Category: Book Reviews

The Phlebotomist Review

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In a near future where citizens are subject to the mandatory blood draw, government phlebotomist Willa Wallace witnesses an event that makes her question her whole world. To recover from a cataclysmic war, the Harvest was created to pass blood to those affected by radiation. But this charitable act has led to a society segregated entirely by blood type. Patriot thanks and rewards your generous gift based on the compatibility of your donation, meaning that whoever can give to the most, gets the most back. While working as a reaper for the draw, Willa chances upon an idea to resurrect an obsolete collection technique that could rebalance the city. But in her quest to put this in motion, she instead uncovers a secret that threatens her entire foundations…

The Thursday Murder Club Review

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In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved killings. But when a local property developer shows up dead, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ find themselves in the middle of their first live case. The four friends, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it’s too late?

Station Eleven Review

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Set in the days of civilization’s collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. One snowy night a famous Hollywood actor slumps over and dies onstage during a production of King Lear. Hours later, the world as we know it begins to dissolve. Moving back and forth in time—from the actor’s early days as a film star to fifteen years in the future, when a theater troupe known as the Traveling Symphony roams the wasteland of what remains—this suspenseful, elegiac, spellbinding novel charts the strange twists of fate that connect five people: the actor, the man who tried to save him, the actor’s first wife, his oldest friend, and a young actress with the Traveling Symphony, caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous self-proclaimed prophet.

The Court of Miracles Review

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Liberty, 1828 and the citizens of Paris still mourn in the wake of their failed revolution. Among them, in the dark alleys and crumbling cathedrals of the city, the most wretched have gathered into guilds of thieves, assassins – and worse. Together they are known as The Court of Miracles. Family, Eponine has lost more than most. When her father, Thénardier, sells her sister to the Guild of Flesh she makes a promise to do anything she can to get her sister back, even if that means joining the Court of Miracles, the very people keeping her sister a slave. Treachery, Eponine becomes perhaps the greatest thief the Court has ever known, finding a place among them and gaining another sister, Cosette. But she has never forgotten the promise she made, and if she’s to have any hope of saving one sister, she will have to betray the other.

July Wrap Up 2020

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I had a very varied month this time round with some high highs and some pretty low lows. What I did learn last month was to not binge read a series as I lose interest very quick!

  • I read 4 books this month. Technically one book at 3 stories in it as it was a bind up but I read the first 2 in June.
  • I read 3 books for my ONTD challenge, 1 book for my sequels challenge and 1 book for my Second Chance Challenge.
  • For genre: 1 murder mystery, 2 fantasy and 1 science fiction.
  • For the age range: All were adult.
  • All the books this month were physical paperbacks.

Introducing the Honourable Phryne Fisher by Kerry Greenwood (3 stars)

So this book was a bind up of the first 3 novels in the Phryne Fisher series.

  • Cocaine Blues
  • Flying Too High
  • Murder on the Ballarat Train

I read the first two books in June and the final book in July. I personally count these books as individual books towards my goal. One thing I did take away from this was that I cannot binge read series as I lose interest fast. So much to the point that I don’t plan on continuing this series going forward. I felt like I read enough.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (4 stars)

This was an amazing book. I read this a couple of years ago and DNFed it early on because I couldn’t connect to the story. I think this was mainly due to the fact that I wasn’t ready to be tackling adult fantasy yet. I was so happy that I re-read this, great characters, great relationships. My only criticism was the lack of major female characters.

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson (5 stars)

Another amazing story. I was worried that this book was not going to match how great the first book was but I was proven wrong. I have to do a disclaimer though… normally my reviews are concise and easy to follow but my review for this book was all over the place because the book left me mind blown! I couldn’t think straight! That ending was powerful!

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry (2 stars)

What must come up, must inevitably come down and that is how the month went for me. Sadly, I was disappointed again by Christina Henry. I was hoping after reading her book The Mermaid and not enjoying it that things would suddenly work out. But no! This story felt very flat to me and there was way to much walking!

The Girl in Red Review

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It’s not safe for anyone alone in the woods. There are predators that come out at night: critters and coyotes, snakes and wolves. But the woman in the red jacket has no choice. Not since the Crisis came, decimated the population, and sent those who survived fleeing into quarantine camps that serve as breeding grounds for death, destruction, and disease. She is just a woman trying not to get killed in a world that doesn’t look anything like the one she grew up in, the one that was perfectly sane and normal and boring until three months ago. There are worse threats in the woods than the things that stalk their prey at night. Sometimes, there are men. Men with dark desires, weak wills, and evil intents. Men in uniform with classified information, deadly secrets, and unforgiving orders. And sometimes, just sometimes, there’s something worse than all of the horrible people and vicious beasts combined. Red doesn’t like to think of herself as a killer, but she isn’t about to let herself get eaten up just because she is a woman alone in the woods…

The Well of Ascension Review

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Vin, the street urchin who has grown into the most powerful Mistborn in the land, and Elend Venture, the idealistic young nobleman who loves her, must build a healthy new society in the ashes of an empire. Three separate armies attack. As the siege tightens, an ancient legend seems to offer a glimmer of hope. But even if it really exists, no one knows where to find the Well of Ascension or what manner of power it bestows.

The Lies of Locke Lamora Review

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The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a friend to the poor, a ghost that walks through walls. Slightly built and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny. All of Locke’s gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves: The Gentlemen Bastards. The capricious, colourful underworld of the ancient city of Camorr is the only home they’ve ever known. But now a clandestine war is threatening to tear it apart. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends are suddenly struggling just to stay alive…

June 2020 Wrap Up

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I had a pretty good month this month. I read some amazing arcs and worked hard on educating myself on my white privileged and on systemic racism in both America and the UK.

  • I read 6 books this month.
  • I read 2 books for my ONTD challenge and 2 sequels.
  • For genre: 2 non-fiction, 1 fantasy and 3 historical fiction murder mysteries.
  • For age range: All were adult.
  • All of the books this month were ebooks.
  • 3 of the books were ARCS.

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge (5 stars)

This is a must read I feel for everyone living in the UK. Especially, young people. I found out a lot of things about my country that I didn’t know/wasn’t aware of and I also found that this book was able to solidify something I knew to be true myself, especially when it came to intersectional feminism.

Sourcery – Terry Pratchett (2 stars)

A pretty disappointing read this one. I read numerous things about not reading this series in chronological order as he first books aren’t that strong and I am definitely feeling this sentiment. No review for this book as I just didn’t have much to say other than, I didn’t like it.

Murder at the Playhouse – Helena Dixon (4 stars)

This series is starting to solidfy itself as one of my all-time favourites. Everything that I felt uneasy about in the first two books gets amended and changed for the better in this 3rd book. We really get to see Kitty take hold of the case herself. I find myself so enthralled in the over-arching mysteries of the series. I need the next one now!

The Sin Eater – Megan Campisi (3 stars)

This was a solid read. Great concept, great mystery, solid protagonist. Not much else to say other than at times the writing made me quite uncomfortable which drew me out of the story.

Daughters of Night – Laura Shepherd-Robinson (5 stars)

If I could give this book 10 stars I would! Definitely, a book that I felt was out of my comfort zone but I am so happy I read it! This book had me constantly second-guessing and it just took over my whole life. Every moment I got I was reading this. This book was so good I plan on buying a physical copy when it comes out in January!

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Race – Robin DiAngelo (3 stars)

No review for this one. While I am happy I read it and could inform/educate myself. There was not much else to say about this book.