This was a compulsive read, it took me less than a day to finish it and though I found it kind of depressing in parts I was completely invested in theThis was a compulsive read, it took me less than a day to finish it and though I found it kind of depressing in parts I was completely invested in the story and I wanted to find out what had happened.
I have to admit that I didn't get what the upside-down pages were about. I think I started at the wrong end because I read them after finishing the story and actually it looks like you're supposed to start with them. It doesn't seem to make a difference to the story though, I thought maybe there was going to be an alternate viewpoint or some sort of secret added in there but unless I'm missing something there isn't.
* Please note the double-ended upside-down opening for this book is available in books ordered in hard copy from UK booksellers only. *
For me, 337 was all about Sam's relationship with his family. His mother disappeared without a trace when he was a young boy and 20 years later Sam seems to be estranged from all his family. Now his grandma is dying and he reluctantly sits with her for her last few days. At first, he doesn't want to be there due to a serious fall out in their past but he reconnects with her and his heart opens back up to her.
I found this very moving and quite sad to read - Sam seems very lonely and lost at the start, he is separated from his wife, he has no family around him, and he has a job he sleepwalks his way through. But when he visits his grandma and starts to talk to her about his past and he gets back in touch with his brother he seems to realise that the way he sees events are not necessarily the way that everyone else saw them.
It's like he has been frozen since his mother left but his visit to his grandma forces him to open back up to his family and start to deal with what happened.
This is very moving, compelling reading and despite being hard going at times (I had to put it down halfway through and have a bit of a break) it ends on an upbeat mood.
And for those that don't like books that don't give an answer to their big mystery, don't worry, you do actually find out what happened. Sort of.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review....more
An odd, supernatural 90's story that has an unlikeable character and some pacing issues, but I enjoyed it for its unusual story.
It starts out slow butAn odd, supernatural 90's story that has an unlikeable character and some pacing issues, but I enjoyed it for its unusual story.
It starts out slow but I thought it worked well because it builds the characters and the world and gives us a chance to really get into the story. I liked reading about Sweeney at university though I found it frustrating at times when she was skipping class and drinking all day; like she was really wasting her chance to be at university.
After the time skip from Sweeney at University to nearly 20 years later when she is in her late 30's the pacing slows right down and I had trouble keeping going with it. I think mainly because Sweeney without her friends or other people around her is not interesting to read and that makes the story drag.
Sweeney is one of those people, she admits herself, that if someone mentions a book she would pretend she had already read it and she chooses her friends based on how beautiful they are because she wants the interest and attention that they get to rub off on herself. She is all round just a very unlikeable character and her relationship with her intern just cements my dislike of her.
Luckily, the pace quicks up quite quickly and other characters like Annie and Baby Joe come back into the story to make it more interesting again.
There are a lot of odd, supernatural events that are never fully explained and things that don't seem to go anywhere but I enjoyed the oddness of it - it's an unusual story and I don't think I've read anything quite like this before.
I didn't like Sweeney but there's enough going on around her that it didn't affect my enjoyment too much. I liked the way it was written and apart from the lull in the middle, I found myself engrossed in it.
It's a good one if you want a book that you can get fully involved in where you won't feel like you've read it 100 times before. ...more
Tales From The Asylum is a fun compliation of steampunk stories with some imaginative ideas. All the stories are meant to be tales of the inmates in tTales From The Asylum is a fun compliation of steampunk stories with some imaginative ideas. All the stories are meant to be tales of the inmates in the asylum so they hang together quite well. Some work better than others but that's always the case in a short story collection like this.
It looks like these are all (or were at the time) new and unpublished authors and that does show in the writing. A lot of them would benefit from a bit more polish and a professional editor to go over them.
It's a nice little compilation, full of steampunk fun and a good way to support newer authors!...more
It definitely surprised me, in a good way, but I was expecting a gentle story about witches in 1940's AmericaThis story was not what I was expecting!
It definitely surprised me, in a good way, but I was expecting a gentle story about witches in 1940's America. This veers off from that very quickly and has more to do with Roswell and aliens than it does witchcraft.
But actually, neither of those things is the focus of the book and it is more a story of a woman growing up in the early half of the 20th century and learning how to be confident and believe in herself. Barrie-Anne comes from a long line of women with very strong intuitive powers and even does she tries to follow the standard path of marriage and children she finds that her life is not going to be a conventional one.
I loved the way that it was written and I found that I was very quickly engrossed in the story of Barrie-Anne's life. I couldn't put it down and it only took me a couple of days to read it.
It's not what it sounds like it's going to be but don't let that put you off. This would be a perfect book to curl up with on a rainy winter's afternoon. ...more
I love this series so much, and I know keep saying this, but it really does get better with every book!
In The Mortal Word, Irene has to travel to PariI love this series so much, and I know keep saying this, but it really does get better with every book!
In The Mortal Word, Irene has to travel to Paris to investigate a murder that is threatening to derail a peace conference between the Dragons and the Fae.
What I like the most is the way Irene has to take charge and make all the plans, and generally be a leader. She's not happy about it but she just gets on with it and does what she has to do. In this book, she is starting to gain confidence in herself as she is realising that her experience is starting to outweigh that of the other librarians she is working with.
If I was going to point out any negatives it would be that there is a lot of discussion and Irene thinking about things that can sometimes weigh it down a little. I'd say it's a book you need to dedicate at least half an hour to each time, I found it difficult to pick up for 5 minutes and put down again. And Irene has some very long days that I can't understand how she gets through without a lunchtime nap!
Watching Irene work her way out of the difficult situations she always seems to find herself in is one of my favourite things about the book, though. I Thoroughly enjoyed her antics and the way she outthinks everyone in what is always such a sensible way.
I recommend this to anyone that likes fantasy, magic and mysteries and I think it's a fantastic series to give to young women....more
The Quickening seems very similar to a book I read last year and that, unfortunately, gave me a feeling like there was nothing really new to this storThe Quickening seems very similar to a book I read last year and that, unfortunately, gave me a feeling like there was nothing really new to this story. It is a tale that has been told often before though, a haunted house, a ghostly child, it's been done many times.
That's not to say that a haunted manor house book can't still be enjoyable, and I did find this to be a spooky and interesting read. I just felt like I have already read it many times over.
Louisa, the main character in this story, has a very dry and almost cold personality. She lost her husband in the first world war and then her two children to the flu epidemic not long after so I can understand why she is written this way. It suits her story but I found her very hard to connect with. She just didn't have much of a personality and it makes her very hard to connect with or care about. She has issues with her second husband, the man she is about to have a baby with, as she describes him as being cold and distant but I feel like that can't be entirely his fault as she is so closed off herself.
As for the actual story, there's plenty of ghostly happenings and larger than life characters and a nice, satisfying ending - something that I find is rare in a ghost story.
It has a nice, creepy feel to it, I enjoyed it and I think it is just right for curling up with under a blanket in the darker winter months. There's just nothing special enough about it to make it stand out from the genre.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review....more
I was hoping for this to be a little bit more than it was. The first book I enjoyed but I thought it was a little too overly complicated with too muchI was hoping for this to be a little bit more than it was. The first book I enjoyed but I thought it was a little too overly complicated with too much explaining. I wanted this one to pick up the pace and have a more impressive story-line but I found it a little dull.
The characters and the action seemed re-hashed from the first book with nothing new and no villain that I could really point out. The mystery of who was committing the murders was poorly explained and kind of got forgotten about in all Addie's angst.
After the ending of the first book I was expecting more of a redemption ark too, but it seems that Addie tried to heal a few burn victims and that was it, all is forgiven. Though I'm not sure why James is angry with her, I would have thought that Rowan would take more convincing to move past what Addie did before her memory loss. And it was also disappointing that Era was never told, they treat this poor 23-year-old woman like she is 10!
There was a lot I liked in this too, Addie rebuilding her lab and working with a lich was quite fun and the initial murder investigation was interesting but I think it lost its way towards the second half. It needed more alchemy, more murder story and more Addie and Rowan!
Despite this I'm still invested in the series, Addie is a likeable enough character to keep me readying. Hopefully the next one will be the one where it picks up a bit. ...more
Three books in and I'm finding myself disappointed by this series. Maybe I just read them in too quick succession but I'm too bored with it to continuThree books in and I'm finding myself disappointed by this series. Maybe I just read them in too quick succession but I'm too bored with it to continue.
I was hoping that once the world and the magic system was established the explanation chunks would be replaced with action and adventure but it feels like the opposite has happened. It's getting more and more complicated and so way more difficult to keep track of who has what magic powers and what they are capable of and who they are related to.
The plotline from this book is no different than the first two - Neil is still causing havoc but no one cares enough to do anything about it until they are forced into a confrontation. The book ended again with no advancement to this story and no more explanation of Addie's history or how she was involved with Neil.
I find it strange that Addie has no interest in her history and doesn't seem at all concerned that it appeared to be her that blew up the Alchemist building and killed around 40 people. I'm sure it will turn out that it wasn't her at all but Addie believes it was her and has shown no interest in finding out what happened.
I also feel like Rowan's issues with controlling his fire magic were thrown in there just to create some conflict between him and Addie and I don't see the point of it. It just bogs the story down even more.
Three stars because even with all the issues I didn't hate it and I like the characters. I'm just bored with it and can't face reading another book where nothing happens. ...more
I've no idea where I got this from. I found it on my kindle while looking for something to read next while on holiday, apparently, I have had it sinceI've no idea where I got this from. I found it on my kindle while looking for something to read next while on holiday, apparently, I have had it since 2015 but I have no recollection of it at all!
Anyway, I choose it because it looked like it had been on there the longest and I was pleasantly surprised by it. It's not amazing and has a few issues but I read it in half a day, really enjoyed it and went straight on to buy the next one.
As an urban fantasy, it's got everything it needs, a smart mouth protagonist who messes up more than she succeeds, interesting potential love interests and lots of action to keep it all moving along.
I liked Addie, the Master Alchemist that lost her memory when the Alchemia exploded. She got me on side straight away and she's just far enough from perfect to not be annoying.
Rowan, the Fire Element who Addie initially thinks might have caused the explosion but ends up teaming up with is arrogant with a kind enough edge to make him likeable.
Their interactions spark off the page and were my favourite thing about the book. I always like the romance side and I would have liked a bit more of them together because I found that the story-line itself was over-complicated and there was always just a bit too much going on.
There was too much world-building and not enough at the same time because although a lot of the book was Addie explaining things I still didn't get a very clear mental picture of what her world looks like. This is a typical first book problem though, especially when there are complex magic rules that need to be understood by the reader.
I very much enjoyed reading it though, I was addicted straight away and I hope that the next books in the series live up to the initial promise. ...more
I loved the way this was written. It's quite a harsh story with a lot of difficult realities to face in it but it also manages to be magical and heartI loved the way this was written. It's quite a harsh story with a lot of difficult realities to face in it but it also manages to be magical and heartwarming at the same time.
There was a lot going on in the story but I don't think that any of the characters got lost in it, they were all well written with personalities that came across strongly. James Juniper was definitely my favourite character but I also liked Beatrice Belladonna - the shy and bookish middle sister that works in a library and has to dig deep to find the courage to stand up with her sisters in their fight to bring magic back to the world.
I loved the magic system and the way there was men's magic and women's magic and spells passed from parent to child so each family has their own knowledge and skills. Each chapter starts with a spell which is a nice touch that helps to bring the magic to life and ups the fairy tale feel.
It was mostly well paced but it did take me a while to read. Mostly because I was enjoying the way it went in-depth into each character and their lives and I wanted to stretch it out but I also felt it dragged a bit in the middle and my interest started to wander. It picked back up towards the end though and it ended strong.
I recommend this to anyone that likes stories about women and magic and standing up for what you believe in.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review....more
In Afterland, a cancer-causing virus has killed off the vast majority of the male population with the mainly female survivors left to carry on withoutIn Afterland, a cancer-causing virus has killed off the vast majority of the male population with the mainly female survivors left to carry on without them. Coles' son Miles is one of the lucky immune ones, taken into custody by the government so that they could use him for research into a cure. Determined that her son will not be used as a science experiment, Cole breaks him free and disguises him as a girl so that they can flee across America in search of a safe haven.
What ruined this book a little for me was that I hated Coles' son, Miles, a whiny, spoilt teenager who didn't seem to have a grasp on reality at all.
I can only imagine how people would react in this sort of apocalyptic scenario but I would expect that the sort of trauma of losing your father, and all the other men in the world dying, would probably cause a young person to mature quite fast. Or at least leave some sort of acknowledgement of the seriousness of the situation.
Miles acted like a normal young teenager whose Mum was forcing him to go on a holiday he didn't want to take. I found it unrealistic and his behaviour irritating.
I have to say though, he did become more bearable as the book went on, there was some character growth there and much of the book was focussed on the relationship between Miles and his mother.
In fact, the book as a whole got better towards the end - the story got more interesting and the pacing seemed much better and I found myself enjoying the last half of the book.
My other big issue is that I feel like this book really misses its chance to look at what happens if half the population of the world die; if men become almost extinct and the rest of the world has to try to carry on without them.
In Afterland, the world carries on in almost exactly the same way, with the remaining people trying to take over or fill the roles that have been left empty. There is a bit of thought about how, with re-education programmes for the male-dominated professions, but otherwise not much changes. Emotionally too, people seem remarkably unbothered.
As an apocalyptic adventure story, it's fine and after a slow start it becomes an enjoyable read but I do feel there are missed chances to be something bigger.
I received a free copy in return for an honest review....more
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