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The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
The Whispering Muse is everything that Gothic horror should be. It’s haunting, eerie, and compulsive. A cautionary tale that you should never underestimate a woman’s ability to exact revenge. The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell is definitely a contender for book of the year. The plight of a young woman trying to make ends meet to care for her family. Their brother ran off with another man’s fiancée and stole from Jenny’s employer threatening to bring her record into disrepute. The story is told in Victorian London and let me tell you – I was right there. I imagined the cobbled streets, the smog, the costumes, the inequality. Laura Purcell…
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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh – REVIEW
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow is a title that truly deserves book of the year. A compelling story that is incredibly important. Raw, visceral, wrenching and revelatory. Have you ever read a book so powerful that you couldn’t find the words to describe just how impactful and an important narrative that it pushes upon you? That’s exactly how I feel with As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. I always think it’s a good thing to read outside your usual boundaries – YA isn’t usually my bag but with this cover and the heartbreakingly powerful story, I couldn’t resist. A story of survival in war torn Syria, I…
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Borrowed Time by Russell Dean – REVIEW
Borrowed Time is masterful. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book through the haze of tears. Russell Dean delivers laser-focused prose with a beating heart that will impact the coldest of readers. Borrowed Time is by far my favourite book of the year, and I’d struggle to envision anything topping it – it wrought emotion, a feeling of longing, and the need to read the next instalment like yesterday. Russell Dean is locking up for a battle, he tackles heavy subjects without ever shying away, and he carries it out with ease and tactfulness. So, if I haven’t already managed to convince you to read it, then…
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The Echoes of Germania by H.B. Ashman | Review
Some things just damn well intrigue me. History being one of them. The Roman Empire was always a dynasty that just got those creative juices flowing. The riches, the military prowess and the fantastical world of Ancient Rome. Echoes of Germania is that perfect blend of fiction and history. This book blew every expectation or preconceived idea I had clean out the water. The prose and the dialogue were swift and laser precise, it didn’t take any time at all to fall hard for this superbly ambitious tale of love and mythology. The novel has the beating heart of a warrior. Picking up Echoes of Germania was a gamble as…
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Review: The Lady Of The Ravens by Joanna Hickson
The Lady Of Ravens was a great introduction into historical fiction. The Tudor years seemed to be filled with the brutal way that life was and also the romantic way of living with the dress, the relationships and the dreams and aspirations. I enjoyed the experience of being transported back in time to a land where you could truly count your enemies and friends on the same hand, and not really distinguishing between the two. I did struggle with the speed at which the story pushed forward and would have benefitted from a faster pace. Our protagonist, Joan Guildford was an honourable friend and a lady in waiting for Queen…
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6 of the Best Books set in Scotland
Scotland has seen a resurgence in tourism and literary interest due to books such as Outlander and Crime fiction novels. Scotland has a rich history in the literacy world from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson to Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting. Scotland can lend itself to the supernatural or those bleak moments in human existence – there are no limitations to the inspiration that can be gleamed from Scotland and its beautiful culture. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon Written in the 90’s, this franchise has been brought alive on screen and has seen an increase in tourism due to the Outlander effect. Outlander tells the…
