Tag: reading

Teaser Tuesday: 2nd October 2018

Ali@abookishlife6 Comments

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.


This week my teaser comes from Broken Things by Lauren Oliver. I received this a couple of weeks ago from NetGalley and just started yesterday so it’s very early days but I do like Oliver’s writing. I didn’t really want to flick forward for my teaser in case I stumbled on a spoiler so I’m afraid I’ve gone for something from near the start.

My Teaser

The Monsters of Brickhouse Lane.

The child killers.

That’s the story the way everyone tells it, at least, a story repeated so many times, accepted by so many people it has become fact.

1% Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

BlurbBroken Things

It’s been five years since Summer Marks was brutally murdered in the woods. 

Everyone thinks Mia and Brynn killed their best friend. That driven by their obsession with a novel called The Way into Lovelorn the three girls had imagined themselves into the magical world where their fantasies became twisted, even deadly.

The only thing is: they didn’t do it. 

On the anniversary of Summer’s death, a seemingly insignificant discovery resurrects the mystery and pulls Mia and Brynn back together once again. But as the lines begin to blur between past and present and fiction and reality, the girls must confront what really happened in the woods all those years ago—no matter how monstrous.

Review: The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

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The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker is a wonderfully absorbing and intense read that presents the story of the Trojan War from the female perspective. The descriptions are incredibly vivid and it’s a fascinating story but I wish the author had fully committed to the female point of view despite the limitations this would have put on the narrative.

THE BLURB

From the Booker Prize-winning author of Regeneration and one of our greatest contemporary writers on war comes a reimagining of the most famous conflict in literature – the legendary Trojan War.

When her city falls to the Greeks, Briseis’s old life is shattered. She is transformed from queen to captive, from free woman to slave, awarded to the god-like warrior Achilles as a prize of war. And she’s not alone. On the same day, and on many others in the course of a long and bitter war, innumerable women have been wrested from their homes and flung to the fighters.

The Trojan War is known as a man’s story: a quarrel between men over a woman, stolen from her home and spirited across the sea. But what of the other women in this story, silenced by history? What words did they speak when alone with each other, in the laundry, at the loom, when laying out the dead?

In this magnificent historical novel, Pat Barker charts one woman’s journey through the chaos of the most famous war in history, as she struggles to free herself and to become the author of her own story.

MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical settings and stories of war are not something that have ever really interested me but I have always had a fascination with the Greek myths and the Trojan war in particular. I’ve probably been a little guilty of romantacising it and if I did I think it’s safe to say The Silence of the Girls very quickly dispelled these notions of noble heroes and battles fought in the name of love. The picture Barker paints is dirty, degrading and it has to be said depressing. The “heroes” Achilles, Agamemnon, Paris and even Odysseus are for the most part proud, violent and easily offended thugs.

However the focus of this story is not supposed to be on them. This is the story of the women who are caught up in this war between men. Told primarily from the point of view of Briseis, wife of one of the Trojan kings, the story follows her journey from young and noble Queen to a slave, nurse and pawn in the battle between Agamemnon and Achilles.

It’s a wonderful concept and the first part of the story makes from some gripping and intense reading. Suffice to say life is not easy for women in this time regardless of their position in society. Treated like possessions to be used or traded they are never really free. Their value is dependent on how attractive they are and only those who are young, beautiful and connected to a powerful man will ever have some kind of security.

The descriptions in this book are incredibly vivid and it’s very easy to imagine yourself there with Briseis. The battle at the very start of the book where Briseis’s husband and brothers are brutally slaughtered was especially vivid (and horrifying) but what stood out the most to me were the descriptions of the Greek camp with its casual violence, filth, smell and rat problem. I can very honestly say I’m glad to never have to experience it.

Unfortunately however, while it starts strong I felt it lost its way in the second part when Achilles point of view was introduced. He’s such a powerful and intriguing character that he seems to take over the story, pushing Briseis to the side, which to my mind defeats the purpose of the story. He is a fascinating character and there is something both troubling and tragic about him but this was supposed to be the women’s story and it felt like it became centered on him. His relationship with Patroclus, his grief, his vengence and his acceptance of his fate. It’s a great story but for me shouldn’t be the focus of the book.

What makes it more frustrating though is that the author brings in Achilles point of view then doesn’t use it to let the reader experience some of the key events. I often felt like I was with the wrong narrator. I wanted to be with Achilles when he goes up against Hector but instead we’re with Briseis. Similarly, we kind of miss the final big battle and only hear myths and rumours of what happened. I feel like if the author wanted to tell the story from the female point of view she should have committed to it, and yes we would have missed some key scenes, but we kind of did anyway. I would have preferred it if she’d brought in a different female perspective, possibly someone remaining in Troy.

The writing is however wonderful with vivid descriptions and a really intense feel to it. It’s often violent, disturbing and kind of gross but I became completely absorbed in this story and the world. My only complaint was the use of some modern slang in the dialogue which I found a little bit jarring. I do get what the author was attempting but the inclusion of phrases such as “cheers lads” and “gagging for it” didn’t feel natural and knocked me out of the story.

It is a brilliant version of the story and I loved that we finally got the female perspective on it. I just wish the author had committed to the idea a little more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. All views are my own.

WWW Wednesday: 26th September 2018

Ali@abookishlife19 Comments

The WWW Wednesday 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?

Currently ReadingLove and Other Words

After claiming to be reading it in last week’s post I have to confess I only got around to picking up Love And Other Words by Christina Lauren yesterday. Needless to say I’m only a couple of chapters in and not much has happened but I have a good feeling about it.

On audio I’ve been listening to Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Abertalli. This is a (sort of) sequel to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (I refuse to call it Love, Simon) and follows best friend Leah. It’s fairly early days but so far so good. It hasn’t really grabbed me yet and it’s not clear where it’s going but yeah, it’s okay.

Recently FinishedNo One Cancels Christmas

I have not had a very good week reading wise. Between sorting out the sale of my home, volunteering at Bloody Scotland and things getting very busy at work I’ve been really stressed and tired so finding it difficult to concentrate on anything. I did however have a day off on Monday and decided to make it a lazy day. I stayed in bed pretty much all morning just reading and finished No One Cancels Christmas by Zara Stoneley. I’d requested this from NetGalley as I really enjoyed her last book The Wedding Date and I’m always up for a Christmassy rom com (even in September). I can’t say I liked this one quite as much as The Wedding Date but it was a nice, easy read so was probably the right book for me. It’s a lot predictable and has many of the usual Christmas romance tropes but who cares.

Reading Next

I still feel like I’m struggling to focus on anything much at the moment so I’m probably going to be sticking with lighter reads for a bit. I will however be reading what I feel like though so who knows I may suddenly be in the mood for a horror or thriller. I am thinking one of the following.

The Christmas SistersBroken ThingsA House of GhostsThe Twisted Tree

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Review: If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura

Ali@abookishlife7 Comments

If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura
If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve been making a real effort to read more translated fiction, so was very excited to find this story about a man who makes a deal with the devil. It has some really intriguing ideas and raises some big questions but while I did kind of love it and found it a very emotional read there seemed to be some issues with either the writing or more likely the translation that stopped it from being truly exceptional.

THE BLURB

Our narrator’s days are numbered. Estranged from his family, living alone with only his cat Cabbage for company, he was unprepared for the doctor’s diagnosis that he has only months to live. But before he can set about tackling his bucket list, the Devil appears with a special offer: in exchange for making one thing in the world disappear, he can have one extra day of life. And so begins a very bizarre week . . .

Because how do you decide what makes life worth living? How do you separate out what you can do without from what you hold dear? In dealing with the Devil our narrator will take himself – and his beloved cat – to the brink. Genki Kawamura’s If Cats Disappeared from the World is a story of loss and reconciliation, of one man’s journey to discover what really matters in modern life.

This beautiful tale is translated from the Japanese by Eric Selland, who also translated The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide. Fans of The Guest Cat will also surely love If Cats Disappeared from the World.

MY REVIEW

This book left me in such a blubbering mess I didn’t know where to start as far as reviewing it. I find it difficult to separate my heart, which kind of loved it, from my head, which recognizes there was something about the writing style or possibly the translation that just didn’t work for me.

I’ve been making a real effort to read more translated fiction but to be honest what first drew me to this book was the cover and that title (yes I totally judge books by their covers). As a cat lover and owner of a small black cat I couldn’t resist that little cutie and it sounded like a quirky and intriguing premise. Thankfully, the story is not about cats disappearing (how awful would that be) but instead is about a 30 year old man who finds out he’s going to die soon and has to figure out what it is that makes life worth living.

He’s offered a deal by the devil whereby if he removes one thing from existence he gets one more day of life. While this initially seems easy, as he agrees to give up each thing he begins to realize that they may have more purpose and importance than he thought. He discovers connections between these items and the events and people in his life and how his life (and theirs) would be very different without them. He has to decide just what his life is worth without these things in it.

It’s told as a mixture of current day interactions and flashbacks to events from his past, gradually revealing the reasons why he’s very much alone, and why his closest relationship is with his cat, Cabbage. As you can imagine it’s an incredibly sad story and there was a lot of it that really resonated with me. He fears a lot of the things I do and has similar regrets and reactions. There was a lot in the story that had be sobbing (and I think I went through practically a whole box of tissues) however, these heartbreaking moments are offset a little with some lighter and funnier moments (generally involving the cat).

Where I’m really struggling however is with the writing as I can’t decide what to think and as it was translated from Japanese it’s difficult to know how much is down to the original and how much to the translation. The whole thing is very short and snappy and there is very little in the way of descriptions or dialogue, it’s almost entirely an internal monologue. There is also very little sense of place or culture so it feels like it could be set pretty much anywhere which for me, seemed a bit of a shame as it could really have added some depth to the story.

In addition to this, there is something off in the dialogue and the interactions between characters. I can’t put my finger on exactly what but something didn’t feel right to me.

Despite this though it did get to me and while I do cry pretty easily this is possibly the most I’ve cried reading a book in a while. So where does that leave me? I think I may need to read it again but I think I kind of loved it. I loved the message in it and I loved how emotional it made me. I just wish they would have a look at the translation.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. This has in no way influenced my review.

WWW Wednesday: 19th September 2018

Ali@abookishlife12 Comments

The WWW Wednesday 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?

Currently ReadingLove and Other Words

I’ve had to schedule this post in advance (it’s a busy week) so I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be reading on Wednesday but I suspect it will be Love And Other Words by Christina Lauren. I’ve been in the mood for a Christina Lauren and this appeared on NetGalley so I couldn’t resist putting in a request.

 

Recently Finished

I’ve been off work for the last week but have to confess I haven’t really been in the mood for reading. Instead I was taking little day trips and watching lots of TV and movies, basically taking it easy. I did however manage to finish off three books, although the first I was pretty much finished when last week’s post went up.

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts)Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove, #4)The Silence of the Girls

  • Jack of Hearts (and other parts) by L.C. Rosen –  This was a lot more gripping and disturbing than I was expecting. It’s pretty addictive reading and I thought incredibly informative about some controversial topics but yeah, the stalker side of the story kind of creeped me out (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing).
  • Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare – I needed something light after Jack of Hearts so yep I was back on Tessa Dare again. This time it’s a kind of historical romance take on My Fair Lady (or maybe She’s All That) given a Duke makes a bet with his mother that if she can turn any girl he picks into a convincing Duchess, he’ll marry her (the girl obvs).
  • The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker – This was an incredibly intense telling of the Trojan war from the point of view of Briseis, a Trojan queen who is taken captive by the Greeks when her city is invaded. I really liked the different perspective this brought to the story but I think it lost it’s way in the second part when Achilles pov was introduced. Still a great read but could have been brilliant.

Reading Next

I’ve got a lot on over the next week, as I’m into the busy time at work, I’m volunteering at Bloody Scotland over the weekend and I’m in the process of selling my house (which means I’m gonna have to clean) so not sure how much reading I’ll get done. I did however receive an ARC of Sarah Morgan’s latest Christmas book so I suspect I’ll sneak that in somehow and possibly either Broken Things by Lauren Oliver (who I also love) or A House of Ghosts (which is by a new to me author).

The Christmas SistersBroken ThingsA House of Ghosts

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 18th September 2018

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.


This week my teaser comes from The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, which tells the story of the Trojan war but from the point of view of one of the Trojan royals who becomes a slave. This is a myth that has always fascinated me and I liked this different take on it. I think it’s pretty safe to say it was not a time where women were treated well.

My Teaser

Sobbing, she embraces him and he forces himself to return the pressure of her arms, but the truth is, he can’t wait to be shot of her. The tears of women – even the tears of a goddess – are no use to him now.

63%, The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

BlurbThe Silence of the Girls

From the Booker Prize-winning author of Regeneration and one of our greatest contemporary writers on war comes a reimagining of the most famous conflict in literature – the legendary Trojan War.

When her city falls to the Greeks, Briseis’s old life is shattered. She is transformed from queen to captive, from free woman to slave, awarded to the god-like warrior Achilles as a prize of war. And she’s not alone. On the same day, and on many others in the course of a long and bitter war, innumerable women have been wrested from their homes and flung to the fighters.

The Trojan War is known as a man’s story: a quarrel between men over a woman, stolen from her home and spirited across the sea. But what of the other women in this story, silenced by history? What words did they speak when alone with each other, in the laundry, at the loom, when laying out the dead?

In this magnificent historical novel, Pat Barker charts one woman’s journey through the chaos of the most famous war in history, as she struggles to free herself and to become the author of her own story.

Meet The Author: Ruth Ware #BloodyScotland #BlogTour #MeetTheAuthor @BloodyScotland @RuthWareWriter

Ali@abookishlife2 Comments

Today I’m thrilled to be taking part in the Bloody Scotland Meet the Author Blog Tour. Bloody Scotland takes place on the 21st-23rd September (next weekend) in Stirling and promises to be a lot of fun. For my stop on the tour I’m delighted to feature the wonderful Ruth Ware who is appearing at the festival on Saturday the 22nd September with Mel McGrath and Caroline Mitchell (tickets available here).

You can find more details on Ruth’s latest book The Death of Mrs Westaway, together with information on Bloody Scotland and the other stops on the tour further down but I’ll stop my rambling and let Ruth do the talking.

Meet The Author: Ruth Ware

Ruth WareI’m pretty sure most people will have heard of you but for those who haven’t can you tell them a bit about yourself?

Ha, it would be nice to think so but I refer you to Ian Rankin’s anecdote about getting barred from his own event! Well, I am the author of four psychological crime thrillers, In a Dark, Dark Wood (death on a hen night), The Woman in Cabin 10 (death on a cruise), The Lying Game (death at boarding school) and The Death of Mrs Westaway (which despite being the only one with death actually in the title, is about a woman conning a family of strangers out of their inheritance). Their style can probably be conveyed most economically by telling you that the two authors I’m most frequently compared to in reviews are Gillian Flynn, and Agatha Christie. If you can imagine a point somewhere between those two styles, that’s me!

Your latest book, The Death of Mrs Westaway is getting great reviews (and deservedly so). Can you tell us a little about it and where you got the inspiration for it?

Thank you so much! That’s nice to hear. As usual, the points of inspiration are too many and various to sum up, it would take a novel to list them all, but the core is probably my main character Hal, who is a cynical tarot reader (she does not believe in the power of the cards, but uses her cold reading skills to tell her clients what she thinks they want to hear). Hal is in dire financial straits when, out of the blue, she receives a letter telling her that she’s inherited a substantial bequest. Although Hal knows the letter has been sent to the wrong person, she sets out to claim the money.

I think Hal came about from the fact that I had written three novels essentially about ordinary women in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are caught up in extraordinary events, but they are basically just ordinary, well meaning people. With my fourth book I knew I wanted to do something very different, so I set about creating a character who has her own agenda, someone who sets out to commit a crime, and in doing so sets the whole mechanism of the plot in motion. That was Hal.

You’re appearing at Bloody Scotland with Caroline Mitchell and Mel McGrath can you tell us a little about your event? What should we expect?

Gosh, well, that’s a question, I honestly don’t know! We all know each other, so knowing Caroline and Mel, I am sure we’ll have a good laugh, but we haven’t prepared anything. The event title is about family (a theme all our novels share) so I’m sure there will be some discussion of how toxic those ties can be and why it’s such fertile ground for crime novelists, but knowing crime events, I imagine that will just be the starting point.

What do you look forward to most when attending a book festival?

Meeting readers and other authors. The crime community is astounding in its enthusiasm and generosity, and every festival reminds me of how lucky I am to be part of this brilliant landscape.

For those attending your event, are there any questions you always hope you’ll be asked or any you dread?

None that I dread really – I often get asked about progress on the film adaptations of my books (the first three have all been optioned for either film or TV) and the truth is that anything I know is either already out on the internet and well known, or else confidential so I can’t share it, which means I spend a lot of time shrugging and apologising for not being able to tell the audience anything! My favourites are always the questions I didn’t see coming.

You’ve had a lot of success with your writing but what has been the highlight of your career so far?

Probably getting on the New York Times bestseller list. I still pinch myself when I think of that moment – it was the first time I think I really realised that this book was going to be read by a lot more people than my friends and family.

If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice what would it be?

Have faith – and have a bit of confidence in your work. I spent a lot of time writing and not doing anything with the manuscripts, because I didn’t think they were good enough. I don’t regret that exactly, all those unpublished books were a good apprenticeship, and it meant that when I did finally pluck up the courage to sub to agents, I had confidence that I had written 100,000 word manuscripts many times, and could do so again, even if this one didn’t sell. But it would have been nice to have a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.

What are you working on at the moment? What can we expect next from Ruth Ware?

Another book – obviously! Deep in writing book 5 at the moment, but it’s at the ugly duckling stage so I can’t talk too much about it.

Finally, what books are you currently reading or would you recommend?

Currently reading Red Snow by Will Dean. If you like Nordic Noir novels with dogged, complicated women at their heart, this will be just your cup of tea.

The Death of Mrs WestawayThe Death of Mrs. Westaway

THE BLURB : From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware’s highly anticipated fourth novel.

On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it.

Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware’s signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

BUY IT HERE: Amazon UK, Waterstones, Amazon US, Book Depository

About Bloody Scotland

Bloody Scotland established itself as the leading Scottish International Crime Writing Festival in 2012 with acclaimed writers Lin Anderson and Alex Gray at the helm, then joined by Craig Robertson and Gordon Brown. Based in Stirling, Bloody Scotland has brought hundreds of crime writers new and established to the stage with always enthusiastic attendees who make the festival every bit as much as the writers do.

Priding ourselves as the literary festival where you can let down your hair and enjoy a drink at the bar with your favourite crime writer, we strive to put on entertaining as well as informative events during a weekend in September, covering a range of criminal subjects from fictional forensics, psychological thrillers, tartan noir, cosy crime and many more. With an international focus at the heart of Bloody Scotland, we are always looking to bring in crime writing talent from outside of Scotland whom you may not have heard about. You might, however, knows us for our annual Scotland vs England football cup which always draws a crowd and inevitably ends in tears for someone…

The Bloody Scotland Team 2018: Lin Anderson, Gordon Brown, Craig Robertson, Jenny Brown, Muriel Binnie, Catriona Reynolds, Bob McDevitt, Laura Jones, Abir Mukherjee, Fiona Brownlee & Tim Donald

This will be my second year at Bloody Scotland and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you’re in the area (or can make it up to sunny* Stirling) and interested in attending any of the events, you can find details in The Brochure.

(*Sunshine not guaranteed but it’s mostly indoors anyway)

The Tour

The Bloody Scotland Meet the Authors blog tour continues until the 21st September. Details of all stops and authors below.

BloodyScotland-blog-tour 2018

Review: Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

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Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

This book reminded me just what it was I loved about villain stories. It’s not perfect but there’s enough mystery and shocks to make it wonderfully addictive reading.

THE BLURB

Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.

Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.

A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.

But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.

MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good villain story and this book made me remember exactly why that is. There’s just something so unpredictable about it, even though I thought I knew what the story would be it somehow managed to take me completely by surprise. The only thing I was sure of was that something bad was going to happen and the main character probably wouldn’t be getting a happily ever after. It’s an uneasy and frustrating feeling but it makes for some truly addictive reading.

Despite being yet another mermaid story (there seems to be a lot of them around at the moment) there was something different and completely unexpected about Sea Witch. I was anticipating a version of the Little Mermaid or a prequel but it was unclear in the beginning how this story fit with the fairytale we all know and love. For one thing the majority of the story is set in the 19th century in a small fishing port on the coast of Denmark. It follows Evie, a 16 year old girl, daughter of a fisherman and best friend to the Crown Prince.

She’s considered a bit of an outcast by everyone, in part due to her friendship with the Prince, Nik, but also due to the rumours of witchcraft surrounding her. This reputation is not particularly helped by death seeming to follow her around. First her mother dies saving her life and then best friend Anna drowns while they are both swimming in the sea.

Things begin to change however when a storm hits on the birthday of the Prince, washing him overboard from the ship they’re holding the celebrations on. He’s rescued by a mermaid who bears a remarkable resemblance to Anna and has a beautiful voice just like her friend had. When this mermaid reappears a few days later, transformed into a girl her own age and on a quest to win the heart of the Prince, Evie vows to help her. But appearances are not always what they appear to be.

I absolutely loved how unpredictable this story was. There are so many twists and turns I had no idea how it was going to end and there were more than a couple of moments which had me literally open mouthed with shock. There is this constant sense that there’s something not quite right and that disaster is approaching for Evie but it’s impossible to tear yourself away.

I liked Evie as a character but I have to confess she frustrated the hell out of me. Her intentions, while sometimes a little selfish, are generally good and she is completely loyal to those she cares about. But, it becomes clear very early on that she’s far too trusting and loyal and that she takes too many risks as a result, messing with things she doesn’t fully understand.

The other characters I wasn’t so sure about. Nik, the high born Prince is a little bit wishy washy and his cousin, who is Evie’s love interest, is never entirely convincing either. The romance between them seems too sudden and to me his feelings didn’t feel genuine. Mermaid turned human Annemette (who may or may not in fact be Anna) is a more intriguing character but at times felt a little over done.

There’s a lot of romance in this story and not one but two love triangles, neither of which I really bought into. Grumpy old cynic that I am I find the notion of true love and being willing to die for someone a bit much for a 16 year old. What interested me a lot more was the relationship between Evie and Anna/Annemette and also the magic system in this world.

I thought the way the magic centered around the sea and was based on a kind of barter system (to get something you have to give something) was wonderful, and a little bit terrifying. Everything has consequences and Evie, who is encouraged to mess with magic by Annemette, has no idea what these could be. It’s intriguing and frustrating and at times breathtaking. When everything is finally revealed I found myself on the edge of my seat, the conclusion is truly epic (and heartbreaking) and totally worth plodding through teenage romance for.

I’d recommend this to anyone who loves fairytale inspired stories without the happily ever after and doesn’t mind a love triangle (or two).

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

WWW Wednesday: 12th September 2018

Ali@abookishlife31 Comments

The WWW Wednesday 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?

Currently ReadingJack of Hearts (And Other Parts)

I’m pretty close to the end of Jack of Hearts (and other parts) despite only just starting it quite late on Monday night. My NetGalley request was actually only approved on Monday but I was bookless (I’d just finished one) and felt like this was exactly the story I was in the mood for (or at least was very curious about).

I suspect this is a book that’s going to really divide opinion given how open and explicit it is about sex and gay sex in particular. I think a few parents are going to be uncomfortable with their teenage kids reading it but it’s probably a book they should be reading as there’s some really good advice given in the form of an online sex advice column written by the main character Jack. There’s also a great story dealing with difficult issues, lots of diversity and as you can probably tell with how fast I’ve read it, it’s very addictive.

Recently Finished

Between not sleeping very well, bad weather and some time off work I’ve actually had quite a lot of reading time so managed to finish four books this week, although in fairness two of these are really short.

The Towering Sky (The Thousandth Floor, Book 3)Dream a Little Dream (Dream a Little Dream, #1)And the Ocean Was Our SkyBeneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children, #3)

  • The Towering Sky by Katherine McGee – This was a fitting conclusion to the Thousandth Floor trilogy and it was wonderful being back in futuristic New York. However, while it was a little emotional particularly towards the end I thought it lacked some of the mystery and surprise the previous books had.
  • Dream a Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher – I wasn’t sure about this initially but once “Real” Brett (as opposed to “Dream” Brett) showed up around the halfway mark it really picked up and I ended up quite enjoying it. Still wouldn’t say it was a favourite but it did make me laugh a few times.
  • And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness – aka Moby Dick from the POV of the whale. This has been getting mixed review but I really liked it. Ness’s creativity and brilliant writing shine out of every page and the illustrations go with the story perfectly. The only thing missing for me was emotion (it was a little lacking in feels).
  • Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire – The third book in the Wayward Children series and I think this is my fave so far. It starts off back in the school from the first book and then travels to a few other worlds as they try to resurrect the dead. This just made me laugh so much and I loved that Christopher and Kade were back.

Reading Next

I think I’m going to need something light and fluffy after Jack of Hearts so I’m thinking I may pick up Roomies by Christina Lauren next (although I’m undecided). After that, with the Scottish Crime festival Bloody Scotland fast approaching, I think I’m going to try and read a couple of the books in the running for the McIlvanney prize to get me in the mood. I managed to get a copy of The Quaker from the library so that’s likely to be first but also hoping to read Places in the Darkness.

RoomiesThe Quaker (Duncan McCormack #1)Places in the Darkness

Have you read any of the books on my list this week? Any others you’d recommend? As always please feel free to leave comments and links below.

And on the subject of Bloody Scotland, I’m taking part in the blog tour with a Q&A with Ruth Ware author of The Death of Mrs Westaway, In a Dark Dark Wood, The Lying Game & The Woman in Cabin 10 on Saturday so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Happy Reading ❤

Teaser Tuesday: 11th September 2018

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purple Booker. If you want to join in grab your current read, flick to a random page, select two sentences (without spoilers) and share them in a blog post or in the comments of The Purple Booker.


This week my teaser comes from Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen. I received this from NetGalley yesterday so have only really skimmed the first few pages out of curiosity but it seems like it may be a controversial story.

My Teaser

But yeah, that’s me. Jack. I don’t love being called queeny, but I do have some fantastic tank tops and a love of eyeliner and black nail polish.

loc 45, Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen

BlurbJack of Hearts (And Other Parts)

My first time getting it in the butt was kind of weird. I think it’s going to be weird for everyone’s first time, though.

Meet Jack Rothman. He’s seventeen and loves partying, makeup and boys – sometimes all at the same time. His sex life makes him the hot topic for the high school gossip machine. But who cares? Like Jack always says, ‘it could be worse’.

He doesn’t actually expect that to come true.

But after Jack starts writing an online sex advice column, the mysterious love letters he’s been getting take a turn for the creepy. Jack’s secret admirer knows everything: where he’s hanging out, who he’s sleeping with, who his mum is dating. They claim they love Jack, but not his unashamedly queer lifestyle. They need him to curb his sexuality, or they’ll force him.

As the pressure mounts, Jack must unmask his stalker before their obsession becomes genuinely dangerous…