I enjoyed this first instalment of the series. Strike is a great protagonist and I liked cheering him on and watching him make connections in t3.5 ⭐️
I enjoyed this first instalment of the series. Strike is a great protagonist and I liked cheering him on and watching him make connections in the case.
I haven’t quite warmed up to Robin yet but I’m sure it will come with time. She seemed a bit keen for approval and even sulky at times.
A man whose sister fell from her balcony believes it wasn’t suicide, but that she was pushed. He asks for Strike’s help to prove it.
There were a lot of characters but I managed to keep up as it went through. The reveal was ok, I didn’t love it but all the explanations made sense.
(view spoiler)[ so it turns out it was the brother all along because she was not leaving him any money in her will. Thought it seemed silly for him to ask a PI to look into it when it had already been ruled a suicide so he’d gotten away with it…but there we are. (hide spoiler)]
I think I will continue with the series.
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Ok, so two things
1. I want to understand the anger people are feeling, and in order to do that I need to read this series.
2. I borrowed this book. Therefore in reading it I haven’t given any money to JKR....more
Set several years after the original trilogy, we have Tycho - now all grown up and working as the King’s courier. TravLoved being back in this world!
Set several years after the original trilogy, we have Tycho - now all grown up and working as the King’s courier. Travelling back and forth between Emberfall and Syl Shallow.
We also have two new POVs, Jax - a blacksmith with an abusive father and his best friend Callyn an orphan desperately trying to look after her sister and keep their bakery afloat.
Unrest is still rampant in Syl Shallow, plenty of people still distrust magic and by extension King Grey. When the chance comes up to earn some coins by passing messages Jax and Callyn take the risk.
I thoroughly enjoyed all the new characters, I actually found Grey had changed a lot and I didn’t always like him. Liked the brief flashes of Harper and Rhen. I’ll be excited to see where this trilogy leads....more
An immersive beast of a novel. I fell into this world and didn’t want to leave.
When Charlie sees his neighbour lying on the ground after a fall from An immersive beast of a novel. I fell into this world and didn’t want to leave.
When Charlie sees his neighbour lying on the ground after a fall from a ladder, he takes it upon himself to look after the man’s dog - Radar. They form a kind of friendship and Charlie soon finds there is a world of secrets hidden in this grumpy man’s old house.
The world Charlie discovers is full of terrors, curses and the fight between good and evil. He finds himself drawn to this world and their troubles, the people refer to him as the Prince that was Promised, and he can’t help but feel like he was meant to be there.
A wonderful novel of epic scope. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride.
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Omg.
library copy available for pick up
I can’t believe this day is actually here!!! So freaking excited for this!!!...more
I really enjoyed getting to visit this world again, which I’m really glad about because Rosalind wasn’t one of my favourite characters in the originalI really enjoyed getting to visit this world again, which I’m really glad about because Rosalind wasn’t one of my favourite characters in the original duology.
She really grew on me in this book and I loved the new characters of Orion and Oliver, while also getting to see Alisa Montagov and Rosalind’s sister Celia.
At times the different political stances lost me, but ultimately I enjoyed the action and twists. I’m looking forward to book 2!
I will say it took a while to get going, we don’t even see Bill Hodges until page 180! But once it did I was hooReally enjoyed this second instalment!
I will say it took a while to get going, we don’t even see Bill Hodges until page 180! But once it did I was hooked.
In 1978 Morris Bellamy is obsessed with the Jimmy Gold books, written by John Rothstein. But when he is disappointed by the final book in the trilogy, he decides to visit John and give him a piece of his mind. What he ends up doing is killing the poor guys and stealing a load of cash and notebooks from his safe. Notebooks containing further Jimmy Gold novels.
2010. Morris is in prison; Pete Saubers’ family move into Bellamy’s old house. They are struggling financially since his father was brutally injured by the Mercedes killer a few years back. Pete finds the cash and notebooks buried in the woods. What will he do with it?
2014. After 35 years in prison, Morris is up for parole and hellbent on getting back his treasure.
Full of action and suspense. I was desperately cheering on Bill and the team, and praying that Pete and his family would be ok.
I also liked the brief tie in with book 1 - Mr Mercedes. What a cliffhanger at the end! Cannot wait to pick up the third book. ...more
“But she was dead in all the ways that mattered. As good as.”
What a RIDE!!!!!
This trilogy has been a sensation! Book three definitely takes us in a “But she was dead in all the ways that mattered. As good as.”
What a RIDE!!!!!
This trilogy has been a sensation! Book three definitely takes us in a different direction than the first two but I loved it!
After the events of Good Girl Bad Blood, Pip is struggling with PTSD and has even developed a pill habit. When she discovers some strange occurrences that lead her to believe someone is stalking her, the police don’t believe her. They think it is just relayed to her trauma.
Looks like Pip is going to have to handle this herself, and when she notices similarities with a closed case of a serial killer, things go from bad to worse.
(view spoiler)[ I know a few reviewers have questioned whether it is right that Pip frames Max Hastings for the murder of Jason Bell who is actually the DT killer. I for one think it is more than valid. Max Hastings is a serial rapist - responsible for destroying numerous lives. He only goes down for destroying one life. So honestly? Fuck that guy he deserves everything he gets. (hide spoiler)]
I loved the fast pace, as always and the wonderful characters both to love and to hate. Pip’s relationship with Ravi is absolute goals. (view spoiler)[ though I don’t see why she felt the need to cut everyone off until Max had been found guilty. However - it just made that little message from Ravi at the end even cuter (hide spoiler)]...more
“You are a realm breaker…you would crack this world apart and build an empire from its ruins.”
To anyone unsure about picking this up because of the “You are a realm breaker…you would crack this world apart and build an empire from its ruins.”
To anyone unsure about picking this up because of the Red Queen series (like I was). Don’t be! This is miles better and was honestly such a breath of fresh air ...more
This third instalment in the Senlin Ascends series is split into 3 sections following different characters o “Come the Hod King.”
Loving this series!
This third instalment in the Senlin Ascends series is split into 3 sections following different characters over the same timeline.
Senlin and his crew, along with the help of the Sphinx have landed in Pelphia, and Senlin is determined to find his estranged wife Marya. But does she want to be found?
Meanwhile Iren and Voleta have also been given a task, should Senlin’s not work. How far will Voleta go for a bit of danger and excitement?
Finally we have Edith and Byron - set the task of defending the ship at all costs whilst also trying to retrieve an item the Sphinx desperately wants. Has Edith put her trust in the wrong person? And just what are all the hods planning?
This book was just as jam packed with action and humour, I was fully invested in the characters and their adventures.
Now I have to wait until November for book 4 ...more
“There was one particular tree...with branches that curled like sharp claws looking for skin to scrape. All the townsfolk had avoided that tree, for “There was one particular tree...with branches that curled like sharp claws looking for skin to scrape. All the townsfolk had avoided that tree, for it wasn’t right that a tree seemed to whisper and stare and reach out when a person passed by.”
There is something very wrong in this town.
Lauren has grown up in Smiths Hollow, spending most of her childhood in the woods with her best friend Miranda. Their meeting place ‘the old ghost tree.’
Even after her father is found dead, with his heart ripped out, she still feels most at home in the woods. But she can’t shake this feeling of deja vu - that something like this has happened before?
Smiths Hollow is full of dark secrets, long buried and hidden away. It isn’t long before those secrets are discovered and monsters are unleashed, both human and not.
I don’t want to give away too much because of spoilers but if you like curses, supernatural powers and monsters that go bump in the night then this is for you!
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Just collected this bad boy from Waterstones. I’m so excited!!
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I don’t usually do horror but I love Christina Henry so I will expand my horizons!...more
“You tried to kill me. You could not. I know your power. I know your pride. And I have seen how you will fall...And if we fall, others will take our “You tried to kill me. You could not. I know your power. I know your pride. And I have seen how you will fall...And if we fall, others will take our place, because we are the tide. And we are rising.”
Goryhell and Bloodydamn!
This series has knocked about 10 years off my life I swear!
There isn’t really much I can say here. I was constantly shocked by the characters switching loyalties and plot twists.
The number of people being killed off had me on the edge of my seat.
This trilogy has a good ending but I am looking forward to starting the next series for more drama.
“We’re it, boyo. Broken and cracked and stupid as we are, we’re the light, and we’re spreading.” ...more
“It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing to be forgotten.”
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! Adeline LaRue makes a deal “It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing to be forgotten.”
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to! Adeline LaRue makes a deal with the darkness in order to escape an arranged marriage. But she doesn’t get what she thinks.
She is cursed to be forgotten. She can meet people, but if they turn away from her for more than 5 minutes they immediately forget ever meeting her.
She struggles through for hundreds of years from the small French village she grew up in, all the way to New York City. Making do with what she can.
Then one day she meets Henry Strauss. And he remembers her.
I thought it would be too romancy for me but I was swept away in this tale. There isn’t a huge amount of plot, it isn’t the most exciting or gripping, but the writing is beautiful. It tells of the difficulty in being human, what defines a human and how far we will go in order to get what we want most.
4 stars ⭐️
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I ordered this book from the library but it hadn’t arrived in my reservations yet.
I checked the system which said it was currently on the shelf in the library.
So when I went to collect my current reservations I asked if they could get it off the shelf for me.
Unfortunately they couldn’t find it. Someone must have mishelved it and it could be anywhere in the library.
Disheartened I left with my other reads only to get a phone call from the librarian to say they’ve found it!
I won’t be able to get to the library until next week but I’m excited to know this one will be waiting for me!...more
This was an absolute mission to complete but I finally got there.
“To search and seek among the outer bounds, and when we land upon a distant shore, This was an absolute mission to complete but I finally got there.
“To search and seek among the outer bounds, and when we land upon a distant shore, to seek another yet farther still.”
Sci fi is always a mixed bag for me. Sometimes I think it’s great like the Wayfarers or Red Rising series, other times it’s just weird. Too weird even for me.
I picked this mainly because I loved the Eragon series and Christopher Paolini’s world building can’t be faulted.
I liked a lot of the characters, how the team were like a family. The whole ‘suit thing’ with Kira went over my head for a lot of it and that is basically the main plot point so that’s a bit awkward.
It probably didn’t need to be this long. The world and the lore is highly intricate, so sometimes it was less enjoyable and more of a chore. I will say I’m glad I read it but I don’t think I’d read it again.
“Unknown, content to face my end and pass, beyond this mortal realm, content to hold, and wait and here to sleep - to sleep in a sea of stars.”
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Honestly the fact that this book is arriving on Thursday is the only thing getting me through this week. ...more
“You are a terrible person.” The Thunderhead said. “You are a wonderful person.” “Well which is it?” And the response, as faint as faint could be, ca “You are a terrible person.” The Thunderhead said. “You are a wonderful person.” “Well which is it?” And the response, as faint as faint could be, came back to him - not as an answer, but as another question. “Why can’t you see that the answer is both.”
What a wonderful conclusion!
I’ll admit at first I wasn’t sure about the introduction of all these other characters in the final book. It seemed at times almost like I was reading an entirely different book to Scythe and Thunderhead.
But as everything began to link together and we have the epic conclusion with all the characters I loved it!
I loved watching everything come together - Goddard and his New Order Scythe’s are slowly destroying civilisation with their violent gleanings. The tonist’s have themselves a prophet known as The Toll but who is it? Meanwhile Citra/Anastasia and Rowan (as per the end of book 2) (view spoiler)[ have been revived 3 years after the sinking of Endura to find that Goddard has made himself Overblade of Midmerica which isn’t a thing and that Rowan is being blamed for the entire Endura disaster. (hide spoiler)]
It’s all madness and craziness and I was absolutely there for it! The ending was just the kind I was hoping for. (view spoiler)[ after Faraday and Munira pull the fail safe made by the founding Scythe’s in case of emergency. All Scythe rings explode and they are no longer required. A release of 10 different earthly illnesses every 20 years keeps the population culled. Meanwhile spaceships have been built to try and create human life in space. Rowan and Citra decide to go together. (hide spoiler)]...more
All hail Garth Nix and the incredible fantasy worlds he builds!
I’ve mulled this over. Fuck it I loved it so I’m upping my rating from 4 to 5 stars ⭐️
IAll hail Garth Nix and the incredible fantasy worlds he builds!
I’ve mulled this over. Fuck it I loved it so I’m upping my rating from 4 to 5 stars ⭐️
I had high hopes for this one because I loved the Old Kingdom series so much. Although this one is adult fantasy rather than YA and the premises couldn’t be more different Garth Nix just has a way of storytelling and getting me invested in characters that few authors do.
The city of Ystara was destroyed long ago and its people fled if not killed. No one is entirely sure of what caused the destruction - whether the people are cursed, and if so why. All those who fled Ystara are known as ‘refusers’. Where the rest of the kingdom use icons and are able to call on angels and use their magic anyone who uses angelic magic near a refuser will either give them a terrible blood ash plague or turn them into a ‘beastling.’
Meanwhile we have 4 main characters, all different but all connected in some way. Quick tangent - found family!! I love that trope ...more
“Pragmatic. Heartless. That’s how you survive in this place. It’s how I’ve survived everything.”
What a faThis was so good! Cannot wait for Book 3!!!
“Pragmatic. Heartless. That’s how you survive in this place. It’s how I’ve survived everything.”
What a fantastic sequel! A fantasy full of magic and political intrigue with long held grudges and feuds all coming to a head.
3 POVs. Nahri, Ali and Dara - I didn’t love Dara’s chapters all that much, but I understood they were crucial to the plot.
Nahri is married to Muntadhir and hating life. Meanwhile Ali’s father runs the show like a dictator controlling everyone and everything.
At the same time, ancient enemies are planning an attack on Daevabad and suddenly everyone’s lives are at risk.
There is war and violence, hatred between brothers. This book has pretty much everything you’d need in an epic fantasy novel. If you’ve not picked up this series yet then make sure you do!!...more
“The rumours are true?” Gallo smiled mildly. The urgency that moved through him sometimes was gone again, and instead he was left with the steady thi “The rumours are true?” Gallo smiled mildly. The urgency that moved through him sometimes was gone again, and instead he was left with the steady thickening of his own blood. “Yes, all the rumours,” he said lightly “and all the nightmares.”
What a pleasant surprise this was! Don’t be fooled by the cutesey front cover – this fantasy has a dark side and I was absolutely hooked.
Mages, magic, sword play, pirates and dragons! What’s not to love?
Wydrin, aka The Copper Cat and her partner in crime Sebastian, an exiled Innsmouth knight work as sell swords. They provide their services to anyone needing protection on adventures, and they’ve been through many dangerous circumstances and travels together.
When they are hired by the mysterious Lord Frith to assist him in breaking into an ancient Citadel, Wydrin thinks they are in for a grand adventure. But they would never predict the drama and magic that is unleashed when they enter the Citadel and what follows after.
I won’t give too much away, but be certain that you are in for a truly wild ride, with demons, curses, magical creatures and lots of wine. There are battles for good and evil, where the lines aren’t always clear, strong friendships that outlast even death and just the tiniest hint of romance (which tbf is more than enough for me haha).
If you like heroic fantasy then I truly urge you to pick this one up – you won’t be disappointed.
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Why doesn’t this have more hype? Fantasy fans - stop sleeping on this book! It is so good!!!...more
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