Review: Princess of Souls by Alexandra Christo

This was okay! But it was just okay. Very similar to Alexandra Christo's other book for me personally - I had really high hopes for it but it actually fell a bit flat.

In theory, the story was excellent - a (very tenuous) Rapunzel retelling with some magic and suspense thrown in. I loved the concept - a girl who's power is to see the future and then steal the souls of those people in order to fuel an immortal king.

But yeah, this wasn't quite it for me. The main characters were a bit irritating - Selestra was so timid and Nox was so unnecessarily arrogant without ever really backing that up. 

That being said - the book itself is BEAUTIFUL and that definitely helps it. This wasn't bad, but I just wanted it to go a little bit further than it did. I think I probably would have loved this if I was a bit younger - hence the YA target audience! Solid foundation, would recommend to the teens!

Review: Daughter of Darkness by Katharine and Elizabeth Corr

I was pleasantly surprised by this! When I read the First Look I thought it sounded interesting but I had my doubts because my first experience with Katharine and Elizabeth Corr was with 'A Throne of Swans' and I didn't really enjoy that at all. But this was fantastic.

Deina is a soul-severer. Bound against her will to the House of Hades, she's trying to work off her indenture and earn her freedom. So when Orpheus the Tyrant offers her a chance to do one task for him and be free, she takes it. But she soon realises that every task comes with a cost, and this is one that she might not be willing to pay...

This was really well-written. Fast-paced, action packed, and full of twists and turns. The story was interesting and well-thought-out. The one thing I would say is that I didn't love the relationship between Deina and Theron. I just didn't buy it at all, and didn't care for the way it was left either. This book does set itself up for a sequel, and I'll definitely be picking it up!

Review: The Arc by Tory Henwood Hoen

I'm conflicted about what to say for this book. Ultimately, I enjoyed it and I think that's the key takeaway. However, there are also a lot of things that I didn't enjoy about this.

Ursula and Rafael sign up to The Arc - a $50,000 program that promises one perfect match. They set out on this seemingly perfect relationship but soon realise that nobody can predict or facilitate love in the way that they think...

Things I liked: the premise of The Arc, Ursula's character, Mallory the cat, Rafael's character.

Things I disliked: the too-perfect relationship they had at the beginning, the ridiculous situation that led to them breaking-up, how Ursula gets fired from her job.

The biggest issue with this book is that it was way too wordy. There were PAGES of information that just wasn't necessary to the story at all. We got a good few pages on the backstory of Rafael's parents, who then don't appear in the story at all! You could probably cut this book down by a third and still have the same journey.

Ultimately, this sounded like an interesting premise and I enjoyed it, but it was just okay.

Review: Remember Me by Charity Norman

This was a truly gripping story. I read it in just two sittings - I couldn’t put it down, especially the second half!

Twenty-five years after a friend goes missing and is never found, Emily returns to New Zealand to care for her father, who is suffering with dementia. Emily and her father have never been close, but as he slips further and further into the fog of Alzheimer’s, Emily finds herself desperate to protect him, as he threatens to reveal things that should be kept hidden…

This was a heart-breaking look into Alzheimer’s, and how it effects not only the person themselves but the people around them, as they struggle to deal with the loss of the person they knew. The mystery in this story certainly adds to this effect, as Felix is revealing secrets all the way through, but Emily doesn’t know whether she can believe what he is saying. 

The ending was okay. I think it was maybe a bit far-fetched for me, to be honest, but still an enjoyable read overall.

Review: How to Kill Your Best Friend by Lexie Elliot

Meh - I’m quite conflicted about this book, to be honest.

A group of friends have gathered to mourn the unexpected death of one of their own. But finding themselves trapped together for longer than expected on a remote island, they all begin to question each other - and themselves. Everyone has secrets - but what really happened here? And what is going to happen next?

This was just okay - the plot was interesting enough, but several parts felt quite rushed or were just very out of place. Adam and Georgia’s conversation where he ‘figures out’ that Georgie had thoughts of killing Lissa - seriously? That felt completely random. I think it was meant to be a ‘shocking twist’ but it just felt jarring and not in tune with the rest of the story. Similarly the ‘twist’ at the end - Georgie figures it out and that’s that, is it? Again, it just felt quite rushed.

This was okay, but it wasn’t brilliant.

        

Review: The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle

 

Wow! This book was SO good! Really, really good. I read the entire thing in one sitting, which probably tells you everything you need to know about it, to be honest.

Iris and Summer are identical twins, and have always been together. But grown-up, Iris is jealous of Summer's perfect life, perfect husband, perfect children. While sailing together in the Indian Ocean one day, there may be an opportunity for her to change her fate and gain access to the Carmichael fortune. But can she go through with it? And how far will she go?

This was FULL of twists and turns. Just when I thought I had the ending figured out, with a handful of pages left to go, Carlyle threw in that final twist that actually had me gasping out loud, and I NEVER do that. Ever. Even the final couple of pages had me thinking "is it, or isn't it?"

Really well written, and highly gripping. Would definitely recommend!

Review: Songbirds by Christy Lefteri

Wow. Just wow. This book was so beautiful, and so well-written that I read most of it in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down.

Nisha is a Sri Lankan woman working as a maid in Cyprus, for Petra and her young daughter Aliki. She is good at her job, and adores the family. One day she goes missing - no note, no warning, and taking nothing with her. But Petra knows that something is wrong, and together with Nisha’s lover Yiannis, she is determined to figure out what’s happened to her.

This was a heart-breaking story, but one that is so important as it’s real life for millions of foreign domestic workers in Cyprus and many other countries around the world. Since these women are not citizens and are considered disposable, no one is particularly concerned when they disappear, even if the circumstances are suspicious. Lefteri has such a unique way of writing, and I really enjoy her books.

Review: Such A Quiet Place by Megan Miranda

This was a really compelling read - so much so that I read most of it in one sitting.

Ruby Fletcher killed Fiona and Brandon Truett. It was obvious; she’s never fitted in at Hollow’s Edge. But now, freed by mistrial, she’s come back. And she’s never been one to quietly blend in. Clearly, everyone has something to hide about what really happened that night. But who is telling the truth? And how far are they willing to go to keep it hidden?

Definitely a page-turner, that’s for sure! Kept me guessing till right to the end too, which is nice because I find that sometimes I figure out what’s happening quite early on in the story. This book raises lots of questions about community, and how far people would be willing to go in order to protect each other.

Overall, a really interesting read that gripped me right until the end. I’d highly recommend this book!

        

Review: London’s Number One Dog-Walking Agency by Kate MacDougall

This was a genuinely lovely book which was a pleasure to read! 

Kate is in her late twenties and wants more from her life of office work and chores. So on a whim, she quits her job and starts a dog-walking business, much to the disappointment of her mother. But the business takes off, and Kate tells us her story through the many dogs that she meets over the years.

I loved that this story was told through the dogs, and that the focus was always on them. We also get to meet some of the dog-walkers that Kate employs, and this adds a nice touch to the story too. 

The reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 was because even though this was a lovely story, nothing really ‘happened’ in it. There was no big event or issue. Even the recession was over and done with in a few pages and the business picked up again fairly quickly.

Overall, this was a lovely story to read, and I would highly recommend.

        

Review: Trust Me by T.M Logan

This was a solid thriller that I really enjoyed. I loved the premise and there were enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. 

On the train home, Ellen agrees to watch a baby while her mother makes a phone call, only to see the woman disappear off the train and into the crowd moments later, leaving her with the child. The message is clear: don’t trust anyone. But what will she do? Take the child and run? Or do the right thing and turn her in?

I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because the reveal came slightly too slowly for my liking, and I did guess who the culprit was about 15 pages before it was revealed. I would also say that I didn’t completely understand the motivations of all of the characters; at least two could have been cut completely. But other than that, this was a solid book, with a solid plot and interesting characters. Would definitely highly recommend! 

Review: The Favour by Laura Vaughan

Wow, this book is so boring! I’ve had to DNF at just over 100 pages because it’s just a group of privileged, spoiled students wandering around Italy talking about Art. For 100 pages. 

The main character is horrendous - an entitled child who looks down on everyone around her and makes up stories in order to fit in with the other entitled children, who spend much of the time whining about the problems they have. I was willing to accept the Italian Art trip as the beginning of the story, but I’m almost halfway through and they’re still there, wandering around, talking nonsense and whining.

Whatever the big twist was going to be, it needed to happen way sooner because I just don’t care enough about Art or paintings or museums or day drinking to keep reading. The tutors of this trip are also quite dodgy - sleeping with their students?! That’s crossing a line.

        

Review: Saving Missy by Beth Morrey

This was so heart-warming! This was a wonderful book, full of real characters and real situations that so many people will be able to relate to.

Missy is 79 and spends her time alone, since she is estranged from her daughter and her son lives abroad. One day, on her normal walk round the park, she meets two very different women who draw her into their lives, and in the process, manage to change hers forever...

I really enjoyed the inter-chapters which flicked back in time to Missy meeting her husband. It was nice seeing the relationship between them, since we don't see it in the present-day. I was also surprised by the twist involving her husband - I don't know if it was supposed to be a twist or not, but I certainly did not see it coming.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Missy and Bobby - it was so pure and heartwarming, and so important for Missy to experience something like that later in life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book - it was delightful and I would highly recommend.

Review: The Captive by Deborah O'Connor

 

Wow - this was so good! Honestly could not put it down!

Restorative justice has become the major type of criminal reform, with cells being installed in victims' houses and victims being responsible for the prisoner's care. Hannah becomes the caretaker of Jem, the man who murdered her husband six months earlier. But Jem is insistent that he's innocent - and when Hannah begins to doubt the evidence presented to her, she realises that John's death was not as straight-forward as she thought...

The restorative justice conversation that happens in this book was so interesting, and definitely deserves a mention outside of the story. The story itself was so good too - it was pacey and kept moving forward, with plenty of twists and turns thrown in. I couldn't figure out who was responsible for John's murder until it was revealed, so I consider that to be a well-written plot. This was just so good, I can't say enough good things about it. Highly recommend!

Review: The Word Trove by Elias Vorpahl

This book was beautiful! Beautifully written and crafted.

We are following a word trying to find it's meaning after being spoken and forgetting who it is. 

This book was completely different from anything that I have ever read before but I really enjoyed it. The story was really original and beautifully written (or translated, since it was written in German). I loved the little details to make it seem more realistic - "The little letter on its right syllable had gone completely numb." This made the story just realistic enough to follow, but still abstract enough to make a really interesting story that you can't help but want to finish. I like that it's short and sweet too - you can easily read this in one sitting and enjoy all the little details that are hidden in there. Little references to Alice in Wonderland also helped to keep this story from going off track, and I would highly recommend this book.

Review: The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

 

Wow, what a book! This was so dark but so good!

Ambrosia is not looking forward to her 10-year college reunion. She was a different person in college, and someone knows what she did. And who died as a result. As Ambrosia desperately tries to keep her husband from finding out exactly who she was, she realises that someone is closer to the truth than she thinks... and they want closure once and for all.

This was amazing. So dark, but amazing. Female friendships are incredibly intense things, especially as teens/young adults, and this book explores the complexities of female friendship and exactly how it can go from wholesome to dangerous very quickly. Ambrosia is a genuinely awful person, and she has never really recovered from the choices she made as a young adult. She spends the entire novel not trying to make amends, but trying to save her own skin. So many interesting characters in this book, and it was very hard to put down. Highly, highly recommend!

Review: The Forgers by Bradford Morrow

I wasn't sure what to make of this book at the beginning, but I actually really enjoyed it.

Will is a forger - making his money by forging book inscriptions onto priceless volumes. He's good, and he knows it. But when his brother-in-law (whom he also suspects is a forger) is brutally murdered in his own home and his collection destroyed, Will worries that his past may be catching up with him. Will shows no remorse for his crimes but moves his fiancee to Ireland, hoping to escape it all. But even thousands of miles away, it becomes clear that someone is closing in on him...

This was interesting once it got going. It was interesting to hear about the rare book industry, and how much these books sell for.

The ending of the book was a bit... flat, if I'm honest. The murderer is revealed three pages before the end and then the story just kind of - finishes. It was okay, but it would have been nice to have that fleshed out a bit more.

The one thing I will say about this book - it is incredibly well-written. The writing is beautiful, and even though it's relatively short, it's a book that you'll want to read slowly and savour.

Review: Why Mummy's Sloshed by Gill Sims

This is my second 'Why Mummy...' novel and it was just as good as the first. As a 24 year old with no children, I shouldn't be able to relate to this, and yet somehow I totally love these books, and speed through them quickly.

Ellen is a single mother of two teenagers, who is just trying to make her way though life, making sure that the moppets eat their greens and pass their exams. Throw in an attractive new neighbour who may or may not be interested in her, her best friend's toddler who insists on destroying everything, and her two dogs who require attention, Ellen is constantly busy.

As I said, I love these books, and I think they will appeal to anyone, regardless of whether they have children or not. This is the perfect book for a rainy Saturday afternoon - you can just curl up with it and wile away the hours... I guarantee you won't be able to put it down!

Review: Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly

I was really looking forward to this book, because I really enjoyed 'Stepsister' by Jennifer Donnelly, but this one fell a bit flat, to be honest.

Sophie is the princess of a great kingdom, but is ruled by her evil stepmother, who is beating all the kindness out of her, one day at a time. Fed up with her constant kindness one day, her stepmother sends her huntsman to cut out her heart, and Sophie ends up living with the seven men of the woods, who build her a new mechanical heart. With this and the friendship of the seven men, Sophie sets out to take back her kingdom and overcome her stepmother once and for all.

This beginning of this was great, and the ending saved it, but the middle was a bit... meh. It was just a bit slow, and there were several sections where not a whole lot happened. 

As I said, I had really high hopes for this as a modern retelling of the traditional 'Snow White' fairytale, but it didn't quite meet those expectations, unfortunately.

Review: How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi

This was fantastic. I finished it in one sitting, it was that good. It made for truly wonderful Saturday night reading indeed.

Amir is eighteen, Muslim and gay. He knows he should tell his parents, but doesn't know how to approach the subject. One of his classmates finds out and blackmails him for thousands of dollars, and so in order to escape, Amir escapes. Literally. 24 hours later, he finds himself in Rome, and so starts a summer of self-discovery...

This was wonderful. It was very different from anything that I have read before, but it was so good that I finished it in one sitting. It was really interesting having the main story be Amir's life in Rome and the colourful characters that he meets, but it was also really interesting hearing from Amir's parents and sister in the shorter interrogation chapters in between

Overall, this was a really good book, and I would highly recommend.

Review: The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard

The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard (Amazon)

I really don't know what to say about this book. And not necessarily in a good way. I'm just so conflicted about it.

Almost twenty years after the murder of her parents and younger sister, Eve is ready to face the truth and is writing a tell-all book about the event and her life as the only survivor, with her goal being to catch the killer: The Nothing Man. But little does she know that the killer is closer than she thinks, reading her book and plotting his final kill... the one that will bring an end to everything.

Okay. On the positive side, I couldn't put this book down. I couldn't stand to read it, but I also needed to know how it ended. On the other hand, however, it was genuinely chilling. Can we just stop writing about women being raped, for the love of God? I refuse to believe that there aren't other topics to write about instead. I'm just sick of reading about it.

So you see the problem... I couldn't put the book down, but similarly didn't particularly want to finish it.