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