We Are Hunted by Tomi Oyemakinde

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books in exchange for an honest review.

We Are Hunted is the story of a teenager named Femi who goes to a Jurassic-Park style island with his family for a exclusive vacation. Things start to go wrong in expected and not so expected ways, and he's left trying to escape the island with his life.

I will admit, this book ended up being a lot different than I was expecting. It is listed as a horror which is not necessarily unfair, but I think sci-fi fits it much better as a label. There aren't too many horror elements apart from descriptions of violence/attacks (which are fairly gruesome), and there is more in common with traditional sci-fi stories in terms of characters and plot. The action scenes are the best written however and I thought that part of the story was handled really well.

Overall while this book ended up not really being my typical genre, I still really enjoyed reading it. I won't be seeking out anymore in the series but it was a fun one-off and I'm glad I read it.

Overall Rating:

3/5

Sociopath: A Memoir by Patric Gagne

 

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read a lot of memoirs but Sociopath caught my eye because of the unusual angle to the subject matter. There are many books about sociopaths in the context of true crime and, while these are very popular, they have never been my particular cup of tea. As a psychologist I have studied many darker aspects of humanity through a research-focused, neutral lens and so the idea of what being a sociopath feels like from a non-offending sociopath's point of view was exactly the kind of thing to grab my interest. I am so glad I got a copy of this because interesting is definitely the word for it.

It is hard to review memoirs because unlike fiction, these are the real aspects of someone's life. I found the pacing of this pretty spot on, although I was a little sad when the childhood portion was over. I think the focus on the relationship with her mother was particularly intriguing and it was something that wasn't hugely covered in the latter half of the book, which is valid but a bit of a shame. The writing was solid and I really appreciated the candid tone of the whole thing. It felt very honest and very real, which seems hugely important in this kind of book.

There is huge value in reading this memoir. I think everyone gains benefits from understanding how sociopaths might function and think, and it's also just a well-told and engaging story. I am pleased to see any kind of work which might expand or challenge people's views on a stigmatised condition and I hope more books like this get published in the future

Overall Rating:

5/5