Atmospheric and spooky ghost story, let down by an ending that fizzled out.
Stella is grieving the loss of her almost fiancee during the first worldAtmospheric and spooky ghost story, let down by an ending that fizzled out.
Stella is grieving the loss of her almost fiancee during the first world war. She returns home after serving as a nurse in France and has to find a way to live with her loss. Her sister Madeline helps her through the worst of her grief so when Madeline asks for her help Stella doesn't hesitate and goes to stay with her in Greyswick, an imposing and unwelcoming country manor. But Madeline claims she is being haunted, she is hearing noises of children crying in the night time and strange objects are been left in her bed. Is Madeline right or is someone in the household tormenting her?
I found this so easy to get into. It has a dark and claustrophobic atmosphere right from the start and Stella and is an interesting character to read. The backdrop of the first world war and the loss of Stella's fiancee gives the book a big emotional impact and adds weight to Stella's belief in the ghost and her desperation to uncover the truth.
I felt though that once Stella started investigation the ghostly happenings it started to feel a bit flat. I liked the Agatha Christie influence but the spookiness was lost and the big revelations at the end didn't have much impact. It ended with a load of people standing in a room talking about things and I wanted more from it.
But that's a minor point in what I found to be a very enjoyable read. This is a rich and rewarding read and I'm very surprised that it seems to be the author's first book. I will be looking out for more.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review. ...more
Isyllt Iskaldur is a necromancer sent to the occupied foreign city of Symir to aid the rebels fighting to regain control. Her interest isn'tIsyllt Iskaldur is a necromancer sent to the occupied foreign city of Symir to aid the rebels fighting to regain control. Her interest isn't altruistic though, her sole intention is to distract the Emporer from pursuing an invasion attempt against her own country.
Symir, the city she is sent to, is a city with waterways and masked balls, reminiscent of Venice. It's supposedly full of pirates, smugglers and exiles and the locals have a rich culture and worship the river.
From the description, this book sounds like it should have a strong atmosphere with lush places but I didn't get a feel for the city or the world at all. Even the bustling marketplaces felt flat, like a trip around the 5 stalls that are left in Wakefield city centre nowadays,
It didn't help that I was confused by all the different names - the places, the races, the military and terrorist groups, the types of mage; I was well and truly lost by how it all fitted together. It's one of those that drops you straight into the middle of a story without stopping to explain anything but I didn't feel like it even drip-fed the info, it just didn't bother with it at all.
I've no idea on how the magic system is supposed to work and with Isyllt being a necromancer that should have been interesting and well rounded. So she has a diamond where she can trap the souls of the dead that haven't moved on but her other abilities are fuzzy and it felt like they were made up when needed to get her out of a fix.
A saving grace though, the characters were all done well, a lot more time was spent on them than the world they inhabited. I felt like I knew Isyllt I just had no idea what she was supposed to be doing and actually, in the end, she went all that way just to give a bit of money to the revolutionists. What was the point of sending her? She didn't do much to help the revolution at all. I did like her though, she just muddled through getting into fights and making a mess around her but she felt genuine and relatable.
Lots of good ideas and the characters were done well but overall very dry and a bit confusing. I reckon the sequel could be better and I'd be willing to give it a go....more
I'm going to start with the things I liked about this book: the Gothic feel with the crumbling, isolated manor house, an older than normal narrator, aI'm going to start with the things I liked about this book: the Gothic feel with the crumbling, isolated manor house, an older than normal narrator, a family history filled with secrets, the way it built up to what promised to be an exciting revelation at the end, the overall morbidity.
But there were two big issues that I had with it.
The ending was a huge letdown. I felt like it was building up to some big exciting revelations that changed the way I see everything Virginia had told me, but I was left with the fuzzy nothingness of 'decide what you think happened'. I think this is a lazy way to end a book, it's for authors that can't decide what to do or how to make enough of an impact. I admit that sometimes (rarely) it works but how can you make any sort of decision when there just isn't enough information given? It's a guessing game that you never know if you've won.
My biggest issue is with what this book seems to say about people with autism. (view spoiler)[Virginia is written as though she is autistic, it's never stated directly and I'm no autism expert but it feels strongly implied by the way she acts and thinks. But then the author shows us that she is capable of murdering her sister, Vivien, simply for the fact that she doesn't like that her sister is disturbing her perfectly ordered life and raising questions about her mother's murder. There is nothing else about Virginia or her behaviour that would explain this, she doesn't seem to be psychotic at all. (hide spoiler)]The implications here seems to be that being autistic makes a person capable of murder and I don't agree with that at all.
So much promise was let down by a poor ending and a questionable attitude towards autism....more
I'm conflicted between 2 and 3 stars for this one. It's daft, Kira acts and speaks like a 12-year-old and I hate the love interest so much I wish heI'm conflicted between 2 and 3 stars for this one. It's daft, Kira acts and speaks like a 12-year-old and I hate the love interest so much I wish he wasn't in the book at all. Despite that, I finished it in under a day and I'm sad the next one isn't out yet so I can devour that one too. ...more
I was so confused by the start of this that I very nearly gave it up as a bad job.
The narration jumps not just between 5 different characters butI was so confused by the start of this that I very nearly gave it up as a bad job.
The narration jumps not just between 5 different characters but also two different times, giving a short burst from each one before cycling back round to the start. It took at least a third of the book before I got a grasp on it, I felt like every time I started to get into the story it threw me back out again.
I don't like the idea that abusive men can be changed by love and that felt like a very strong theme here. Leo comes across as almost a psychotic killer, murdering the Grimm Sisters every chance he gets in revenge for one of them killing his friend - even though it was self-defence. But he meets Goldie and even though at first, his aim is to get to find out her weaknesses to make it easier to kill her too, his love for her changes him to the point where he would die to protect her.
What kind of message does that send to young people that might be reading this book? Don't give up on abusive partners because your love might be the thing that saves them? Personally I think that Goldie should have run very far and very fast to get away from Leo.
Unhealthy relationship issues aside, the writing style I found captivating and when I got the hang of the jumping around and got into the flow of it I found it a beautiful story to read. The character development - the glimpses into their lives and their personalities is in-depth and insightful. I did start to enjoy it but then I found the ending super rushed and I found it overwhelming for all that build-up to end so abruptly.
I just can't get past my issues with the way it portrays relationships though and that, added to the difficult start and rushed ending, are a massive let down for what could otherwise have been a jewel of a book.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review....more
I was looking for a fun, cheesy romance with a suitably daft sci-fi storyline and Blue Shift provided all those things.
It needed a bit more romance toI was looking for a fun, cheesy romance with a suitably daft sci-fi storyline and Blue Shift provided all those things.
It needed a bit more romance to balance the daft story. I appreciate the attempt at a decent storyline, that's not often a thing in a romance book, but it felt too heavily weighted in that direction. If I wanted to read a sci-fi book there are loads out there that are more realistic than this, I wanted this for the sci-fi romance mix.
I read through the whole book in a day though, and I enjoyed it too. The storyline is interesting if farfetched and not completely based in reality. Jinn and Dax have enough personality to keep things interesting and carry the story. I'm not convinced it needed to be two books but I'm hooked enough to want to read the next one.
So it's a good bit of silly in a good way fun, I just wanted more interaction between the main characters. ...more
I really struggled to get into this. It felt like there was nothing happening, the story feels like filler - like a setup for the final book. And I'mI really struggled to get into this. It felt like there was nothing happening, the story feels like filler - like a setup for the final book. And I'm sick of Yumenko's running commentary on what her insides are doing, we get details of how her blood is chilling and her stomach is churning, the girl needs to sort out her diet.
I still love the setting and the world - there's more on the empire and the places and people in it, and more of the monster world too which I found interesting. I could read about the different demons all day and I love how they're based on Japanese folklore.
I was hoping for more development of the members of Yumeko's gang too but it felt like that had been skipped over and they just ended up as space-filling caricatures. It spends longer with them but they're not filled out any more than they were by the end fo the first book. Reika could be such an interesting person, her personality and her skills remind me of Rei from Sailor Moon, but all she does is scowl at everyone and disapprove of everything anyone does. Okame and Daisuke have a relationship building but it felt forced into the story.
The fun side quests and the adventure feel of the first book were also sadly missed. The stakes were definitely upped at the end of the first book and there is more danger and a bigger fight to face but it didn't get dark enough to make up for the fun feel being ejected.
I also missed the interaction between Yumeko and Tatsumi. The other characters didn't have the same spark to make up for it and when Yumeko and Tatsumi meet up again at the end it highlights what a big gap their interactions left in the story.
The ending though I loved! No spoilers but it was exciting and unexpected and lived up to the build-up and set the scene perfectly for the next book.
The story is still interesting and even if this book didn't meet my expectations I still need to see where it goes and how it ends. I'm hopeful for the next book and I will be excited to get my hands on it.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review....more
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