BOOK REVIEW - FANTASY FRIDAY - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S Lewis - Digital Book - 5*

 

BOOK REVIEW

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S Lewis

*book links are affiliate links which means that I earn from qualifying purchases. 

For today's book review, I am taking you back to the start of 2024, when I started the second year of my journey back in the reading world. New Year's Day. I wanted a book to start my year with cosy, happy, and positive feelings so decided to re-read a book that was a firm favourite as a child. I owned a tatty (due to my constant reading!) copy of the Chronicles of Narnia book, which had that amazing "old book

BOOK REVIEW - Hunting Adeline - H.D Carlton - Digital Book - 3*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Hunting Adeline - H.D Carlton

*this review contains affiliate links, which means that I may earn from qualifying purchases made through the links. 

After being shocked yet intrigued by Satan's Affair, and pleasantly surprised at the depth of the plot in Haunting Adeline, I was looking forward to finishing off the Cat & Mouse duet by H.D Carlton. I did read a couple of lighter books in between times, given the dark subject matter but soon the temptation

BOOK REVIEW - The Last Days of John Lennon - James Patterson - Physical Book - 4*

 BOOK REVIEW

The Last Days of John Lennon - James Patterson

Today, I will share my book review of The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson. My manager at work loaned me this book and highly recommended it. James Patterson is well known for his fast-paced thrillers and suspense novels. Being fascinated with true crime, I was keen to see how this high-profile case was depicted in this book. 

BOOK REVIEW - FANTASY FRIDAY - Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig - Audiobook - 4*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig

After reading the first in the Shepherd King duology, One Dark Window, a few weeks ago (check out that review here) I couldn't wait to start with this second and final part. I had been captured by the magic and story, and I wanted to know what was next for Ravyn, Elspeth, and Nightmare in their search to free Blunder from the mist, the curse, by finding the remaining Providence Cards to complete the deck. 

BOOK REVIEW - The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley - Digital Book - 3*

 

BOOK REVIEW

The Hunting Party - Lucy Foley

*book links are affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases. 

A blast from the past with a book review for something I read at the start of the year, The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. I had read The Guest List by the same author in 2023 and really enjoyed it. I am a sucker for a locked-room mystery (there's plenty to choose from too, both in books. TV, and cinema). 

I also loved the vibrant yellow cover, it was really eye-catching when I was scrolling through Kindle Unlimited to find something to read. 

Not the deepest reason to read a book, but the covers tend to tip the scales for me, what can I say? I am a marketer's dream! Bright colours and a snappy title, I'm yours!

BLURB

NEW YEAR, OLD FRIENDS.

IT'S A PARTY TO DIE FOR...

New Year, the Loch Corin Estate: in a remote hunting lodge, deep in the Scottish Wilderness, old friends gather. 

The beautiful one

The golden couple

The volatile one

The new parents

The quiet one

The city boy

The outside

The victim. 

Not an accident - a murder among friends. 

MY REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐

SPICE: 🔥🔥

As locked room mysteries go, this isn't a terrible take. There are some great twists and I was suspicious of everyone, despite there being in multiple points of view. That being said, it is incredibly similar to The Guest List in terms of plot, structure, and style (of course it is the same author, so that does make sense to a degree, but the similarities were a little too much for my personal preference). Maybe if I had waited longer than a few months from reading one to the other, it may not have irked me to the same degree, but the fact is I didn't, and it did! 

The setting is gorgeous. I may be biased being from Scotland but there is something truly stunning (and haunting!) about the hills and lochs around this neck of the woods. Foley sets the scene well, describing the landscape and making its isolation and beauty completely apparent.  

There are two intertwining timelines. One from the friends' arrival at the lodge and one after a body is found, the timelines eventually coming together for the big reveal...whodunnit?

Firstly I'd like to say that these people are not friends. I just couldn't get my head around the idea of a group of people, who clearly hate each other, intentionally spending a weekend together cooped up in the middle of nowhere. No matter how demanding the "mean girl" is, or how sorry they feel for the organiser. But anyway, they did agree to spend the weekend together for New Year, in a lodge in the middle of nowhere, in a snowstorm, with no mobile signal... dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn

Despite the cliches and my sarcasm, I really do love the locked room mystery trope, it's one of my favourites. 

Everyone has their own secrets, which makes everyone a suspect. That being said, similar to me wondering why they were even hanging out since they were so different and didn't get on, I honestly didn't find any of them particularly likable. This can often be a pitfall of these locked room mysteries, as the author wants everyone to be a suspect. In doing that, however, there's a missed opportunity in having a bunch of flawed yet likeable characters, and causing utter devastation when it's revealed which one of them is the "bad guy". 

I had whittled down the identity of the body, but the big reveal was a mystery to me right until the bitter end. I had my suspicions but there were so many other little red herrings and false starts that I couldn't be sure. The reveal was satisfying, though would have been very difficult to figure out in full, as the major "clues" were withheld from the story until the very end. I see this as a slightly sneaky way of getting a big twist into the story, and enjoy it more when the clues are there but well hidden, disguised, or so casually inserted that they appear meaningless. It is a great way of making sure readers don't figure it out too far in advance and ruin the surprise though!

The pacing was on point, using the dual timelines and multiple points of view to really control the pace and up the ante. 

It may not sound like it, but I did enjoy the story. I often use thrillers as filler (Oh yes, a rhyme!!) between slightly heavier books, and this served its purpose perfectly. It certainly wasn't lifechanging but I think that some of my critiques are based on my slightly jaded point of view given how familiar the entire book felt to The Guest List, which I loved. I imagine that perhaps my reviews would be the opposite way around if I had read them in the opposite order :)

For the locked-room lovers out there, this is a classic example to pick up. It's a quick read so great for a wee holiday thriller, something to read when travelling, or as a quick weekend read. 

If you've read this book, let me know in the comments how you felt about it. Do you have any locked-room recommendations?

If you enjoyed my review and want to stay in the loop for future posts, you can FOLLOW MY BLOG by clicking the link and subscribing. I also post bookish content on Instagram and on my YouTube channel. Happy reading!

BOOK REVIEW - Alone - Barbara De Smedt - Digital Book - 4*

BOOK REVIEW 

Alone - Barbara De Smedt

*book links are affiliate links, which means that I earn from qualifying purchases. 

I actually won the book that I am reviewing today in a giveaway on StoryGraph (which is my preferred choice for tracking my reading) and read it earlier this year as soon as I downloaded it. It had recently been translated into English from Dutch, after receiving awards and rave reviews in the Netherlands. 

I entered the giveaway as a thriller lover. The premise sounded great, the cover was creepy as anything (it's all grey and dark, with an empty cot in the middle) and I was immediately sold! I love entering these giveaways as they are a great way to get my hands on books that I wouldn't have known existed (though it also does a great job of inflating my TBR too!). 

BLURB

Julie Meskins is going through a hard time after the sudden death of her mother. She throws herself into her Veterinary Medicine Studies and prefers one night stands over serious commitment. When she becomes pregnant, a series of strange events are set in motion. Then, she disappears from her apartment. The police are puzzled. Who could be behind her disappearance? Was she kidnapped by the baby's father and killed, or did she run away?

MY REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SPICE: 🔥🔥(references to acts, in an unfavourable light with some consent issues. Along with general reference to previous "dating" endevours).

Alone was my first thriller read of 2024, it was psychological and tense and it utilised two of my favourite methods of storytelling; Multiple POV and dual timelines. These methods are brilliant for thrillers, as they serve two key purposes; to keep the reader guessing and to maintain a fast pace. 

Julie is a young woman, faced with an unexpected pregnancy (and therefore relationship) , while also dealing with her grief over the sudden loss of her mother. The story unfolds as Julie vanishes from her apartment and follows her, her partner, the police and her stalker in the present day. We are also shown snapshots of time in both her, and her stalkers childhoods, going from their youth to present day and culminating in a twisty tale that explores abuse, alcoholism, mental health and loss. 

Sometimes a thriller can be so predictable that the outcome can be sussed out in the first couple of chapters. With Alone, while I did work out the main twists to the story, it was much later in the book, just as things started to fall into place in preparation for the finale. 

I found the pacing to be just right for a thriller, with the dual timeline helping to control the narrative and prevent the story from running away too quickly. 

There are some difficult topics in the book, particularly in parts exploring the childhood of the "stalker" character. It didn't feel gratuitous however, and each element served to give an insight into how the present day story unfolded. 

Barbara De Smedt used her personal experience of having a stalker to create this dark and suspenseful narrative. Many women have encountered unwanted behaviours such as some of those depicted in this book and I really liked how the author has used her own experience to take control, regain her power and ultimately get the last laugh. I can imagine it being very cathartic to creatively and expressively expel your demons like that and the fact that the story was loosely based on true events added an additional, quite terrifying, level to the story. 

Julie and her stalker are developed well, the dual timeline helping with that. However I did feel that the side characters, such as Julie's boyfriend, her best friend and the investigative journalist who's covering the case. There's a second book, set 15 years later, that follows Pieter (the journalist) through another crime investigation, which I believe will shed more light on his character. There was only snippets in this book which left more to be said. This book Koud (which translates as Cold) is currently only available in Dutch which means that I may never know what happens next in Pieter's investigative world. 

It was a nice, quick, and enjoyable read. I found myself devouring this book in less than a day. It was a page turner for sure.

In short, if you enjoy your thrillers pacy and psychological, this one will tick the boxes!

I hope you enjoyed this book review of Alone by Barbara De Smedt. If you'd like to stay in the loop with new posts and reviews, you can FOLLOW MY BLOG by clicking the link and subscribing. I also post bookish content on Instagram and on my YouTube channel. Happy reading!

 

BOOK REVIEW - Natural Selection - Elin Hilderbrand - Digital Book - 3*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Natural Selection - Elin Hildebrand

Another freebie, I can't help myself! This was an additional free read for August's Amazon First Reads. It's a short story, and I will be honest, I wasn't too drawn in by the cover. For some reason, I seem to be more drawn to covers without people, or with quirky imagery. The ones with people on them seem more contrived somehow (whereas cartoons, gold-leafed pears, and hourglasses with cities in them are way

BOOK REVIEW - In Our Likeness - Bryan VanDyke - Digital Book - 3*

 

BOOK REVIEW

In Our Likeness - Bryan VanDyke

*this review contains affiliate links - see my profile for more info

Another cheeky visit from Amazon First Reads at the start of the month. I actually read the blurb in advance, so not only did the colours on the cover match my fave pair of glasses, but the premise is something that equally fascinates and scares me. 

AI is an inevitable part of our lives, whether we are happy with that fact or not, so I was interested to see what could be done within that world in terms of a fictional story. These types of sci-fi really make me nervous though as it feels very real. Do you remember the movie iRobot? When the AI robots

BOOK REVIEW - Staunch - Eleanor Wood - Physical Book - 4*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Staunch - Eleanor Wood

*this review contains affiliate links - see my profile for more information

This book has been waiting in the wings for me to need something heartwarming and it was the perfect choice after reading two very dark books: Satan's Affair and Haunting Adeline. I needed something warm and figured that a book hailed as an "uplifting memoir" would fit the bill. 

BOOK REVIEW - Haunting Adeline - H.D Carlton - Digital Book - 4*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Haunting Adeline - H.D Carlton

*this review contains affiliate links, see my profile for more info :)

I can't blame TikTok or Bookstagram for this one. This one was all me! I really enjoyed the taster plot in the Satan's Affair Novella (check out that review here) so immediately downloaded the Cat and Mouse Duet and started book one. This book, similarly to the first, has trigger warnings (of a slightly different nature), this time more around consent and kinks, I'll share the warning below, so you can have a good idea of what you're getting into before you read it.

It's a much more meaty tome, almost 600 pages and I was really interested to see how Sibby, the character in Satan's Affair, slotted in here. 

I'll post the trigger warnings as they are printed so that I don't make them any less harsh than required to give a true reflection of the contents. 

WARNING

The contents are very dark with triggering situations, such as non/dub con between the two main characters, graphic violence, human trafficking, stalking, child trafficking, child sacrifice, mentions of child death, and explicit sexual situations. There are also particular kinks such as gun play, somnophilia, bondage, and degradation.

BLURB

The Manipulator

I can manipulate the emotions of anyone who lets me. 

I will make you hurt, make you cry, make you laugh and sigh. 

But my words don't affect him. Especially not when I plead for him to leave. 

He's always there, watching and waiting. 

And I can never look away. 

Not when I want him to come closer. 

The Shadow

I didn't mean to fall in love. 

But now that I have, I can't stay away. 

I'm mesmerized by her smile, by her eyes, and the way she moves. 

The way she undresses...

I'll keep watching and waiting. Until I can make her mine/ 

And once she is, I'll never let her go. 

Not even when she begs me to

MY REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SPICE: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but after reading Satan's Affair, I knew that anything could (and probably would) happen. The gore/horror elements were less intense, though the intimate scenes felt significantly MORE so. 

Adeline is an author, she lives in a creepy mansion left to her by her grandmother, who she loved dearly. When she's renovating the house, she discovers her great-grandmother's (GiGi) journals. They describe her final few months, before she is brutally murdered and seem to indicate that she had a stalker, who became her lover. GiGi's murder was never solved, and Adeline wants to get to the bottom of the mystery. 

Zade on the other hand, is a bit of a vigilante, morally grey is an understatement. He infiltrates and takes down (by murder rather than socially accepted justice) child and human trafficking rings. He is currently in Seattle, trying to take down a group of gross, rich, above-the-law type men, who use child sacrifice and other depravities as part of their Satan-loving rituals. He takes a liking to Adeline and immediately starts stalking her. The stalking leads to the dubious consent situations that the trigger warnings allude to. 

Adeline gets roped into Zade's complicated and dark life and some fake dating ensues. Not the nice kind, the kinky kind. 

As a character, Adeline is a strange one to describe. She gets a thrill from fear so tends to do the opposite of what you or I would do. But then, she'd have to have that personality for this book to even remotely start to make sense. I wanted to yell at her, tell her she was an idiot, and shake some sense into her at times. She also spends about 50% of her time drinking straight alcohol and margaritas, so maybe she needs to get that addressed, it's clouding her judgment :)

Some scenes were almost too far, one with a gun in particular was read through my hands which were covering my face. I'll let you guess as to why. It was pretty uncomfortable and the consent elements were challenging and, at times, scary to read. Some scenes on the other hand were embarrassingly sexy. A bad guy fantasy on paper. I'm studying psychology and I'd be intrigued to know what makes this type of romance sexy for some people but not for others. That would make for an interesting dissertation! 

BUT...while I appreciate that I sound like a guy with a stack of Playboys saying he reads them for the articles...the underlying story was an excellent dark thriller. Infiltrating gangs of sick blokes, saving kids and young women from a life of horror, alongside solving a decades-long murder mystery. I mean. That stuff is my cup of tea! 

Similarly to Satan's Affair, the story would have held its own brilliantly (and been a bit more palatable to a wider audience) without all the kinks and consent issues (this was the main thing for me. Creepy stalker/vigilante child saver or not, I can't see him as a good guy if he doesn't take no for an answer!). That being said, the story was genuinely solid, engaging, and interesting to read. 

THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH...basically, if you read the full book, and get into the story like I did, you'll be reading the next book. I felt like I was watching a season finale of a TV show, where it just cuts off...right when everything starts kicking off! 

I won't be reading the next one straight away though, the trigger warnings indicate that it's SIGNIFICANTLY darker than this one. I need something heartfelt, funny, and light, to connect me back to reality before I scrape the barrel on the depths of depravity once more. 

Have you read this duet? What did you think of the cliffhanger? Do you agree with me about the story/plot being strong enough to hold its own?

I'll be posting the review for Hunting Adeline here, once I have read it. You can SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG to make sure you don't miss it (or my other reviews :). I also post bookish content on Instagram and my YouTube Channel

Rating Scales - Spice Scale - How Books Are Rated

I'm sure you've noticed like I have, that book ratings, opinions on books, and likes/dislikes across the reading community are completely subjective. My 5-star reads will have different criteria to another reviewer. What I deem to be the spiciest of spice may not be the same for someone else. 

In appreciation of that, I wanted to share the rating scales that I use when I am creating my reviews and star ratings. 

STAR RATINGS

Let's start with star ratings. I am a mood reader. I don't have a literary background, so I very rarely rate books from the standpoint of writing quality or correct use of symbolism for example (not to say I don't notice these things, but my eye and my brain gravitate more towards how the book makes me feel!). These things of course impact and change the way the book feels to read, but I am often to caught up in the emotion to be able to pinpoint what caused it! 

As a result my star rating scale is based broadly on emotion :)

⭐ - DNF (I am unlikely to rate any book 1 ⭐, my DNFs are usually more about my personal preference and not the writing or the plot and I have lots of respect for the passion of the author along with my own subjective opinion. I have failed to finish many books only to pick them up again 6 months later and really enjoy them)

⭐⭐ - Readable, but maybe left something to be desired (for me this tends to be if the plot is extremely predictable or confusing)

⭐⭐⭐ - Good all-rounder, easy to read and enjoyable

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Highly recommended, robust story that captivates me and stays with me after I am finished.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - A book I can't stop thinking about, will actively suggest that people read (even when they aren't asking!). This is often a book that makes me feel big emotions. Think throwing the book across the room, ugly crying and the likes! 

SPICE RATINGS

My reviews now contain ratings based on the level of spice, how graphic, the language used, frequency and intensity. I use fire levels to give a visual representation. 

Spice is also pretty subjective, what is too far for one person may seem more appropriate to another, but I have tried to base my 5 levels on identifiable situations within the book. Bear in mind though that to rate a book as a 4-fire level, it doesn't need to contain ALL of the things mentioned below, these are just the general area that the spice level falls into. 

🆒 - no spice, not even closed door. There either aren't any romance elements in the book, or it is more emotion than anything physical. Kissing/holding hands, with no mention of what's next. 

🔥- a little spice, implication that something happens beyond a kiss but no descriptors. Speak of heat and desire, passion. Fade to black, closed-door. Maybe some banter of a sexy nature. 

🔥🔥 - Touching, maybe some descriptions of body parts or over the clothes action, but no graphic scenes. 

🔥🔥🔥- Similar to the two fire rating for spice, books I rate 3 fires will generally have one descriptive non-closed-door scene, with intimate descriptions of body parts or traditional acts. Think Mills and Boon...

🔥🔥🔥🔥- multiple intimate scenes, described fully. May be multiple people, acts, or graphic language. Some scenes may be a little "rough" or "kinky" Not Mills and Boon! 

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥- Books with 5 fire ratings will generally have trigger warnings around consent, and violence, as well as contain multiple graphic descriptions of acts. These books may be very sex-based, with little to no plot (though this is not always the case of course!).

There you have it. In most of my reviews, where I put a spice/fire rating, I'll explain it through the review or give a little reasoning beside the rating. I know that everyone has preferences on where their limits are, so hopefully this helps! 

In the meantime, happy reading! Remember that you can subscribe to my blog to stay updated with new posts and reviews. 

BOOK REVIEW - Satan's Affair - H.D Carlton - DIGITAL BOOK - 4*

 

BOOK REVIEW

Satan's Affair - H.D Carlton

*this review contains afilliate links - see my profile for more info

This book is my first instance of "TikTok Made Me Buy It". I had seen lots of videos, memes, and general "bookstagram" shenanigans about the Haunting Adeline/Cat and Mouse Duet by H.D Carlton. When I read up a little, the advice I got was to read Satan's Affair first. The only information I had going into this is that it's a standalone prequel about a gory haunted house. 

I haven't read much horror or gore. I was unsure if it would be my cup of tea but I'm all about trying new genres. I've definitely expanded my repertoire with this one, that's for sure!

WORD OF WARNING - THE BOOK AND THEREFORE MY REVIEW CONTAIN HEAVY TRIGGER WARNINGS - READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST IF YOU HAVE CERTAIN

Monthly Reading Roundup - July 2024

 

Monthly Reading Roundup - July 2024 - What Books Did I Read in July?

July was one of my busiest reading months of the year. I'm still on my Summer break from college, so my numbers are likely to dwindle a little once August comes around. Not only will I be IN college, but essays will need to be done, assignments completed, and studying hours will be required. Studying is one of the times that I simply can't listen to audiobooks too, my brain will zone in on one or the other, never both!