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Meantime by Frankie Boyle – REVIEW
Meantime is beautiful in its harsh and brutal narrative. The writing is crystal clear, each word soaks into your skin like the bleak Scottish rain. No happy endings but it is intricate, it settled under my skin and had me craving more. Every mistake carves a deep and unsettling wound. If one sentence could sum it up it would be that. Meantime captures the banal and lively existence of being Glaswegian like a seesaw that drops you into oblivion. There are many downs, but it’s occasionally peppered with some good. It holds a different kind of magic, one where the disappointment from the referendum eats at the shoes of people…
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The Measure by Nikki Erlick – REVIEW
The Measure is a colourful epic. A sharp, smart outlook on the depravity of society. A propulsive plot with hidden undercurrents. An author that has her pulse on the future of dystopia fiction. The Measure is going to make you cry! It came out of the left-field for me. One minute I’m reading and the next I’m imagining their positions. My husband, my children, me…what would I do if I was faced with the same fate? Life would of course change, but I would change everything too – my lifestyle, my way of thinking, I’d want to take advantage of every day, every moment, the little stuff would feel like…
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BLOG TOUR: The Bay by Allie Reynolds
The Bay promises a tranquil visit, it promises clear oceans, it promises sandy beaches, it promises murder. Reading this story promises you such emotion you feel as though you have run a marathon. You’ll sweat, you’ll ache, and you’ll feel out of control. Endorphins galore, this is the best kind of story and when you find one with such pleasurable pain you are going to want to shout about it! Allie Reynolds captures the beauty of Australia without scrimping on the danger because with all beautiful things, the threat will also be creeping in the shadows. There’s no Ying without the yang. Kenna arrives in Australia, her friend, Mikki is…
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REVIEW: The Homes by J.B. Mylet
The Homes does exactly what it says on the tin – it’s a coming-of-age tale that will crack even the hardest of hearts. A group of children’s homes set in the outskirts of Glasgow. It acts as a village of cared for children; they say it takes a village to raise a child, and in this case, it’s true. Each cottage has a set of houseparents and the children have as close to a normal upbringing as possible. The characters have had the worst starts in life but with love and discipline, they hope they can leave as well-rounded individuals. After learning that The Homes was based on a true…
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Review: The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie
The Wisdom of Crowds by Joe Abercrombie feels like his life’s work taking its earned place on the top of the pedestal. It feels like the end of an era with the First Law Series having its final curtain call. As with any much-beloved series, it’s hard to close that final chapter and say goodbye to the scheming, betrayals, and bloodshed. It’s hard to know sometimes which way Abercrombie will take his characters and what end they’ll be dealt but trust in the author and his vision because it’s worth the ride and I believe that every character got the ending they needed. “Debauchery is profitable under any government” The…
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Review: The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie
The Trouble with Peace is Abercrombie’s best book to date. Dark. Bloody. Utterly hypnotic. How on earth do you review something flawless, something so resolutely perfect? A story that details the travesty of war, the brutality of love, and the burden of power. Peace can be glorious but the truth is told – it is rarely the peace a nation would come to know. Enemies in the shadows, whispers in the halls, treason is never far from the mind. “We’re all like children, Rikke. The older you get, the more you realize the grown-ups won’t suddenly walk in and set things right. You want things right, you have to put…
