Review: The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly

Having recently moved to Manhattan, Skye is struggling to fit in with the young elite that make up her new private school. Her brother, Red, has no problem at all, and quickly climbs the social ladder without her. But then a scientist predicts that the world is going to end, and as doomsday approaches, Skye realises that the line between rich and poor isn't as important as she thought...

I loved this. It was such a fantastic concept, and it has been written so well. I love the time-travel element (the clique have access to a portal that transports them 22 years into the future), and the glimpses that we get into New York of the future. It's these glimpses that make the book genuinely terrifying. There are some quite gruesome scenes too, and the action goes from 1-100 very quickly.

In all honesty, the first third of this book was a bit slow, but the rest was fantastic - I couldn't put it down.

Review: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

Sabrina turns up to her thirtieth birthday party to find that her fantasy dinner party has come true - she has been joined by her best friend Jessica, Conrad (her philosophy professor), Robert (the long-dead father that she's never met), Tobias (the love of her life), and her celebrity hero Audrey Hepburn. As time ticks on and the wine starts to flow, it becomes clear that everyone is here for a reason, and Sabrina needs to face some truths that she cannot bring herself to admit...

The ending of this book was heart-breaking. But the rest was just okay. It took a long time for things to be revealed, and it was essentially just about the relationship between Sabrina and Tobias. Audrey Hepburn's character, for example, didn't really need to be included at all. The story would have progressed and ended in exactly the same way without her.

I also didn't really like Sabrina's character - she was selfish and naive. I guess that was the point, but we didn't really see her redeem herself by the end. The redeeming quality of this book was the detail in Sabrina and Tobias' story, which was truly lovely.

Review: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Don is thirty-nine, a geneticist and he has some questionable social skills - but he's looking for a wife. As a scientist, he figures logic is the best way forward and devises an extensive questionnaire that will help him find his perfect partner. A friend sets him up with Rosie, a slightly eccentric thirty year-old who Don quickly dismisses as a potential wife. But they begin to spend more time together, and Don quickly realises that he is experiencing feelings that he cannot explain...

This was a delightful book. Just delightful. Both Don and Rosie are complex, interesting characters, and to watch them be thrown together and wait for the resulting chaos was truly interesting. I couldn't put this book down - it was full of twists and turns, particularly in regards to Don and Rosie's relationship.

Honourable mention must go to Gene - Don's best friend and complete womaniser. I would have liked to see more of his relationship with Claudia... an older couple in an open marriage isn't exactly a commonplace thing, and I would have liked to see this explored some more.

Overall, highly recommend! :)

Review: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

I'm very conflicted about this book. I wanted to love it because I love the ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses) series, but I'm really struggling. All the advice I read said that I should read this book first before the main Throne of Glass series, so I did but I think that was a mistake.

I went into this completely blind, so I had no loyalty or feelings for Celaena, and to be honest, she didn't come across well. She's a spoiled, selfish seventeen year-old and I found that quite irritating. Don't get me wrong, there were aspects of her that I liked, but most of the time she was just annoying.

As I said, I haven't read the main series yet, so I feel like I would have appreciated this book more if I had read a couple of the main series first, so I had some sort of grounding. I don't know. I'm gonna read something else before I start the actual Throne of Glass series, so hopefully that will give me some time to figure out how I feel about this book.

Sidenote - Celaena did not deserve Sam! He was so nice to her and she was awful to him!