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The Good Guy by Dean Koontz | Review
The Good Guy is thrilling, and you can feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins. The anticipation, the fear, it is all a heady mix that bubbles up to a conclusion. It’s a novel that I’m surprised hasn’t been adapted for the screen – suited to the Jason Stratham type actors. It was a fun read that passed the hours quickly; was it Koontz’s best novel, not by far but it was fun for what it was. A lot of stuff didn’t add up for me and I’ll get into that soon. The Good Guy centres around the event of a stranger walking into a bar and mistakes our protagonist,…
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These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong | Review
Apparently I’m the girl that just doesn’t get along with highly anticipated reads. I originally picked this book up because it sounded like an awesome premise. A romeo & Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shangai. I’m a massive fan of storytelling set in Asia but man alive, there is just no world building whatsoever. I didn’t feel transported to another time, I didn’t really get a feel for the culture or the way of life. I really needed more in that regard. The characterisation was weak. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. Juliet was written as a strong and independent woman but I just found her incredibly…
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The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey | Review
The Girl with All The gifts. I really don’t know why it took me so long to get around to this one because it was simply amazing. I don’t know what I was expecting but this really wasn’t it. I think it made me feel everything so intensely because it was centred around the protagonist, a young child called Melanie. I raced ahead; everything was just so engaging that by the time I reached the end I felt wrought with emotional exhaustion. The zombie apocalypse seen through the eyes of a child. It really was a fresh and interesting take on the zombie novel. I’m a wee bit of a…
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Maggie’s Grave by David Sodergren | Review
If you haven’t added Maggie’s Grave to you TBR, then why the hell not? This is in my opinion the best example of a witchy folk tale horror out there. It brings it all to the table, Sodergren slaps it all down, liquified organs and all. The first couple of chapters are usually enough to decide whether a book is going to be for you…the author nailed it in one. I had a keen sense of foreboding, that small time village feel, residents knowing everything about you, talking about you, judging you. Sodergren nails it. The shades of darkness is quite literally written on the wall. “Was this parenthood? Love…
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The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty | Review
The Exorcist. Those two words just strike fear into any adult that is of a particular age. Think about those words and scenes will crash into your head. Visions of a sweet and innocent little girl called Regan. Visions that will soon be replaced by those of a demon infested and quickly diminishing girl. Now quickly I realised that I was going to be scared more by the book than by the movie. I’ve seen the movie and its probably the generation I’ve grown up in but, I have seen far worse. The Saw Franchise or Hostel to name but a few. The Exorcist excels at atmosphere. The way the…
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Out in the Cold by Stuart Johnstone | Review
I have been so incredibly lucky as of late in my crime novels, but Out in the Cold surpassed all my expectations. It has an original plot, intriguing main characters and a writing style that is so sharp that it threatens to slit your throat. If I thought that it couldn’t get better than that opening chapter, I’d be sorely wrong. Have you ever found yourself in an untenable situation at work? Well Detective Sargent Colyear has a master’s in it. A situation that wasn’t his doing but takes the rap for it, nonetheless. Out in the Cold (although I’m not a huge fan of comparisons) could have easily been…
