29 December 2014

Review #113: Minty by Christina Banach



My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other.”
----Carol Saline, a journalist, broadcaster, author and public speaker

Christina Banach, an Scottish author, who simply enthralled our minds and soul with her gripping and enduring debut novel, Minty , which is a dark as well as an intriguing story about two twin sisters, their loss, the importance of family and life beyond death.

Synopsis:
Fourteen-year old twins Minty and Jess are inseparable. Maybe they bicker now and then, even crave a bit of space once in a while. But they have a connection. Unbreakable. Steadfast. Nothing can tear them apart. Until a family trip to the coast puts their bond in jeopardy. As Minty tries to rescue her dog from drowning, she ends up fighting for her life. Will Minty survive? If she doesn't, how will Jess cope without her? Only the stormy sea has the answer.


Yeah, I understand, it is hard to guess anything from the synopsis, but if I say anything more than the synopsis, then there will be no fun! Still, Minty and Jess are twin sisters, and one fine day on a family trip, Minty died while trying to save their family dog from drowning, thus breaking apart the unbreakable sisterly bond with Jess, which follows a series of paranormal events, which finally helps Jess's family to cope with their daughter's loss and the idea about life after death.

Christina Banach's debut novel sparks light in to those areas which are generally not included in any YA novel, but surprisingly the author handles those grim and dark topics with ease and strikingly. Moreover, here narrative style makes it easy for her readers to get into the core of this story, and with such an articulate and doleful prose, the story is more of a thought-provoking kind. The emotions mainly grief and pain over loss of someone close to you depicted by the author quite vividly, and at times, I felt that sharp pain of grief through my very own heart. Not only that, the author has even tried to lighten down the heavy and deep, dark mood of the story by including some gleeful moments that are bound to cheer you up.

The characters especially the author's protagonist, Minty and her primary character, Jess, both reflects the demeanor is similar to any 14-year old's attitude. The author created them with depth, thus as the story progresses we get to more about Minty's habits as well as her sister's too and eventually I grew fond of both the sisters. Even Minty's dad was one who is grief and pain is similar to any father’s pain over the loss of his own daughter in reality. Moreover, the mood that the author tried to set in is perfect and thus making me feel more welcome into the lives of Jess and Minty. The paranormal aspect that the author built-in into her story are valid and based on strong logic, I would say that the author used lot of theories from Roman mythology, thus giving the story a mystical twist! Hence there is a mystery which the author unfolded layer-by-layer after Minty's tragic death and when she tries to contact her sister from her life beyond.

The author is a brilliant debut author and her first story made an impact on my heart.. Honestly, I was feeling distraught while reading the book and Minty's death and Jess's loss made my heart cry out in pain for them. However, with such a beautiful climax, it proves only one thing that the whole story was a thoroughly compelling read for me. Moreover, I will be looking forward in reading more of this promising author's future books.

Verdict: Don't miss out this promising YA novel which is an engaging story that will keep you glued till the very end.

Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Christina Banach, for giving me an opportunity to read and review her book. 
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Author Info:
Christina Banach is a former head teacher who lives in Scotland with her husband and their two rescue dogs. She loves walking; delicious food and wine; evenings at the theatre; exploring new places; surfing the Net; listening to music; and anything that makes her laugh. Plus she has a bit of a thing about shoes and handbags. She is mad on reading, and is especially keen on young adult and children's fiction (all those years buying for school libraries!).
She is currently working on her next novel, a contemporary ghost story-come-psychological thriller.  
Visit her here

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3 comments:

  1. Thank for taking the time to read and review my book. Your review is truly beautiful - I'm so glad you enjoyed Minty's story.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My pleasure and I'm glad that you liked my review.

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