Book Review by Bryony Rarete

‘My Mechanical Romance’ by Alexene Farol Follmuth

It’s about a student called Bel, who goes through a journey of finding her passion.

Everyone seems to have it figured out from where they’ll go after school to which job they want to pursue. However, Bel is lost and crippled with self-doubt. She questions every decision she’s ever made.

Asking herself “Why am I here?”

She has just got an amazing opportunity to join one of the most prestigious schools: Essex Academy for Art, Science, and Technology.

Yet, she still questions her abilities.

Even when teachers and students praise her.

Nothing seems to work.

Until one certain afternoon a teacher recognized her creation and recommended, she goes to the Robotics Club. There she is overlooked, given sly looks, overloaded with work, and surrounded by discouraging company.

All because she is a girl in STEAM!

This sadly confirms her self-critical attitude and reduces her self-esteem.

Bel must face her fears and step into the unknown.

Stumbling into the Robotics Club may have been the worst or most beneficial decision she’s ever gone for. Meeting and facing criticism from male club members and the opposing teams never felt so empowering.

Being a part of the robotics team made her noticed by the main club leader.

A guy named Teo.

He is a strong-willed, popular, determined, and sensitive person. The son of one of the most well-known software engineers.

He experiences a sense of pressure to live up to his potential.

Every day he feels like he has to be someone he’s not and this creates a sense of longing in him. Like his missing an important aspect of his life.

He is just known for being perfect, the son of a billionaire, a soccer captain, a robotics captain, and someone who takes a lot of AP classes.

No one questions his decisions.

However, all this changes when he sees Bel.

She isn’t afraid to speak her mind and say what she thinks despite what others think of her.

He admires her confidence and the way she dresses in an abnormally colourful way.

She challenges the way he thinks. Yet, he can’t seem to stay away.

Together they work to inspire and grow as a team to battle the conflicts in the group, robots falling apart, and general family concerns.

But will Bel find herself or ultimately break down like a multifunctioning robot?

I would recommend this book for people who feel like they aren’t sure which career path they want to take and people who are interested in the STEAM career path.

Book Review by Atusa Mehtar

‘Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief’ by Katrina Nannestad

Sasha, the Angel of Stalingrad, with a soul of kindness, love, hope, and happiness survived World War Two, from 1st September 1939 to 2nd September 1945. Sasha was six when that horrible day happened.

The meadow of his village is a place where Sasha finds peace, hope, love, and kindness in this cruel world. A day of going out picking flowers for his mother however soon turned into a situation Sasha was very afraid of.

I stare up at the Germans. They are young and handsome. Their boots are dusty but their clothes are clean and finely made, and their shirtsleeves are rolled up to show strong tanned arms. They don’t look like monsters. They look like princes. Every single one of them.

He saw two princes or monsters. At first, Sasha thought that they are the most handsome princes he had ever seen but after the princes with their big black rifle butts smashed his village’s windows, doors, houses, and farms, he realised that they were not princes but German soldiers. They had turned into monsters but in the skin of princes. But still, Sasha was happy because he had his mama and his sister Yelena, and his twin friends Olga and Nina.

But the next day was a nightmare he was afraid of the most. That nightmare happened so fast that Sasha found himself losing his mama, Yelena, Nina, and Olga. Everything was happening so fast that he found himself running and running and still, his sister’s voice in his ear shouting “Sasha, run Sasha run, go Sasha go!” He knew that she would not be with him anymore and that there will be no more sleeping in the bed above the stove and his mama’s relaxing voice that would calm him always.

But now Sasha is here in Berlin, Germany, in a hospital, where he finds love, kindness, and hope. But one thing he can’t find is his mama, Yelena, Papa Scruff, and all his Red Army friends and comrades, the ones that love him. The ones he has been with during the war, during those nights, those nights that were filled with love, kindness, and hope. The ones who helped him, the ones he loved, the ones that were his family. The ones he helped with shaving their heads, the ones he helped after they fought the monsters in the skins of princes, the ones who survived the Battle of Stalingrad. And the Red Army journalist who saved his life. The one with his picture in the Red Army newspaper saying: ‘THE ANGEL OF STALINGRAD’.

Reading Sasha’s story melts your heart in thousands of ways. Reading this book was different from hundreds of books that I have read. I want to say more about Sasha in my own words, but it is now up to you to read this great book!

Book Review by Eden Tavsanli

‘Uzumaki’ by Junji Ito

Uzumaki is an eerie manga about a Girl named Kirie Goshima who goes to her hometown Kurouzu-cho to visit her boyfriend Shuichi Saito. As she is walking through the streets, she notices something very strange, she sees her boyfriend’s father intensely staring at a snail shell on the wall of an alleyway. After that, everyone noticed he has taken quite a liking to spirals and anything with or to do with a spiral.

Soon she realises something is not right, everyone seems off. As time goes on Shuichi’s dad keeps getting more and more obsessed with spirals, the walls of his room are painted with hundreds of spirals, he makes pottery of spirals and non-stop talks about them. everyone in the town is going insane, heaps of things happen in the town and the spiral slowly becomes a curse in the town.

My favourite part in the book is the ending and the whole plot of the story, it was something I would have never expected! I also really like how the author made all the chapters separated in a way, every chapter was like a short little story but coming up to the end it started combining to make the amazing, unexpected ending! The whole book is extremely disturbing and never gets boring, there’s something happening every second.

All the characters are also extremely well-written and very interesting. For example, the main character, Kirie, is very determined and no matter what happens she is always trying to find a way to break this curse from the town! She is always trying to protect everyone and keep them safe, especially her family. On the other hand, Shuichi is really depressed and shy, he only ever goes out for Kirie. He is still very caring and would do anything to keep Kirie safe. All the other characters are super interesting whether that be their physical appearance or the impact they have in the story.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes horror as the images and characters are super creepy and the whole story is extremely disturbing and eerie. It perfectly portrays all aspects of horror such as gore, psychological horror, and heaps of things you would never expect. Every chapter is so different and exciting and I never became bored reading it!

Book Review by Zenani Onekon

‘King of Wrath’ by Ana Huang

Ana Huang's latest novel, King of Wrath is a romance novel centred around the lives of two people; Dante Russo, a billionaire in upper-class New York, and Vivian Lau, a jewellery heiress whose family struggles to prove their place among the rich of upper-class New Yorkers. The book is the first in the King of Sin series.

Dante Russo is a man who likes to be in control of everything in his life and likes things to happen exactly as he planned them. He is calculating and arrogant. He even goes as far as to ensure the things in his house are at certain dimensions and widths apart and that the different foods in his place never touch each other. So, when certain circumstances force him to be engaged to Vivian Lau, he becomes very angry and promises to deal with the problem how a Russo would.

He was determined to do everything in his power (and he had a lot of it) to break off the engagement and make some people pay for putting him in that predicament.What he didn't plan to do, however, was to fall in love with Vivian Lau.

From the Book:

“I was just about to knock” I half lied.

Her attention drifted to the food in my hands. She looked adorable, sleep-rumpled with her tousled hair and a pillow crease on her cheek. Even with no makeup, her skin was flawless, and the faintest scent of apples turned the edges of my mind hazy.

“You brought me food?” Her face softened in a way that worsened the haze. “No. Yes,” I said, unable to decide whether to admit to checking up on her. I could tell her it was Greta’s idea. Bringing her chicken soup of my own accord seemed dangerously intimate, like something a real fiancé would do.

Vivian gave me a strange look.

Christ Russo, get it together. An hour ago, I was beating the hell out of a six-foot-two criminal. Now, I was incoherent over f***ing soup and bread.

Vivian Lau is a smart, elegant, and non-confrontational event planner. When she got a call from her dad to come for dinner at their mansion, she knew everything wasn't right. Well, she was right. Her parents were giving her away to the well-known brute, Dante Russo, as his fiancé, their ticket to gaining the approval of the upper-class New Yorkers.

Despite his cold and frustrating behaviour at first, Vivian quickly discovers a side of Dante that many didn't know of. As time goes by Vivian starts to believe that theirs could be one of the few arranged marriages which end in love and a happily ever after. But theirs was far from a fairy tale.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance story. It effectively portrays the need to stand up for oneself, and the willingness to change for others. Overall, I had fun reading this novel.

Book Review by Theo Van Rooyen

'What If Iy's Us' by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

What If It’s Us is a book written by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera, following the story of two boys, Arthur Seuss and Benjimen “Ben” Alejo, and the development of their relationship. Arthur visits New York for the summer and tries to enjoy his stay as best as he can when he isn’t working at his mother’s office, although New York isn’t quite what he expected. While exploring New York he meets this boy, Ben. They instantly click which has Arthur believe that the universe was telling him something, Arthur is a big believer in fate as he mentions, “I believe in love at first sight, fate, the universe, all of it. But not how you’re thinking. I don’t mean it in the our souls were split and you’re my other half forever and ever sort of way. I just think you’re meant to meet some people. I think the universe nudges them into your path.” However, Ben does not care for the universe all that much as he has been treated quite terribly by it. After going their separate ways, they happened to forget to say what their names were, luckily they run into each other a couple more times and decide to head out on a date.

The main conflict in the story happens when Arthur goes to visit Ben but is surprised when he sees Ben hanging out with his ex-boyfriend Hudson, Arthur ends up quite upset and starts to ignore Ben until something comes up. Eventually, Arthur must leave New York and Ben manages to bring together a scavenger hunt for Arthur taking him to all the places they went together, as that day was going to be the last day they spent together, and wanted to make sure he was going to remember the summer they spent before going their different ways but agreeing they should both stay in touch.

This book is quite interesting because the authors write about experiences that they both explored together as they base the characters on each other. How they utilize this is having a shifting perspective with each chapter as you progress through the book, this helps show both characters’ points of view in certain situations and it makes the story interesting as you see what they go through. I certainly enjoyed the characters’ dynamics. Arthur, being quite new to relationships, was worried that what he was doing was wrong sometimes, but Ben helped reassure him to make sure he wasn’t stressing about the little things he did. They both genuinely cared for each other nonetheless even when they go through some rough parts in their relationship.

I do recommend this book to teens and above or/and if you are interested in reading a romantic comedy.

Book Review by Annie Siupolu

'Redeeming Love' by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers, a New York Times bestselling author, continues to get praise from the business community and devoted readers everywhere. She has won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame of Romance Writers of America. Based on the biblical story of Hosea and Gomer set during the California Gold Rush, Francine Rivers writes such a lovely book. It is a compelling, enlightening tale about faith and redemption, about rising above the ashes of hopelessness and discovering your value. I couldn't be happier with this beautiful and rewarding journey since it is about the unmatched ways that love, and faith can overcome everything.

The story begins with Sarah (Angel) being the outcome of her mother's affair with a wealthy married guy. Sarah’s father was a man who was wholly concerned with his mistress and had nothing to do with his child. In the end, he throws them out and cuts Sarah off from financial support. This was only the beginning of Sarah’s life starting to fall apart. Sarah was later sold to a paedophile after being abandoned and then forced into prostitution. Farmer Michael Hosea is in town for supplies when he sees Angel walking through town in a guarded manner. God, in his enigmatic ways, tells Michael that Angel is ‘the one’ and he is determined to marry her despite the chances against him. Michael teaches Angel what true love and a partnership look like while also treating her nicely. She struggles to accept this and never feels good enough, which strains their relationship. Michael, though, never gives up on her despite everything.

Above all else, Redeeming Love is a tale of unwavering love, and serves as a parable about God's love for us and his desire to always accept our repentance, regardless of any sins we may have made. I thought Michael was like a saint. His unwavering tolerance for Angel and his unwavering trust in both him and God was remarkable. Never has a character made me feel such a deep feeling of love and acceptance. The relationship between Angel and Michael is a perfect illustration of love in its most sincere and unconditional form. I adored how Michael Hosea was such an angel, almost too good to be true. His faith in God and his confidence in his destiny as prescribed by a higher entity were sincere and emotional. For Angel, despite her mistakes and sins, I still had a soft spot for her and cared deeply about her character. I lost count of how many times Michael forgave Angel's transgressions and painful, ongoing betrayal and yes, the story surprisingly does have a happy ending.

Quote from the novel:

"Love cleanses, beloved. It doesn't beat you down. It doesn't cast blame. My love isn't a weapon. It's a lifeline. Reach out and take hold, and don't let go.”

I had a difficult time with this book, when I first read this but just trust the process, it’s all worth it. Warning Trigger: Before you read this, note that there may be some dark themes and it can be depressing at times. This novel reminds me of how we all, at most times in life can be like Sarah. Yes, Sarah goes through obstacles and challenges and repeats the same pattern of fulfilling our hearts with desires and temptation. But to know that we have a God, who has open arms and is a god of second chances that can break that cycle and calls for salvation and deliverance is the key to everlasting life. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) I really recommend this novel and I rate this a solid 4.5.

Alumni Progam