Book Review #639 - Matty's Comeback by Anita Heiss

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Scholastic Australia



Goodreads

Matty loves footy. 

He's South Sydney's #1 fan and the star scorer in his own local team. He knows he can help his team to the semi-finals and beyond. But things don't go to plan, and now it seems Matty won't be able to help his team to victory after all. But help can come from surprising places, and people.

This is the perfect book for reluctant readers. The ONLY books my brother has ever voluntarily read are the Specky Magee books (a series of books about Australian Football) and so it would seem this book is the next generation in that genre. 

Matty was a really relatable character for me. It helped that he was around the same age I was when my obsession with football really began.

I found it refreshing that the book was centered around indigenous characters as that is something I have never come across before - it added a whole cultural element to the story as well. 

This book uses football/rugby league to explore deeper issues such as family. Matty and his sister Nita do not get along at all, and the development of their relationship takes place throughout the book. 

Nita was a very intriguing character in her own right. She hates football, in a family obsessed with it. She is a vegetarian - sorry, a kangatarian (it's a real thing, google it). Nita had a very Lisa Simpson vibe about her. 

Overall, being about sport I was probably always going to enjoy this one, but I must admit it had a lot more depth to it than I had expected. 

Book Review #638 - Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

My Rating: 4/5


Source: Bought


Goodreads

Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can't bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back...

The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king - for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil the bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her? 

Given the way Crown of Midnight ended you might have thought I would have started this one straight away. However, because of a poorly timed family holiday I was unable to pick this book up until about a week later. 

I thought that Throne of Glass was rather simplistic for a fantasy novel and the perfect set up for the rest of the series. Crown of Midnight added so much depth and development to all the key areas. Heir of Fire however seemed to try to do too much. 

The book follows three different storylines - Celaena, Chaol and the new character Manna. The only issue I had with this was that I found that it disrupted the rhythm and flow of the story. 

The universe in this book expanded so much in this book that I think it warranted multiple maps like The Song of Ice and Fire series. 

Rowan was a character that I found rather cold at first, but his unwavering loyalty towards Celaena won me over eventually. 

I have mixed opinions about Dorian. On his own, I find him boring and dull. When he is with Chaol or Celaena however, he is quite interesting. 

I loved the amount of backstory that was given about Celaena's past and am looking forward to continuing on with the series.