Tag: murdermystery

August Wrap Up 2021

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So, a bit of a rocky month last month. I basically didn’t read any books for the last 2 weeks of the month as I was celebrating birthdays. I still managed to read some books but I could have read more.

  • I read 6 books this month.
  • I DNFed 2 book this month, that’s 5 so far for the year.
  • Genre: 2 fantasy, 2 contemporary, 1 murder mystery and 1 romance
  • Gender of authors: 4 women and 2 men.
  • Race of authors: 4 white and 2 asian
  • Age range: 3 adult and 3 YA
  • Format: 2 paperback, 2 webtoon, 1 manga and 1 ebook

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (DNF)

I think it is time to say goodbye to Mr Pratchett. Sadly, while I enjoyed some of his books I just don’t love them enough. They are either good or bad and no book has ever really impressed me. Because of that I have decided to not continue reading the Discworld series.

The Appeal by Janice Hallett (5 stars)

OMG! What a book! This will be a book that I will forever be screaming from the mountain tops that people should read it. What makes this book so unique is that it is written in the form of emails, text messages, newspaper clippings and it make for such an exciting and fresh reading experience. The characters were written so well, the mystery had me on the edge of my seat and the ending was just perfect. A must read!

The Binding by Bridget Collins (DNF)

There was nothing majorly wrong with this novel, I just could not connect to it in the slightest. Then about 25% in some changes happened which I just didn’t personally like and I just decided not to continue.

Always Human by Ari North (3 stars)

This webtoon was beautiful! The colours, the character design, the music was all perfect. This story is more character focused than plot focused which isn’t something I normally go for and, especially at the beginning of the novel, I struggled a little bit with the relationship as it felt quite rushed and the mis-communication trope was very strong but by the end of the comic I found myself really enjoying the characters and their love story.

Your Letter by Hyeon A Cho (4 stars)

This was a really beautiful mystery comic with an amazing art style, really interesting characters and I wish it was longer than it was!

Komi Can’t Communicate Vol. 1 by Tomohito Oda (2 stars)

This was a bit disappointing. The art style and the premise of the manga was good but it fell short with overly stereotyped characters which at times were borderline harmful representation. This manga had a lot of potential and obviously I am only commenting on the first volume but I just felt the author relied more on harmful stereotypes.

The Appeal Review

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Dear Reader – enclosed are all the documents you need to solve a case. It starts with the arrival of two mysterious newcomers to the small town of Lockwood, and ends with a tragic death. Someone has already been convicted of this brutal murder and is currently in prison, but we suspect they are innocent. What’s more, we believe far darker secrets have yet to be revealed. Throughout the Fairway Players’ staging of All My Sons and the charity appeal for little Poppy Reswick’s life-saving medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight. Yet we believe they gave themselves away. In writing. The evidence is all here, between the lines, waiting to be discovered. Will you accept the challenge? Can you uncover the truth?

July Wrap Up 2021

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To be honest, I didn’t think I would do as well as I did this month since 2 weeks of the month was dedicated to one book but I am super happy with how this month went! So many 5 stars!

  • I read 8 books this month.
  • I DNFed 1 book this month, that’s 3 so far for the year.
  • Genre: 3 fantasy, 2 murder mystery, 1 romance, 1 horror and 1 sci-fi.
  • Gender of authors: 3 women and 5 men.
  • Race of authors: 5 white, 2 asian and 1 latinx.
  • Race of illustrators: 2 white and 1 asian.
  • Age range: 7 adult and 1 YA
  • Format: 5 paperback, 1 ebook, 1 hardcover and 1 webcomic

The Shadow Rising – Robert Jordan (4 stars)

Another great installment in the series and with the tv show a matter of months away I am happy to have got through this chunky book. 1000+ pages! I really enjoyed the varying plot lines, I love where the series is going and I look forward to more. I did have to deduct 1 star because, while the plot is amazing, the pacing is SUPER slow!

Saga Vol. 1 – Brian K. Vaughn and (4 stars)

I had heard so much about this series so I finally caved in and got the first volume. Like with most first volumes it was mainly there to set up the main plot points and character motivations. The art was really good, the story is super interesting and I am invested in the characters. Looking forward to volume 2.

Labyrinth: Coronation Vol. 1 – Simon Spurrier (2 stars)

I picked this up due to being massive Labyrinth fan but sadly this comic, which is meant to be a prequel about how the Goblin King became the Goblin King, had so many misses for me. It was too rushed, I wasn’t as invested in the characters or really the plot. I also didn’t love the art style.

The Inugami Curse – Seishi Yokomizo (3 stars)

I was super excited to read this as I loved the first novel by this author. While I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it, it wasn’t as good as the first one for me. I think my rating would have been higher had I not figured out some of the key elements very early on. But it still was an enjoyable novel.

Miss Abbott and the Doctor – Maripaz Villar (5 stars)

This was a super cute romance set in a vague victorian town that follows two completely opposite individuals as they fall in love. The romance is great, the side characters are great, this comic has so much wit and heart and I wish I could physically own it!

The Devil and the Dark Water – Stuart Turton (5 stars)

Another amazing book this month. I am loving this author at the moment! I really loved all the characters, the atmosphere and the mystery. There were times I thought I figured it all out but boy was I wrong! This definitely up there in my Top 10!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns – Julic C. Dao (DNF)

Sadly, this didn’t work out. It had a lot of potential and I really like the premise but sadly I found the main character to be a bit boring and the writing itself didn’t grab me. I wanted to skim most of it but I just decided to put it down.

Mexican Gothic – Silvia Moreno-Garcia (5 stars)

WOW! This book flew under my radar last week but I picked it up and was INVESTED! I don’t really read much horror but I felt there was a really strong mystery element to this story which I love. This was so far removed from what I normally read and I am so glad that I gave it a go. Great atmosphere, amazing writing, brilliant characters and a super exciting but gruesome plot!

The Devil and the Dark Water Review

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It’s 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world’s greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered. And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes? With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody

May 2021 Wrap Up

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So, during the month of May I got awful tonsillitis which meant that I had no energy and some big changes was happening in my life which basically meant that I was battling a reading slump the entire month. I still managed to do ok but I had so many other books I wanted to read. As I write this now I am still trying to get out of the slump with the next book I’m reading but I will be honest, I have lost my rhythm.

  • I read 5 books this month.
  • I finished a re-read I started back in 2019.
  • Genre: 1 fantasy, 2 murder mystery, 1 contemporary and 1 historical fiction.
  • Gender of authors: 2 women and 3 men.
  • Race of authors: 2 white and 3 asian.
  • Age range: 3 adult, 1 YA and 1 middle grade.
  • Format: 2 paperback, 1 hardcover and 2 ebooks.

The Decagon House Murders – Yukito Ayatsuji (2 stars)

So, this was an average read for me to start off the month. I loved the plot but I felt that the writing wasn’t that engaging, I started losing interest in the novel itself and by the time the reveal rolled around I just wasn’t invested enough anymore.

Orange: The Complete Collection Vol.2 – Ichigo Takana (5 stars)

I read the first volume in April and thoroughly enjoyed it. I instantly went out and bought the second volume straight away. I really enjoyed this volume, the art was beautiful and the characters were great. I will be honest in the fact that I preferred the first volume, I felt the ending of the series was a bit too abrupt. I wish it was expanded a bit more but overall this was a beautiful and emotional story that I will re-read numerous times.

The review linked is a whole series review not just of volume 2.

The Mystery of Three Quarters – Sophie Hannah (3 stars)

This book sadly didn’t match up to my experience reading her second novel but book 3 just missed the mark on something. I thought the plot was interesting and Poirot was great as per usual but something felt missing. I felt that the other characters were quite flat and some plot points were left unresolved. It wasn’t a bad book but it didn’t match up sadly to the previous novel which was my favourite.

Delusion – Hongjacga (3 stars)

This was a web comic that I read for most of the month. The comic started off really strong but I felt it started wavering around the halfway mark and by the time it finished I was a bit confused on the story and the direction it went in. The art was beautiful and I was fully engaged in the story but I felt that the ending could have been better.

The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan (5 stars)

So, I started this re-read in August of 2019 after I decided to stop my Harry Potter re-read due to J.K Rowling’s transphobia. i was super nervous as this was one of my childhood faves well as you can tell by the rating of this book that I loved it. I felt this book was a perfect ending to a great series and I am super excited to start the Heroes of Olympus series next year!

The review linked is a look back on my re-read as a whole.