Review - Exodus by Paul Anthony Jones

Paperback: 302 pages
Publisher: 47North
Publication date: 11 June 2013
ISBN13: 9781477805060

First Line - "Commander Fiona Mulligan had made a habit out of watching the sunrise"

Reporter Emily Baxter survived the alien red rain that blanketed and annihilated the human race. But after the downpour, and the lethal contagion it spread, came an even greater horror: the rampant transformation of the dead into something utterly unearthly.

With a terrifying new form of life emerging from the mutated landscape, Emily’s only hope is to flee toward distant Alaska where she can unite with the survivors who have reached out to her from a remote science facility. The journey from New York will be long and painstaking, and Emily has only her faithful dog and whatever she can carry. But, after discovering a small family of refugees along the way, Emily’s determination to escape the unfolding catastrophe and carve out a new future is renewed. Standing in their way are Earth’s new masters, equally determined to survive and thrive, and possessed of monstrous capabilities Emily and her allies can’t begin to imagine…until they’re face to face with the hideous reality.

In the battle about to begin, there will be no room for mistakes or mercy—only the most ruthless instincts to survive.

This is the second book in the Extinction Point series and I read both this one and the first one back to back. It's easy to get into and I really like the story but I was a bit apprehensive about starting this as I wasn't a big fan of Emily in the first book, which is unfortunate as Emily has been pretty much the only character for most of it up to this point. By the end of this though she was starting to grow on me...a little. She still frustrates me but if she continues to grow as a character then we might get along better in later books. The story- I like very much. Emily - Not so much.

This part of the series felt more 'road-trip' than 'alien apocalypse' if I'm honest, but I was relieved that at least Emily's bike wasn't such a feature on that road trip. It was ridiculous that she wanted to to travel from New York to Alaska (approx 4000 miles) on a bicycle as the world around her was being overrun with aliens so I'm eternally grateful that that frustration is out of the picture. The fact that she's 30 (I think) and was living in New York and working as a journalist on the New York Tribune points to her being a fairly intelligent and able woman but yet she has no idea how to even start an automatic car (far less drive one), it's just too unbelievable. She maybe never learned to drive but surely she's been IN cars and/or taxi's and saw how others got them started? I'm not buying it. It was just one of the many, many things about Emily that agitated me. Things like that just didn't make any sense and felt like poor plot devices.

Despite all that though I'm still looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series as they become available, I'm just hoping Emily and I can connect a bit better than we have so far.

I received an ARC of this book for review purposes. Opinions are my own.

Book Review - Brilliance by Marcus Sakey

Paperback: 418 pages
Publisher: 47North
Publication date: 23 July 2013
ISBN13: 97816121836408

First Line - "The radio host had said there was a war coming, said it like he was looking forward to it, and Cooper, coatless and chilly in the desert evening, was thinking that the radio man was an asshole."

In Wyoming, a little girl reads people's darkest secrets by the way they fold their arms. In New York, a man sensing patterns in the stock market racks up $300 billion. In Chicago, a woman can go invisible by being where no one is looking. They're called "brilliants" and since 1980, one percent of people have been born this way. Nick Cooper is among them; a federal agent, Cooper has gifts rendering him exceptional at hunting terrorists. His latest target may be the most dangerous man alive, a brilliant drenched in blood and intent on provoking civil war. But to catch him, Cooper will have to violate everything he believes in - and betray his own kind.

This would make a great film! Which is handy since the film rights have just been sold to Legendary Pictures (Dark Knight series, Inception).

It's wasn't the book I thought it was going to be though. The blurb focuses on tiny bits of the story and based on that I thought I knew what I was getting into. Some of the people in the story are 'gifted's', 'brilliant's', 'abnorms'...whatever, and those are the people I wanted to read about, the one's with the 'special talents'. I wanted their stories. I did get a bit of that but mostly it's a tense, action filled, political thriller. I think. Kind of. It's a bit hard to pigeon hole, actually. There's lots of action, a bit of political and it's thrilling - But the characters were where I wanted all the attention focused.

However, the story is well written and kept me turning pages. There's espionage, romance, family drama, races against time, suspense...it's all there and worth a read. I think this may be the first book in a trilogy(?) but I'm not sure where I read that. I hope it's true. Maybe in follow on books I'll get to find out more about the characters and all of their wonderful talents.

Can't wait for the film!

I received an ARC of this book for review purposes. Opinions are my own.

Book Review - Red Moon by Benjamin Percy

Hardback: 344 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 9 May 2013
ISBN13: 9781444724998

First Line - "He cannot sleep."

Every teenage girl thinks she's different. When government agents kick down Claire Forrester's front door and murder her parents, Claire realises just how different she is.

Patrick Gamble was nothing special until the day he got on a plane and, hours later, stepped off it, the only passenger left alive. A hero.

President Chase Williams has vowed to eradicate the menace. Unknown to the electorate, however, he is becoming the very thing he has sworn to destroy.

Each of them is caught up in a war that so far has been controlled with laws and violence and drugs. But an uprising is about to leave them damaged, lost, and tied to one another for ever.

The night of the red moon is coming, when an unrecognizable world will emerge, and the battle for humanity will begin.

I was very excited about this one when I was sent a lovely big hardback to review. Everthing I'd read about it suggested a werewolf apocalypse and I was all over it. It took a long time to get into though as the writing style is not something I enjoyed in the beginning. It's very strange. I eventually stopped noticing it (as much) and made my peace with it but now that I'm finished I'm not sure what to think overall. It's well written and it's interesting and it does have werewolves (lycans) in it but I didn't really get the apocalypse that I was looking forward to so I'm a bit disappointed.

I've seen this compared to The Twelve by Justin Cronin and that should have rung warning bells for me as I struggled to get through that one too.

The Red Moon of the title only made one appearance on page 400-ish and the end of the world it heralded didn't really happen. At least, not in a way that conforms to my idea of 'end of the world'.

'Political Allegory' are words that seem to be bandied about in the reviews I've seen here and other sites and that's probably closest to what this is all about, it just has some of the cast stricken with the lycan virus. I'm not big on 'Political' so maybe that's why I didn't like it more. I'm not sure...

I'm sure a lot of readers will rave about this but unfortunately I'm not one of them.

Book Review - Stardust by Carla Stewart

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: FaithWords
Publication date: June 7 2013
ISBN13: 9781455504282

First Line - "My marriage to O’Dell Peyton was already over when he washed up on the shores of Zion."

Shortly after burying her unfaithful husband, Georgia Peyton unexpectedly inherits the derelict Stardust motel from a distant relative. Despite doubts from the community and the aunt who raised her, she is determined to breathe new life into it. But the guests who arrive aren't what Georgia expects: Her gin-loving mother-in-law; her dead husband's mistress; an attractive but down-on-his-luck drifter who's tired of the endless road; and an aging Vaudeville entertainer with a disturbing link to Georgia's past.

Can Georgia find the courage to forgive those who've betrayed her, the grace to shelter those who need her, and the moxy to face the future? And will her dream of a new life under the flickering neon of the STARDUST ever come true?

1950's Texas Motel near the Bayou. Such a sweet read. Since finishing this I've found out it's classed as a 'Christian' read, if I'd known that before starting I might have been a bit leery of it. I've got beliefs but I'm not religious and I try to steer clear of anything that might be a bit preachy. That kind of stuff just rubs me up the wrong way. I didn't get preachy with this book though, I just got a lovely, sweet story.

The narrator Georgia is a recent widow and she hasn't had an easy life, she was abandoned as a child, married young to a womaniser and is now in sole charge of two young daughters and has inherited a run-down motel complex. Add to that the polio epidemic, her late husband's mistress and her children, a difficult mother in law, a little romance and money worries and it all makes for a really interesting story. It touches slightly on racial prejudices but as with everything in this book it's handled in a way that is touching and heartwarming.

I really liked this story and I might overlook the 'Christian' tag from now on as this is a great ambassador for the genre. Georgia is such a lovely person and I really enjoyed reading about her. The ending wasn't brilliant and there were a couple of things I would have liked more closure for but overall it was a good read.

Book Review - Outbreak: The Zombie Apocalypse by Craig Jones

Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication date: Sept 17 2012
ISBN13: 9781479335220

First Line - "The public didn't take what was going on seriously until the Government cancelled football matches and they stopped filming Eastenders."

With no warning, a Zombie epidemic sweeps across modern Great Britain causing the victims to attack and feed on their friends, family and neighbours. In a small village in South Wales, two brothers, protected because of privilege and wealth, are forced to offer help and assistance and to make choices that will change their lives forever.

Epic, and I loved it!!! Apart from the last 2 pages which I hated!

Firstly, it should be noted that I'm not usually a massive fan of first person narrative. Second point worthy of notice is that I was halfway through this book before I even realised that it's written in first person narrative.

It's just that good!

At first it's a traditional zombie story...Nobody suspects anything in the beginning - then weird stuff is reported on the News - people start sitting up and taking notice - the shit hits the fan and everyone tries to survive and avoid being chomped on. We zombie fan's know the drill. At this stage the zombies are also traditional. Slow, lumbering, not very bright, driven by instinct - that sort of thing. We've all seen it before countless times but there are enough little differences to keep it interesting up to this point.

Then the pace changes and I wasn't very sure where it was going. It slowed right down, and had a definite 'Shaun of the Dead' feel to it and although I liked that section quite a bit as it progressed I had doubt's. I still had a good two thirds of the book to go and I was getting a bit worried that it would all just drag on and on and fizzle to a close.

Wrong!

Under different circumstances the twist that kicked off the third and final section could be viewed as a 'comedic episode', complete with Benny Hill chase music. The reality of it all was anything but funny though. Ramped-up crazies the likes of which would make the 28 Days Later zombies wet their pants. Made of awesome!

I loved it. Loved. It.

Apart from one little thing...The last two pages. They had a definite 'Omega Man' feel to them and just slapped all the love out of me. Well, maybe two pages worth of love was slapped out of me, if I'm honest. But they did bug me.

I'll be thinking of this one for quite a while. It's my favourite book of 2013 so far and has made it on to my 'favourite' shelf on Goodreads. The paperback I bought has quite a few typo's and error's that the proof reader(s) missed and that gets on my nerves but I can't fault the content. It's a winner!! :D

I'd definitely recommend this to any and all zombie fans! Go get it now, run like the wind. Read it!

...and there better be a sequel to this!

Book Review - The Complaints by Ian Rankin

Paperback: 452 pages
Publisher: Orion
Publication date: August 5 2010
ISBN13: 9781409103479

First Line - "There was a smattering of applause as Malcolm Fox entered the room."

Nobody likes The Complaints - they're the cops who investigate other cops. Complaints and Conduct Department, to give them their full title, but known colloquially as 'the Dark Side', or simply 'The Complaints'. Malcolm Fox works for The Complaints. He's just had a result, and should be feeling good about himself. But he's middle-aged, sour and unwell. He also has a father in a care home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship.

In the midst of an aggressive Edinburgh winter, the reluctant Fox is given a new task. There's a cop called Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. Problem is, no one can prove it. But as Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks. This knowledge will prove dangerous, especially when murder intervenes.

Well now, a new genre for me. This is my first proper foray into this genre and I'm unfamiliar with everything that goes with it. Crime/mystery/thriller...police procedure, I'm not sure yet what it's best known as but I like it. From a bit of digging online I've found that the buzz word for this particular branch of the genre is 'Tartan Noir', which roughly translated means it's police procedure thriller set in Scotland...and I think they're all written by Scots too. Anyway, it's looking good.

I picked up this one because I actually want to read the second book in this series (The Impossible Dead) so had to get to this one first. That second book caught my eye as it's set in a town that I'm intimately familiar with and Malcolm Fox (the lead character) is based in the Lothian and Borders (Edinburgh) police force.

So, the story - I thought it was great! I raced though it and even before I got half way through I knew this was going to be the start of a new obsession. I loved the tension and how all the little loose ends were drawn together and it was like watching a police drama unfold on tv. I could see each of the characters clearly in my head, I could hear the voices and the dialogue, the setting...loved it all.

There's no Hollywood treatment here, it's ground level Scottish policing and it's really well done. I have a friend on the same police force and I could see him fitting in with these guys without any difficulty.

I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship between Tartan Noir and I :D

Book Review - Dawn of the Dead by George Ramero

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sphere
Publication date: May 10 2012
ISBN13: 9780751549157

First Line - "Sleep did not come easily to Francine Parker."

When there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth.

The world is being devastated by zombies. No one knows how far they have spread, or how to stop them. And as the living fight to save themselves, society collapses.

Four people escape the chaos of downtown Philadelphia and find shelter in a shopping mall. As the survivors exhaust their greed and the undead scrape at the doors, the refuge becomes a prison.

And soon there will be nowhere left to hide . . .

My first finish of 2013! Hope it's the first of many :)

If you've seen Dawn of the Dead in movie form then you won't be getting anything new by reading the book - but you will be losing the cheesiness and most of the lameness.

Usually when a book spawn's a movie, 9 times out of 10 the book is better. This time I have to say that even though they're virtually scene for scene exactly the same, the book is still better.

I never really got with the program on the Dawn of the Dead cult movie fandom. The acting was lame and the zombie's were hysterical and overall it just had a really, really bad 'B' movie feel to it. I know, I know...that's what makes it cult...I just didn't buy into it. The book wasn't that bad though, all things considered.

The characters don't seem so cardboard and the zombies seem a 'tiny' bit more menacing, somehow, and I think that if this book was the first of it's kind (as the movie was) then this would be great, but it's not the first and it's far from the best. The characters get a bit of an upgrade and have more of a 'zombie apocalypse survivor' feel to them. They're a bit more savvy and hardened to the situation and they're given a bit of backstory each, which makes them a little more fleshed out but you'd still recognise them from the film.

I don't know why I was hoping for a better ending this time, since I knew what was coming but still I hoped for a bit more closure this time around. I was left hoping...

If you've seen the film it's worth reading for the little bits of 'what's going on in their head' moments, and if you haven't seen the film then it's still worth reading as it's actually an OK zombie book. Consider it written at the same time as the film and you'll have an idea of what to expect. It's a 1970's zombie book. That's pretty much the size of it.

Book Review - Exit Kingdom by Alden Bell

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: November 8th 2012
ISBN13: 9780230766747

First Line - "And so the living persist, stubbornly, and the memories, and the crumbling road, and the stories."

In a world where the undead outnumber the living, Moses Todd roams the post-apocalyptic plains of America. His reprobate brother, Abraham - his only companion - has known little else. Together, they journey because they have to; because they have nowhere to go, and no one to answer to other than themselves.

Travelling the bloody wastelands of this ruined world, Moses is looking for a kernel of truth, and a reason to keep going. And a chance encounter presents him with the Vestal Amata, a beguiling and mysterious woman who may hold the key to salvation. But he is not the only one seeking the Vestal. For the Vestal has a gift: a gift that might help save what is left of humanity. And it may take everything he has to free her from the clutches of those who most desire her.

I loved 'The Reaper's are the Angels' so much, I thought it was wonderful. Great book! I was sad at the end though as it seemed to indicate that it was destined to be a stand-alone novel. It didn't seem to leave any openings for further books.

When I saw that there was to be a sequel I jumped on the order button and could not wait to get my hands on it!

This story is told by Moses Todd (from the first book) and he is now traveling with his adopted charge Maury who he inherited by default from Temple. Things seem to be much the same in the world as when we last saw it, the zombies are still out there and the people are still getting by as best they can.

Although this is a sequel it feels like a prequel at times due to the story being told from a mostly 'flashback' Point Of View. We learn Moses' history as he traveled the zombie infested lands with his brother Abraham, and at the same time we see the over-run world become a little more fleshed out in the telling. There are a lot of new characters to meet and their story's are mostly interesting but it just didn't move me the same way the first book did.

For two books set in the same world they seems so different.

It's not a terrible book....it's just not as likeable as the first one. It would take something quite epic to fill the gap left by Temple, I think, so it had a lot to live up to. It was an ok read but not one I'd go back to.

Book Review - Winter Wonderland by Belinda Jones

Paperback: 297 pages
Publisher: Hodder
Publication date: November 8th 2012
ISBN13: 9780340994467

First Line - "I'm lying on a bed of ice."

Imagine waking up in a snow globe. . .

That's how travel journalist Krista feels when she arrives in magical Quebec to report on Canada's glittering Winter Carnival.

Over ten sub-zero days Krista's formerly frozen heart begins to melt as she discovers an enchanting world of ice palaces, husky dog-sledding and maple-syrup treats galore. And then she meets Jacques, a man as handsome and rugged as he is mysterious. . .

The two share a secret that could bond them forever, but can they find a way to break through the protective layers around their hearts to warm up this winter wonderland?

. . . let the snow-spangled adventure begin

This was so fabulous!! I loved every second of it!

It's got a Travelogue feel to it and that's one of the pluses for me. Krista runs a travel itinerary website and visits the destinations so she can deliver a first class low-down for the prospective vacationers. She's been unlucky in love and is mending a broken heart so she wouldn't say no to the chance of a holiday romance to cheer her spirits, if it presents itself. On this trip she is visiting Quebec and throughout the book we get to go with her and see first hand all the 'must see/do' things that Quebec has to offer. We also get to tag along on her romantic endevours and misadventures and it's all just so wonderful.

I wasn't sure of the location accuracies while I was reading, but since finishing and Googling everything that was in the book I've found out that it's a all exactly as she tells it - The places, the food, the customs, the activities - it's all there! Bonhomme and the annual carnival sound like so much fun and the restaurants Krista visited sound so yummy. The people sound wonderful, the weather seems inviting and just everything about the book/place drew me in.

The story/romance side of the book was done to perfection too and had all the usual setbacks, misunderstandings and obstacles that comes with good chick-lit. It was funny, it was touching, it had a bit of mystery and it had just the right mix of will they/won't they to keep it interesting.

I just loved it all! It's a keeper and a favourite and I really wish there was a website called Va-Va-Vacation! to see all the wonderful photo's and reportage from Krista's trip! I spent a good couple of hours after finishing the book going over all the travel websites I could find, trying to find the best deal on a package trip to Quebec for next year. Seriously, as soon as I find the best deal I'm booking up!!! :D

Blog Tour Review & Giveaway - Stitch by Samantha Durante

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Paperback: 314 pages
Publisher: Samantha Durante
Publication date: Aug 1st 2012
ISBN13: 9780985804602

First Line - She woke to the sound of heavy boot steps marching down the hall and the familiar pang in her hip bones wrought from too many nights on a rigid metal cot.

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

OOh, this is a good one! I was lucky enough to be offered a place on the STITCH Blog tour and before I even read the synopsis I was interested...that cover...oh my it looks lovely, doesn't it? Drew me right in. Then I read the blurb and the second box was ticked, it sounded just like the kind of book that appeals to me. I'm in!

I purposely didn't read any reviews for it beforehand though so I had no clue what I was going to get. I went into it expecting Sci-fi because the cover looks a bit 'techy' and the blurb made me think Paranormal/Ghosty/Romance but what I actually got is so much more. Dystopian is the new buzz word right now and that's probably as good a genre as any to slot this into it's but it's not just a one trick pony. This pony has a trick up every sleeve! It's got so much going on in the pages.

It's like being on a Tilt-a-Whirl, one minute you're heading one way and seconds later you've got whiplash from a rapid change in direction and your head is left spinning. Sometimes that irritates me, the constant backwards/forwards/sideways thing and the accompanying POV changes but with STITCH it just sucked me in even more. Unless a POV change is really well done I tire of it easily because I'm attached to certain characters above others, (*whisper* Shhh, don't tell anyone but, - I sometimes....skim-read the bits with characters I don't like. AMG!! Did I say that out loud?!) but here I actually looked forward to the POV changes. I wanted to know what was going on in other people's heads, I wanted/needed to know how they were interpreting things. With this type of book I like to know how everyone is dealing with situations and it helps build the world too.

Through Alessa you realise early on that there's something a bit 'iffy' going on and I was constantly trying to piece together all the little clues alongside her. I'd think I'd got it in one chapter only to find I was way off course by the next. It's frustrating, but in a good way.

What I loved most about it all though, is the one thing I can't talk about. When everything was unravelled and things fell into place I was so excited! It's one of the plots I've always wanted to read about in a book. There's a film out there that uses a similar setting. The storyline's are nothing alike but the setting is one that just seems to appeal to me and sucks me in. I can't say more than that without spoiling the surprise and I hate to be cryptic but I'm afraid you'll just have to read it for yourself to find out what the twist is.

I'll absolutely be reading the next part in the trilogy when it's released and can't wait to see how it all unravels for Alessa and Isaac. I hope I make the cut for that blog tour too!

A blog tour participant list can be found here so check out those other awesome reviews if you get a chance!

As promised you can be in with a chance of winning STITCH in ebook form, just by entering the giveaway below. It's open internationally and the lucky winner will be notified by email. Prizes are sent directly from the author Samantha Durante who you can find at her website

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Book Review - The Collaborator by Margaret Leroy

Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Harlequin (UK)
Publication date: May 20th 2011
ISBN13: 9780778304593

First Line - "Once upon a time there were twelve princesses..."

A forbidden love...a private war. There's a sudden scatter of birds in the sky. I flinch. Little things seem violent to me. And in that moment my decision is made. It's 1940, Guernsey. Vivienne de la Mare waits nervously for the bombs to drop. Instead comes quiet surrender and insidious occupation. Nothing is safe anymore. Her husband is fighting on the frontline and the facade of being the perfect wife is cracking. Her new life is one where the enemy lives next door. Small acts of kindness from one Nazi soldier feel like a betrayal. But how can you hate your enemy when you know his name, when he makes you feel alive, when everything else is dying around you? Vivienne is fighting her own private war. On one side, the safe, secret, loving world she could build with her captain; on the other, virtuous loneliness and danger. It's time for Vivienne to choose: collaboration or resistance...Margaret Leroy explores a forbidden friendship in a frightening world. In the darkest hours in history, no choices are simple.

Nazi occupation on Guernsey during WWII. Doesn't really conjure up images of a lovely romance for me but I think this is considered Historical Romance. The only thing I found romantic about it was the language and the setting but I did enjoy it. While reading it the star rating swung from 4 to 2 to 4 and finally settled on 3 but then just at the last page jumped it back to 4 again, at the last second. I didn't like the ending particularly but I didn't see it coming so it got an extra star for the shock factor.

Vivienne, a soldier's wife, is living on Guernsey with her 2 daughters and her mother-in-law while her husband is away fighting for his country. When the German army come to occupy the island she learns to come to terms with restricted living. When a few Nazi soldiers commandeer her empty neighbour's house she's drawn to one of them in particular (Gunther), and so begins the 'romance'. Vivienne's marriage is an unhappy one and I get the impression that her marriage was over a long time before her husband left to fight but to be honest I still have no clue what she ever saw in Gunther. He didn't strike me as romance material but I think Viv was just miserably unhappy and lonely and whichever of the Nazi's had shown an interest in her would have had just as much chance to get with her.

I didn't feel that the romance was actually the focal point of the story for me. It was always there in the background but I was more interested in the Historical aspects. The Resistance from the Islanders, the Prisoners of War, the shortages and rationing...in general the results of the Occupation on the island. There were some really touching moments and some harrowing moments, as you'd expect from a war-time drama and all the characters were really well written and I really cared what happened to them.

I was frustrated with the ending though. I was all set to give it 3 stars overall and file it under 'a good read' but then I got to the end and I lost my footing. I'm still not sure how to deal with it. Not sure if I liked the ending, neither am I sure I disliked it. It took me by surprise and when I read it I wanted to know more and was annoyed that I'd never find out...then back pedalled and thought the shock ending was the right way to deal with it. Argh! I don't know. I'll just say it was a surprising end to a good book. Not sure if it was good or bad ending but it was surprising.

It's a nice gentle read, despite the war theme and the occupation and I'd maybe read more by this author.

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Review - This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: St Martin's Griffin
Publication date: July 9th 2012
ISBN13: 9780312656744

First Line - "Lily, I woke up and the last piece of my heart disappeared"

It's the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won't stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn't sound so bad. Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she's failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she's forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life and death inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?

I'm not really sure what to make of this one. It was a good read and it was well written but maybe I was expecting more zombies? Or explainations? Or a resoloution? I'm torn.

I really liked the story and couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to them all... but I didn't get closure. I'm not saying all endings have to always be neatly tied up but I just feel that there's too much has been left unsaid.

A handful of kids end up in a school, sheltering from the zombie hoards outside which roam their town relentlessly. Why are there zombies? I have no idea and I suspect the kids don't either but since they never ask each other those simple question's, "Why?", "Where?", "How?" I'm left wondering if maybe they do know, in which case - why don't I know too?

Sloane is the narrator and we get an insight into her life before the zombies came although I felt that I never really knew the whole story of what went on there either. It's frustrating. There's only one viewpoint really and I only found out what Sloane wanted me to know. Since Sloane herself was mostly fixated on her sister and her need to end it all I didn't get to know half of what I needed (wanted) to know. Enquiring minds need to know.

So, accepting that I didn't find out all that I wanted (needed), how was the story? It was good actually. Dark and sinister and creepy and scary and all the stuff you come to expect from a zombie book...just without many zombies. One or two popped up every now and then and they were the jacked up crazy kind but because I didn't see much of them they were more of a psychological fear than a physical fear. It was scary wondering where they where going to come from...if they were going to come...when they were going to come. Sometimes that's scarier than the actual event of them coming. It's the not knowing.

Anyway, it's a good story which is well told. Sloane's voice is right for the telling of it but I just wish she'd been a little more forthcoming with the stuff I needed to know...

I'd even be happier if I knew there was a follow on book which might fill in some of the details for me (there's not, is there?).

*Sigh* It's a hard one. Good story, well written I just wanted...I'm not sure what I wanted. More? Better? Fuller?

Review - Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Orion
Publication date: Oct 15th 2009
ISBN13: 9781409103233

First Line - "What would you do if you thought you were about to die?"

'What would I do without you, Lucy Brown?' he said, and kissed me softly. I held his face in my hands and kissed him back. I felt that life just couldn't get any more perfect. And I was right, it wouldn't. By the end of the next day, I'd be dead.

Lucy is about to marry the man of her dreams - kind, handsome, funny Dan - when she breaks her neck the night before their wedding. Unable to accept a lifetime's separation from her soulmate, Lucy decides to become a ghost rather than go to heaven and be parted from Dan. But it turns out things aren't quite as easy as that. When Lucy discovers that Limbo is a grotty student-style house in North London she's less than thrilled. Especially after meeting her new flatmates: grumpy, cider-swilling EMO-kid Claire; and Brian, a train-spotter with a Thomas the Tank Engine duvet and a big BO problem. But Lucy has a more major problem on her hands - if she wants to become a ghost and be with Dan she has to complete an almost impossible task.

How the hell does a girl like Lucy find a girlfriend for the dorkiest man in England? IT geek Archie's only passions are multi-player computer games and his Grandma. But Lucy only has twenty-one days to find him love. And when she discovers that her so-called friend Anna is determined to make a move on the heart-broken, vulnerable Dan, the pressure is really on...

My newly found love of chick lit has brought me to this one by Cally Taylor and I loved it so much! I think maybe I still have one foot in the 'Paranormal' camp though because I seem to be drawn to the one's that have something magical about them. This one has ghostly going's on and despite the fact that the leading lady dies within the first few pages it's really funny. I especially loved the other characters. Stinky Brian was my favourite I think. Bless. He's got a rug in his room that smells like boiled cabbage and a Thomas the Tank engine duvet cover. Loved him!

Anyway, as mentioned Tess dies (on the eve of her wedding) and is given a choice - go straight to heaven or go back down to earth and become a ghost so she can hang around her husband-to-be Dan. She chooses to become a ghost so needs to pass her 'task' first and she's got 21 days to do it in. She shares a grotty bedsit in London with a couple of other Wannabe ghosts who also have their own 'tasks' to complete and it's impossible to not get dragged in to their respective dilemma's and feel for them. The characters are so well written that I pictured them clearly in my mind and couldn't put the book down until I knew how their stories ended. I really felt like I knew them.

Trainspotter Brian has his work cut out for him with his task and has some fantastically funny moments trying to solve it. Damaged Claire's has attitude and has erected a shield of bitchiness around herself to mask how vulnerable she really is (I felt really sorry for her). The IT guys are suitably geeky and it's like watching an episode of 'The IT crowd' when they get going (the boss especailly reminds me of the IT crowd boss). Even the secondary characters are fleshed out and Sandwich Sally is like a little powerpuff girl - cuteness and sass all rolled into one. Love them all.

The only bit I wasn't overly fond of was the last chapter. I didn't care for how it ended. Really, given that this is chick lit it was the only way it could have ended but that doesn't mean I like it. The options were probably limited and another ending would have given a whole different feel to the book but I still wasn't keen on that last chapter.

That said though, I wish this was a series so that I could read more about other wannabe ghosts. I'd auto buy all the others if it was. I might even go back to this one for a re-read some time. I'd definitely LOVE to see this made into a movie!!

Book Review - Don't You Forget About Me by Alexandra Potter

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: July 19th 2012
ISBN13: 9781444712117

First Line - "What's on your mind?"

After a bad break up, doesn't every girl want the same things?

* For her ex-boyfriend to stay single forever...
* Or maybe emigrate, to a remote, uninhabited island?
* Better still, that she'd never met him in the first place!

But what if one of those wishes came true?

Tess is heartbroken when Seb breaks up with her and can't help blaming herself. If only she'd done things differently. If only she could make right all her regrets... But she can't. It's over. She has to forget about him. Drunk and upset on New Year's Eve she wishes she'd never met him.

But when she wakes up to discover this dream has come true, she realises she has a chance. To do it all over again. And to get it right this time...

First, a disclaimer: I'm a newcomer to Chick Lit. I read quite a bit but not in this genre so don't have a lot to judge this against.

That said, I thought this was a great read. My usual reads are urban/paranormal and come in black covers or apocalyptic fiction which have slavering zombies on the cover and as a rule anything with a pastel coloured covered doesn't even register when I'm scanning the shelves at the book shop or library. Lately though I'm getting burned out on the whole vampire/werewolf/demon thing and when I was offered a pastel covered book a while back I thought I'd give it a whirl to see what I was missing (that book was Out of the Blue by Belinda Jones) and I really enjoyed it so started checking out other pastel covers. I find that I really like the ones that have cartoony covers and that's what drew me to this one by Alexandra Potter. That, and the fact that Tesco's had it for under £4.

Anyhoo, the book... I liked it. I wasn't sure at the start and got a bit lost with the mechanics of the wish fulfillment but by the end I was hooked and couldn't wait to see how it all came together.

It's the story of Tess who has recently been dumped by her boyfriend and she's heartbroken. She makes a wish on New Year's Eve that she'd never met him so that she doesn't have to suffer the pain of losing him and her wish comes true! It's as if they didn't meet. However, it's everyone else who forgets she ever met him, Tess herself doesn't forget and when she's given a second chance to do it all again, with knowledge of all the mistakes from before she's thrilled.

I have watched my fair share of 'RomCom' in movie form and this book is just like watching one of those. (I think this would transfer really well onto film and I'd definitely pay to watch it). All through the book there are little clues dropped and loose ends and it's not until the very end that they all fit together and tie up and along the way there's plenty of laughs and misunderstandings.

I did guess the ending within the first 3 chapters but that didn't spoil anything for me, I just looked forward to it happening. There are a few other twists throughout and I guessed a couple of those too but it was still a great read. I liked that all the loose ends were tied up nicely.

Some of the characters were hateful and I loved how they were dealt with in the end, likewise I liked how the underdogs were treated too. I just liked it all around really. As a newbie I'm a fan of the genre so far :)

I hope all the pastel covers I read from now on are as good as this!

Book Review - Undead by Kirsty McKay

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Chicken House
Publication date: Sept 1st 2011
ISBN13: 9781906427870

First Line - "I would rather die than face them all again."

It was just another school trip... When their ski-coach pulls up at a cafe, and everyone else gets off, new girl Bobby and rebel Smitty stay behind. They hardly know each other but that changes when through the falling snow, the see the others coming back. Something has happened to them. Something bad...Soon only a pair of double doors stand between those on the bus and their ex-friends the Undead outside. Time to get a life.

Two words - Scotland. Zombies. I was all over it! Zombies on my home turf?! I'm in!

 What I didn't realise going into this was that it's probably what's known as a 'middle grade' read (I think) and that definitely had a bearing on how I was feeling towards the book before I figured it out. I had wrongly thought this was at least a YA so when the zombie's were few and far between and there was a general 'tameness' to it overall I was feeling unsatisfied. But then it clicked...it's for kids. Or is it? I think so...I'm conflicted...I'd say it's for roughly age 12+

Okay, so my uncertainties aside I'll be assuming this is for kids and that being the case I thought it was great! It's scary enough without being too scary. For the intented age group that is.

I don't like including synopsis in my reviews but just a quick overview would be - School bus trip to Aviemore, Scotland and a handful of teens are left to survive after making a rest stop at a cafe where almost everyone in the vicinity drop's dead and rises again as a zombie.

I loved the characters and they were really well written and believable. What really brought them to life for me was the dialogue. The dialogue was spot on and the intereaction of the mismatched band of survivors really worked. I had no problem 'hearing' their voices in my head as I was reading. The characters are stereotypes 101 but I loved them all anyway.

If you've ever watched 'The Breakfast Club' there's a line at the start that goes, "We're a princess, a jock, a brain, a basket case..." or something like that and Undead's characters reminded me of those. They're all so different but they're thrown together in something that none of them asked for or wanted and they're getting along and getting though it as best they can.

Considering it's a zombie book it's actually quite a funny book too. It's not a joke a minute type thing but the characters can find humour even in terror. For example they give names to the zombies (booby woman springs to mind, ha!) and there is lots of observational humour and wise-assery scattered about too. I like that.

The only downside I found was that I wasn't overly fond of the ending. It felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book and left me wonedering what just happened but I 'think' there's another book to follow so I'll be checking that out and looking forward to continuing the story, and maybe getting some more answers to the questions I have about the ending.

I'm not the target audience but I do love a zombie book and this one is still a 4 star for me, regardless of whether or not I'm in the correct age bracket for it.

Book Review - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Century
Publication date: August 18th 2011
ISBN13: 9781846059377

First Line - "Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest."

It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that the riddles are based in the culture of the late twentieth century. And then Wade stumbles onto the key to the first puzzle.

Suddenly, he finds himself pitted against thousands of competitors in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize, a chase that soon takes on terrifying real-world dimensions - and that will leave both Wade and his world profoundly changed.

Back in the day I was a bit of a girl gamer. A 'tiny' bit. Ok, quite a lot actually but it was the 80's and I was a teen and geeks were cool back then and Summer lasted 10 months of the year...ok, some of that was probably made up but the rest is true.

As soon as I saw that Ready Player one was about game geeks with strong links to the 1980's I was all over it and from start to finish I couldn't put it down. It's fantastic. I don't know if it's because the 80's are my era and games are in my blood and but I suspect it would be just as epic a read for anyone who doesn't share my history. It's just fantastic. The story telling is spot on and there are so many twists and turns that it's hard to put down.

The 80's references are everywhere, since the whole idea of the contest in the book focuses on the 80's but the author has either done his homework very well or was in fact a geek boi himself. I'm guessing it's the latter and he probably still is. I'm still a big game geek at heart too. I'm a high 100+ lvl warrior on a popular MMORPG which I've played for almost 6 years now and not ashamed to admit it...well, not here anyway :D

Although it's set in the future the story took me right back. The music references were like a trip down memory lane and the author has kindly compiled a mix tape for listening to alongside the book. Epic soundtrack!

Apart from all of that, I really, really liked the hero Parzival and cared about what happened to him. Total geek but that's the point of the book - they're all geeks. Even the non-geeks are geeks. Everyone plugs into the virtual reality known as the Oasis, it's the norm for just about everyone on the planet. Even Parzival's elderly neighbour plugs in for hours and hours on end so she can sit in the pews of her virtual church and sing hymns and listen to sermons. Business meetings take place in the Oasis where attendee's don't even leave thier own office/home if they don't want to, they just sign in to the Oasis, put on their virtual reality goggles and gloves and thier avatars do their business dealings in the comfort of virtual rooms/workplaces, with collegues who live on the other side of the planet. Kids don't go to school much, they just plug into the VR school's in the Oasis. Everything is done via the Oasis, even the very poor homeless people have access to free VR goggles and gloves so that they can hook up via free wireless and imerse themselves in a reality that's favourable to thier own. There's nothing that can't be done on the Oasis and nowhere that can't be visited.

I barely know where to start with this one. It's really hard to say much about it without ruining the plot. And the good bits that aren't about the plot are just too many to single out one or two to write about. It's all good. It's just...really, really good and I'd recommend it. It brought back to mind lots of things from my youth that I thought I'd forgotten and for that I'm grateful. Plus, I got a fantastic story to immerse myself in so all-in-all it was moeny well spent.

Ah, the 80's. It's like I never left :D

Back then we lived in a house by the beach and there was a permanant Carny just 10 minutes walk from us on the beachfront. Arcade games aplenty! Nothing could beat the thrill of seeing your own three initials on the scoreboard and achievments like that took a LOT of practice (and a lot of cash.) We spent a LOT of time huddled round those machines. Boys really seemed to sit up and take notice of you when you kick their butt and replace their initials with your own...

Happy days.

Oh, and one of my favourite games at the time, that I played in the privacy of my own room on my ZX Spectrum was....'My name is Uncle Groucho, you win a fat cigar'. Seriously. Catchy game name, huh?!



Don't laugh, the game's designer Mel Croucher went on to be better known for his later works Deus Ex Machina so he got a bit better with the game titles - and the gameplay.

Geek out!

Book Review - The Reapers are the angels by Alden Bell

Hardback: 302 pages
Publisher: Tor
Publication date: September 3rd 2010
ISBN13: 9780230748644

First Line - "God is a Slick God."

God is a slick god. Temple knows. She knows because of all the crackerjack miracles still to be seen on this ruined globe...Older than her years and completely alone, Temple is just trying to live one day at a time in a post-apocalyptic world, where the undead roam endlessly, and the remnant of mankind who have survived, at times, seem to retain little humanity themselves. This is the world she was born into. Temple has known nothing else. Her journey takes her to far-flung places, to people struggling to maintain some semblance of civilization - and to those who have created a new world order for themselves. When she comes across the helpless Maury, she attempts to set one thing right, if she can just get him back to his family in Texas then maybe it will bring redemption for some of the terrible things she's done in her past. Because Temple has had to fight to survive, has done things that she's not proud of and, along the road, she's made enemies. Now one vengeful man is determined that, in a world gone mad, killing her is the one thing that makes sense.

I have a love hate relationship with zombies. On the one hand I hate them because they scare the bejeesus out of me. On the other hand though, I love them because as soon as the zombies arrive I'm 99% guaranteed that the story takes a turn towards one of my most favourite genres. Apocalyptic. I LOVE end of the world scenario's!

It's catch 22. I WANT to read about the fall of civilisation but I'm not so keen on the resulting nightmare's which usually involve me fending of a pack of stinky dead guys who are keen to disembowel me and are smacking their lips at the prospect. I'm usually a bit wary of starting a zombie book. However, I'd read a lot of reviews for The Reapers are the Angels that mentioned that the zombies were not the focus of this book so I gamely gave it a whirl.

Soooo glad I managed to man-up! LOVED it! So much!

It's true, it's not about the zombies. They're there, and they're just as stinky and dead as you'd imagine but I felt 'safe' walking amongst them because I had Temple with me. Temple is so amazing. From now on in my nightmare's I'm going to take Temple with me. Temple has fear of nothing and/or nobody and despite being just a little girl, a teen, she's one of the most kick-ass heroine's I've read about in a long time.

She hasn't known any other way of life as she was born after the dead started rising and has been pretty much alone her whole life. We're told that she spent some of her early life in an orphanage and that she's had a few companions on her journey through the wasteland but when we meet her she is on her own. Having Temple as a guide made me just relax and enjoy the ride. She's Street-Smart and infinitely capable. She takes everything in her stride, doesn't freak out and above all get's the job done. Always. In a way she's even more deadly than the zombie's.

Along the way she meets two men who are to become central to her story. Maury is a grown man with the mental age of a very young child and Temple takes him under her wing and looks after him (initially unwillingly), and their relationship is very touching. Moses is an older, male version of Temple herself and their relaionship is based on friction but there's some grudging respect there too.

I'll be honest, I thought I was going to hate this book for the simple reason that within the first 2 pages I spotted my pet hate in written text. THE WORST TEXT CRIME. The word 'of' instead of 'have' - "I should of known that was wrong" instead of "I should have known that was wrong". I kept going though and quickly realised that it's mostly told from Temple's point of view and is written exactly as if spoken, text crimes and all. Having said that though, the story was so good and I was so engrossed in it that I was halfway through before I noticed there's nothing to indicate speech. Sound's crazy but I honestly didn't even notice that to begin with and when it suddenly dawned on me I didn't even miss a beat. It's weird but I didn't have a problem with it...which in itself is weird because that sort of thing usually rubs me up TOTALLY the wrong way.

Anyhoo, it's a fantastic story and I really, really wish it could be the first in a series. I know that's not possible though, due to the ending and I'm quite sad about that. I'd happily have read more of Temple's adventures.

I'd recommend this as a great read if you're into zombie apocalype, road-trip type books. I really, really liked it.

***I'm very pleaseed to count this as my first book read as part of my 2012 TBR Challenge ***

Book Review - Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Amanda Hocking
Publication date: 6 Oct 2010
ISBN13: 9781453860953

First Line - "This is the way the world ends - not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

Had I known that this book was about a zombie apocalypse I'd have been all over it a LONG time ago. How could I not know that?! I thought it was the usual YA fare and admit that the cover had a lot to do with that. That's a lovely cover and not a hint of zombie about it. It seems it's true what they say about covers, and judging... I'm not sure how long I've had this one but it seems like an age. I wish I'd gotten to it sooner. The only reason I looked at it when I did was because I just read an article on the Daily Mail about Amanda Hocking. I recognised the name and thought, "Hmmm, I've got one of her's here somewhere I think". The rest is history. Read it - Loved it!

It's a very satisfying story and right from the very first line the reader is hauled slap-bang into the thick of it. These zombies are not the slow, lumbering moaners from the usual zom-fests, these zombies are jacked up crazies and can pick up a bit of speed. All the action scenes are pretty frantic.

I felt I really connected with Remy, the main character and liked her a lot. Some of the other character's didn't impress me as much (ie, Blue - although it's a cute name) but I still liked them. Really liked Ripley too, if you can call a lion a character? Yeah, a lion! A very cool lion, actually.

There's a tiny bit of romance and sexual chemistry but I do mean 'tiny'. That's not the main focus of the story though so it makes a nice change from the usual YA boy/girl storylines.

There are some creepy character's in here too and I thought they were dealt with really well. Not TOO creepy for the YA market but 'just' creepy enough to make this adult shudder.

I loved the dialogue, it always felt so natural and suited each character perfectly. Amanda Hocking does character interaction very well, I thought.

I can't believe no publisher wanted this one! It's great. Judging by the money she's making from self publishing I'd say I'm not the only one that thinks that way. In the words of Kevin Costner..."Build it and they will come".

Now for the good news..If you're in the UK you can download this for your kindle for FREE! Amanda is offering a kindle copy of Hollowland for nada, zilch and gratis and I'd advise you to run like the wind to go get it...it's really good!

Book 2 in the trilogy, 'Hollowmen' is already out and I'll definitely be reading it to see what lies in store for Remy!

Book lending. To do or not to do, that is the question.

A post over at Book Chick City struck a chord with me earlier. The question is a simple one. "Do you lend books?" The answer dredges up an examination of my relationship with books (and my mother).

Me? I don't lend books. But, I do give books.

I've got quirks when it comes to books that have been bought or recieved as 'new'. Although, they don't seem quirky to me. To me they seem normal. I've got different levels of 'normal', depending on the state of the book when it reaches me but overall my reading style appears unnatural compared to those around me. My nerves couldn't handle it if I lent books to anyone who didn't have the same quirks. Trouble is, those people are few and far between in my circles. They're non-exixtent in my circles to be honest, so it's just toruture to lend with the expectaion to get them back in the same state as they left me.

I just plain give my books now, once I've read them. I never expect to see them again once they leave me.

My mum mostly gets them. She's a book criminal. Folded pages, spines cracked so she can lay them opened and face down to keep her place, pages used to write telephone numbers on while she's on the phone (it's not unheard of for her to write the tel number on the cover, either), left lying in the conservatory on a scorching summer day so that the cover bleaches and the plastic peels a little ...you name it, she does it.

She loves to read though so I keep my lip buttoned. Besides, it would just give her one more reason to rip into my character flaw's if I mentioned how I felt about what she was doing to my books so I just gift them, call them hers and move on. She thinks I'm a book weirdo. She is quite judgemental of things/people that are alien to 'her way' so my book idiosyncrasies are best kept to myself for the most part. Don't want to give her any more ammuniton than she already has.

I'll give her a book I've finished and she'll say "Did you not read this one, it looks brand new?..."

Yeah, mum, seeing a pattern here?

So now I just give. It's her's as soon as it leaves my hands. It's hers to read, enjoy and mangle.

I have a few book's that I wouldn't dream of letting out of my sight and for those sacred books I usually buy another copy and give that out instead.

Then there are the books that come to me in less than pristine condition. Sometimes from friends but mostly from the UK swap site READ IT SWAP IT. Those I just read, enjoy and pass on. Sometimes to friends or family but mostly back into the system on RISI. They don't leave me in any worse shape than when they arrived but they're not treated with kid gloves either.

When all is said and done, it's just a book. Some books are more than the sum of their parts though and those are the books that are safely shelved and touched by nobody but me. Whatever someone does with their book once I've passed it on isn't my concern.

How does everyone else feel about lending? Do your book quirks get in the way of your book sharing? I'd love to know if I'm the only one with book peculiarities.

Book Review - Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley

Paperback: 369 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Publication date: 4 Aug 2011
ISBN13: 9781841498652

First Line - "The corpse sat in a simple, high-backed chair"

The year is 1827. For Adam Quire, an officer of the recently formed City Police, Edinburgh is a terrifying place. It is a city populated by mad alchemists and a criminal underclass prepared to treat with the darkest of powers. But nothing can prepare him for the trail of undead hounds, emptied graves, brutal murders and mob violence that will take him into the darkest corners of the underworld and to the highest reaches of elegant Edinburgh society.

Wow! 2011 is drawing to a close and I think I just found my favourite read of the year. Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley! Totally brilliant! It's rare that I can use the term 'unputdownable', but I definitely can say it about this one. Read it in less than 48 hours, which for me is pretty much unheard of. Could NOT put it down.

I'm fond of Historical fiction (albeit usually romantic) but to say I'm not usually a crime/mystery reader is an understatement, not a single murder mystery comes to mind that I've read but the lure of the area around where I live used as a backdrop, coupled with zombie dogs just sucked me right in. There are zombie humans too but I mostly wanted to see the zom-dogs loose on Edinburgh's streets and closes.

I really, really loved that I knew all the places mentioned in the book. I'm in Edinburgh about once or twice a fortnight and all of the places and building's are familiar to me. Loved that. The people of the story are familiar 'faces' too...even the non-famous one's. Go to certain parts of Edinburgh on any given day and chances are you'll rub shoulders with just the sort of people mentioned in the pages. There's maybe 200 years seperating them but their banter hasn't changed that much. As for the famous 'faces' well, in particular Burke and Hare the infamous body snatchers or 'Ressurectionists' as they were also know are common knowledge for anyone who spends any time in or around Edinburgh and I loved reading about them. Fictionalised in parts but great fun to read nonetheless.

And zombie's. Let's not forget the zombies. They're the reason that I wanted to read this so bad in the first place, although I did wonder how a person could fit the undead into an Historical murder/crime/mystery. The whole book has a dark, gritty feel to it and the air of supernatural 'going's on' didn't seem out of place or contrived at all. In fact, as unlikely as it all sounds Mr Ruckley writes in such a way as to have me think it was all quite plausible. It's very well done.

I loved all of the characters and really felt like I got to know them. Some of them I'd like to know even better and REALLY want there to be more cases for Adam Quire to solve... I'd read any and all stories if this were made into an ongoing series.

There's a bit of a twist in the tale at the end and being as unfamiliar with crime mystery as I am, I'm not sure if that's usual but whether it is or it isn't, the twist at the end just sealed the deal for me. It was a brilliant end to a brilliant story and I just hope I can find more stories like it.

I can't say enough good things about this, I'm all over the place but I just really, really liked this one. I only finished it half an hour ago so it's all still running through my mind. I'll probably think of a dozen things to say after I hit 'publish', but for now I'll just close by saying again....

Really liked it! A lot!

Brian Ruckly has a great website where you can find out more about his books, and a really interesting photo trailer section where he has added his photo's from a lot of the area's mentioned in the Edinburgh Dead. It's quite cool.