ADVENT OF LIBRA by Chris Wimpress #RBRT

3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: A dystopian future UK

This book opens in an undetermined time in the near future of this country, I think about 10 or 15 years hence, and introduces us to three generations of a dysfunctional family around whom it is based.  Grandmother Stella is in a care home, her daughter Kelly a divorced, alcoholic therapist who relaxes by vaping skunk.  Kelly's niece Lara is secretly involved with a group of dangerous insurgents.

This group is called Libra, weaponised entitled youth who blame the older generations for every ill in their lives and feel it is their right to 'snuff' the 'stiffs', in other words terrorise towns, set light to care homes and murder the 'boomers' who apparently have no right to live their lives out in peace and comfort.  A particularly nasty piece of work called Alyssa is under the impression that they're 'living off her taxes'.

Some parts of this novel reflect the current times, with the media failing to report incidents that don't reflect the narrative the government want to promote, and Kelly's belief that the use of facial recognition technology is there to 'keep them safe'.  Much in the imagined future is feasible indeed - failing businesses, night time curfews - but I couldn't quite buy into the whole Libra idea; they didn't seem to have much agenda apart from mayhem and murder.  Where did they get sufficient weaponry to gain victory over the entire army and police force?  Who was funding them?  I felt that there were large gaps in the world-building; groups of insurgents generally have a few billionaires with their own agenda to back them.  There was, for instance, no indication of exactly how they managed to blow up the massive Tyne Bridge.  We were just told that they had.  And aside from the police and army, people themselves tend to form into groups and fight back.

The book could do with a better proofread, though I did enjoy reading it and there was interesting detail about Stella, Kelly and Lara's past, but I just couldn't quite believe in it.  Then again, many variations on our inevitable dystopian future are being written these days, and feasibility is always subjective.  

The Cotillion Brigade by Glen Craney #RBRT

4 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

On BookBub

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: 'A novel of the Civil War and the most famous female militia in American history'

This novel is quite an achievement, and I so appreciated how much it taught me about the American Civil War, a subject about which I knew very little before.  

The Cotillion Brigade tells a fictional version of the true story of the Nancy Hart Rifles of Georgia, begun by former debutante Nancy Colquitt Hill, who lived on a plantation.  Her chapters alternate between those of Hugh LaGrange from Wisconsin, on the side of the Abolitionists; he and his men's aim is, initially, to make sure that the territory of Kansas remains a free state when it joins the union.

The novel is intricately researched, and the characters are clearly defined.  I liked the way in which the author wrote the characters authentically, using (some of the) the dialogue they would have used at the time, rather than sugar-coat it too much, so as not to offend the sensitive ears of the 21st century.  He has walked a successful middle line between the two possible extremes.

Nancy was an interesting character from the start; she dived into her new role with the same gusto and impulsiveness that she displayed when all she had to think about was her standing in society, and her love life.  Hugh's side of the story contains all the gritty atmosphere you would expect, and I felt the author had really got into the heads of the people of the time.

My only complaint is the length - I think it could have been chopped down by 20% to gee up the momentum a little.  The first third sets up the lives of Hugh and Nancy in great detail; I thought this, in particular, could have been edited down, though I did love Nancy's wrangles with her rival in love!  As the story progresses into the war itself, and the conditions under which the army fought, the pace did ramp up somewhat.

At the end is a most fascinating author's note, telling what happened to the people after the end of the book - and, best of all, photographs of the characters within and some of the actual places mentioned.  If you have a particular interest in the American Civil War, I would recommend buying this straight away!  As it is, I'm interested in reading another of his books, either The Yanks are Starving (set in the Depression), or The Spider and The Stone set in 14th century Scotland.

FOR THE LOVE OF A CHILD by Jenny Twist @JennyTwist1

3.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've read quite a few of Jenny Twist's short stories and novellas before, and liked them.

Genre: Short stories, miscellaneous drama.

These five stories are grouped together under the loose theme of mother love, and they are all very different.  Two are flash fiction, one page long each, and I liked both of those.  The others are long-short stories.  The middle one is an amusing fantasy about the possible existence of fairyland (note for author: I liked the last paragraph very much).  The last is the best one, I think, a piece of romantic suspense with the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War; I particularly liked the authenticity of the setting.  The first is about a 1960s mother and baby home, which I was slightly less keen on, as I kept expecting a dark twist that never came.  I am not, of course, criticising the author because she didn't write the story I wanted to read; this is just personal taste, and I am sure many would prefer the more promising outcome.

It's a nice collection for a couple of undemanding hours' reading.