Book Review: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton.

January 3, 2020

Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton
on 9th January 2020
ISBN: 9780241374504
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

In a rural English village in the middle of a snowstorm, the unthinkable happens- the school is under siege.
From the wounded headmaster barricaded in the library, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the terrified 8-year-old Syrian refugee, to the kids sheltering in the school theatre still rehearsing Macbeth, all must find the courage to stand up to evil and try to save the people they love . . .

Thanks to the publisher for my ARC copy of Three Hours. This book review is completely unbiased.

This is genuinely one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to pen…not because it’s bad, but because this book was all kinds of awesome. but also shocking. Awesomely heart-breaking, awesomely nerve-shattering and awesomely guts tearing out. This is a story of the present being forged by the past. Are we all a product of our upbringing? Just what parts of our past deems what we will become in the future? How much to we cling onto the past? Is it subjective? Is it a case of mere psychology or individual personalities? I’d like to hope that no matter what our childhoods threw at us, we would know what was right and wrong. I would hope that our mere humanity would bring us out on the right side.

This book is not for the light- hearted. Three Hours is a book that is heavy in its content. Its heavy in the emotional stakes and if you are anything like me – it will break you down, rip you open and leaving you with one tiny needle to try and stitch yourself back up with. It is the kind of book that will inject cold hard fear into your spine.

I don’t live too far away from the Dunblane school that was the victim of the UK’s only shooting massacre, and I can remember vividly how much devastation that caused to the families and the community as a whole. It makes you question everything – your friends, your family, the thin line between reality and fantasy. There won’t be a dry eye in the house – I completely soaked my ARC copy. The author has an amazing talent for completely ruining her reader.

“Love is the most powerful thing there is.”

The headmaster in this tale is heroic. He puts himself in the direct firing line, having no regard for his own life, therefore, he treats his students like his extended family, he allows them to just be themselves. No uniform, no head boy/girl, no prefects and most importantly no religion. That being said, this shouldn’t be a school that is targeted in such a violent attack, right? He is the gentlest teacher I have come across. This isn’t the first time he has put his pupils needs first…He has a big heart and his predicament pulls at your heartstrings.

The pupils. The most important characters. The strength of them. The will of them. They have different personalities. They experience fear in different ways. And yet… and yet they are as one in a terrifying situation. They deserve the publicity; their names deserve to be said out loud over and over. The perpetrators deserve nothing. Some little details I didn’t see coming, some surprises. It was harrowing and breaking bit by little bit. I don’t want to give it away so just read the book.

Leave your assumptions at the door. They really don’t belong here. This author…just wow. The narrative blew me away. This is the type of story that we really hope we don’t have to read about again, especially in the newspapers. The author brought us the human impacts of such an act…the victims, the parents, the teachers and the perps. It is an examination of the human condition in which, it displays it’s ability for cruelty.

Rosamund Lupton ticked all of the boxes. She has weaved an intense web of mystery, an upsetting and haunting narrative that just won’t quit and the one thing that glues it altogether? Love. A storyline that is propelled by rocket fuel, hiding in plain sight. This book is setting the bar impossibly high for the start of 2020.

Three Hours is a book to remember. An original work of suspense. Hooked from the very first page. This is an amazing race-to-the-end thriller that you have been craving.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rosamund Lupton, author of the sensational thriller book, Three Hours.

Rosamund Lupton is the author of four novels.

Rosamund Lupton graduated from Cambridge University in 1986. After reviewing books for the Literary Reviews and being invited to join the Royal Court Theatre, she won a television play competition and subsequently worked as a screen writer. Her debut novel Sister, was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime, a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, has been translated into over thirty languages and has international sales of over 1.5 million copies. It was the fastest-selling debut of 2010 by a British author, and was winner of the Richard and Judy Best Debut Novel of 2011 Award and the Strand Magazine Critics First Novel Award. Film rights of Sister are currently under option.

Lupton’s critically acclaimed second novel Afterwards also went straight into the Sunday Times bestseller lists and was the No. 2 Sunday Times fiction bestseller of 2011. The Quality of Silence her third novel was a Sunday Times best seller and a Richard & Judy bookclub pick

Her new novel Three Hours comes out on 9th January 2020.

Tales of Unexplained Mystery by Steph Young

December 30, 2019

Tales Of Unexplained Mystery by Steph Young
Published by Self Published on November 27th 2019
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 190
Format: eBook
Source: Author
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Tales of Mystery Unexplained.... Do you love Unexplained, cryptic, and intriguing & mysteries? Why was a man found in the same spot he disappeared, but 4 years later, with a hole in his head that no surgeons could explain, and what did this have to do with a séance, doppelgangers, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln?

Why did a man write the Fibonacci sequence as a clue and tell a stranger he was “Looking for the Beast,” before he disappeared in the barren plains of a desert?

Why did five boys run from their car into the snowy wilderness, to certain death, yet not try to save themselves, at all? They found food but did not eat it. What were they running from? And why?

Who are Hecate? And what did they have to do with people disappearing in the countryside of England?

How did an introverted lady die on the top of an ancient fairy mound, on a remote island: her face locked in an expression of terror?

Why did a man die of fright atop a coal pile after disappearing for days, and why could no scientists identify the strange ointment found on his body? Where had he been? And what had happened to him?

How could a man be found after a plane crash, lying on a moor, with no injuries at all; yet his body had not been there when the plane had crashed and searchers had combed the area multiple times looking for him.

Also featuring an in-depth investigation into the strange death of Elisa Lam, found dead in a water tower on the top of a hotel roof in LA. Who were the two men who came to see her, and what was in the mystery box they gave her?

Steph Young has appeared on national radio shows and podcast including the UK's The Unexplained, and Coast to Coast Am, talking about many of these mysteries of the Unexplained, which are her passion... These stories are some of the most intriguing, enigmatic, and ultimately unfathomable & unexplained true tales I have ever come across and they continue to fascinate and completely puzzle me.

Join me for some true tales of Unexplained mysteries of the most cryptic kind. In this book are strange and baffling true stories of unexplained mysteries, and the cast of characters who star in them. Stories of unexplained mysteries that yearn to be solved. All of these strange and curious stories, I have written about over the last six years, across a number of my previous books. They continue to intrigue me, and while some of my readers may be familiar with some of these cryptic tales, there are many who are not, and I present them once more, in longer and far more extended format, with deeper delving into the strange and mysterious events and the central characters who feature in them, caught in the whirlwind of these strange unexplained mysteries… which still have yet to be solved.

Review

that moment when you receive a review request and it turns out to be just what your black soul had needed. This book turned out to be all that more. It just turned out to be the catalyst of great big emotions. This book capitulates everything mystery. The title brings it to life, gives it purpose and will have you questioning every little news report you ever recall seeing or hearing. Is its clear cut? Is something deeper and more sinister at play? The book is a creeping shadow, threatening to jump out of the pages and swallow you whole. Read on for my book review.

Each individual story had me engrossed. My imagination was racketed up by a thousand notches. My eyes blurred through tiredness, but I just couldn’t close that damn book! I imagined the fear, the black ooze dripping down the crease of the book. The book examines everything about the human condition and throws away the rule book. Your preconceived ideas will be stamped on and you will question everything you thought you once knew. Niggles were itching at my brain and I was turning into Poirot trying to conjure up reasonable explanations. Nothing is as it seems. The stories however outshine reasoning.

I was moved, I felt fear and the cold dread was constantly a presence up my spine. The deaths especially the Elisa Lam story was both heart-breaking and cruel. The beautiful narrative had her existence coming to life, her experience felt real and haunting. Steph Young’s writing ensures that you will never leave this story behind.

The stories were easy to follow and the writing as I’ve said has a real multi-faceted element to it. The research that the author has conducted was through and far beyond the scope than I expected. The stories were brought to life in 3-D technicolour. She gave meaning to these real-life characters and I was left in a bubble of emotion. She leaves scope for you to form your own opinions. She chucks you into the back of her truck and takes you along for the ride, whether, you wanted to or not.

Tales of Mystery Unexplained was a superb read, which I read in intense excitement. I savoured every dark word and hungered for more. I look forward to delving more into the world of Steph Young.

Check out Steph’s work – https://www.stephyoungauthor.com/bio

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

December 27, 2019

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc on January 29, 2015
ISBN: 9781408866191
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

Why on earth has it taken me so long to read the massively hyped Harry Potter books? Well, when they were released I was older than its target audience and being the stroppy teenager, I was – refused to read them…After all I was capable of reading more grown-up literature, but, I was a fool! I really missed out on an awesome adventure because this thirty-two-year-old grown ass woman has loved the first book in the series. My dilemma is though, what can I add in this review that hundreds of wonderful readers haven’t already?

“Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”

The appeal is intrinsic. It’s a story that is an easy read and the dive into the plot is smooth and complete. You are transported into the magical world and in that moment, also, you can fully appreciate how this series’ changed children’s lives. it is magical. It is pure and simple escapism.

Childhood can be brutal and traumatic experience and the magical world of Hogwarts allows a child to not feel so alone. The experience of reading these novels has become something like an old friend, a safety blanket that reminds them that good things can prevail. It’s a depressing existence of living under a cupboard under the stairs however, he found his tribe. Feeling like you belong – I think a lot of children understand the journey to finding their place in the world. J.K. Rowling’s writing is brilliant, she has the direct switch to my imagination and she turned it on in glorious technicolour.

I read the book in a matter of hours, the pull to carry on was too strong. My eyelids were drooping with Christmas fatigue – I had to finish it. Its obvious that you don’t need to be a child to enjoy this series – it transcends age groups/genres etc. I am hoping I see deeper characterisation as the book series progresses.

“There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.”

I’m not going to do a full-blown review like normal. Who doesn’t know the story of Harry Potter- The Boy Who lived, instead some miniscule observations, I have picked up along the way. At points I wanted to jump into the author’s head and pick apart her thoughts. I wanted to find out the answers. But, alas, I have to read the book like everyone else.

Observations

Snape – wow, some deep stuff going on in this guy’s head. I think there is more to him than just the evil guy persona he’s putting forward. Probably one of my favourite characters.

Hagrid is awesome. Soft and gentle. Fiercely protective of his tribe.

If I was a parent of these children, I would majorly be concerned with the activities they get up to – mainly fighting trolls and coming face to face with a three headed dog.

Currently at odds with book Dumbledore in the book and the movie one.

ARC Book Review: Inside by D.M. Siciliano

December 24, 2019

Inside by D.M. Siciliano
Published by The Parliament House via PublishDrive on October 15, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Supernatural, Suspense, Psychological
Pages: 350
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

“Inside is a gripping, page-turning novel from a promising new horror writer.” -April A Taylor, award-winning author of The Haunting of Cabin Green and Sinkhole

1987 “Does it burn in the dark?”Reid is a bully, but he’s still Alex’s best friend. When Reid pushes Alex and their friends into invading a historically haunted Massachusetts house, Alex knows it’s a terrible idea, but indulges his friend. What could go wrong?Inside, a mysterious Shadow looms in the darkness. The door to the house vanishes, leaving them trapped. The group flees through the tiny, one-roomed house that defies logic, constantly shifting, presenting them with new doors, hallways, and rooms that seem to be plucked from their memories and fears. One by one, the Shadow hunts them, intent on burning them all from within.Is there any way to escape? Or will they be burned from the inside out?

I hope you are all ready to sit in the corner and rock your way through this review. Inside, looked like the poster for the latest horror movie – this apt title hides the deeper meaning to the story. Huge revelations, relationships pulled so taut that they threaten to snap. This book has you standing on the precipice of hell, the flames threatening to lick at your heels, the heat seducing you within. A house is just bricks and mortar, right? Ha! the house was built with the devils’ hands, each brick more evil than the last. The house embodies a threatening shadow using your fears to destroy and weaken you. Don’t rely on your Nike’ because you can’t outrun hell.

Reid one of our five protagonists has the bright idea of breaking into a haunted house. He bullies his friends into joining him. The whole town know the house is evil, they don’t know what haunts it or why – they just know its hell personified. The premise of the house emitting an extreme heat – like hells own personal gateway. The awful truth of what lies within had me scared right from the start. The reader doesn’t have time to ponder the what’s before it all goes sideways. The evil and the fear instantly make itself known like being thrown into the eye of the storm. Can they weather it?

Not one of the protagonists wants to back out. They want to prove their worth, their courage and Reid uses all the bully-boy tactics in the book. It becomes very clear that they aren’t going to get out of this easily. They are faced with shifting walls and windows and the main exit disappearing. Interesting premise, right? The house becomes a living and breathing entity. Fear and loathing become king. These initial scenes gave me such a palpable sense of dread, the words came to life and threatened to choke the life out of me.

The Protagonists have no clue to what lurks in the dark but boy oh boy does the author know! This made me check my shoulder and windows whilst I was reading. My chest felt like it had been pumped full of icy cold dread and I was completely here for it. The story encapsulates teenager’s innocence and stamping all over it.

How long can five friends stay strong for one another? The evil picks apart their psyche, taps into their biggest fears and it plays them off against each other. Its creeping presence hunts the characters one by one and breaks them down so that their mind is broken, but also with the intention of breaking their physical form too. Would anyone survive the ordeal?

The narrative was explosive. The book, from the very first page was pulse pounding – to the point I thought my skin was going to tear and blood spurting from within. Childhood was forever destroyed but the author also brought to the forefront the dark and deep nature of traumatised upbringings. The storytelling was irresistible to the horror lovers. The author has brought together two frightening narratives spanning the evil within the house and deep nature of childhood. This is a book that runs parallel with the essence of childhood – some don’t make it out alive.

The moment I closed this book it has been haunting me…it reminds so much of Stephen King’s earlier work. It was so gripping; the tension was ratcheted up with a cold dread that had me questioning whether I needed to turn the heating up. If this is a debut…well the author is going to have a very successful career ahead of her.

The Year of the Indie – Top Ten Favourite Books of 2019

December 23, 2019

In my first year of blogging I have read from the truly outstanding to the not so impressive but I want to share my very Top ten reads of 2019. One thing is abundantly clear is that the Indie Publishing Houses have made the most impact on my reading journey for 2019. Let me take you on a journey of my absolute favourites.

Clear My Name by Paula Daly

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Innocent?

When Carrie was accused of brutally murdering her husband’s lover, she denied it. She denied it when they arrested her, when they put her in front of a jury, and when they sent her to prison.

Now she’s three years into a fifteen-year sentence, away from the daughter she loves and the life she had built. And she is still denying that she is to blame.

Guilty?

Tess Gilroy has devoted her life to righting wrongs. Through her job for Innocence UK, a charity which takes on alleged miscarriages of justice, she works tirelessly to uncover the truth.

But when she is asked to take Carrie’s case, Tess realises that if she is to help this woman, she must risk uncovering the secrets she has struggled a lifetime to hide . . .

We’ve all done things we’re not proud of.

‘Compelling concept, kick-ass characterisation and a gut punch of a sting in the tale.’ LV Hay

Check out my review here

This Little Dark Place

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How well do you know your girlfriend?

How well do you know your lover?

How well do you know yourself?

Daniel and Victoria are together. They’re trying for a baby. Ruby is in prison, convicted of assault on an abusive partner.

But when Daniel joins a pen pal program for prisoners, he and Ruby make contact. At first the messages are polite, neutral – but soon they find themselves revealing more and more about themselves. Their deepest fears, their darkest desires.

And then, one day, Ruby comes to find Daniel. And now he must decide who to choose – and who to trust.

Check out my review here

A Different Time

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Keith Nolan falls in love with a remarkable young woman from the past, talking to him on a home video she recorded in 1989. To keep their conversation going, he must find more of her tapes—while forces work against them both, and time is running out.

Check out my review here

The Puppet Show (Washington Poe #1) by M.W. Craven

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A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District’s prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless.

When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of.

Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant but socially awkward civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it.

As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he’s ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive…

Check out my review here

The Demons Beneath (D.I. Graves #1) by W.D. Jackson-Smart

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When a bloody corpse is discovered in a North London park, Detective Inspector Daniel Graves is the man tasked with finding the killer. With no clues and no suspects it seems like a dead end. Then another body turns up and this time it looks like it could be his fault. Has his investigation caused the murderer to strike again? Is he dealing with a serial killer?

As case one gets ever more complicated, a report comes in of another suspicious death but this is nothing like any other Graves has dealt with. All involved are convinced that something supernatural is to blame. A demon. Daniel is no believer but could he be wrong?

With two cases on his shoulders and the truth behind each beyond his grasp, Graves must race against time before both killers, human or otherwise, strike again.

Check out my review here

Little Siberia by Antti Tuomainen

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A man with dark thoughts on his mind is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the unexpected treasure is temporarily placed in a neighbourhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel.

But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn’t his. As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is.

Transporting the reader to the culture, landscape and mores of northern Finland Little Siberia is both a crime novel and a hilarious, blacker-than-black comedy about faith and disbelief, love and death, and what to do when bolts from the blue – both literal and figurative – turn your life upside down.

Check out my review here

Deadly Silence (Detective Jane Phillips #1) by O.M.J. Ryan

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Some sins can never be forgiven.

DI Jane Phillips was a star detective driven by a relentless quest for justice. But then she stepped outside the law.

Now, demoted and suffering with PTSD, she finds herself facing the deadliest threat of her career — a serial killer who is preying on vulnerable women, murdering them in a shocking and bizarre ritual.

A master of deception, he selects his victims at random. Or so it seems. But as Phillips investigates, she begins to see a method in the killer’s madness. Perhaps these victims aren’t random at all…

As the pressure mounts, can Phillips find the link between these ritual murders before the killer strikes again — or will her dogged determination to solve the case bring his deadly silence to her door?

Deadly Silence is a gripping mystery thriller that will keep you up all night as it races towards its shocking conclusion. Perfect for fans of Robert Bryndza, Angela Marsons and Peter James.

Check out my review here

Nothing Important Happened Today by Will Carver

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When strangers take part in a series of group suicides, everything suggests that a cult is to blame. How do you stop a cult when nobody knows they are a member?

Nine suicides
One Cult
No leader

Nine people arrive one night on Chelsea Bridge. They’ve never met. But at the same time, they run, and leap to their deaths. Each of them received a letter in the post that morning, a pre-written suicide note, and a page containing only four words: Nothing important happened today.

That is how they knew they had been chosen to become a part of the People Of Choice: A mysterious suicide cult whose members have no knowledge of one another.

Thirty-two people on that train witness the event. Two of them will be next. By the morning, People Of Choice are appearing around the globe; it becomes a movement. A social media page that has lain dormant for four years suddenly has thousands of followers. The police are under pressure to find a link between the cult members, to locate a leader that does not seem to exist.

How do you stop a cult when nobody knows they are a member?

A shocking, mesmerisingly original and pitch-black thriller, Nothing Important Happened Today confirms Will Carver as one of the most extraordinary, exciting authors in crime fiction.

Check out my review here

Stay Mad, Sweetheart by Heleen Kist

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THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN INNOCENCE AND GUILT. AN EVEN FINER LINE BETWEEN JUSTICE AND REVENGE.

Data scientist Laura prefers the company of her books to the real world – let alone that cesspit online. But when her best friend Emily becomes the victim of horrific cyberbullying, she makes it her all-engulfing mission to track down the worst culprits.

Petite corporate financier Suki is about to outshine the stupid boys at her firm: she’s leading the acquisition of Edinburgh’s most exciting start-up. If only she could get its brilliant, but distracted, co-founder Laura to engage.

Event planner Claire is left to salvage the start-up’s annual conference after her colleague Emily fails to return to work. She’s determined to get a promotion out of it, but her boss isn’t playing ball.

As the women’s paths intertwine, the insidious discrimination they each face comes to light. Emboldened by Emily’s tragic experience, they join forces to plot the downfall of all those who’ve wronged them.

But with emotions running high, will the punishments fit the crimes?

A pacy and suspenseful novel with its feet firmly in the #MeToo era. 9 to 5 meets Suits with a dash of Black Mirror.

Check out my review here

Steelheart (The Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanderson

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Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart – the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning – and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Check out my review here

What’s been your favourite books of the year? Any of yours also on this list. It’s been a busy year but I’m looking forward to meeting my new favourite reads next year.

Book Review: Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanders on @orionbooks

December 21, 2019

Steelheart

Author: Brandon Sanderson

ISBN: 9780575104044

Publisher: Orion

Imprint: Gollancz

Publication Date: 25 September 2014

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Blackwells

synopsis coycaterpillar - Book Review: Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanders on @orionbooks

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics…nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart – the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David’s been studying, and planning – and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He’s seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

review coy caterpillar - Book Review: Steelheart (Reckoners #1) by Brandon Sanders on @orionbooks

The Lunatics are running the asylum.

It’s been a while since a Fantasy novel has truly engrossed me, but Brandon Sanderson is a magician amongst mere mortals. It’s usually within pages that I will be able to determine whether a novel is going to submerge me within its world, whether I mould between its pages…I was a goner by page two. Brandon Sanderson had my heart beating at a staccato rhythm and my imagination on red alert. He is the master of foreshadowing, a breaker of wills and the puppet master of emotion. This book was all kinds of awesome. Why on earth has it taken me so long to read Brandon Sanderson’s work?

Calamity has visited the earth and brought with its cataclysmic effects. It has in its wake created Epics, an evolved human if you will. They have superpowers, there is no rhyme or reason to the who or the why, but these epics are not the heroes the world is expecting. They use their powers for bad…they use it to control and manipulate. Their rule is absolute, and it’s done with an iron fist. Life is drastically altered for the average human being. They no longer have the luxuries and things they took for granted is no long gone. Things will never be the same again. The rule and policing from the United States Government has collapsed like a deck of cards. In its wake we have super epics making the rules and controlling the fractured states, some doing a better job of it than others. One such fractured state is the destroyed city of Chicago, now known as Newcago, ruled by an extremely powerful Epic, called Steelheart. This Epic has a mysterious past with non-epic human, David who will spend years plotting his revenge…

I have seen Steelheart bleed.

David has witnessed Steelheart at his most destructive and soul-less. The death of his father was at his monstrous hands. Killing him was nothing, no guilt, no remorse. It was necessary. After all, his father was the only one to make Steelheart bleed. David has dedicated ten years of his life researching the Epics powers and what can kill them. His research is the only thing that he cares about. He dreams that one day he will be the one responsible for ending Steelhearts vicious rule. He acquaints himself with a vigilante group, known simply as the reckoners – they have one job – to kill every Epic they can get their hands on, to provide hope, and faith to humankind that this rule can end. The group is made up of five members – Prof, Tia, Cody, Abraham and Megan. An intriguing group made up of the very existence of the human condition. They are fuelled by emotion, strength, an iron will and a badass attitude.

Just how do you kill an all-powerful being seem to defy physics and time. Epics than can create illusions to confuse their enemies. Epics that can power entire cities with the raw power they can harness. Epics that can harness the darkness to kill its prey. One thing that David continues to prove time and time again though, is that they all have a weakness. That one thing that can be used to kill them. But, how do they discover what that is?

David’s dogged determination is what gets him taken into The Reckoners fold. He has lived for nothing else but to take down Steelheart. The fact that he has seen him bleed has their immediate attention, no one has known why Steelheart got that scar, not even his right-hand men. Not everyone is enamoured with the new member but what is the reasoning behind it?

“Sometimes, son,” my father said, prying my fingers free, “you have to help the heroes along.”

A True David vs. Goliath story. The story encapsulates pedal to the metal. This is exactly how Young Adult should be written. The ending ensured I was in this for the long haul.

Blog Tour: Gone by Leona Deakin @annecater @LeonaDeakin1 @TransworldBooks

December 19, 2019

Gone

Author: Leona Deakin

ISBN: 9781784164089

Publisher: Transworld

Imprint: Black Swan

Publication Date: 12 December 2019

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Format: e-arc

Blackwells

synopsis coycaterpillar - Blog Tour: Gone by Leona Deakin @annecater @LeonaDeakin1 @TransworldBooks

Four strangers are missing. Left at their last-known locations are birthday cards that read:

YOUR GIFT IS THE GAME.
DARE TO PLAY?

The police aren’t worried – it’s just a game. But the families are frantic. As psychologist and private detective Dr Augusta Bloom delves into the lives of the missing people, she finds something that binds them all.

And that something makes them very dangerous indeed.

As more disappearances are reported and new birthday cards uncovered, Dr Bloom races to unravel the mystery and find the missing people.

But what if, this time, they are the ones she should fear?

review coy caterpillar - Blog Tour: Gone by Leona Deakin @annecater @LeonaDeakin1 @TransworldBooks

Thanks to Anne Cater @Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour.

You know a book leaves you feeling satisfied when you contemplate just how you are going to write the review. It felt like I needed to throw the red herrings back into the sea. I needed to ignore and not pay them any attention, but their voices were screaming for attention. Whose voice was louder? You think that missing person cases are usually straightforward with the usual rational explanation…this book tears up the rule book and fights dirty. The formula for the story is original, brain frying and like nothing you ever expected. The author did a number for sure on me.

Missing persons. Unreliable narrative or sinister goings on.

Gone was my first Leonie Deakin novel and holy crap! Why on earth has it taken me this long to become addicted and to seamlessly fall between the lines. Her flowing narrative enabled me to develop long lasting relationships with the characters. She gripped me by the throat and her penmanship kept me entranced until I had read the very last word. The pure unbridled power that her words held brought raw complexity to the story.

The book focuses on the POV’s of the missing persons. Take what you know about missing persons and forget about it. Nothing you think you know is inaccurate. These people were not taken against their will, quite the opposite in fact. These people went off their own back. The curiosity was killing me…just why would you? What does this group of people have in common? Why leave their lives behind? They seem to have been asked to play a game…if you are anything like me you would have instantly thought about SAW. What a sinister omen. This is what Augusta Bloom, highly intelligent psychologist and ex MI6 operative, Marcus James intend to decipher. Both characters are multi-layered with their own demons to fight. I loved the interactions between these characters and their intellectual approach to linking up the clues.

This is a novel that tackles the social conversation about social media and the influence of the internet. If this story does one thing, it’s that we should be wary of what information we allow to travel through the world wide web. It’s frightening that our personal information can end up in the wrong hands and what they chose to do with that information is terrifying. What seems like harmless fun can quickly swivel on its axis and snap your neck. The book is fast paced and as sharp as a knife. The story is character driven and its insight into how too easily we could be drawn into dangerous situations. It’s a catacomb of blurred edges. The novel is creeping and constantly stalking with doubt and unreliable narratives.

A story that wound me up tighter than a drum. The book abducted me, tortured me and left me reeling at the side of the road. A narrative that jumped off the page and danced around my psyche.

about the author coycaterpillar - Blog Tour: Gone by Leona Deakin @annecater @LeonaDeakin1 @TransworldBooks

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Leona Deakin started her career as a psychologist with the West Yorkshire Police. She is now an occupational psychologist and lives with her family in Leeds. This is her debut thriller.

Bookish Gift Guide 2019

December 18, 2019

I had planned to do this post a little earlier than this but reviews and christmas shopping and just general life has been crazy. I’m sure you have all purchased your gifts for your loved ones but just incase I’m sharing some awesome bookish gifts (that aren’t books!) I’m the only hardcore reader in my home (so I hope my husband is listening!) and I love getting bookish themed presents. So, share the list around, get ideas and spread the book love!

green and pink illustration holiday sale retail poster - Bookish Gift Guide 2019

Book Subscription Boxes

Illumicrate is a Fantasy themed monthly box that I currently subscribe to. They include a Limited Illumicrate Edition book that usually has gorgeous sprayed/stencilled edges and is normally signed by the author. They also include Fantasy themed items, which, so far has not disappointed me.

BUY HERE

img 20191209 123147 01 1 1 - Bookish Gift Guide 2019

Another book box that I currently subscribe to is The Abominable Book Club. Let me tell you – I have been absolutely blown away by these guys. Their customer service, the attention to detail and the amount you get in these boxes is out of this world. It’s a horror themed box and included is their book of the month, an acursed library book (a second hand, awesomely vintage book) and treats and goodies and sometimes you even get a code of an e-book.

BUY HERE

BOOKISH MUGS

il 794xn.2077860632 1vkt - Bookish Gift Guide 2019 — credit – from the page

Bookish mugs are awesome. Just who doesn’t like curling up with an epic read, some snacks and hot cuppa. Bliss.

Bookish Candles

il 794xn.1931583779 9re4 - Bookish Gift Guide 2019 — credit – The Reading Room Candle company

Again – these are awesomely geeky and smell divine. Be taken away by the smells of Lord of Rings or The Hobbit.

Bookish Scarves

il 794xn.1374001051 l5k4 - Bookish Gift Guide 2019 — credit – Emerald Dream Boutique

Also love these themed scarves. Isn’t it amazing just how stunning these scarves turn out. Why not ask for a Dr Who, Harry Potter or Narnia inspired one? Stand out from the crowd.

Bookish Prints

il 794xn.1676586048 4ek6 - Bookish Gift Guide 2019 — credit – British Book Art

wow just wow. I think I need to get a few different book prints to liven up our walls. I do love these Harry Potter ones. Absolutely amazing!

Book Sleeves

Book Sleeve with nevernight on the front — credit – Book Besties UK

Awesome for travelling with your current read. Keep your book protected with a book sleeve. I have seen some works of art – never be boring!

That’s a small selection of things you can buy for that bookish person in your life. Let me know in the comments what your favourite bookish gift is to receive or give.

Illumicrate Unboxing – SPOILERS AHEAD – Secrets and Schemes- December 2019 @illumicrate

December 16, 2019

Illumicrate’s December 2019 subscription box was the theme of Secrets and Schemes. The book is beautiful! This is my third box and I love the effort Illumicrate go to to bring us outstanding items. Check out the box contents below. You can buy a subscription from Illumicrate

PLOY & PLAY MUG

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Artwork by: @ROSIETHORNS88

STAR WARS PIN SET

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ARTWORK BY: FABLE & BLACK @fableandblack

FOUR PATHS CANDLE

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CREATED BY: AMELIA KITCHEN CANDLES (@ameliakitchencandles)

CARAVAL PATCH

img 20191216 135159 - Illumicrate Unboxing - SPOILERS AHEAD - Secrets and Schemes- December 2019 @illumicrate

ARTWORK BY: FABLE AND BLACK (@fableandblack)

2020 CALENDAR

ARTWORK BY: MERWILD (@merwildandco)

QUOTE AND CALENDAR DESIGN BY: CHATTY NORA (@chattynora)

FEATURED BOOK

BLOOD HEIR by AMELIE WEN ZHAO

This hot debut is the first book in an epic new series about a princess hiding a dark secret and the con man she must trust to clear her name for her father’s murder.

In the Cyrilian Empire, Affinites are reviled. Their varied gifts to control the world around them are unnatural—dangerous. And Anastacya Mikhailov, the crown princess, has a terrifying secret. Her deadly Affinity to blood is her curse and the reason she has lived her life hidden behind palace walls.

When Ana’s father, the emperor, is murdered, her world is shattered. Framed as his killer, Ana must flee the palace to save her life. And to clear her name, she must find her father’s murderer on her own. But the Cyrilia beyond the palace walls is far different from the one she thought she knew. Corruption rules the land, and a greater conspiracy is at work—one that threatens the very balance of her world. And there is only one person corrupt enough to help Ana get to its core: Ramson Quicktongue.

A cunning crime lord of the Cyrilian underworld, Ramson has sinister plans—though he might have met his match in Ana. Because in this story, the princess might be the most dangerous player of all.

img 20191216 135039 3 - Illumicrate Unboxing - SPOILERS AHEAD - Secrets and Schemes- December 2019 @illumicrate

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img 20191216 135130 1 - Illumicrate Unboxing - SPOILERS AHEAD - Secrets and Schemes- December 2019 @illumicrate

Blog Tour: Deathly Affair by Leigh Russell @LeighRussell @annecater @noexitpress

December 15, 2019


 Deathly Affair
 Author: Leigh Russell
 ISBN: 9780857303011
 Publication Date: 12 Dec 2019
 Publisher: No Exit Press
 Pages: 304
 Format: e-arc
 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

























 https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.jsh3 style="text-align:center;">Blackwells 
 
 Four dead bodies. But who is guilty in this deadly web of secrecy and lies?
 When two homeless men are strangled to death, Detective Inspector Geraldine Steel is caught off guard by the cold-blooded nature of the crimes. However, her suspicions are raised as two more bodies are found, forcing her to question the motivation behind the murders.
 Plagued by countless red-herrings, the investigation drags Geraldine into the lives of three people caught in a toxic triangle of love and dishonesty. Is this a crime of passion, or is there more to this case than meets the eye?
 
 Thanks to Anne Cater @Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour.
 Leigh Russell is a relatively new voice in police procedural/Crime genre.  As we all know there are some seriously big boots to fill in order to stand out.  Leigh has smashed the expectations, the limitations and has brought herself out to the centre stage.  Her voice is being heard loud and clear.  Deathly Affair hasn’t shied away from heavy subjects but what it has done is brought the big guns out and these matters are being given the attention that they so desperately need.  The outcome is a story with eloquent tact, brutal delivery and a narrative that will kick you in the gut!
 We are introduced to DS Geraldine Steel (we learn that see has suffered a demotion – she now is a DI.)  She is employed within the Serious Crime Unit and her team is undergoing a lot of change.  She is now based in York and although she has worked with her colleague, DI Ian Peterson before, things are now strained and awkward.  Things aren’t running smoothly, and they don’t have the easy working relationship now that they both benefited from in the past.  Is it the team’s strain and pressure or is it the fact she’s just moved to York?  From this early juncture, I could visibly notice cracks in the team’s flow.  The author masterfully captured the essence of a new colleague being immersed in a stressful team.  You could feel the awkwardness oozing straight off the pages, it was palpitating.  Although this situation was a tiny molehill compared the monstrous volcano that erupts and threatens to immerse the whole team in lava.  A team needs to work together, they need to make connections, they need to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.  A team should be one entity.  However, at times they just wanted to get someone not necessarily the right person, not Geraldine…She needed THE one. 
 Then of course we have the added social complications of a homeless man being found strangled to death.  The author nailed the social conversation on how the homeless are viewed and treated.  The crime isn’t initially taken very seriously, Geraldine is enraged by this and pulls out all the stops to get justice for this man.  He isn’t just homeless, he had a life before all this and a family.  Anyone can find themselves in this situation, all it takes is a deck of crap cards being dealt out.  Another homeless man is again found murdered a little over a week later and guess what a third body is discovered.  Could it be possible all three murders are linked? 
 We have three different narrators throughout the story.  Geraldine and her dogged will to investigate this fully.  The killer and their insight whilst planning the next kill and the family of Mark, Ann and David.  The narration is complex and compelling.  It gives astounding insight into the workings of the human psyche.  The ups and downs Geraldine suffers whilst investigating was shocking.  She herself is a complex character and one I would love to read more about. 
 The story is a truly raw and harrowing tale.  The author has gone to great lengths and bringing into the light the struggle of the social implications and viewpoints with the homeless.  The story would shatter even the strongest will.  Spine-chillingly brilliant.  It gripped me by the throat and didn’t let go until the very last page.
 
 
 Leigh Russell writes the internationally bestselling crime series featuring police detectives Geraldine Steel and Ian Peterson, which are currently in production for television. She also writes the mystery series featuring investigative reporter Lucy Hall.Here’s what Leigh has to say about her writing experience:
 From the moment I learned to read, writers drew me into their imaginary worlds. Never Never Land, Narnia, Wonderland, Treasure Island, Middle Earth, they were all so much more exciting than the world around me. ‘One last chapter, just one more,’ I’d beg every night when my parents told me to go to sleep. ‘I can’t stop now.’
 Hooked on reading, I studied literature at university, and spent four years immersed in books. After that, I had a number of different jobs before becoming a teacher, a career that enabled me to share my enthusiasm for books with teenagers. Once again, I was spending most of my working week reading and discussing books.
 Despite reading so many books, for many years it never crossed my mind to attempt to write one myself. So you might wonder how I became a published author. F Scott FitzGerald’s words describe my experience very neatly. “You don’t write because you want to say something. You write because you have something to say.” There I was, happily reading other people’s books, with no plans to write my own, when the idea for a story popped into my mind. That moment changed my life.
 Intrigued by a fictitious killer who had arrived, unbidden, to lurk in my imagination, I began to write his story. Having started, I could not stop. That story, Cut Short, was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger Award, and went on to become the first in a long running series.
 I now have three series to my name. My original detective inspector, Geraldine Steel, features in an ongoing series. Her sergeant, Ian Peterson, has his own spin off series as a detective inspector. My third series is a new departure for me as Lucy Hall does not work for the police, although she also investigates murders.
 In the years that have passed since Cut Short was published, I’ve rarely managed to go a day without writing. What surprises me now, is that I didn’t discover my passion for writing sooner. It’s late, so I’m off to type one last chapter before I go to sleep… just one more… I can’t stop now…