Category: review

Quick Review: Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

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Sunbolt (The Sunbolt Chronicles, #1)Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After seeing so many wonderful reviews of this, and Khanani’s other books, I couldn’t resist buying this introduction to the Sunbolt chronicles and it doesn’t disappoint.

Fast paced and full of action, with a fiery heroine it hooks you from the very first page and doesn’t let go. I loved the authors writing style and the book as a whole reminded me of a lot of my other favourite YA fantasy reads (in the best possible ways).

My one complaint is that it’s just too short. At only around 130 pages it feels rushed and a little lacking in depth and explanations. The author has created an incredible world but doesn’t give us the chance to become fully immersed in it. I just wish it was that little bit longer with a bit more detail.

It is a great start however so I will definitely be reading the next book soon.

Blurb

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

ARC Review: Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

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Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands #2)Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Wow.

I think the second book in Alwyn Hamilton’s Rebel of the Sands series may actually be better than the first. There is some incredible world building, beautiful writing and an exciting and fast paced story that I couldn’t stop reading.

I’d definitely recommend this series but be warned you’ll want the next book now.

Note: as this is a sequel there may be some spoilers for the first book.Read More »

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

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The Hating GameThe Hating Game by Sally Thorne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My new favorite contemporary romance.

I loved, loved, loved this story about co workers at war. It’s brilliantly funny, witty and sharp, with great dialogue, lovable characters and some serious heat. It takes a familiar trope and turns it into something unique and memorable.

If you’re a fan of the genre I think you’ll love this book.

The Blurb (from GoodReads)

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

My Review

This is the best game I’ve ever played in my entire life

OMG I loved this book so much. I’d heard a lot of good things about it but if I’m honest I didn’t buy into the hype. When I read the blurb my first thought was “haven’t I read this before?”. It is quite a common trope, man and woman who hate each other are forced to work together and find out there’s a fine line between love and hate.

Despite having read more than one of these stories, this one was truly a stand out read. We’ve all had those people we don’t get on with at work but Lucy and Joshua take this to a whole other level. This is not the odd snarky comment or prank but a constant daily battle of wills as each tries win. It’s gotten to the stage where they have standard games they play, the staring game and the “you’re just so…” game. They’ve complained so much about each other they’ve worn out the HR department.

The story is told from Lucy’s point of view and I loved her so much. She’s 5 feet of bubbly energy and absolutely full of fire which means she gives as good as she gets when it comes to Joshua. She’s one of those people who wants to be liked, so is a bit of a pushover, but is actually kind of lonely.

Josh couldn’t be more different. Over 6ft calm, confident and super organised the whole office is terrified of him and he constantly looks down at Lucy (literally and figuratively) treating her like something he’s scraped off his shoes. He’s a bit of a mystery and like Lucy I found him absolutely fascinating

Needless to say the relationship between them is explosive. They glare at each other, they fight and they constantly try to one up each other. It makes for some absolutely brilliant reading. Honestly there were so many sparks flying I nearly combusted. It’s hot, hot, hot but also hilariously funny (don’t read in public or you will get funny looks) and occasionally very sweet and cute.

This is a story that’s been done before but the writing definitely lifts it above the usual to one of the best romances I’ve ever read. I kept thinking there’s no way the level of sexual tension could be maintained throughout but somehow it is. It’s not predictable either and I genuinely wasn’t sure how it would all work out.

If you can’t guess from all of the above I loved everything about this story. I’m trying to think of something bad but I’m coming up blank.

Read this book if you like a good steamy romcom.

ARC Review: The Breakdown by B.A. Paris

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The BreakdownThe Breakdown by B.A. Paris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Unputdownable. I can’t remember the last time I read a book this quickly.

Fast paced and gripping, once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I will admit to a little bit of frustration with the main character and having a fair idea how it would all end but I really enjoyed it and got completely swept up in the story.

Synopsis

If you can’t trust yourself, who can you trust?

Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside―the woman who was killed. She’s been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It’s a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she’d broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she’d stopped.

But since then, she’s been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn’t have a baby.

The only thing she can’t forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt.

Or the silent calls she’s receiving, or the feeling that someone’s watching her…

Review

This was actually my first book by this author but I don’t think it’ll be my last. I’d heard a lot of good things about her previous book, Behind Closed Doors, but I hadn’t yet managed to get around to reading it (so many books so little time). I have to say despite some wariness due to the level of hype around it this didn’t disappoint. I wouldn’t rate it as an all time favourite, or even a particularly stand out read but it’s fast paced, exciting and addictive reading.

The story which centers primarily around someone seemingly losing their mind is fascinating to read and as it’s all told from their pov you can feel their frustration and confusion. While this was the highlight of the story however, it was also it’s biggest flaw for me. I hate to say it but I just really didn’t like main character Cass. Not that there was anything particularly bad about her, she was just a bit wet. She’s so passive and emotional in the story I ended up getting very frustrated with her. If I could have reached into the pages, given her a shake and told her to get a grip I would have. I felt like she over reacted a lot of the time and didn’t really take any action or make decisions. I wanted to see her stand up for herself and take control, although I suspect there wouldn’t have been much of a story if she had.

With the focus very much on Cass and her downward spiral, there aren’t many secondary characters which for me (with the memory of a goldfish) is a good thing. New husband Mathew, and best friend Rachel are probably the only ones who have a substantial part to play and even at that they’re viewed through Cass’s eyes so it’s difficult to work out their true motivations and character. Something which works very well in keeping you guessing.

Despite a few niggles therefore, I did really enjoy the story. I flew through the whole thing in a few hours desperate to know whether Cass was losing her mind or if the murderer was out to get her.

The writing and pacing is pretty much spot on and the author does know how to create tension and a truly gripping story. I did think the ending was a little too quick and easy but there was a little surprise that I wasn’t expecting.

Overall a good read and definitely a book I’d recommend if you like a fast paced thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own. The Breakdown is due for release on 9th February in the UK

Review: Behind her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

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Behind Her EyesBehind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first book by Sarah Pinborough but I don’t think it’ll be my last.

I can be a bit hit or miss with psychological thrillers but this one had me hooked from the very first page until the very end.

It’s not a fast paced read (and there’s not a huge amount of action) but it’s an intriguing and twisty story with a main character I actually kind of liked, something which is too rare at the moment in this type of book.Read More »

ARC Review: New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan

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New York, Actually (From Manhattan with Love, #4)New York, Actually by Sarah Morgan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I always look forward to Sarah Morgan’s next book and this one, the fourth in her From Manhattan with Love series, didn’t disappoint.

It’s funny, romantic and kinda hot. There are some definite sparks in this contemporary romance and I’m loving the New York setting. Perfect for a lazy day spent reading.

The Blurb (from GoodReads)

Meet Molly

New York’s most famous agony aunt, she considers herself an expert at relationships…as long as they’re other people’s. The only love of her life is her Dalmatian, Valentine.

Meet Daniel

A cynical divorce lawyer, he’s hardwired to think relationships are a bad idea. If you don’t get involved, no-one can get hurt. But then he finds himself borrowing a dog to meet the gorgeous woman he sees running in Central Park every morning…

Molly and Daniel think they know everything there is to know about relationships…until they meet each other that is…

Thoughts

It’s not the most original of stories, man pretends to be something he’s not to catch the eye of someone he fancies, but Morgan does it so well. It’s an addictive and fun read that I read from cover to cover in the space of a day. Molly is a very likeable character and, while she has a troubled past she was trying to get away from, it wasn’t at all what I thought it would be and definitely brought a unique twist. I loved how she was both vulnerable and also quite fiery. She doesn’t take any nonsense and is very able for the supremely charming and persuasive Daniel.

Daniel, well he’s determined to get what he wants and will go to any lengths to get it (even if it means borrowing a dog and pretending to be a dog person) but you can’t help but like him. He also hasn’t had the best past and despite the charm and the polish there’s a very kind and caring man underneath it all.

The relationship between the two is brilliant. Morgan knows how to create some real chemistry between her characters and there were some definite sparks. There’s a lot of banter and teasing (and one hilarious moment of revenge) but there are a lot of quite sweet moments too. They were definitely a couple I was rooting for.

The supporting characters were well developed and I loved how heavily the dogs Valentine and Brutus featured although I do now want a dog. This book did introduce a few new characters who weren’t in the original trilogy and for me they were welcome additions.

Overall a great story that I’d recommend to any one looking for a fun and romantic read with a few surprises along the way. I should also add that while it is the fourth in the series it could quite easily be read as a standalone as there isn’t too much of an overlap with previous books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC. All views are my own.

Book Review: A Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

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A Quiet Kind of ThunderA Quiet Kind of Thunder by Sara Barnard

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

This was my first book from Sara Barnard and it won’t be my last. It’s a very sweet coming of age story and is absolutely packed full of feels. I was worried it would be an angsty and depressing story but it couldn’t be further from this. Yes I did shed a couple of tears but mostly it just made me smile and laugh. I loved it.

The Blurb (from GoodReads)

Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn’t a lightning strike, it’s the rumbling roll of thunder.

Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.

From the bestselling author of Beautiful Broken Things comes a love story about the times when a whisper is as good as a shout.

My Review

As Steffi seems to be a lover of lists such as “The 10 stupidest things people say to you when you don’t talk” and “The Top 5 Worst Times to be Mute” I couldn’t resist creating my own list of the 7 Things I Loved about A Quiet Kind of Thunder:

  1. The lists – I’m a lover of lists and Steffi’s lists are used to great effect. They’re often funny (as you can probably tell from the previous examples) but the author makes great use of them to demonstrate a number of different things including Steffi’s previous experiences, the attitudes of others and sometimes whatever she’s thinking about what’s going on right at that moment. Beware there are a couple of lists which made me laugh out loud (thankfully I was at home at the time).
  2. Steffi – I loved Steffi from the very first few pages. She’s been struggling with selective mutism for years but rather than giving up she keeps trying. She wants to get better, to fit in or at least be included and accepted and to be able to do what others her age can like speak to a shop assistant, ask for help and go to Uni. She’s also just a  genuinely nice person, with a tendency to think the worst of herself (something I can definitely relate to).
  3. How it portrays living with anxiety – it’s so realistic at times I found it scary. As someone who has suffered from anxiety since my teens I was impressed with how well the author reflected those feelings. You’re inside Steffi’s head so you get her stream of consciousness as she worries about things, panics over nothing and becomes frozen and unable to move or speak. While I have never been mute (although I am quiet) I can honestly say her thoughts at times were a mirror of my own.
  4. Rhys – OMG Rhys!!! (yep I OMG’d), he’s just sooo cute and sweet and just loveable. He’s deaf so is almost the opposite of Steffi in that she struggles to be heard and he can’t hear but they have a surprising amount in common. He’s also just so lovely and understanding and funny and a bit mischievous. One of the highlights of this story for me were the text conversations between him and Steffi. I loved how he teased her.
  5. The romance – sorry romance haters but there’s a really cute (I seem to be using that word a lot) romance between Steffi and Rhys. It’s not lightning bolt, insta love but a slow building, realistic and healthy relationship. They just seem to instantly click and have some real chemistry. I was rooting for them to get together and make it even though they do have some issues. Even if you don’t like romance I think you will like this one.
  6. There’s no magic cure – I hate to tell you this but meeting a boy doesn’t result in Steffi suddenly becoming happy, confident and outgoing (if only it were that easy). She works at it and she gets professional help and support.
  7. The feels – there are just so many feels in this book and most of them were happy. I did have a little cry at one point (only a couple of tears, I promise) and I got frustrated and angry but mostly I found myself smiling and laughing.

Overall this is just an easy, enjoyable and fun read that I couldn’t put down. I did have a little niggle about the ending but it’s fairly minor. I’d recommend this book to everyone and I will be hunting down Beautiful Broken Things as I loved this author’s writing and want to read more.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. All gushing is my own 🙂

ARC Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Based on Russian history and folklore, this is a beautifully written and atmospheric story that I liked a lot. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite wow me as much as I had hoped it would but it’s definitely one I’d recommend as it could be the beginning of a very interesting series.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn’t mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse’s fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa’s mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa’s new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa’s stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse’s most frightening tales.

Thoughts

When I first finished this book I really couldn’t make up my mind about it and even now a few days later I’m still not sure. As a lover of fairytales, magic and tales of things that go bump in the night and lurk in the woods it should have been the perfect read for me. However, while I liked it a lot I found it to be missing that special something that would take it from good to great.

It is a beautifully written story. The author does a magnificent job of transporting you to a magical and wild land in medieval Russia. The writing is so evocative you almost feel like you are there, huddling around the fire, travelling across the cold and snowy wilderness or visiting the market and palaces of Moscow.

The characters are also very well created and believable and there is a unique and captivating story in there but for me it was missing the emotion I needed to really connect to it. When I was reading on the way home from work after a long day I found my attention wandering and had to re read certain pages more than once before I took it in.

This lack of emotion and connection to any of the characters was due, I believe, to the constantly switching point of view from one character to another. It moves from father to mother to nanny to Grand Prince to priest and on and on. I found this particularly bad in the first half of the book where I actually started to wonder who the main character was, if there was one and where it was all going. I also struggled a little with the different names used for the same character. I understand that this is accurate for the time and place and that the author had tried to make it easy for the English reader but I still found myself getting confused at times with so many different characters and so many names.

As a result of the switching focus and insight into each of the different characters the story felt quite slow in the beginning. It did give a real sense of time and place which was fascinating in some ways but I did feel like a lot of it could have been covered much faster without so many characters. I probably would have cut a whole part where the father visits Moscow as it didn’t really add much and I was close to giving up.

Thankfully however the story does turn around. There is a lot more focus on Vasilisa and the strange events that start to occur in the village where she lives. Vasilisa is a very likeable character. An outcast in the village due to some very unique abilities, she’s brave, a little wild and not cut out for the options available to her at that time (marriage or a convent). I loved almost every chapter she was in, I just wish the author had stuck with her  and the events around her throughout.

The pacing of the story was a little bit off for me, too slow in the beginning and too fast at the end but it is a good story. It is the first in a trilogy so I think there is some real potential. I will definitely be giving the next book in the series a try.

I think whether you love this book or not will come down to why you read. If you’re looking for a beautifully written and vivid world with a slow building story and a mix of Russian history and folklore I think you’ll love this book. Unfortunately for me, while I could appreciate it, I didn’t love it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. As always all views are my own.

ARC Review: Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

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Good Me, Bad Me

Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

A compelling and occasionally disturbing read, I found myself unable to put it down. It’s rare for me to find a psychological thriller I enjoy but I loved this. Truly chilling.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

‘NEW N A M E .
NEW F A M I L Y.
S H I N Y.
NEW.
ME . ‘

Annie’s mother is a serial killer.

The only way she can make it stop is to hand her in to the police.

But out of sight is not out of mind.

As her mother’s trial looms, the secrets of her past won’t let Annie sleep, even with a new foster family and name – Milly.

A fresh start. Now, surely, she can be whoever she wants to be.

But Milly’s mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water.

Good me, bad me.

She is, after all, her mother’s daughter…

Thoughts

“The brain of a psychopath is different from most, I’ve weighed up my chances. Eighty percent genetics, twenty percent environment. Me. One hundred percent f*cked”

Would you invite the child of a serial killer into your life, into your family’s? Is it fair to judge someone for the actions of their parent? Do you think you should keep their background a secret to protect them or should you warn people so they can be on their guard?

These were all questions I found myself considering as I read this dark and chilling psychological thriller by Ali Land. It’s a gripping and addictive story that I found myself reading late into the night, scared to keep going but unable to put down. I felt so much sympathy for this 15 year old girl who had been so horrifically let down and abused by her mother but every so often there were these sudden chilling moments where I found myself wondering just what she could be capable of (and what involvement she’d had in her mother’s crimes).

The author shows real skill in keeping the tension throughout the story and also in creating such a distinctive character and voice in Milly (aka Annie) our narrator. For the most part Milly comes across as scared, quiet and unsure and generally just someone who wants the love and friendship she didn’t get from life with her mother. Every so often however there is this glimpse of something off about her, an inner strength and lack of fear but also a coldness and a lack of empathy for others. There are scenes that make for some seriously uncomfortable reading and a couple of occasions where I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue it was so disturbing, which sounds bad but to me is actually the mark of a great thriller.

The one and only criticism I have of this book, and the reason for knocking off that half star, is that occasionally I found the writing style and sentence structure a little bit off putting.

This is a book with a lot of hype around it, to quote the blurb “One of the most extraordinary, controversial and explosive debuts of 2017”, which is something I’m generally quite suspicious of but honestly in this case I think it’s definitely a book worthy of hype. I’m often let down by thrillers with a lot of hype (I didn’t like the Girl on the Train) but I doubt many will be let down by this. Read it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It’s released on the 12th January.

Review: The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

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The One Memory of Flora BanksThe One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can’t believe it’s the first day of 2017 and I’m already giving a book 5 stars but The One Memory of Flora Banks definitely deserves it.

I love books that are unique, different and a little bit weird and this story is all of those things and more. The writing is incredible and draws you in to the life and mind of Flora Banks from the very first page and I could quite happily have stayed there.

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