionally changed. But these challenges only strengthen her individuality, and it's fascinating to watch her grow.

The action scenes were nail-biting and believable and all the characters, evil and good alike, had human faults. Veronica Roth doesn't shy from portraying the worst of human nature - but there are also moments of humour, friendship and hope. Best of all - it features a tension-filled romance without making this the focus of the novel.