Tag: fiction

ARC Review: Dark Water by Robert Bryndza

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Dark Water (DCI Erika Foster #3)Dark Water by Robert Bryndza

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love Robert Bryndza and have been enjoying his DCI Erika Frost series but unfortunately I didn’t love this as much as the previous books in the series.

It’s still a good read and it’s great to be back with some of my favorite characters from the previous books, together with some fantastic additions, but the story didn’t grip me and I’m sorry to say main character Erika seems to have lost her spark.

Note: As this is the third book in the series there may be some mild spoilers for previous books.

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WWW Wednesday: 5th October 2016

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The WWW Wednesdays meme is currently hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do a weekly update on what you’ve been reading and what you have planned.

WWW Wednesday

To take part all you have to do is answer the following three questions:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Here’s this weeks WWW.

Currently Reading

Two books on the go at the moment both of which are physical books which is quite unusual for me but which I am enjoying. I love my e reader but it doesn’t compare to a physical book.Ready Player One

The first book is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I got this from the library a couple of weeks ago and just finally managed to get round to reading it. It’s a YA dystopian set in the not too distant future and is about the hunt for an object hidden within a virtual reality game. I have a bit of a rocky relationship with sci fi books but I’m starting to get into the story a bit more now and for the most part enjoying. I am liking all of the 80’s references as I’m a child of the 80’s but occasionally it goes a little too geeky for me and gets bogged down in endless trivia that I couldn’t care less about.

GrimMy second book, Grim, is one I found in the bargain bin of my local newsagent/bookshop. It’s a collection of 17 fairy tale inspired short stories by YA authors, some I’ve heard of and some who are new to me. I love all things fairy tale and it’s a very pretty hardcover so I couldn’t resist. So far I’ve read the first two stories and while the first was ok I’m very happy to report that the second, Fragments by Jeri Smith-Ready (who I’ve never heard of) was brilliant. In only around 30-40 pages it had me in tears. I’m a big softie but that could be a record even for me.

Recently Finished

AWhat Remains of Me slightly slower reading week with only two books finished. The first of those was What Remains of Me by A.L. Gaylin which I received from NetGalley. It’s a psychological thriller set in Hollywood and follows Kelly Lund who, 30 years after she was jailed for killing a famous director as a troubled teen, is now suspected of murdering her father in law in a similar way. It’s a well written and twisty story that jumps back and forwards in time but I found it a bit of a struggle. It just didn’t grip me the way I hoped it would and I thought there could have been a bit more action. You can read my full review here.

If We Were a MovieAfter What Remains of Me I was badly in need of something lighter and more upbeat so picked up new adult romance If We Were A Movie by Kelly Oram which has been on my kindle for a couple of months. It’s part of the matchmaker series of twelve books by twelve different authors with a common link and is by the author of one of my all time favorite books.

It tells the story of music student Nate, who trying to escape his over powering brothers, ends up roommates with film student Jordan. There are lots of music and film references which I love and the whole thing is just sweet and fluffy with a lot of laughs.

Reading Next

I’m ashamed to admit that, after more wandering off track, my reading next list is pretty much the same as the previous few weeks with Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo and The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh still at the top of the list. I also managed to pick up Dark Water by Robert Bryndza from NetGalley. I have been loving his DCI Erika Foster series so I doubt it’ll be long before I start reading.

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2)The Wrath & the Dawn (The Wrath & the Dawn, #1)Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)Dark Water (DCI Erika Foster #3)

Have you read any of the books above or have any other book you’d recommend? Leave comments and links below.

Happy Wednesday everyone.

ARC Review: What Remains of Me by A.L. Gaylin

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What Remains of MeWhat Remains of Me by A L Gaylin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

“The world’s a stage, Little Miss, but very few of us get to write our own roles.”

I hadn’t read anything by this author before but when I spotted it on NetGalley and read the blurb it sounded just the kind of book I was looking for. A psychological thriller about the darker and seedier side of Hollywood, it’s incredibly well written but I’m afraid to say that for me it fell a little bit flat.

I loved the language of the book, the twists and turns in the story but it felt a little bit too slow and too drawn out. The characterization is excellent and the descriptions make every person and every place feel very real. However for whatever reason I couldn’t quite connect with the story. I did have a lot of distractions going on in my life at the time of reading so that may have been part of the problem but it just didn’t hook me in and at points it felt like a struggle.Read More »

ARC Review: Miracle on 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

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Miracle On 5th Avenue (From Manhattan with Love, Book 3)Miracle On 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s Christmas!!!

OK it’s not yet (please don’t hate me) but having read Sarah Morgan’s latest Christmas themed book, Miracle on 5th Avenue it’s definitely put me in the festive spirit.

It’s a light and funny, opposites attract romance that left me with a huge smile on my face and an overwhelming desire to book a flight to New York. The main characters are very likeable and the chemistry between them is electric. Ms Morgan definitely knows how to write the perfect holiday read.Read More »

ARC Review: All She Ever Wished For by Claudia Carroll

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All She Ever Wished ForAll She Ever Wished For by Claudia Carroll

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Probably wrongly, I feel a little bit misled by this book. Based on the cover, the title and the release date of October I kind of thought that this was going to be a Christmas romance and unfortunately it’s not. I no doubt should have paid a bit more attention to the blurb but I just got too excited about a Claudia Carroll Christmas story. I absolutely loved Meet Me In Manhattan and would probably rate it as one of my all time favourite Christmas romances.

Alas in this case it was not to be. That’s not to say this is not a great story, because it is. It’s the story of two women, Kate and Tess who are at very different points in their lives. Kate’s marriage to billionaire Damien King is over and Tess is planning her wedding to art historian Bernard. Their lives intersect one day on the Ha’penny bridge, when Tess comes across Kate in tears, and then a couple of years later when Tess is called for jury duty and ends up embroiled in a legal dispute between Kate and Damien over a painting.

The chapters alternate between Tess and Kate for the most part (Bernard gets a couple of chapters) with Tess’s chapters set in the present and telling the story of her wedding plans, the court case and her relationship with Bernard, his family and hers. Kate’s chapters are mostly flashbacks, telling the story of her relationship with Damien from their first meeting to the events that resulted in them in court battling over custody of a painting.

I have to admit that initially I found the story a little on the slow side and this wasn’t helped by the fact that I didn’t really take to either Tess or Kate. Both came across as quite weak characters, with Tess particularly frustrating me with her blindness to the fact that she and Bernard were a complete mismatch.

Where the story really picks up however is when the court case begins. I really enjoyed Tess’s attempts to get out of jury duty and loved some of the conversations between the jurors who are primarily composed of pensioners.

I don’t think I ever took to Kate unfortunately and this is probably the main reason why I rated it as I did. The flashbacks were interesting but as a lot of them were in the form of newspaper articles it was kind of difficult to get that connection. She felt a bit absent to me and honestly I don’t think I cared what the outcome of the case would be.

Bernard and his family were also a little annoying to me. They were just that bit too stereotyped as socially awkward, eccentric, intellectuals. I think I spent most of the story waiting for Tess to come to her senses and call the wedding off which I suppose in a way did keep me reading.

As a Claudia Carroll book it is well written and there is some fantastic dialogue but it just seemed to be missing that little spark for me.

Overall, therefore I’d say good rather than great.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb (from GoodReads)

A gorgeous story of chance meetings and unexpected friendships . . . because sometimes what you’ve always wished for isn’t necessarily what life has in store . . .

Marriage. It’s a dream come true. Isn’t it?

One wet winter night, two women meet on a bridge. One is Tess Taylor, a personal trainer on the way to meet her boyfriend for date night. The other is Kate King, a celebrity married to a handsome billionaire who just happens to make her cry. In the cold dark evening, there is nothing to link them together but the bridge they shiver on. Little do they know they’ll both hold the key to each other’s future marriage…

All She Ever Wished For tells the story of what happens when your dream is about to come true. And what happens when that dream turns into a bit of a nightmare…

Book Review: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

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The Thousandth FloorThe Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I picked this book in large part due to that cover and despite the message in this story being that you can’t judge on appearances it did work for me as the story was every bit as stunning and perfect as that cover.

It’s a fast paced and exciting story with one heck of a hook that keeps you guessing until the very end. There’s a great mix of characters and a few different plot lines which all converge to an edge of the seat finale.

A fantastic start to an enthralling new series.

Synopsis

Welcome to Manhattan, 2118.

A thousand-storey tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future, where anything is possible – if you want it enough.

A hundred years in the future, New York’s elite of the super-tower lie, backstab and betray each other to find their place at the top of the world. Everyone wants something… and everyone has something to lose.

As the privileged inhabitants of the upper floors recklessly navigate the successes and pitfalls of the luxury life, forbidden desires are indulged and carefree lives teeter on the brink of catastrophe. Whilst lower-floor workers are tempted by a world – and unexpected romance – dangling just out of reach. And on the thousandth floor is Avery Fuller, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all – yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

So when a young woman falls from the top of the supertower, her death is the culmination of a scandal that has ensnared the top-floor elite and bottom-floor. But who plummeted from the roof? And what dark secrets led to her fall?

Friends will be betrayed and enemies forged as promises are broken. When you’re this high up, there’s nowhere to go but down…

Thoughts

This is a book that starts with a bang, or to be more accurate a fall from a great height, as a girl plummets from the top of a thousand-storey building. It certainly makes for a dramatic beginning and had me instantly hooked. Who was it and why? These questions plagued me throughout the story as it jumps back to a short period before, and the events leading up to it, leaving you guessing throughout just which character takes that fateful tumble and why.

As a hook it’s definitely effective but it wouldn’t work as well as it does if not for the fast moving plot and diverse mix of characters. The story is told in the third person from the point of view of five characters, Avery, Leda, Rylin, Eris and Watt, who despite being very different all have their own issues and problems. I have to admit with this number of main characters and alternating chapters between them I did initially find it a little bit confusing but honestly I have problems with remembering peoples names in real life so it’s most definitely a me issue rather than a book one.

A substantial element of the story is the social hierarchy which is illustrated incredibly well through the use of the tower. Only the richest and most successful can afford the hugest most luxurious homes at the top of the tower with the lower floors occupied by the poorer citizens. This is a society where everyone seems to be out for themselves and will do almost anything to work their way up to the higher floors and those on the top floors will do anything to protect their position.

This type of society doesn’t necessarily make for the nicest or most relateable characters and this is true for pretty much all of the main characters. If you get at all annoyed by rich and beautiful people complaining about their problems this might not be the book for you but I love this type of story. Everyone seems to have a secret, is working their own agenda or is even just trying to survive and maintain their position and reputation. There’s blackmail and betrayal but there are also some nuggets of real friendship, romance and working out what’s really important.

If I have any criticism of this story it would be the frequent mentions of futuristic technology. I know it’s science fiction and therefore kind of necessary to have some tech but in my opinion the constant references were overkill. After the first few mentions of the super contact lenses that doubled as smart phones I kind of thought “yep I get it, move on please”. I am not however a particular fan of science fiction, for pretty much that reason, so again this is a me issue rather than a story issue. I’ve heard a few sci fi lovers say how much they loved the tech.

Overall therefore, I’d say it’s a great story that really draws you into the world the author has created and I can’t wait for the next installment.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. The Thousandth Floor is out now.

ARC Review: The Deviants by C.J. Skuse

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The DeviantsThe Deviants by C.J. Skuse
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are a lot of YA contemporary thrillers around at the moment but this is definitely a stand out read. It’s a story about a group of friends and the tragedy and secrets that have driven them apart.

It’s a very twisty tale with a lot of surprises and one huge surprise that caught me completely off guard. The writing is fantastic and the characters so well crafted that you come to really care about them and I was completely invested. There are some slightly creepy moments, a couple of laughs and one part which totally broke my heart.

Definitely one of my favourite books of the year.

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Book Review: Resistance is Futile by Jenny Colgan

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Resistance is FutileResistance is Futile by Jenny Colgan

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Funny, brilliant, weird, sad, quirky and cute.

Resistance is Futile is definitely Jenny Colgan at her best and I loved this book from almost the very first page to that incredible ending.

This is science fiction with a big dollop of romance thrown in. It’s one for nerdy girls everywhere who like math and science and are looking for a quirky and adorable story with lots of laughs.

Synopsis (from GoodReads)

Connie thinks she’s never met anyone quite like Luke Beith before.

She has no idea how right she is.

As a high-ranking mathematician in a male-dominated field – with bright red hair – Connie’s used to being considered a little unusual.

But she’s nowhere near as peculiar as Luke, who is recruited to work alongside her on a top-secret code breaking project.

Just what is this bizarre sequence they’re studying? It isn’t a solution to the global energy crisis. It isn’t a new wavelength to sell microwave ovens. The numbers are trying to tell them something . . . and it seems only Luke knows what.

The truth is out there. Will Connie dare to find it?

In this whirlwind adventure, Sunday Times bestselling author Jenny Colgan boldly goes where no author has gone before . . .

Thoughts

It’s described on the back of the book as “a charmingly quirky tale of love, friendship . . . and the possible obliteration of mankind” and I think that actually sums it up quite nicely.

I have to admit it was the title’s reference to Star Trek: TNG together with that description that initially drew me to this book when I spotted it in the library. I’ve always been a big fan of Jenny Colgan but this promised something a bit different from her recent food themed chick lit. I was always a pretty big Star Trek fan and love shows like the Big Bang Theory and Doctor Who and this has elements of all of those mixed in.

It’s pretty much impossible to say a lot about the plot without giving much away (hence the synopsis from GoodReads) but it’s mostly about a group of mathematicians brought together to try to solve some mysterious code (that’s probably nothing…honest) and the relationships between them. I absolutely loved the math and science theme that runs throughout this book and there are a lot of jokes about mathematicians, physicists and other scientists that had me laughing out loud (I’d recommend you don’t read this book in public).

The characters are probably the highlight of this book and Jenny has a fantastic ability to create unique ones that you really won’t forget. Luke was by far my favourite and I felt like I could almost see and hear him he was so real. His behaviour and statements definitely fall into the distinctly odd category (when he first appears he’s pushing a piano across a field) but there is something very endearing about him. I wanted to hug him or adopt him and could definitely understand why he fascinated Connie so much.

Main character Connie is also pretty great. It’s so good to see a brilliantly intelligent woman in a male dominated career like mathematics and there just aren’t enough books like this. She seems to be the most sensible and normal of the bunch despite being something of an anomaly. For the most part she’s the voice of reason in a group of the socially inept but she’s still totally out of her depth when it comes to Luke.

At their very first meeting he can’t look anywhere but at her bright red hair. He even takes to calling her Hair. He seems fascinated by her and she feels the same about him. She’s kind of used to mathematicians being a bit odd but he’s on another level.

The other characters are also great, from American Arthur who believes “the man” is out to get him, to Ranjit who gets far too excited and Evelyn the only other female mathematician who’s kind of like the mother to the group.

The story goes at a pretty good pace and there’s lots of action and excitement mixed in with mathematical theories. I do have a bit of a math brain but have to admit most of the maths and science stuff was beyond me so had no idea what they were talking about but it sounded convincing (and there isn’t too much of it). There was the odd bit I found myself skimming over (mostly told from the pov of another character) but other than that I thought the whole thing was a great read.

Definitely one I’d recommend if you like your chick lit a tiny big weird and quirky. I’ve actually just realised Jenny has written a Doctor Who book so I’m off to try to track that down.