Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts

Book review - The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Book details:

Publisher ‏ : ‎Orion
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062910698
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062910691

Please support the author, their Amazon page is Peng Shepherd and they are on Twitter as @pengshepherd

I give this book 5 out of 5 bats,

I have seen some reviews that have scathingly said there are too many plotholes - I read this book in a few hours and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found it easy to follow the various intermingling storylines and didn't feel there were any unsurmountable plotholes at all. I did question why the characters made the decisions they did, as in some cases the decisions seemed extreme and totally unrealistic, but think about real life, people make odd decisions all the time, let's give this author's created people a pass on their strange decisions. I enjoyed the characters, the map and place descriptions, and although I found the denouement to be a bit of a trite 'happily ever after', it was an enjoyable book to take me away from the stress and worries of real life. I felt one of the morals of this story is that trying to selfishly hold knowledge to one's self and not share it is to the detriment of all which is a good lesson, Overall I liked the book I found it mysterious, creative and it had enough intrigue to keep me reading. I think the characters could have done with a bit more of a three-dimensional building, rather than telling us what they are like showing us, would have been good. I also think there could have been more explanation as to why these people were so terrified of a person that they made the decisions they did, but all up I enjoyed it and it is worth buying for a wintery afternoon read to escape the real world.

Book review - The Blood within the Stone by T.R. Thompson

The Blood within the Stone

Book details:

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Odyssey Books (22 July 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1922200824
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1922200822

Please support the auhtor, their Amazon page is TR Thompson

Their Twitter profile is: @TheWraithCycle

Disclaimer - I follow this author's account on Twitter, their publicist contacted me and offered to send an electronic copy of the book to me for review. I however preferred to purchase a copy myself as I like to support fellow authors. (I write non-fiction books about cybercrime so I shall refer to myself as an author even though my work is nowhere as cool as this guy's is!). I purchased the Kindle version of this book. I prefer hard copies of books, (as in real paper), however I wanted to read it immediately and was too impatient to wait for the book to arrive in the post.

I give this book 5 out of 5 bats, it grabbed my attention from the very first paragraph of Part One, and I felt I was there watching the action, smelling the air, and feeling the flames of torches. The introductory paragraph of the book grabs attention with its colourful descriptive prose, which, as it described a lone guard standing in a breezless night, was slightly eerie and promising of epic adventures.

This is the first novel of the Wraith Cycle, and I found it to be a delightful journey into a dark fantasy world that is guaranteed to entice all readers of fantasy and archaic adventures. The story follows the young thief, Wilt who is working for the Grey Guild, (love a story with guilds, reminds me of MMORPG, so it appeals to me as a gamer straight away!) and whose first job in this thieves guild goes very awry. This young thief, who later finds out he is more than he or anyone else originally believed, and in company of friends as well as dubious allies and potential threats, reminds me of a combination of the classic stories by Charles Dickens, such as Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, albeit set in a magical world of mystery and darkness.

The balance between description and action is just right, and the book absorbs the reader into the exciting narrative. I highly recommend this novel to all who like to read adventure, mystery and fantasy.

Book review - This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayronn

This Poison Heart

If you have read this book please consider leaving a review of it. Honest and fair reviews help readers decide on whether a book will appeal to them or not, and can help authors get seen and obtain book sales.

Book details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury YA (2 July 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1526632799
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1526632791

Please support the auhtor, their Amazon page is Kalynn Bayronn Amazon page

I give this book 5 out of 5 bats, it is a beautiful book,with well crafted narrative and three dimensional chracters. It is published as a book for young adults, however it can equally be enjoyed by ... the not so young adults.

The book houses a story of mysteries blending Greek mythology, fantasy, witches a mysterious garden, with the story of a young lady called Briseis who was adopted by her Mums who run a florists store and are struggling financially. Briseis has more than a green thumb, and her extraordinary powers with plants and her immunity to the poisonous ones, makes her stressed and unable to enjoy friendships. She inherits a sprawling mansion, complete with an apothecary shop, and all sorts of strange and wondrous things unfold.

It was a great COVID 'lockdown read'. Mine was in an Owl crate subscription box, and the cover art was glorious.

I give this book five out of five bats.

The book can be purchased in a variety of formats from Amazon USA via this link: Amazon USA this poison heart
The book can be purchased in a variety of formats from Amazon Australia via this link
Amazon Australua this poison heart

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Book Review - Captor!: Justice Delayed...Justice Served! by Lain McIntyre

Captor!: Justice Delayed...Justice Served! by Lain McIntyre

Book Details

ASIN : B07GFB9JWN
Language : English
File size : 446 KB
Print length : 162 pages

Please support the author Lain McIntyre , by following him on Twitter: @LainMcintyre

DISCLAIMER: I purchased this book myself to support the author who sadly was not getting any reader reviews despite his generosity of gifting many copies to readers. Although I enjoy mystery, thrillers and police procedurals, the book with its 'adults only' warning due to the inclusion of descriptive rape scenes, means I would not normally be drawn to this style of book. My review reflects my personal views, however I have sought to treat the book fairly and review it on its merits while acknowledging it is not to my personal tastes..

***

I give this book 4 out of 5 bats for being well written and well-paced, but It lost a bat as I felt the s*x/rape scenes were gratuitous, I think they could have been a part of the murder and torture scenes without being so full on (my personal opinion so don’t let that stop you buying the book if you like that type of read)

My personal views on the writing are that the scenes could have been left to the reader's imagination and did not need to go into such detail. I do not believe they added any value to the plot moving forward and they really did not need to be there. The narrative would have moved just as well and the reader understanding that the callous tormenter was just as bad, without the minute descriptors of the rape and s*x scenes.

That being said, the plot was solid, it has the making of a very scary thriller film. The narrative has you on the edge of your seat as you read, and you keep wanting to yell 'behind you' to potential victims.

The torture and murder scenes and the psycho captor character would make a good movie plot. I just skipped over the gratuitous s*x scenes cos they arent my thing. That aside, it is however a solid thriller ... and the ending is downright scary!

This novel was captivating (‘captorvating’ – read the novel you will understand my pun then!). It had mystery, murder, police procedural and a thriller feel. I found the full -on overly descriptive rape/s*x scenes a turn off (was that another pun?) and personally felt they were not necessary to go into such detail to keep the narrative going.The book was an easy read, it had a good balanced level of descriptors and narrative without getting bogged down, and its pace was just right for its theme.

Overall a quick read, and if the gratuitous rape/s*x descriptors were removed, for me the book would rate as a solid thriller/crime type book.

The e-book can be pruchased from Amazon USA from this link: Amazon USA Captor

The e-book can be purchased from AMazon Australia from this link: Amazon Au Captor

Book review - Borrowed Time (The Village Library Mysteries Book 3) by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Borrowed Time (The Village Library Mysteries Book 3)

Book details:
ASIN : B088G1ZZKV
Language : English
File size : 2616 KB
Print length : 220 pages

If you have read this book or any other by this author, please consider leaving a review of her books. Honest and fair reviews help readers decide on whether a book will appeal to them or not, and can help authors get seen and obtain book sales.

.........

I gave this novel 4 out of 5 bats.

When I want a quick easy read, a book to relax my mind after a tiring day at work, I turn to cozy mysteries. They don't need much brain power to consume, are fun, and have a level of mystery or police procedural to keep the interest., and they are usually very quick to read.

The series called 'The Village Library Mysteries', by Elizabeth Spann Criag, are just the type of cozy mystery that meet this criteria.

I have read several novels by Ms Craig and I find that she usually writes well, in the vein of a modern Agatha Christie. Her novels are enjoyable, fun and are short, making them a quick read ideal for relaxing holiday reading or the time poor.

This book, 'Borrowed Time', could have been great, the intrigue was there, the characters well-rounded, and the premise was good, however there are plot errors that were not picked up in editing/proofing of the book which really marred the fun of thie story for me.

Example: In a chapter where the main character returns from a house party, she states that a neighbour had been looking after her cat. However, according to an earlier chapter, she had taken the cat back to the library BEFORE she went to the house party,, and had therefore not left him with the neighbour. Another glaring error was when a character named Amber suddenly became a character named Mary, ???

I want to give the book 5 out of 5 bats, but the errors are too frequent in this edition and became distracting,

I purchased the Kindle version of this book from Amazon Australia: Amazon Au Borrowed Time

Book review - Wolf and the Crow: Book One of the Ebonsheare Chronicles by James Culverhouse

Wolf and the Crow: Book One of the Ebonsheare Chronicles

Book details:

Publisher : Ocean Reeve Publishing (3 August 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 298 pages
ISBN-10 : 1925935302
ISBN-13 : 978-1925935301

Ebonsheare, a medieval rustic land, with knights, barbarians, and clans, is on the brink of war. One of the main characters is hiding out with a demented hermit, and another craves adventure. With a call to arms nailed to the local inn door, and storm clouds gathering, adventure was sure to greet them.

This epic fantasy is an intriguing and rollicking adventure of well-rounded characters and fast moving plot.

From the very first sentence " Without warning the storm blew in from the West" - I was caught up in the epic narrative that Mr Culverhouse created. A world of intrigue and action, beautifully described three dimensional characters, atmosphere and rationale.

Wolf and the Crow is very well written, it strikes a good balance between the narrative, action and description. Mr Culverhouse draws the reader in and challenges them to think about the intrigue occurring in the plot, just as the characters are challenged. The atmosphere of the novel is so well written the reader can almost feel they are in the story, and taste the mud, the blood, and the treachory.

I read this book in one sitting, because it is THAT good. If you want a book you can read and re-read, a fantasy novel with depth and one you can really get into. This novel is for you

This is book one in the Ebonsheare chronicles, I eagerly await book two.

I give this book five out of five bats.

The book can be purchased from a variety of stores including:

Booktopia and Amazon Au

Book Review: Angela Marchmont series

Any of you who know me, are aware that I love to read, and despite being busy with my day job, my hobby business, my volunteer work, my studies, and everything else, I read approximately 5 novels per week. I have not shared any favourite authors with you all before, but this author is new to me, and maybe new to all of you as well!

While I was away recently, I downloaded a few novels to my Kindle, and a couple of these e-books were by an author I had not read before, Clara Benson. After reading my way through the delightful, albeit predictable, amateur sleuth style novels 'The Murder at Sissingham Hall', and 'The Mystery at Underwood House', I was hooked!

The books are set in the 1920s, mainly in England, and centre around Mrs Angela Marchmont and her ability to get herself into the middle of many an intrigue and manage to solve crimes while she is there.

The first novel is written in first person, and Angela Marchmont does not have such a lead role as it were, but the following books in the series are in third person and Angela is most definitely the protagonist.

Angela Marchmont appears to live the life of the idle rich, and along with her chauffeur William, tends to arrive in the middle of crime and mayhem wherever she goes. She has the trust of British Intelligence and Scotland Yard, and is a bit of a mystery herself. The mysteries are predictable, but still a great adventure read and very entertaining.

I had not seen the biography of the author until after I had read all the books out so far, and was surprised to see that these novels are purported to be written by a lady in the 1920s and her manuscripts had been found in the mid-sixties and worked on for publishing well after her death. When reading these stories I felt the syntax to be of a 21st Century author writing in the style of Georgette Heyer, Agatha Christie, and even Enid Blyton, but I did not get the impression from the books that they had actually been authored by someone of that time.

This could be because the author was:

anachronistically ahead of her time;
the books are heavily edited; or
they have been written by person or persons unknown in the 21st Century and given a cute back story of a fictional 1920s author.

I have decided that the books have indeed been written in the 21st Century - but don't let the author's fun at pretending to be someone else prevent you from enjoying these books!

The fact is however, that I thought the books were great fun and it doesn't matter to me who the author is or when the books were written. love them all!

I really enjoyed reading these delightful novels. They are a charming old fashioned yarn, the kind of novel you take with you to the seaside and read while sun bathing! They do not ask too much of the reader, instead they take you for a rollicking ride of mystery and amateur detection!

4 out of 5 bats

You can download them via the Amazon store for Kindle, and also ibooks and they are really cheap. Why not give them a try?

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Book Review: No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

I read a lot.

I started reading when i was 3 years old, and my love of reading has never abated.

A series of novels i have been reading in the last two weeks, and now on to the last of the series so far, is by Alexander McCall Smith, author of many books on a variety of subjects, about a private investigator in Botswana.

Fourteen books so far in the series and i have been averaging reading a book a night (i do not sleep much and i read fast). The fifteenth in the series is due to be published later this year and I am eagerly awaiting it!

They are of course the novels about the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, with the private detective Precious Ramotswe and her assistant, Grace Makutsi.

They are about how small crimes/fraud/infidelity have been investigated by these two ladies, and also about their lives in the ever changing world. The sadness of old traditions being lost, and the embracing of the modern world.

I find these books charming, and hard to put down, they have a good juxtaposition of 'feel good' positive themes, tackling real life problems such as domestic violence, and the honour of some traditional ways.

Mma Ramotswe drinks red bush tea, (which i believe is Rooibus tea), and a common thread through the novels is her drinking her tea. It is very English in this respect as tea is made on occasions of celebration, thought, sadness, and any time in between!

I give these books f5 out of 5 bats.

After I have finished the most recently published of this series, I think I shall start on Mr McCall Smith's The Sunday Philosophy Club series!

The series so far!

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About Me: I work full time, I am also studying for a therapist qualification in Naturopathy specialising in Herbalism, I have a small craft 'business', I am co-admin of an auction page on facebook to help other small hobby businesses, i maintain my own 'store' facebook page, I blog at least once a week and I maintain a facebook page created to support small home businesses and hobby sellers

Pages

The Blood within the Stone

This Poison Heart

Captor!: Justice Delayed...Justice Served! by Lain McIntyre

Borrowed Time (The Village Library Mysteries Book 3)

Wolf and the Crow: Book One of the Ebonsheare Chronicles