Nestle Black Magic

I'm not a huge fan of dark chocolate - I usually find it bitter and much prefer milk chocolate or even white chocolate - but when I was asked to review the new Black Magic chocolates, my chocaholic streak made it impossible for me to turn down. And I'm glad I didn't because I was pleasantly surprised.



I remember years ago when I was little, my dad, in a moment of romance (or maybe he was trying to get out of the doghouse, I can't remember which !) brought a box of Black Magic home for my mum. She said "Yuck, I don't like dark chocolate" and the poor bloke took them back to the shop and changed them for a box of Milk Tray ! Well, my mum was here last night when I was taste-testing these chocolates and she ate some and loved them, so either her tastes have changed or maybe the recipe has been changed.



From doing a quick bit of research online, I wouldn't actually be surprised if it's the latter. The original Black Magic chocolates, made by Rowntree, first appeared on the shelves in 1933. After several decades on the market, the product disappeared for several years before being relaunched in 2007 with a new (shock horror !) white box and different flavours that had the diehard fans up in arms and petitioning Nestle (who had since taken over Rowntree's) to bring back the original version. Well, it looks like their complaining paid off : " After thousands of Black Magic fans bombarded the makers with letters pleading for its return, the favoured classic dark chocolate selection is making a welcome comeback. Reverting to the iconic stylish black and white box with a hint of red, Black Magic has clearly listened to its loyal fan base and is returning with six of the best traditional flavours - all set to be firm favourites once again."



The flavours available in the new boxes are raspberry parfait - almond crunch - orange sensation - whole hazelnut praline - dreamy fudge - caramel caress. The coffee creme has been dumped, which suits me just fine as I hate coffee, but this is apparently sacreligious, according to the fans of the originals, who seem to be giving the new boxes the thumbs down ! I was actually very surprised to see the negative reviews I've seen online as I loved all of the different varieties I tried - they were not at all bitter and to be honest, if I'd been tasting them blindfolded, I'd never have realised that they were dark chocolates. This is a marked improvement on the original Black Magic chocolates for me, as they taste more like milk chocolates which I much prefer, but looking around online, the new recipe hasn't gone down well with the fans of the old generation of Black Magic chocs - presumably for the same reasons that I prefer them !



In the end, it all comes down to personal taste but my one piece of advice would be, if you've eaten Black Magic in the past and not liked them, give them another go because the chances are, you might like the new version.

They are available in two sizes - one layer with three of each of the six varieties, or a double layer box with six of each.

star rating : 4/5

RRP : £3.22 and £6.23

Checkout : A Life on the Tills - Anna Sam

The blurb on the back of the book says : "Anna Sam spent 8 years as a checkout girl. Checkout - A Life on the Tills is a witty look at what it's really like to work in a supermarket : the relentless grind and less-than-perfect working conditions, along with people-watching and encounters with every kind of customer from the bizarre to the downright rude. "

The book is a translation of the original French novel Les Tribulations d'une Caissière, a book that evolved from Anna Sam's blog of the same name. . Anna worked in a Leclerc hypermarket in Rennes, one of the big towns in the Brittany region of her native France, but I'm sure her tales of life at the tills will strike a chord with anyone who's ever worked in a supermarket anywhere in the world. It did bring back a few memories of my own first ever holiday job as a student when I worked in a huge cash-and-carry store.

Some of the tales will have you sniggering - the naughty people who try to hide CDs inside round camembert boxes, who follow her from checkout to checkout as she hunts down a chair so that they can be first in the queue at her till, who (not so) discretely wipe bogies on the goods that go down the conveyor belt ... Other anecdotes will have you cringing guiltily as you recognise some of your own behaviour - the busy shoppers who don't take the time to say hello and goodbye, those who carry on their mobile phone conversations as if the checkout girl isn't there, those who try to put eleven or twelve items down the 10-items-or-less express checkouts ...

Anna has certainly got her revenge on those inconsiderate shoppers by revealing their less than perfect behaviour and she may, as she says she hopes, change the attitude of some shoppers so that they are more courteous to their checkout girls, seeing them as humans rather than an almost robotic extension of their constantly beeping tills.

However, I must admit that her constant complaining did start to irritate me slightly towards the end. I quite understand and empathise that spending eight hours a day at a checkout hearing that annoying bleeping noise and dealing with rude customers isn't the most enjoyable way to spend your time. But I think that must be the case for pretty much anyone who works ! I'm a teacher and I could fill several books with the rude behaviour we have to put up with too, from pupils but also their parents. We often have a whinge in the staffroom but to me, it's just one of the downsides of the job and I wouldn't think of whingeing about it to people outside of the job, let alone write a book trying to reeducate people about the way they treat those around them.

There are some amusing anecdotes, some interesting facts and some wity social comment, but I would say it's an instantly forgettable book, not something that will have bookgroups debating its finer points. I am therefore a bit surprised at how much it has taken off - according to this article in the Telegraph online, "Sam has become an unlikely literary success. Her book, The Tribulations of a Checkout Girl, has sold 100,000 copies in France so far, and is set to be published all over the world, including the UK, later this year. There is a French film in the pipeline, a play, a comic strip and – this last bit she finds impossible to say without a gurgle of pleasure – "even 'ollywood" has expressed an interest. " Hmmm. Maybe I should write that book about life as a teacher that I mentioned earlier !

Another thing that slightly bothered me was the translation aspect with regards to the facts and figures. Anna Sam wrote the book in French and quoted data concerning French shoppers. Morag Young then translated it into English. Somewhere along the way, the facts and figures were transformed into data concerning UK shoppers. So did either Anna or Morag do the research and modify the figures or just change the nationality from French to English without changing the numbers ? It's just a detail but it seemed strange (and probably inaccurate) to see data about UK shoppers in a French book.

If you've ever worked behind the tills, or even if you haven't because you'll recognise some of your fellow shoppers, this book will have you sniggering many times. But from there to basing a Hollywood movie on it, it seems a bit too far to me.

star rating : 2.5/5

RRP : £6.99

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Gallic Books (15 Jul 2009)
Language English
ISBN-10: 190604029X
ISBN-13: 978-1906040291

Chelsea Cain - Evil At Heart

Wow ! I was really looking forward to reading this book and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. I first discovered the evil but strangely seductive serial killer Gretchen Lowell a couple of years ago in first book of the series, Heartsick. I was blown away by the compellingly complicated relationship binding together The Beauty Killer Gretchen and her victim-of-choice, Detective Archie Sheridan - a real mixture of emotions for Archie combining love and hate, desire, anger, longing, obsession, gratitude ... Gratitude because as well as torturing and maiming her victim, Gretchen also saved his life at the very end and handed herself in. She is so manipulative and toys so much with her plaything-victim Archie that he is left mentally and physically wrecked. The sheer cruelty and vindictiveness of a killer and torturer who carves lovehearts into her victims' flesh left me with goosebumps.



When the second volume of the series, Sweetheart, came out, I really wanted to read that too but due to my never-decreasing pile of to-be-read-and-reviewed books, I never got round to it. When a proof copy of Evil at Heart, the third book in the Archie and Gretchen series, arrived in the post, I decided to give it a go, even if I had missed an episode. Well, I still loved it, so it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel, even if you haven't read the previous books. There are numerous flashbacks to past episodes that fill in some of the background and remind you of some of the key episodes in the previous novels. And the scenes of a killer/torturer giving her victim painkillers as a treat if he docilely drinks his drain-cleaner is as chilling as the first time I read it.



Reading Evil At Heart is a bit like watching one of the Die Hard movies. After the first episode, you know what to expect but, like all big blockbusters, you still can't help but be blown away by the big budget special effects. Well, the same is true here - the surprise element may be gone but you still can't help but shudder at the sheer evil and warped nature of the crimes. And Chelsea Cain still has numerous twists and surprises up her sleeve to keep us on the edge of our seats.



The different angle in this episode is the superstar status of Gretchen who has been transformed into a seductive anti-hero by the press, with the general public lapping up the Gretchen-merchandise, "how-to-look-like-Gretchen" fashion articles in the magazines and bus-tours. On the internet, Gretchen Lowell fansites have sprung up all over the place too, so when a new spate of Gretchen-esque murders start up, nobody is sure if the Beauty Killer is back to her old tricks or whether some of her fans have started imitating their muse. Archie may come out of the psychiatric ward he has spent the past two months in, trying to recover from his Vicodin-addiction and Gretchen-obsession, but he is supposed to be a civilian and stay out of the whole affair. But Gretchen still has a hold on him and knows exactly which strings to tug to get him back into playing her cruel, twisted games.



Right up until the very end, you'll be trying to separate the truth from the lies and even at the book's close, we're still no closer to understanding Gretchen or her motivations. The greatest criminal profiler in the world would have a hard job defining who she really is, but she never fails to shock and horrify. Just when you think she can't do anything worse than what she has already done, she'll pull another warped mindgame or act of evil torture out of her bag and give you the shivers all over again.



I'm sure Chelsea Cain will keep the series going on for several more episodes, and I'll certainly be looking out for them every time.


star rating : 5/5
RRP : £6.99
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Pan (2 April 2010)
ISBN-10: 0330449826
ISBN-13: 978-0330449823

Spade & Archer - Joe Gores

I came to this book really expecting not to like it, so much so in fact that several times, it got bumped down my pile of "to be read and reviewed" books. Part of the reason was the bland orange cover that looked cheap and uninspiring to me - I couldn't find any images of this orange coloured book jacket online so I'm wondering if that's just the cover for the proof copies. The second and main reason is the phrase proudly displayed on the front cover -"The prequel to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon". I have never read The Maltese Falcon and have never had any desire to do so, thinking - for some reason - that it was a war novel. It turns out I was completely wrong and it's a classic detective novel, featuring private detective Sam Spade. The Maltese Falcon was published in 1930 by Dashiell Hammett, who died in 1961, so we'll never know what he would have thought of this prequel, but I have to say I loved it.

We meet Sam Spade - who reminds me a lot of TV detective Columbo - when he's just starting out as a private detective in 1921. The book is split into three parts, each one dealing with a separate case a few years after the previous one, but all of which are linked together by an evil criminal mastermind - Sam's "one that got away" who is out to get Sam as much as Sam is out to get him, so the cat-and-mouse game goes on throughout the years.

The writing effectively transports us back to the shady 1930's underworld of San Francisco and even if (like me) you have never read The Maltese Falcon, you can really get a feel of who Sam Spade is. It works perfectly as a standalone novel, even without the added prestige of being a prequel to the great classic. There seems to be a huge amount of cigarette-rolling, cigar-smoking and "hooking of hips" over the corner of someone's desk, but I can only assume this is an attempt to mimic the tone, language and atmosphere of Dashiell Hamett's writing.

At times, the tone reminded me of a Famous Five novel - for example when they all jump into a boat and follow a map to a mysterious island to dig up treasure ! - but in the 1930s, there were less guns, drugs and technology than today so the criminal masterminds all seem a bit childlike and naive by today's standards.

Even the minor characters, like Sam's secretary Effie Perine, are well developed and have their share of the action. The plot is intricately woven and held more than a few surprises - I didn't see the end coming. The fact that it is so well-written and atmospheric has actually made me want to go on and read The Maltese Falcon, so I hope I'll find that as interesting and well-written as Joe Gores' writing. That in itself must be the best praise I can give to Gores' novel.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £12.99

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Orion (19 Nov 2009)
ISBN-10: 1409113248
ISBN-13: 978-1409113249

Asda Little Angels Go Eco Baby ! baby products

Ahhhh being a parent is never easy. You always want to do - and buy - the best for your little bundle of joy but in these times of credit crunch, you don't want to waste money on big name brands that aren't any better than the cheaper versions. And these days, you can throw in some added guilt about your child's carbon footprint and all the green but not overly practical options (like washable nappies) that you feel you should be using. Well, the Asda Go Eco Baby ! range of baby products strikes the perfect balance as far as I'm concerned. The products are cheaper than the big brands but don't look cheap and nasty like some budget value ranges, they all do the job perfectly well and they've been designed with the environment in mind.

According to the press release : "ASDA is the first supermarket to have a full range of ‘no nasties’ environmentally friendly toiletries and products. All products in the ‘go eco baby’ range are derived from naturally sourced ingredients, helping you to care for your little angel’s skin AND the world they will grow up in. Brand new this winter is the go eco baby toiletries range. At a wallet friendly price, everything in the range is hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested, and contains environmentally friendly ingredients and no parabens or artificial colours. Not only are they made from natural, sustainable ingredients so they are kind and gentle to your baby’s skin, the bottles are made with 25% recycled material so they are kind to the environment." Sounds good to me - but if you've read my other reviews, you'll know that I only like eco-friendly versions if they work as well as the non-green options. Well, I have to admit, I had pretty low expectations but I was pleasantly surprised.



Apart from the Asda eco nappies, which I reviewed here, the first products to be tested were the wipes and the nappy sacks. I never pay much for nappy sacks because they're designed to go straight in the bin anyway so I don't see the point of paying more than I have to. Most of the time I don't even use them, doing my bit to be green, but they are very handy if you're out and about or baby has done a particularly smelly/leaky nappy (as is often the case at the moment, as Pierre's just starting weaning !).The only difference I could see between these ones and the more expensive brands was the fact that they aren't fragranced but let's be honest, however nicely perfumed the nappy bags are, they never totally mask the pooey smells anyway ! What I love about these ones is that they are 100% biodegradable and have a special ingredient which helps them degrade 30 times faster than a normal nappy sack. Definitely well worth the price, £1.71 for a pack of 75 bags, as I'm happy to pay a bit extra for the eco-friendly aspect. And they also come in handy for dirty bibs and wrapping up spoons or bottles after baby-lunch on the go.

The wipes were lovely and, if I hadn't seen the label, I'd never have known that they were a supermarket brand because they are just as soft and efficient at cleaning up as the market leaders. They are moist enough to tackle even toxic number twos but not overly wet and they are soft enough to use on chocolatey big sister faces with no complaints too. I opened the resealable packet with no problems at all but Mike somehow managed to rip it completely on his first attempt. (He blamed it on the packaging until I pointed out that I'd had no problem at all !) They are very mild and perfect for sensitive skin, as they are fragrance free, enriched with certified organic aloe vera and chamomile, and free from known irritants including alcohol and soap. At £1.96 for a pack of 72, they're mid-price, cheaper than the big brands but more expensive than the other Asda own label wipes, but for the quality and the green aspect, I'm happy to pay that bit extra.

Next up were the bathtime smellies - baby shampoo and baby bath. I must admit, as Pierre hasn't got much hair, I tend to use one or the other for squirting in the water and all-over washing, including the hair - it's not as if you haven't got enough to juggle with a slippery baby without adding in numerous bottles to open and pour ! Well, they both did the job perfectly without causing any irritation and left Pierre smelling lovely and clean. I always end up getting water in Pierre's eyes when I wash his hair and face and although he doesn't complain, he does sometimes have red eyes after his bath - this wasn't the case with these products so the no-tears formula obviously works. At 98p for a 250ml bottle, they're as cheap as the stuff you'd find in the pound shop and probably contain a lot less chemical nasties !



And finally, the baby skin products - baby lotion and baby oil, both with the same 98p price tag (250ml for the lotion and 150ml for the oil). I'm not a great fan of baby oil because I find it too greasy and oily (funny that !) and I don't like the residue it leaves on the skin, but it is good for getting rid of cradle cap so I tried it out. It's as good as the other big brand baby oils I've tried in the past (I didn't like those either !!). The baby lotion is gorgeous. Labelled as a "deliciously smelling lotion that contains natural remedies including relaxing chamomile and soothing witch hazel", I liked the smell so much that I slathered it all over myself as well as Pierre ! It sinks into the skin, leaving it nicely moisturised but not greasy or sticky. The smell is, as they say, relaxing so it's great for smoothing over baby's skin, not to mention your own, at the end of a long day to help you wind down into sleep mode. My only very slight criticism is that I didn't like the look of the brown dots and streaks that had risen to settle near the top of the bottle - presumably one of the ingredients that hadn't dissolved properly ? I used the top of the bottle on myself, just to be on the safe side, and it all disappeared when I rubbed it into my skin and I had no adverse skin reactions so it's obviously nothing to worry about !

All in all, it's a great range. If you want really bargain basement prices, you can find cheaper products in the classic Asda baby ranges, but if you're happy to pay a little extra for the lack of chemical nasties and the environmentally-friendly aspect, these products work out a lot cheaper than many of the green products on the market and they work just as well. And that means you can save your guilty feelings AND your pennies by getting the balance just right.


star rating : 5/5

RRP :

ASDA little angels baby oil 150 ml - £0.98

ASDA little angels baby shampoo 250ml - £0.98

ASDA little angels baby lotion 250ml - £0.98

ASDA little angels baby bath 250ml - £0.98

ASDA Little Angels eco wipes 72pk - £1.96

ASDA Little Angels eco nappy sacks 75 - £1.71

Method baby - Squeaky Green bubbly bath

First of all, I absolutely love the packaging. I still haven't quite decided what animal it's supposed to be - I thought it was a penguin at first but it's got whiskers so I'd guess at an otter ! (correct ! it says so on the website !!) - but whatever it is, it's really cute. Now, if you've read my other reviews, you'll know I'm a big kid when it comes to the kids' bathtime so I just know that once it's empty, this bottle will be recycled as a bath toy. I can imagine the scene already - Juliette squealing as I squirt her, yelling "Careful, here comes Mr Otter and he's about to wee on your head to get the shampoo out" !

OK, time to get serious again ! Besides being incredibly cute packaging that can be used as a bath toy, I also love the little scratch and sniff panel on the bottom of the bottle that allows you to smell it before you buy without tampering with the seal. It smells soft and snuggly and babylike which sounds silly but I'm sure you know what I mean if you've got a baby, as most of the baby products smell pretty much the same ! It's a calming scent and isn't overpowering. If it was a fabric softener, I'd certainly use it for my laundry because I really like the smell.

The list of ingredients has some scarily scientific-sounding names on it, like dehydroacetic acid, disodium cocoyl glutamate and phenoxyethanol, but as Method's whole ethos is about being environmentally friendly, I wouldn't think they're as bad as they sound. The website says : "Moisturisers derived from sugar, natural extracts from rice milk and mallow, and gentle cleaners made from coconut oil come together to make a hypo-allergenic, tear-free and biodegradable bubble bath. Does not contain any dirty ingredients like numbing agents, phthalates or parabens". Ahh I thought as much - I love their chemical-free household cleaning products so I don't see why they'd suddenly ditch their values for their baby range !

I've been using it for all the family and nobody - even Sophie who has very sensitive skin - has had any adverse reactions to it. Just lots of bubbly fun in the bath !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £5

Babyboomboom's multi-lingual CDs

Sophie, Juliette and Pierre (well, when he starts talking !) are all bilingual so I know first-hand how easy it is for children to pick up a foreign language when they are little. You can learn a language at any age but to get the pronunciation totally right, you need to start right from the very early days. That's why, even if I'm 99% bilingual, I'll never have a totally French accent. So if you're from a bilingual family - or even if you aren't but you want to introduce your children to other languages - the Babyboomboom CDs are a fantastic fun way to do this.

Each CD contains nursery rhymes and well-known children's songs in English and a second language. According to the website, they are designed for use from birth to pre-school age to familiarise little ones with a second language. The CDs are available in French, German, Polish, Spanish or German and can be part of a band-bag which contain a CD and four instruments designed specifically for small hands.



We received the German-English CD to test and it's actually playing in the background as I type this - there's proof that it's a nice gentle, calming CD and not some headachey racket that is so manic you can't think straight while it's playing !

Sophie says "it's really good because I can learn words in German and the lady has got a really nice voice". (Apologies to the second, male singer !) Juliette proudly told me that she knows all of the words of some of the songs already (in English - not in German yet !) and that she can be grown-up like Sophie who is already learning a second language at school because she's big !

I was really pleased with the choice of songs because, as Juliette said, they are all really well-known songs that children can already sing along with in their own language, so they are immediately aware of what the German lyrics mean. I noticed that every time the German verses came on, it all went quiet so the girls must have been really concentrating on the German words. I also love the fact that the lyrics in both languages are printed on the CD cover so older children can look at the written language that goes along with the sounds they hear on the CD.

There are 17 songs in total and although I didn't make a note of the total length of the CD's playing time, it was short enough for it not to become irritating for the parents or for the children to start getting bored. We've got an 8-hour drive ahead of us on Wednesday and I'll be quite happy for this CD to come along in the car with us, as it's much calmer and not at all annoying like some of the other children's music CD's we've used in the past.

star rating : 5/5


RRP : £9.99 for the CDs, £19.99 for the band bags

Asda Little Angels 'Go Eco Baby’ nappies

**** IMPORTANT - please see here for product recall information as of July 2010 ****

I've been testing various products from the Asda Little Angels 'Go Eco Baby' range and I have to say, they are totally unremarkable and don't stand out in any way from any of my usual brands ... which is absolutely amazing as they cost a fraction of the price ! As Pierre is my third baby, I think I've probably tried pretty much all of the big name brands at one time or another, either through buying them or through testing out the free samples in various Bounty and Emma's Diary packs, and they do all offer very high quality products. Some of them do offer little pluses - such as the Pampers Baby Dry nappies with their unique "soaks up wee but also liquid baby poo" lining - but after the first few weeks, when you compare the prices of supermarket own brands with the big name brands, it's very tempting to test out the cheaper alternatives.

I must admit, I came to the Asda baby range expecting them to be cheap copies of the originals, unable to live up to the high standards. Well, they certainly are cheap copies, being much lighter on the pocket, but the quality is amazingly good. As good as many of the much more expensive products in fact.

Nappies are always tricky. The cheap ones often leak, the attachments don't stick, they're not absorbent enough so baby gets nappy rash and you feel really guilty and go back to the expensive brands ... Well, I have to admit, on two occasions, these nappies did leak and Pierre ended up with poo on his body suit, so it's easy to say "ahhh rubbish cheapie nappies, you get what you pay for". But I had exactly the same problem with Pampers the week before so I think it's more down to Pierre doing a few huge mega-poos after his change of routine and diet (I've gone back to work so he's on to mixed feeds at the childminder's now) rather than any failing of the nappy design. The Little Angels nappies passed the test with flying colours for all the usual problems listed above and the design of the nappy and the packaging are as cute and eyecatching as any of the more expensive brands.

I love the eco-friendly mentality too. (Alright, I know, it's not as green as using washable nappies but every little helps !) The website says : "Go eco baby ! Little Angels eco nappies use unique plant derived materials. All pulp used is from sustainable and managed forests, protecting the planet for your little angel. Dermatologically tested & hypoallergenic. 100% biodegradable backsheet. Contains some natural super absorbent particles."

The biggest advantage has to be the price though. The RRP is £5.68 but if you go to the asda online store, they're only £3.75 a pack and are actually on offer until the end of next year so you can get 3 packs for £10. That's a huge saving, especially when you consider how many nappies you actually get through in the first few years of a baby's life. The cost per nappy depends on the size - each pack costs the same but the number of nappies in the pack varies so the minis currently work out at 8.9p per nappy, midis are 11p each, maxis are 12.5p and junior are 14.4p each. I'll leave it to you to check the other big brands price per nappy breakdowns but I don't think you'll find much cheaper.

So I'd definitely say, Go eco baby ! - both ecological and economical. Can't say fairer than that !

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £5.68

online price : £3.75 per pack (currently on offer, 3 packs for £10)

Kitty Sewell - Bloodprint

When I'd finished reading the opening chapter with the breathtaking hurricane scene, I was expecting great things - high energy and tension, fast action, unexpected twists, lots of emotion. But just as the hurricane died away to nothing, so did the exhilirating plotline and for most of the book, I was left wondering why this impressive opening chapter was even used, as it had very little at all to do with the rest of the story, apart from a tenuous link to Cuban ancestors and gods.

Then the scene moves to a prison visit in England with the lead character, psychoanalyst and hurricane survivor Madeleine Frank, in a new country and a new life. The problem for me was, the scene just reminded me 100% of Clarice Starling talking to Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs. The perverse friendship and mindgames had a sense of déjà vu and lacked originality. I had this same sentiment when the serial killer justified his crimes with a "I only kill the scum that deserve to die" speech that could have come straight from an episode of Dexter !

One of my major problems with the novel is that there isn't a single good and totally virtuous character. I started out thinking that the female characters were all seriously damaged, either mentally, physically or both, and that it would have been nice to have at least one strong, undamaged character to balance this. Then I realised that similarly, every single one of the men is an evil piece of work - either morally, through infidelity and abandoning loved ones in their hour of need, or physically, through physical abuse and violent control of immigrants forced into prostitution.

There are a lot of interesting and original elements in the novel - Madeleine's fascination with ants, human trafficking and sex slavery, domestic abuse, adoption issues, women befriending convicts, black magic ... In fact there were so many elements, I felt that many of them were dealt with too superficially. In particular, I found the Cuban tales of santeras, evil eye and voodoo-type rituals absolutely fascinating, but it was all barely touched on.

The happy ending was a bit too predictable and convenient so it seemed slightly unbelievable to me. I'm sure gangland thugs wouldn't really give up that easily. The final chapter, a decade on, didn't really add anything to the plot and left me with the same confused "what has this got to do with the rest of the story ?" feeling as the opening chapter, so I think it could have been edited out.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and interesting read though. Some of the characters - particularly the really nasty ones or the strangely exotic ones - could have been developed much further, perhaps in a different novel, which left me wanting more and wishing that the novel had gone off in a slightly different direction.

star rating : 4/5

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (2 Feb 2009)
ISBN-10: 1847372651
ISBN-13: 978-1847372659

EA Flips on Nintendo DS - The Fun New Way for Kids to Read

Sophie takes after me and is a total bookworm - she will devour a book within days of buying it or taking it out of the library. She's only been reading fluently for about the past couple of years and her bookshelves are overflowing with books already so I suggested she might like to swap books with her friends - lend them out, read them and then swap them back. She was up for it but nobody else was - they don't like reading much, according to their mums. Sophie also loves her Nintendo Ds and, funnily enough, her friends are quite enthusiastic about swapping around their games cartridges from time to time. Flips combines the best of both worlds, offering fun, interactive books for kids to read and play about with on their Nintendo DS. I'm intrigued to see how well they take off with Sophie's reluctant-reader friends.

As far as Sophie's concerned, they're brilliant. The main advantage according to her is that she can read in bed without turning the light on ! I'm not sure if that means she's been reading under the covers in the middle of the night but she hasn't got dark rings under her eyes or started yawning all the time so I don't think so ! It's great for in the car on long journeys though, especially now that the nights are drawing in and it gets dark really early, making a lot of the usual car-friendly games and activities impossible. I also love the way they take up so much less space in the luggage than traditional books - last time we went to visit the grandparents for a fortnight, Sophie took a whole carrier bag full of books with her !! You could replace all that with a handful of tiny games cartridges because each cartridge contains several books. That means a lot less books lying around in the bedroom to be tidied away too !

The Flips virtual books also offer a lot of fun features that no paper book could ever offer - you can interact by clicking on certain words and pull up character profiles, quizzes, jokes, recipes, and extra information, or even make funny sound effects. They remind me a bit of the Leappad books that work in a similar way with sound effects and little games but that kids have long outgrown by the time they can read properly, so this is like the next stage on. For those who are used to playing video games and want an extra challenge, you can unlock hidden content as you go by collecting special tokens. It's really motivating and, if the other Nintendo DS games are anything to go by, all the kids in the neighbourhood will soon be comparing notes to see who has got the furthest and unlocked the most content on each game, so it could be just the boost some kids need to start really enjoying reading.

I think whoever picked the titles to be made into Flips deserves a huge pat on the back because he or she has really got into the heads of youngsters and picked all their faves - assuming they're all like Sophie anyway. There's Cathy Cassidy, Eoin Colfer, Enid Blyton, ‘Too Ghoul for School’ - all of which are big hits with Sophie and should appeal to a wide variety of ages and profiles, including boys who often don't get overly excited about reading books.

It reminds me a bit of the grown-up trend for e-readers, that have suddenly made geeky bookworms reading on the tube on the commute into work look like über-cool techno-whizzes who follow the latest trends ! If Flips can "sex up" (or whatever the kid-version would be !) reading in the same way for the younger generation, that's got to be a good thing. There are only a few titles available at the moment because they're brand new but the range will surely be extended in the months to come.

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £24.99