Review | "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" by Claire North

This week's review is over a 2014 science fiction release by Claire North ( a pseudonym for Catherine Webb, who also writes under the pseudonym Kate Griffin). This is the first book by this author that I've read, but I noticed it getting a lot of attention- and when I saw it in a bookstore in February, I decided to pick it up.
Before I get into my thoughts, here's the book's Goodreads description:

No matter what he does or the decisions he makes, when death comes, Harry always returns to where he began, a child with all the knowledge of a life he has already lived a dozen times before. Nothing ever changes.

Until now.

As Harry nears the end of his eleventh life, a little girl appears at his bedside. ‘I nearly missed you, Doctor August,’ she says. ‘I need to send a message.’

This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow. 

I don't know how long it's been since I've read a time-travel sort of book, so I was really excited to see how the author would twist that sci-fi subgenre. 
I don't have many notes about the book, but here's what I noticed. The book is written in a very descriptive sort of way, which makes the story a little dense and hard to get into, and since the story is mostly Harry recounting his various lives, it slows down quite a bit at times. It's done strategically- along with with the non-linear recounting- so the reader will be taken on a journey, however, it doesn't necessarily make sense when you get to the ending. What I mean by that is, the entire point of the story, once you finish it, would have been more concise and to the point, and thus, it would have made more sense for the narrator to tell the story in chronological order. The way the story is told is good for the reader, but not so much for the the narrator's intended audience. 
I found myself struggling through the second half of the book because it's quite slow, so I would keep that in mind. It's a thought provoking sort of read and would be great for reading groups, but be aware that it's not the quickest story in the world. 

Review | "Marina" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This week's review is over a book in one of my favorite genres, the gothic fiction/fantasy/magical realism. I first saw "Marina" in a bookstore in October, and after going home to do my research, I jumped at the chance to buy it on sale while visiting London this past February.
Here is the book's Goodreads description before I get further into my thoughts:

In May 1980, fifteen-year-old Oscar Drai vanishes from his boarding school in Barcelona. For seven days and nights, no one knows his whereabouts....

His story begins when he meets the mysterious Marina, the daughter of a reclusive painter. She takes him to a graveyard where they witness a macabre ritual. On the last Sunday of every month, a woman shrouded in black walks over to a gravestone that bears no name, only the emblem of a black butterfly.

When Oscar and Marina decide to follow her, they begin a journey that takes them to the heart of a forgotten, post-war Barcelona. Beneath the streets a dark secret lies waiting. 

As I mentioned, this is a gothic sort of tale (though it takes place in the 1980s not the gothic era). The exact genere blurs a little throughout the course of the book and I don't want to give away too many spoilers- especially because this book crafted its plot twists beautifully that truly makes not knowing what's coming next a big part of the experience.
Now, as much as I enjoyed this story, there were a few- rather minimal- things I'll bring to attention.
Oscar and Marina do quite a bit of inner city travelling, I understand that usually those costs can be minimal, but they do it often enough to make me wonder where they're getting the money. Marina's family is rather unwealthy at the time of the book, and Oscar mentions early on that he had to borrow money from a school friend.
The translations had some word repetition (specifically adjectives that were used over and over as descriptors).
The fantasy  elements are very complicated. There is a very specific design behind them that can only barely be mentioned in the short amount of time it's allotted for explanation in the book so it can be difficult to follow at times.
In the end, I'm very glad I had a chance to read this book, and if you like gothic stories, you'll enjoy this.

Review | "Haifa Fragments" by Khulud Khamis

This week's review is over a different sort of book, "Haifa Fragments" , which I was fortunate enough to win in a Goodreads giveaway.
I don't have much to say about this book, other than that I really enjoyed it, but before I get into my review, here's the book's description:

Jewellery designer Maisoon wants an ordinary extraordinary life, which isn’t easy for a tradition-defying, peace-activist, Palestinian citizen of Israel who refuses to be crushed by the feeling of being an unwelcome guest in the land of her ancestors. Frustrated by the apathy of her boyfriend Ziyad and her father Majid—who want her to get on with her life and forget those in the Occupied Territories—she lashes out, only to discover that her father is not the man she thought he was. 
Raised a Christian, in a relationship with a Muslim man and enamoured with a Palestinian woman from the Occupied Territories, Maisoon must determine her own path.  

The point of view switches some throughout the book without warning, so it takes some getting used to and at times you won't know exactly who you're reading about until other characters are mentioned.  And the story itself is a little rushed, lacking some of the exposition that would help understand the characters' history a little better.
However, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The only other story like this I've read would be the "Almond Tree" a few years ago, and even then it's very different. I enjoyed both stories, but while  story follows years of development of the main character, this is a story that takes place in the present day. The situations are different, and the main idea is different, but they're both done beautifully in their own ways. 
This book read a bit like poetry and I think anyone who considers themselves a feminist, a pacifist, anyone who wants to read about self discovery without necessarily reading a coming of age novel will enjoy this book.