Book Review: Gabriela Garcia - Of Women and Salt (published in 2021)

 

I enjoyed my time with this short story collection by GABRIELA GARCIA. I like it when all stories intertwine and kind of come together by the end. 

The author has given every single woman their own distinct voice, which makes the read surprising and refreshing throughout. We start in the Cuba in the past, in a cigar factory, which I think is immediately my favourite story because it brings back memories of my trip to the country. Then we move from Cuba to present-day USA and we skip backwards and forwards in time and through different countries. 

The subject matter is hard-hitting because it deals with migration and displaced families, but because it's all done from the point-of-view of the women living through it it never becomes overtly dramatic. 

The audiobook narrator has done a good job giving all the women their voices. 

Many thanks to the publisher Picador and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

3.5 stars

Book Review: Nicholas Sparks - The Wish (published in 2021)

 

I've never read a novel by NICHOLAS SPARKS, but I'm incredibly familiar with his heartbreaking stories. I've seen every single movie that has come out. THE NOTEBOOK, SAFE HAVEN and THE CHOICE are ones I rewatch regularly. 

When the opportunity presented itself to pick up an early copy of his latest books, I decided to go for it. I'm happy I did, because I loved my time with THE WISH. 

The story is about Maggie, a 16-year-old who finds herself pregnant after a night with a stranger. She is shipped off to Ocracoke on the East Coast of the US, as far away from her parents and friends in Seattle. There she stays with her aunt Linda, and she meets Bryce. A young man with wild ambitions who offers to tutor her. 

We cut back and forth between Maggie now, where she receives devastating medical news and Maggie then. 

A lot of the fun of this novel was in getting to know the characters. Everyone, including the Bryce's pupper, became alive on the page. I couldn't wait to find out how the story would conclude. I had many guesses, and many of them were correct. That didn't mean I was fully invested & inthralled in the expert storytelling on the pages of this book. 

I laughed when Maggie laughed, I cried when she cried. 

I secretly can't wait to see who will be cast for the movie, but for now I'm really happy I checked the book out first. 

Many thanks to the publisher Little Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Book Review: Lexie Elliott - How to Kill Your Best Friend (published in 2021)

 

This novel has a lot of the elements I love in my thrillers. It has a strong cast of characters who are wel fleshed out. It has a concise plot and clear mystery elements which trip you up as you go. 

It was a bit more predictable than I wanted it to be though. I never guess the outcome of a novel, because it doesn't even occur to me to ever guess what will happen. In this case I guess it around the 25% mark and I was correct. That's a bit of a pity, but that's not were the thrill is alway so it doesn't matter to much. 

The story is about a group of best friends who reunite for their best friend's funeral at a luxury resort where she lived with her husband. The whole group are swimmers and the two girls left Georgie and Bron miss their swimming buddy. 

The way she has passed is very strange and they can't help but investigate a little bit while they're on the island. 

I like how the story unfolds and how we get to meet all the characters. I have a really good picture of what Georgie, Bron, Adam, Duncan, Jem and even Lissa (who has passed) are like. I feel like I know them. 

The ending felt a bit muddled and too slow, but the last scenes blew my mind. I will 100% read LEXIE ELLIOTT's other novels, because if she serves more of this - I'm there for it!

Many thanks to the publisher Atlantic Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Book Review: A.S. King - Switch (published in 2021)

I was surprised by how easily I understood what was written and in general how easy it was to be swept away by the writing in this book. I'm not normally one to like "experimental" writing like this. I prefer an author who writes like a real person does, rather than a poetic interpretation. 

That having been said, A.S. KING does a great job in making her writing incredibly accessible. The narrative flows like poetry on the pages, but it remains understandable. 

Tru Beck is a teenager in a world where time has stopped. This happened a few days after her mother left her father and her father lost her job. She's been trying to deal with this new reality for over nine months, and everyone around her has slowly settled in to the fact that there is no such thing as time anymore. 

There's a switch in her house but she doesn't know what it does, because her father has constructed boxes around it to protect the switch. Not only that, the layout of her house shifts around at the whims of her father as well. 

There's quite a lot going on in this short novel. A lot of topics are addressed, but the message always remains clear. The parallel that teenagers kind of have to deal with a similar situation today (in COVID times) makes the overall meaning of this book even stronger. 

I would certainly recommend this novel even if you're not a fan of magical realism or poetical writing, I think you might still enjoy it.

Many thanks to the publisher Text Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy! 

4 stars

Book Review: Sebastian Fitzek - The Soul Breaker (Translated in 2021)

 

In my opinion, this novel is trying to do a bit too much. I was thrilled but also confused and sometimes a little bit bored which isn't the greatest combination in a suspenseful thriller. 

SEBASTIAN FITZEK has written and published this book back in 2008 in German. It has now been translated to English. I think that's a clever call, because it's essentially a good book, about a topic I've not seen in thrillers very often. 

The story is about the Soul Breaker. A serial "killer" who doesn't kill their victims. They paralyse their victim leaving them stuck in their own body. They have a note in their hand. Then one day a man shows up in a remote clinic with no memory of his past and who he is. Then due to bad weather, the clinic becomes shut off from the world and when a woman ends up paralysed in the bath tub with a note in her hand, it's very likely the Soul Breaker in in there with them. 

There's a bit of a story in a story narrative which I liked. The main story is read by students who are participating in a psychology trial. This give the story a bit more of a twist. In the end though, I was left wanting more and at the same time less. 

The last thirty or so pages are dedicated to explaining everything that happened. I didn't think that was necessary. Also, the scenes inside the clinic became a bit confusing at times. 

All-in-all I enjoyed myself and I'm curious to read more of Fitzek's more recent work. 

Many thanks to the publisher Head of Zeus and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Book Review: Megan Abbott - The Turnout (published in 2021)

 

I have seen that MEGAN ABBOTT has a tendency to gather both negative and positive reviews for her books. I have never read her previous releases so THE TURNOUT is my first foray into her writing. 

I can tell why this book has mixed reviews. The way she has constructed the novel will work for some people but not for all. It didn't work for me. 

There were parts I did enjoy/was horrified by. The language is dark. I got a grim feeling from everything on these pages. It's incredibly tense, even though it's hard to tell (until the ending) why it would be. I don't know much about ballet, but the way Abbott tackles the challenges of this "sport" gave me a good idea about it. I will never look at those shoes in the same way. 

The novel is about two sisters Marie and Dara who have inherited a ballet school from their parents with they run with Charlie who was kind of part of their family since a young age. We follow Dara who has married Charlie and who is struggling with her slightly more enigmatic sister Marie. One day there's a fire in one of the ballet studios, right before the school starts their rehearsals for The Nut Cracker, which is when everything starts to unravel. 

I'm in the middle of renovating an apartment, so I was horrified by some of the scenes in this novel when the contractor Derek starts working on the project. That's beside the point though. 

Like I mentioned the novel is taut with suspense and dread, but at the same time I felt it didn't really deliver. I feel that Abbott creates a distance between the reader and Dara, which results in the shrugging of shoulders when we reach the ending. 

In summary, I did enjoy the language and in a way the writing style but the fact that it didn't deliver means it fell flat for me. I don't think this book will stick with me. If you enjoy slow-burning novels that centre on family dynamics and deal with ballet, you might really like this. Don't just take my word for it, do check out different reviews if you're in doubt. 

Book Review: Yrsa Sigurðardóttir - The Doll (translated in 2021)

 

I had a hard time deciding on my rating for THE DOLL. There are elements to this novel I adored and there are plenty of things I did not enjoy so much. It's a hard book to recommend to others, that's for sure. 

The story is about a mother and daughter who find a destroyed doll in the ocean. The child wants to take the doll home even though it's an unsightly thing. The mother reluctantly agrees. Not soon after the mother dies. 

Years later a boy contacts the authorities about the fact that he was abused by a guardian from the state. This gets immediate attention. Huldar, a police office and Freyja, a child psychologist have to work together to interview all the kids that the accused was a guardian for. In the trail they find out that the little girl who spoke out as a witness in the case, is the same girl who found the doll on the bottom of the ocean. Could this be related? 

It's a slow-burning thriller. I don't think this book is over 400 pages, but it felt much longer. That having been said, Yrsa's writing style really works for me. The way she describes scenes and thoughts of characters are so incredibly realistic I really enjoyed myself. I can tell she's an incredibly adept writer. I liked how things, like the snake in Freyja's apartment, made a comeback in the most interesting ways. 

I did actually expect a bit of a more horrific thriller. The start is pretty rough and the ending is as well, everything in between is a bit more like a police procedural where witnesses are interviewed and wit is sharpened. I wish it would've been more terrifying. 

The way the author ties everything together in the end once again shows her superior writing skills. I don't know if I really liked the ending though, but I think that's a matter of taste. 

All-in-all, I liked the way the novel was written. I even liked the qualities of the characters, they felt real. I liked the plot, up until the ending. It was just a bit too slow in my opinion, and not horrific and terrifying enough. I will look for future and past releases of this author though. 

Many thanks to the publisher Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Book Review: Clare Mackintosh - Hostage (Published in 2021)

 

Some books are harder to review than others. That's when I know I have to stick with my first thoughts. I do know that I will look upon this book way more favourably in the future than I am now, because the things that will stick are the things I loved from this novel.

HOSTAGE is a claustrophobic thriller set partly on one twenty hour airplane flight from London to Sydney. Mina is trying to focus on het job as a flight attendant, not on the problems of her five-year-old daughter and the disintegration of her marriage back home. Her attention is pulled into the plane when she receives a note from someone in the cabin who is intent on ensuring the plane will never reach its destination. However, Mina will have to help and the note explains her exactly why.

I'm absolutely there for the premise. The second half of the novel delivers exactly what the premise promises. I couldn't put the book down from that point onward. The first half is an incredibly slow burn with (sorry to say) fleshed out but uninteresting characters. The fact that everyone has ab satisfying story arc at the end does redeem a big part of that.

The danger with a slow start is that if this would not have been an advanced reader copy, I might have put it away. I just couldn't get into it. I didn't feel any fear, danger, just annoyance with what was happening to the characters and their thought processes. If you're thinking the same thing, believe me continue reading because CLARE MACKINTOSH does make good on it.

Pre-corona I travelled (read by plane) 8 times per year. I have seen the insides of a plane for 1.5 years, next week is the first time I'll be flying again and I have to say the events in this book have me a bit spooked which is a big compliment!

Many thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Book Review: Taylor Adams - Hairpin Bridge (published in 2021)

 There are certain authors whose books I look forward to every year. Taylor Adams (maybe strangely for people who are not familiar with his writing is one of them). I fell in love with <b>No Exit</b> two years ago and his release this year is almost equally thrilling and captivating. 

<b>Hairpin Bridge</b> is about Lena Nguyen who is investigating her sister's alleged suicide on the titular bridge. She thinks there was foul play and she invites Corporal Raymond Raycevic who found her sister to tell her more about it on the isolated location. 

What follows is a thrilling and quite suspenseful (for Taylor Adams' standard) back-and-forth between the two characters. <b>No Exit</b> did not tone done the action, and neither does <b>Hairpin Bridge</b>. The action is non-stop. I love reading his novels, but I would love to see them on the big screen as well. 

There are elements to the story I didn't find necessary. First of all, the blog posts and other media may have been limited but it took away from the action. Secondly, it may have been a little bit longer than necessary. I would rate this book 4.5 stars, but looking at all other books I read this year I rounded it up to 5 stars. 

What I loved about his writing is mainly the knowledge he pours into the pages when he's describing a scene. It's so visceral it's almost like you're there and he's teaching you things about the attributes and tactics. It reminds me a little bit of how <b>Lee Child</b> writes. I've already mentioned the action-packed scenes. I liked the conversations between the main characters. The dynamics are insane and I was on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next. The fact that it once again takes place on an isolated location is a big plus. 

Taylor Adams' latest release is a real ride and I can't wait to see what he comes out with next!

Many thanks to the publisher Joffe Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

5 stars

Book Review: Alex Michaelides - The Maidens (published in 2021)

 

My review for <b>The Silent Patient</b> actually still holds true. I think that means that Alex Michaelides is a very consistent author. 

I couldn't stop reading the books, because I wanted to know who was responsible for it all. I was quite shocked by the ending. I don't think everyone will like it, but I thought it was an enjoyable twist. 

The story is about Mariana, who travels back to Cambridge to console her niece whose best friend was murdered. Mariana is a group therapist and from the get-go she is convinced Edward Fosca, a charismatic professor with a group of "followers" aka Maidens aka secret society, plays a role in the murder. 

She decides to stick around, to help the police. 

I disliked a lot of this book, but keep reading because there's a positive twist as well. There is one narrator I thought was too presumptuous because he's the self-proclaimed "villain" of the story. I thought Mariana's involvement in everything was a bit ridiculous and the way she prosecutes people is outrageous. The characters weren't very strongly build and there are a lot of instances where I wish the author would've decided to show rather than tell. Mariana makes a lot of conclusions about people's emotions because she is a therapist, I found it hard to correlate those emotions with what I was reading. In other words, I didn't really believe her when she described a person. 

There are so many elements flowing through the pages that I did like though, and if they speak to you you should check this novel out as well. There's Greek Mythology and Greek Tragedy seeping through the pages and the narrative. Guessing how these elements play a role is fun. Secret societies with charismatic leaders are awesome. The mentions of Alfred Tennyson are also nicely tucked into the narrative. 

I thought the ending was surprising. I forget a lot of books I've read but The Silent Patient's conclusion is one that etched in my brain. I think The Maidens will have the same faith. As such I can recommend it to people who enjoyed Michaelides' previous novel or for fans of Greek tragedy/mythology. 

Many thanks to the publisher Orion Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy. 

Book Review: Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock - Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town (published in 2021)

 

This is a beautiful collection of short stories. What I hadn't expected is that all these stories are connected in some way. 

They all take place in small towns in the US and the cast of characters are related in some way, either by trauma or by passing. 

The stories are all thoughtfully told. Bonnie-Sue takes her time and focuses on what's important about these people. There's no fluff, there's just beautiful, painful and heartwarming stories in this collection. 

I'm sad I read this book on my Kindle. There are so many paragraphs and sentences I wanted to mark and annotate. I will pick up a physical copy as soon as it's out so that I can take it all in one more time because this short story collection really deserves that. 

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

4 stars

Book Review: Peter Swanson - Every Vow You Break (published in 2021)

 

I was really happily surprised with this novel. It's not that I think Peter Swanson does not write good books, but sometimes I see negative reviews which kind of turn me off reading his latest novels. I'm being silly, because his latest novel twists and turns deliciously just like <b>The Kind Worth Killing</b>.

The story is one I don't usually pick up myself. Abigail, a soon-to-be-wife cheats on her husband during her bachelorette party. She decides to keep this to herself, but when her husband whisks her off to an isolated island and her one night stand shows up, she doesn't know if she can keep this information from him. 

I was annoyed at the start of this novel because I don't like the lying and the cheating, especially not in my protagonist. 

This annoyance soon turned into edge of my seat thrills because the mysterious island and her one night fling showing up had me guessing like crazy what would happen. Let me tell you, it's pretty difficult to guess because Swanson can throw a curve ball in there like the best of them. 

The question Abigail asks herself at times is: "What movie am I in?" I love that question, and I have to say that this novel is pretty unique. I had a hard time plotting it in a novel. 

Sure, sometimes the motives are not easy to understand. The ending is a bit hap-hazard and rushed, but it's a thrill and I love it. I still have Swanson's <b>Before She Knew Him</b> on my shelves and I actually can't wait to dive into that one. 

Many thanks to the publisher Faber and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

Book Review: Aimee Molloy - Goodnight Beautiful (published in 2020)

 

There's something about Aimee Molloy's writing that pulls me in. Her debut novel The Perfect Mother is about a subject that does not appeal to me in the slightest. Yet, I found the story to be incredibly enjoyable, though not thrilling enough to label it a thriller. 

I did really feel the thrill in her latest novel. Again, there are elements to this book that don't appeal to me. I don't like the main character for example, because I don't like protagonists who lie and deceive. However, overall this book is a wild ride with so many real surprises, it's crazy. 

Goodnight Beautiful is about newlyweds Sam and Annie who move from the big city to Sam's old hometown in upstate New York. Sam is a therapist. What he doesn't know is that his conversations with clients can be heard from the room above. This is all fine, until a French girl shows up in his office and Sam disappears. 

As I said, there are so many elements that surprised me in this novel. They're not necessarily shockers, but some of them are. Molloy seems to understand where the readers' minds are going and she tries her best to put us off track every now and then. I like that. 

There are time I dislike what is happening or how it is happening, but it takes a good writer to still give me the feeling of a thrill when events are unfolding. 

I can't wait to see what novel Molloy comes up with next, because I'm here for it. 

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

4 stars

Book Review: Yaa Gyasi - Transcendent Kingdom (published in 2020)

 

This book really is something. I've had Homegoing on my list from the moment this novel was released. Yaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian- American author and the two books she has written take place in both the US and Ghana. 

In the case of Transcendent Kingdom, it mostly takes place in the US. We follow Grifty. Her parents have moved to the US when her brother Nana was young and when she wasn't even born. The story this novel this is one of grief. Years after her parents have moved to the US her father hasn't been able to put down roots so he returns to Ghana, and her brother Nana has had struggles of his own and passes away.  

What I liked about this story is the fact that it's really small in scope, yet grand in what it's trying to say. We follow Grifty at university where she's working on her research with mice, but the parallels this research has with her life are heartbreaking. 

The way her mum deals with the hardships and the way she does is really well-told by Yaa Gyasi. I really should read her previous novel, and I'll keep my eyes out for her future releases.  

4 stars

Book Review: Alex Finlay - Every Last Fear (published in 2021)

 

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay started with a bang, and the story kept me invested the whole time. 

There are few novels where the premise and the start of the novel pull me in that I really want to know the ending badly. Most of the time, I just read a story as it was written without really guessing or waiting for the answer. I found myself reading, just to experience the thrill of the plot twists and the big reveal. 

That is not to say that the book isn't well-written. Alex Finlay has done their (I don't know if we know whether their a female or male author) best to create enticing characters and the different point-of-views through which the story is told (I think there are five or six in total) really works well and adds to the horror of it all. 

Normally I start my review with the plot, but I couldn't contain myself. OK, this story is about the tragic Pine family. Father, mother, son and daughter are found dead in Mexico. Their son Matt, who attends NYU, is notified of this fact. The media attention and news coverage that follows is not new to Matt. Several years before his brother Danny was incarcerated with questionable evidence and an interrogation technique that would make the police officers in Making a Murderer proud. 

Matt's father and sister never really seized to investigate the matter as they fully believed Danny did not kill his girlfriend that night. 

We follow Matt's father, his sister, his mother, the FBI agent who is on the case and Matt himself. As I said it provides nice threads in the main story and mystery. The reveals are quite shocking and I almost never saw the plot twists coming. 

I really enjoyed this read. The only reason I deducted .5 stars is because I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I didn't necessarily want it to end, so it took me by surprise when it did. There is more I would love to learn about the characters.

Many thanks to the publisher Head of Zeus and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy! 

4.5 stars

Book Review: J.D. Barker - A Caller's Game (published in 2021)

 Yes! Die Hard is mentioned in the blurb and I'm not surprised about that. I had strong Die Hard vibes throughout a part of the book. 

This novel is about a controversial talkshow host Jordan Briggs. She's not the nicest of protagonists, but she is portrayed this way for a purpose. She is cut-throat, honest to a fault and she doesn't try to spare anyone's feelings. She is successful for a reason. 

Then one morning a man calls into her studio to play a game. She makes fun of the situation until this game turns deadly and she is taught that her actions and decisions have harrowing consequences. 

The pacing of this novel is a little bit off. It starts out so thrilling and horrific and then it slows down a little bit towards the middle right until the end. That's OK though, because it's still a wild ride from start to finish with unexpected and a few expected twists-and-turns. 

We follow Jordan Briggs and officer Cole all the way through the book, which offers different perspectives as Jordan is stuck in her studio and Cole can roam around the city. I didn't like any of the characters at the beginning - apart from Jordan's kick-ass clever 11-year-old daughter - but they certainly did grow on me as the plot unfolded. 

Overall, I had a good time reading it. 

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

3 stars

Book Review: Lesley Kara - The Dare (published in 2021)

 

The Dare by Lesley Kara is quite a ride. 

I would call this a quiet thriller, but it's one that kept me glued to the page nevertheless. Unfortunately, the ending fell a bit flat for me, but that doesn't take away from the joy of reading it in the first place. 

I like coming across books whose authors are new to me. I haven't seen my Bookstagram friends mention this book, so I feel like I uncovered a bit of a gem. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one of Kara's books. 

The Dare is about Lizzie. Her friend died while they were out walking near the railroad. She remembers an argument but an epilepsy attack came on right before her friend's gruesome death. For years, people distrust her. 

When she's an adult she moves to London with her boyfriend Ross. She's happy she's able to leave her old life behind. That is... until someone from her previous life makes an appearance. 

Many thanks to the publisher Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

4 stars

Book Review: Jess Walter - The Cold Millions (published in 2020)

 

It's definitely me and not you, THE COLD MILLIONS. 

I didn't know what it was about this novel that didn't pull me in, until I read the acknowledgements in the back. Jess Walter thanks Anthony Doerr (author of ALL THE LIGHTS WHEN CANNOT SEE for his tips and feedback on the book. That's when it clicked, the issues I had with his book were the same I had with Walter's. 

Everything about the story is actually potentially really good. The characters, the political plot, the setting in 1900's USA, even the harsh story and no non-sense killings and deaths are all potentially fantastic. I keep saying potentially, because it just didn't work for me. 

I think this book will receive rave reviews. People will fall in love with the Dolan brothers, especially little Rye has a lot going for him. People will enjoy the political plot where a young woman is trying to rally the workers together to ask for better conditions on the work floor and more equality in life. People might actually read a bit of Tolstoy's WAR AND PEACE in the pages of this book. 

The baddies in the form of police and "nobility" have their own struggles. No one can be blamed for how things unfold or everyone can be blamed. It's up to you. 

I'm giving this book 2.5 stars, because I recognise good writing when I see it. I wish I had put the novel down halfway because it didn't work for me, but that's just me. 

My tip: if you enjoyed books like the aforementioned ALL THE LIGHTS WE CANNOT SEE and DAYS WITHOUT END (which I actually did enjoy) you might really enjoy this novel. 

Many thanks to the publisher Penguin General UK and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.

2.5 stars

Book Review: Sarah Pearse - The Sanatorium (published in 2021)

 

If you're looking for a nice atmospheric thriller, you're looking at the right book. Spring is just around the corner, but many of us might still crave the desolateness of winter. I certainly do, when it comes to books (in terms of real life, I'm ready to welcome summer with open arms). 

The Sanatorium takes place in a hotel in Switzerland. Elin's brother Isaac is hosting his engagement party here. Even though they haven't spoken for a long time, she decides to attend because her and her brother have unfinished business. She's still struggling with the questions she had regarding their younger brother's death years ago. 

It all goes downhill from there. A big storm forces the funiculars to close, and the hotel is closed off from the outside. When people start disappearing, Elin can't ignore her duty as a former police officer in the UK and she decides to investigate. 

This novel is incredibly grim. It gave me real slasher vibes, rather than thriller vibes which I actually enjoyed. I really couldn't have guessed the conclusion, even though I tried (and failed) many times. The plot twists were rather good. Unfortunately, we follow the story through the eyes of Elin who isn't the most stable of narrators. 

It's actually the part I didn't really enjoy about the novel. Elin has a lot of demons to fight while also chasing the killer on the loose. The setting and main plot is suspenseful enough, I didn't really need Elin's interior doubts and insecurities. This is a personal preference though. 

I really enjoyed this read and I was completely enthralled by it. The ending left me with a few question marks though, I'm not sure I'm all to happy about that, but at least I'm still thinking about the book after putting it down. 

3.5 stars

Book Review: Neal Shusterman - Game Changer (published in 2021)

 

I'm going to try to put into words what I felt when I read this novel. This book hasn't been widely read yet, so don't take my word as gospel and check out other review before you make a decision to read or not read this book. 

One thing everyone will agree on is that Neal Shusterman is trying his best to tackle many different subjects in this novel. The feeling that gave me is that this novel and the plot was created around this concept. I found it very hard to stay engaged because of this. In a way I felt like the character was going through everything just to learn about racism, sexism, the LBGTQ community and other contemporary topics.

For what it's worth, the novel is about Ash who gets hit in the head during a football game. He is flung into another reality in which his friends are still his friends, but there have been some weird changes in the world. Ash is a linebacker so he gets hit on the head a lot, and every time he is flung into the multiverse, as he's fighting for his survival he learns more and more about the world he inhabits. 

The idea behind the novel is really good, the characters are interesting, but I don't always agree with the thoughts and especially the conclusion of the novel made me shudder a bit. There are moments that the main character in the novel "Ash" is 'mansplaining' how women feel and look and interact with the world which (as a woman myself) I felt missed the mark. I do really appreciate the effort Neal has put into researching and writing this book. His intentions were clearly good!

Many thanks to the publisher Walker Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

2 stars

Book Review: Helen Fields - The Shadow Man (published in 2021)

 

How is it that I have read two books that take place in Edinburgh this year out of the three books I've read? I think 2021 is telling me it's time to return to my favourite city in the world. If you love the city, you will find yourself sneaking through the little closes and wynds along with the main characters of this thrilling novel. 

 

Edinburgh features in this book as a full-fledged character and I love that. 

 

The plot outline sounded dark and mysterious to me, and I'm happy to report that that's the vibe that the novel serves. The story itself is a bit different from the outline, but not in a bad way. 

 

The story is about a man who lives in the shadows and kidnaps people from the streets of Edinburgh. We follow a police officer and a forensic psychologist as they try to uncover the mysteries surrounding this case. 

 

We also follow the victims & the perpetrator, which in my opinion takes away from the suspense a little bit because we as the reader as basically omniscient. Fields does manage to slip some surprises in. 

 

I didn't like the psychologist, however she was true to herself. It did bring forth a couple of great dialogues that I wouldn't have wanted to miss. 

 

I think some of the scenes of this novel will stick with me for a long time to come. Let's just say it's not for the faint of heart. The fact that you're propelled into the narrative of the victims at time is not an easy read. 

 

I recommend this read if you're into dark thrillers, it's not much of a mystery but it's still a pretty wild ride. 

 

Many thanks to Avon and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

3.5 stars

Statistics:

Date read: January 14, 2020

Date published: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Avon

Format: eBook

Pages: 400

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

Goodreads

Book Review: Craig Russell - Hyde (published in 2021)

 

Yes yes yes to this fantastic book! I had no idea what I was in for when I started the read, but it plunged me headfirst into my favourite city in the world. I was sold on the concept that Hyde is the main character of this book (there's no Jekyll mind you), but when my city was described in detail including all the little alleyways I could not stop dreaming about it. 

I could picture exactly where all the action takes place. Edinburgh is a perfect setting for a Victorian Horror novel. If you haven't visited, check out photos at least to take in the vibe a little bit. 

Right, the story is about Hyde, a police officer. He has to investigate the murder of a man which seems to point to some ritualistic offering. As the body count grows, so does Hyde's sense of reality. Even though Jekyll is not present in this book, Hyde does blank out and someone else takes over. What is this someone else capable of though? 

I thought the concept was incredibly clever. I mentioned before I really enjoyed the setting, and I like the general atmosphere of the novel. I didn't know Craig Russell, but I'll check out The Devil Aspect, which has received a lot of praise previously. 

If you like atmospheric horror novels, that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Check this novel out!

Many thanks to the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for the review copy!

4 stars

Statistics:

Date read: January 5, 2020

Date published: February 4, 2020

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group UK

Format: eBook

Pages: 400

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Horror

My Number of Books Read by this Author: 1

Goodreads