Review: Different Like Delia

Ann Marie King and Ava Murphy (authors)

Olya Golubeva (Illustrator)

Different Like Delia

King’s Kottage Press, December 2020

Hardback, 32PP, €16.95

ISBN: 9780578741420

Picturebook, 0-4, 5-7 years

Review by Joanna Geoghegan.

Five-year-old Delia lives in San Francisco and dreams of becoming a world-famous fashion designer. When Delia begins to stutter, she loses all of her confidence and battles with anxiety and worry. Throughout this book, Delia deals with low self-esteem and bullying as a result of her stutter, before learning to see the bigger picture. Different Like Delia is a charming book about the importance of self-acceptance, friendship and kindness.

Different Like Delia portrays the challenges that are associated with a stutter with sensitivity while also presenting its subject matter in an accessible manner. In this picturebook, Ann Marie King and her daughter Ava Murphy demonstrate how having a stutter can cause children to feel socially isolated and insecure, and remind the reader of the importance of showing kindness and empathy towards those who may have difficulty fitting in.

Olya Golubeva lends an artful hand to the representation of Delia’s journey in this book. Golubeva presents touching depictions of Delia’s struggle to make friends, contrasted with atmospheric imagery as she overcomes every obstacle – the illustrations of Delia flying through the clouds and overlooking San Francisco impart a sense of being on top of the world.

Different Like Delia is a very moving picturebook with a powerful message for young readers who may, like Delia, be different in some way. The compelling writing and immersive illustrations urge young readers not to be discouraged by their differences, but rather to focus on their skills, strengths and interests.

You can buy a copy of Different Like Delia here:

Different Like Delia

Thank you very much to Children’s Books Ireland for providing me with an advance review copy of this book. This review was originally published on the Children’s Books Ireland website.

Review: Here Be Dragons

Susannah Lloyd (author)

Paddy Donnelly (illustrator)

Here Be Dragons

Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, February 2021

Paperback, 40PP, £6.99

ISBN: 9780711256613

Picturebook, 0-4, 5-7 years.

Review by Joanna Geoghegan.

Here Be Dragons is a charming medieval fantasy picturebook about a clueless knight and his intelligent steed, who are on a quest to find and slay a mighty dragon. This book will have readers in stitches as they follow the knight through his misadventures, as he fails to recognise all of the clues that a dragon is nearby.

Susannah Lloyd is in top form in this enchanting picturebook – the main character’s dialogue contrasts sharply with Paddy Donnelly’s beautiful illustrations to amusing effect, showing just how oblivious the knight really is. Lloyd’s use of old-fashioned terminology sets the tone of the story and adds a performative quality to the book.

Paddy Donnelly’s illustrations are atmospheric and eye-catching, drawing the reader right into the action and beautiful setting of the story. Donnelly creates an artful panorama across each double-page spread, at the same time including little details that further highlight the innocence of the intrepid yet unobservant knight.

Donnelly also imbues the illustrations with a warm sense of humour, including little jokes in each picture. For example, at the beginning of the book there is a drawing of ‘Ye Olde SHOPPE For the Gullible and Rich’ and its many wares of questionable quality, such as ‘Genuine’ Dragon Maps.

Endearing and highly entertaining at every turn of the page, Here Be Dragons promises a rip-roaring bedtime adventure for parents and their little ones.

Here Be Dragons will be released on 2nd February 2021 – you can preorder a copy here:

Here Be Dragons by Susannah Lloyd

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.

Review: Queen of Coin and Whispers

Helen Corcoran

Queen of Coin and Whispers

The O’Brien Press, 1st June 2020

Paperback, 464PP, €12.99/£11.99

ISBN: 9781788491181

Young Adult Fiction

Review by Joanna Geoghegan.

Eighteen-year-old Lia has just ascended to the throne of Edar after the death of her corrupt uncle, and she is not sure who to trust. When she decides to look for a new spymaster, seventeen-year-old Xania Bayonn, an unlikely candidate, takes on the role. Against all the odds, and in spite of court intrigue and murderous plots, the two find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another.

Helen Corcoran’s debut YA novel offers an invigorating take on the fantasy genre, as the richly imagined world in which it is set offers almost no allusions to the existence of magic. As magic seemingly does not exist within the universe of the novel, its action, social hierarchy and power dynamics, though framed within a fantasy setting, can be examined through the lens of realism. In this way Corcoran’s novel offers a fascinating perspective on court intrigue and politics, as magic is so often used in fantasy novels to illustrate socio-political struggles and class divides.

As well as being an exploration of what defines a novel as ‘fantasy’, Queen of Coin and Whispers is, at its heart, an endearing representation of the boundless nature of love. It was wonderful to come across a novel in which same-sex relationships and marriage are openly accepted and seen as the norm.

The novel contains a plot full of colour and suspense as Lia and Xania’s awkward first encounter gradually builds into a tense yet wonderfully realised romance. The alternating narration from both of their viewpoints is extremely effective for building up the tension of the novel, particularly in the climax when the fate of Edar hangs in the balance.

Corcoran poses some truly thought-provoking questions with Queen of Coin and Whispers; what characteristics must a story have to fall under the banner of ‘fantasy’? And what would happen if a monarch were to fall in love with a subject of the same gender?

Queen of Coin and Whispers presents a high-stakes fantasy narrative that bursts with intricate and vivid world-building while also managing to maintain a whirlwind pace and well-written, highly realistic characters. Corcoran’s debut carries a deeply stimulating commentary on politics and human nature that will linger with the reader long after finishing the novel.

You can buy a copy of Queen of Coin and Whispers here:

Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran

Thank you very much to the O’Brien Press for providing me with an advance review copy of this book.

Review: The Nothing Man

Catherine Ryan Howard

The Nothing Man

Corvus, 6th August 2020

Kindle eBook, 291PP, £5.99

ISBN: 978 1 7864 9660 7

Adult, Crime Fiction, Thriller

Review by Joanna Geoghegan

There have been many books written by those affected by unsolved crimes – what happens when the perpetrator, still on the loose, gets their hands on a memoir written by a family member of one of their victims? Catherine Ryan Howard’s nail-biting new thriller, The Nothing Man, documents the efforts of author Eve Black to find justice for her murdered family by publishing a new book. Little does Eve know, the man who killed them – a serial killer called ‘The Nothing Man’ – is closely following her every word.

The Nothing Man offers an intriguing take on the concept of the frame narrative, weaving expertly between the autobiographic style of Eve Black’s chapters and the more immediate, raw perspective of the book’s antagonist. Ryan Howard contrasts the refined, public voice of the victim with the private, uncensored musings of the killer in a refreshing narrative take. Rather than taking away from the novel, the fact that the killer’s identity is known to the reader causes the suspense to skyrocket, creating an atmosphere of great tension as the killer’s sense of self-preservation begins to take hold.

The reader is left to ponder the Irish response to violent crime and those left behind in the aftermath  in this heart-breaking account of family life after murder, and the chilling consequences of a murderer’s escape from justice. This fast-paced new novel from Catherine Ryan Howard stays with the reader long after they have finished, leaving the question of who can and cannot be trusted to defend and support us in times of need.

You can buy a copy of The Nothing Man here:

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

Review: Star Trek Discovery – Aftermath

Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnson

Illustrated by Tony Shasteen and Angel Hernandez

Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath

IDW Publishing, April 2020

Paperback, 96 pages, £12.99

ISBN 9781684056507

Graphic Novel, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Review by Joanna Geoghegan.

Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath chronicles the efforts of Captain Pike and Chancellor L’Rell to bring about peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingons following the events of Season Two of Star Trek: Discovery. Commander Pike is accompanied by Spock, whose adopted sister has gone missing along with the U.S.S. Discovery. This graphic novel also includes a story featuring Commander Saru, who must rescue the crews of the Discovery and the U.S.S. Dorothy Garrod from interstellar pirates.

Beyer and Johnson’s gripping story is brought to life by atmospheric illustrations from Shasteen and Hernandez, who perfectly capture the visual intricacies of human emotion in difficult situations, such as the hijacking of a ship or the breakdown of political communications. The illustrations within the novel portray the grief and worry experienced by Spock through an empathetic rendering of body language and facial expressions that speak volumes to the reader.

Both of the stories in Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath are highly appealing in terms of plot, but also carry a nuanced discourse on human nature and emotion. The Klingon narrative aptly suggests that peace and equality between races should be a very real and achievable goal, and yet a hopeful future is threatened by those who are dangerously narrow-minded. The stories within this graphic novel comment on the importance of unity in the face of danger from a common enemy.

The combination of insightful storylines, vivid illustrations and highly emotive colour palettes make for an immersive and compelling reading experience.

You can buy a copy of Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath here:

Star Trek: Discovery – Aftermath by Kirsten Beyer and Mike Johnston

Big thanks to my friends Amy, Ruth and Grace at Paper Lanterns for providing me with an advance review copy of this graphic novel!

This review was originally published in Paper Lanterns Issue 3. You can purchase issues 1-3 and check out more reviews here:

Paper Lanterns