Review - The Orpheus Descent by Tom Harper

Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date: 01 July 2013
ISBN: 9781444731354

Today, twelve golden tablets sit in museums around the world, each created by unknown hands and buried in ancient times, and each providing the dead with the route to the afterlife. Archaeologist Lily Barnes, working on a dig in southern Italy, has just found another. But this tablet names the location to the mouth of hell itself.

And then Lily vanishes. Has she walked out on her job, her marriage, and her life -- or has something more sinister happened? Her husband, Jonah, is desperate to find her. But no one can help him: not the police and not the secretive foundation that sponsored her dig. All Jonah has is belief, and a determination to do whatever it takes to get Lily back.

But like Plato before him, Jonah will discover the journey ahead is mysterious and dark and fraught with danger. And not everyone who travels to the hidden place where Lily has gone can return.

This was a great story AND I learned some stuff. I haven't read anything else by this author and I wasn't really sure what to expect with this, I had just heard that it was an ancient mystery thriller type story and had a Dan Brown feel to it so I was looking forward to it. I'll admit I wasn't immediately hooked and I was feeling a bit lukewarm towards it until I got three or four chapters in but from then on I could hardly put it down.

It's a dual timeline story and a lot of the time it felt like I was reading two separate tales but they were both great tales so it was win/win. One aspect I was a bit worried about was that one storyline was told from the point of view of Plato, and his part of the tale is filled with Greek God's and philosophers and in truth I thought a lot of it might go over my head as the closest I've come to anything remotely like that was the time I watched Disney's Hercules... My fears were unfounded though, Plato and his contemporaries were a joy to read about. Interesting, puzzling, fascinating...I loved all of it. When we first meet Plato he is setting off from Greece by ship to meet his friend in Italy who has asked him to bring funding for a special book he has found but can't afford. The rendezvous hits a setback from the very start and Plato's task is to try and find his friend and solve the mystery surrounding the book he wanted to buy.

Plato's modern counterpart in alternating chapters is Jonah, a band member who has recently come off tour and is keen to reunite with his archaeologist wife who he hasn't seen for the 6 weeks he's been off touring Europe. Like Plato his meeting doesn't go smoothly when his wife goes missing and as he tries to piece together the mystery that surrounds her disappearance we see the parallel's to Plato's story start to unfold.

The two stories are set more than 2000 years apart but by alternating chapters we see how closely they are intertwined and riddles posed in Jonah's chapters were usually answered in Plato's chapters and vice versa. It's very well done.

The only thing I wasn't keen on was the ending. The book held my interest right up to the conclusion but I found the ending unsatisfying. It just seemed a bit rushed and I just wasn't as enamored with it as I was the rest of the story.

All in all a great story though and I plan to read all the other author's works too.

Review - Earthfall by Mark Walden

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens
Publication date: 07 July 2012
ISBN: 9781408815663

First Line - "The boy ran down the rain-soaked street, weaving between abandoned cars."

Sam wakes to see strange vessels gathered in the skies around London. As he stares up, people stream past, walking silently towards the enormous ships which emit a persistent noise. Only Sam seems immune to the signal.

Six months later, Sam is absolutely alone. In his underground bunker he has food and water for a couple of days. He has no choice but to venture above. Spotted by a flying drone, Sam escapes, but not before the drone slashes him with a barbed tendril. That night, drenched in sweat, Sam realises without medical supplies the wound will kill him. This time above ground he is less lucky. Cornered again, Sam thinks he has reached the end - then the drone is shot down in a hail of machine gun fire.

In five minutes Sam learns two things: he is not alone; the drone injury should have killed him instantly - yet he is still alive. The battle for earth is about to begin.

What a great story! It's a middle grade book aimed at a younger audience but despite not being in the correct age bracket (not by a long stretch of the imagination) I was kept entertained to the end. I'll read anything that hints of an apocalypse and I just love a solid End Of The World story and that's exactly what I got with this. One of the things I especially liked about it is that it's set in London in present time, which isn't that common in apocalyptic fiction. I love post apoc even more if it's set in the UK so this one was off to a great start before I'd even turned a page.

Jam packed with Action, Adventure and Mystery. Throw in an alien apocalypse with only a handful of teens/pre-teen survivors and it's a winner no matter how you slice it. I just loved it so I imagine that it would be even more appealing to the target audience. I'm sure any fans of Charlie Higson's zombie series would lap this up.

I'd describe it as a mix of Independence Day and Falling Skies (both of which I love) and will probably appeal to both boys and girls alike as there are strong characters of both sexes in the story.

Sam, the main character is very likeable, as are the other survivors and the alien/mech creatures are suitably scary for the intended age group. There's plenty here to keep adults amused too though. It's a solid apocalypse story. The story is gripping and fast paced and there are enough little plot twists to keep things moving. It's thoroughly entertaining and overall a great read. I thought it was very good and am looking forward to the next in the series which I believe is in the pipeline. I'll definitely be reading it when it comes out.

Who would I recommend it to? Everyone, but if you know a reluctant younger reader with a taste for carnage and destruction in a world with no rules...this is the book to tempt them with.

Review - Midnight in Havana by Peggy Blair

paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Polygon
Publication date: 01 July 2013
ISBN-9781846972348

First Line - "Ricky Ramirez's parents stood on the other side of the door, speaking in hushed tones with the doctors."

"In beautiful, crumbling Old Havana, Canadian detective Mike Ellis hopes the sun and sand will help save his troubled marriage. He doesn't yet know that it's dead in the water - much like the little Cuban boy last seen begging the Canadian couple for a few pesos. For Inspector Ricardo Ramirez, head of the Major Crimes Unit of the Cuban National Revolutionary Police, finding his prime suspect isn't a problem - Cuban law is. He has only seventy-two hours to secure an indictment and prevent a vicious killer from leaving the island. But Ramirez has his own troubles. He's dying of the same dementia that killed his grandmother, an incurable disease that makes him see the ghosts of victims of unsolved murders. As he races against time, the dead haunt his every step."

Book #1 in the Inspector Ramirez Mystery series.

I don't read many crime thrillers but I was drawn to this one for two reasons. The first is pretty shallow but I really, really love this cover and it drew me in. I just think it's one of the best covers I've seen in a long time. The second reason was the mention in the blurb that the main character, Inspector Ramirez, can see the ghosts of unsolved murder victims. I'm in!

The fact that it's a police procedural set in Cuba was also a draw for me. I know not the first thing about Cuba so thought it would be an interesting move away from the usual US/UK crime settings. It was an eye opener as to Cuban politics, everyday living and laws. It's not a place I've ever considered visiting but I definitely wouldn't want to travel there now. It sounds like a scary place. What I wasn't aware of (and had I known before starting it I would never have picked it to read) was that the murder victim is a little Cuban boy and that child abuse, rape and pedophilia are strong themes. I mention this in case it's a deciding factor for anyone else but I can also confirm that those themes are dealt with on an 'after the fact' basis and are not dwelt on unnecessarily.

As to the story itself... I liked it a lot. Interesting, exciting, puzzling all the things you'd expect from a crime thriller. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like Inspector Ramirez though. He's the main character and I'll be honest, it took me almost 3/4 of the book to warm to him and even now I'm still not 100% sure about him... I suppose it comes with the territory but he just seemed so blinkered and judgmental and sure of himself. I think he might take a bit of time to grow on me. All the other characters came alive for me and there was more to them than met the eye. I liked the setting, I liked the twists and turns and even though I guessed at the twist at the end I liked that too. I thought it was a great story. Perhaps parts of the ending were a little unbelievable but easy to overlook when the story was so strong.

What disappointed me most though was the lack of 'ghosts of unsolved murder victims'. Since they were mentioned in the synopsis I had thought that they'd play a bigger role but really they were few and far between and in the background mostly. I'd have liked more involvement from them. They were interesting and so was the Inspector's interaction with them...or would have been if it was given more page time. I'm hopeful that maybe that side of things will take off a bit more in the next book(s) which I will definitely read. I've got the next Inspector Ramirez mystery all lined up.

A note of warning - 'Midnight in Havana' is a renamed edition of 'Beggar's Opera' which has been republished for the UK market. Given a new name and new cover but the same book nevertheless. I very nearly bought that other one thinking it was a different book. It's not mentioned in the blurb anywhere (at time of writing) so thought it worth noting.

Review - Flu by Wayne Simmons

ebook: 320 pages
Publisher: Snowbooks Ltd
Publication date: 30 April 2010
ISBN-13: 9781906727192

First Line - "There was a woman screaming in his face."

"There's a nasty flu going round. An epidemic, they call it. The posters say to cover your mouth when you sneeze, and throw away the tissue.

But such simple measures won't help.

Because when you catch this flu, armed police come and lock you in your house to die alone.

When you catch this flu, it kills you in days.

And two hours after it's killed you, your eyelids snap open again... "

Irish zombies? Bring it!

This is another good one! Nothing fancy with this one and there's no Hollywood treatment, just honest to goodness rotting foulness and the rising dead causing havoc.

I don't really know much about Irish politics, apart from what I've seen on the news over the years, usually referred to as 'The Troubles in Northern Ireland'. The news events were peppered with acronymn's so I had a fair idea of what they were when they were mentioned in the book. The IRA (Irish Republican Army), the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary), the paramilitary, Catholic's, Protestants, ... the zombie virus doesn't care which side someone is on, they're all on the same side now...

The story is a layered plot (which I love) and each section is told from varying viewpoints. I love these types of stories where over time all the individual storylines start to converge.

There's George and Norman, the policemen (good cop./bad cop). Lark, a tattoo'd junkie and his new friend McFall, an enigma who refuses to take off his knitted balaclava are joined by redhead Geri who thinks on her feet. Pat is ex IRA and somewhere along the line has teamed up with Karen, a young woman who is possibly Catholic. Army personnel in the form of Major Jackson (retired) and Dr Gallagher the crazy mental army doctor/torturer. Lots and lots of little stories all linking up to make one big story.

The zombie flu was virulent and deadly and it's not 100% clear where it came from or why, but very quickly it's less about where it came from and more about where it's going. It whips round the population with lightning speed and before you know it the whole country has succumbed to it.

The thing that I found interesting about this one was that all the baggage that the characters carried from before the plague was still hindering them in the aftermath too. They were all in the same predicament now...survive by any means possible, but they all still held their grudges against the different factions, even when it was way beyond the point of mattering. Lark, the junkie troublemaker and Norman the policeman don't trust each other and Pat the ex IRA always assumes the worst about the military and vice versa. Old grudges and prejudices taint everything.

It's just a brilliant zombie book.. Survivors, zombies, just the usual fare but really well done. I cared a lot about what happened to everyone.

Some I liked and willed them to do well, some I hated and wished death upon them....Wayne Simmons doesn't mess about though and thinks nothing of killing his people off, just not always who you were rooting for to be killed. I liked that nobody was safe, just like it would be in a real zombie apocalypse. Just because they were a main character in a book was no obstacle to death finding them.

There's a follow on book so enough of them survived to carry on in the next one. I'm really looking forward to that one too as there are hints of perhaps a cure for the plague. Knowing how this one ended I'd say that it's not going to be easy, either way but I'm sure it'll be a great read.

*said in my very poor Irish accent* "Norn Iron zombies! Go read it noy!

Review - Great Bitten - Outbreak by Warren Fielding

ebook: 222 pages
Publisher: Iceni Publishing
Publication date: 31 Oct 2013
ASIN: B00GBLBCE0

First Line - "I'm not sure how much you really know about British culture and attitudes."

"The UK is infected and Warren is going to be a hero, whether he likes it or not. Life used to be simple; a journalist addicted to his work, he has spent most of his life thus far annoying his few friends and disappointing his sister with his inability to maintain familial commitments.

As a plague of unknown origin spreads virulently across the UK, all of that is about to change. The only person Warren doesn't question is himself. His natural curiosity and his world-weary cynicism come to the fore in his clumsy attempts at survival.

With the UK in chaos and the government in hiding, will Warren even be able to survive long enough to start finding the answers to the questions burning inside him? And when he finally realises that there are people in this blighted world that he loves, will he be able to do what needs to be done to keep them safe? "

Last year I downloaded a free short called Great Bitten and just lapped it up. Loved it so much. I read a lot of zombie books but I especially love the one's set in the UK, as this one is. Makes it all seem more real, somehow. Well, as real as zombie's taking over the world can get. The Great Bitten short has been added to Outbreak to form the first part of the story so if you haven't already read the short you won't be missing anything by starting straight into this one.

Anyway, I waited impatiently for the full story and finally it was published (with a Halloween release date) and I snapped it up and dove in. Was it worth waiting for? Yep.

Now, I'm not a zombie fan, per say...I'm more of an End-Of-The-World fan. Doesn't really matter how it ends, just that it DOES end. Zombie's pretty much guarantee that it's game over for the world so I'm really partial to a zombie book now and then.

Warren (the narrator) is a journalist and a bit full of himself but I like him. He manages to get a little head start on everyone else when he figures out early that a zombie plague is upon them and the first half of the story is taken up with his journey to reach his sister's house. In true zombie survivalist tradition Warren and his little band gather a few more survivors into the group before finally reaching what they hope will be a stronghold...

Mostly I like reading about how the survivors...well, survive. I like to know how they get by, day to day. It's the 'how' more than the 'why' that interests me. I like reading about the zombies too but they either have to be really, really scary and I'm terrified witless for the survivors, or the zombies need to be there but in the background mostly so that the story focuses more on the survivors and how they deal with a hostile world and fight for survival.

Great Britten fell a little between these lines for me. The zombies were a bit scary (especially the fast ones) and the survivors' stories were more about group dynamics but there was enough of what I like to keep me flipping pages to see where it was all going. Add in a twist or two and it makes for a good story.

I really liked the explanation for the different types of zombie. The reason's for Fast v's Slow had me thinking "yeah, that sounds likely" and both kinds were dangerous for different reasons.

Towards the end there were quite a few characters to try and keep straight in my head but the one's that mattered were fleshed out and the ending left enough open that maybe we'll find out more about those other characters in later books. I think there are to be side stories too that deal with some of the lesser characters in the book and will tell their stories and I'm REALLY looking forward to those. Those one's sound exactly the sort of thing that I lap up.

One thing bugged me though. It might not hinder anyone else but if there's one thing that's guaranteed to pull me out of a story, it's this - I hate any mention of what I think of as 'my world realities'. I really don't like to read about characters in a book who have watched actual films I've watched, or know which song's are popular in my world, or describe someone in terms of someone famous' appearance that I may or may not have seen/know. Pulls me right out of the story because then I'm thinking about the movie mentioned or the song or the person...just personal preference but I really don't like my fictional zombie story characters having anything to do with my reality. Apart from anything else, sometimes I have no clue what the reference is as I haven't heard it, seen it, tasted it, used it, etc, so it's lost on me and I get nothing from it. There was quite a lot of it here.

All in all though it was a great story and for a first book in a series there are so many directions it can go. I'm looking forward to seeing where Warren ends up next and with the twist at the end it of this one it'll be somewhere dangerous, no doubt!

Review - Take Me Home by Nancy Herkness

Paperback: 331 pages
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication date: 06 Nov 2013
ISBN13: 9781612186030

First Line - "Breathing in the scent of fresh hay and saddle soap, Claire felt the knots of tension loosen their grip on her shoulders."

"When Claire Parker left Sanctuary, West Virginia, she thought it was for good. But now she’s back, reeling from an ugly divorce. Readjusting to small-town life is harder than Claire expected, so she’s surprised, and grateful, to find companionship in Willow, an abused Thoroughbred mare. Willow is Claire’s “whisper horse,” and they share a special, rare bond. Except Willow isn’t the only one helping Claire heal; Willow’s ruggedly handsome veterinarian, Dr. Tim Arbuckle, is sympathetic…and secretive.

Devastated by his wife’s death, Tim thought he’d never find love again. The stoic, sexy doctor was sure he’d left his heart behind when he came to Sanctuary. But Claire stirs up emotions he thought he’d buried long ago. For the first time, the doctor can see past his grief…until Willow falls gravely ill. Tim and Claire must save Willow’s life and, surrounded by the majestic mountains of West Virginia, believe in a love so encompassing, so intimately intense, their lives will never be the same again."

Small town romance with horses. That's what I thought I was getting. I didn't get that.

It's book one of The Whisper Horse series so I expected a Whisper Horse to be pretty prominent in the story. Again, wrong.

There is a horse, and Claire does actually whisper to it two or three times but blink and you might miss it.

The cover is a bit misleading, actually. It looks like a cosy romance but it actually covers some dark territory. Spousal abuse, suicide, divorce...animal mistreatment, it's got a lot going on. All the elements together have the potential for a good read but it just didn't 'do it' for me. The sex scenes seem a bit heavy too. Not in general, just in context of the story.

The first chapter left me with a bit of a lump in my throat for the poor horse (Wilow) but Willow the Whisper Horse just seems to be in there as a vehicle for Claire to meet (and fall into insta-lust) with Dr Tim the local vet and luckily he insta-lusts right back at her.

The side stories are what kept it interesting for me but even those were mostly glossed over, once mentioned. Claire's sister Holly is having marriage trouble and her story took up a big chunk of plot but her side story wasn't explored as much as it could have been. Paul, Claire's guy pal from her youth just pops in every few chapters to make it seem like there might be a triangle thing going on but his part in the proceedings were pretty weak. Sharon, the stable owner of the 'Whisper Horse' gets even less page time. It all just seems like they're in there as a conveyance for Claire and Dr Tim to meet up, get together, have sex, fall out a bit, make up, have sex....

I probably won't bother with the rest of the series.

Review - The Secrets Women Keep by Fanny Blake

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Orion
Publication date: 03 July 2013
ISBN13: 9781409128472

First Line - "The dark outline of hte doorway framed a section of the sun-drenched garden beyond, the brilliance of the outdoor colours such a contrast to the house's shady interior.

Rose waits for her family to arrive at their villa in Tuscany when a casual glance at her husband's phone tips her world upside down. The text reads simply: 'Miss you. Love you. Come back soon.'

Daniel has always been popular with women, she knows that. But until this moment she has had no cause for worry. Has something shifted within their marriage without her realising?

As the family gathers for the summer break, Rose's faith in Daniel is shaken. How well does she really know him? She fears that, after decades of marriage and children, the man who lies beside her at night is lying in other ways too. Then events take a tragic turn."

This is a good book. It's just not a good book for me.

After a really slow start it just meandered along to the end and never really engaged me or captured my interest. I found it really hard to keep going with this one. I'm still not sure why it's called 'The Secret's Women Keep' it would have made more sense if it was 'The Secret's HUSBAND'S keep'. That was what the whole story revolved around, Rose's husband's secret. I didn't really have any interest in her husband's secret though, to be honest. If it was happening to anyone other than Rose I might have been more drawn in but as it is I just didn't really care much about her problems. I couldn't really relate to Rose and her actions and re-actions just got on my nerves for most of the time.

It's a story of flawed characters, dealing with situations that could probably all be sorted out in a few chapters if they'd just talk to each other. Get it out in the open, deal with it and move on. All of them seem to have 'issues' of one description or another and to be frank a lot of it was just tedious and petty.

I think it will appeal to those looking for a family drama set in a sunny climate but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was expecting to.

Review - Highland Surrender by Tracy Brogan

Paperback: 372 pages
Publisher: Montlake Publishing
Publication date: 04 December 2012
ISBN13: 9781612186962

First Line - "Fiona Sinclair could not reconcile the irony of nature's twisted humour."

To seal a fragile truce, Fiona Sinclair’s brothers trade her in marriage to their sworn enemy. Though devastated by their betrayal, she has little choice in the matter, for if she refuses, her innocent young sister must take her place. The spirited Fiona is willing to sacrifice her freedom to protect her kin, but she vows never to surrender her heart.

As the eldest son of a clan chief, Myles Campbell is accustomed to having his own way. But when the king of Scotland commands he wed a defiant Highland lass instead of a French mademoiselle, Myles must obey his royal duty. Meeting his bride for the first time on their wedding day, he is pleased to discover the lass is a beauty, but she quickly proves she’d just as soon kill him as kiss him.

When two such warrior spirits collide, sparks fly, igniting a fiery passion that strains against the bonds of family honor, clan loyalty— and the ultimate surrender—love.

This has such a lovely cover and I was hoping that the story inside would be equally appealing. Turned out that it didn't really do a lot for me though, unfortunately. Overall I'm left with a feeling of frustration.

Historical Romance, set in Scotland in the reign of King James. First problem: considering it's a period piece there doesn't seem to be a lot of actual History here. If the romance had been stronger I might have overlooked this but at least give me one or the other, if not both Biggest problem however, was that I didn't actually like the leading lady, Fiona. She and Miles (from an opposing clan) are forced into marriage by Royal decree and it's hate on first sight (from her point of view) even though there's nothing actually wrong with Miles (or his family). He bends over backwards to try and make the marriage bearable for Fiona but she seems bratty for the sake of being bratty to him. Her family hated his family so by proxy she's going to make his life miserable, just because she can, not because he gives her any reason to. This goes on until well past the half way point by which time I was thoroughly sick and tired of Fiona and her constant negativity. Almost two thirds of the book before I got any romance, which incidentally was so sudden a change in attitude from Fiona that I almost got whiplash...

Instead of of hoping they'd sort out their differences and get it together I actually hoped Fiona would make a run for it or that Miles would ditch her. I don't think that's the desired reaction for a reader of romance. The story got a bit more interesting from that point on but by then it was too little, too late.

Review - Within the Light by Carly Fall

Paperback: 458 pages
Publisher: Westward Publishing
Publication date: 31 October 2011
ISBN13: 9781479128662

First Line - "Noah had seen a lot of dead bodies in his time."

When Abby and Noah meet, there is an explosive attraction between them that neither can deny...

As a shy, awkward, social misfit, Abby has gone her whole life feeling as though she's different from everyone else and she simply doesn't fit in well with society as a whole. She longs to feel a real connection with someone, and she finally does when she meets Noah.

Unbeknownst to Abby, Noah is from another world and his sole purpose is to hunt down the evil of his people that was unleashed on Earth hundreds of years ago. He's certain he isn't going to be able to return to his home, and anger and the need for revenge are his constant companions. His focus has been eradicating the evil and making them pay for taking his life on his world away from him.

Noah tries desperately to fight his attraction to Abby so he can keep his focus on his mission. But when Abby gets dragged into the evil and mayhem from Noah's world, he realizes that maybe with Abby he can find a home here on Earth...if he can save her in time.

Well, that was a nice surprise. This was downloaded earlier in the year as a kindle freebie (I think it still is free) and a lot of times with the free ones you get what you pay for, but this one was pretty good.

I was a bit concerned going into it as it it had a definite 'Brotherhood' feel to it. I thought it was going to be like the BDB series which I really didn't like and I only made it through the first one of those but I shouldn't have worried, it was fine. One of the similarities that got me fretting were the 'Saviors' themselves. Six of them, Alien Warriors in human form, each taller and more pumped full of testosterone than the next. Living together in a secret silo underground and only venturing out to fight crime and rarely to mingle with the mere humans. Turns out they were actually kind of likeable and I'm looking forward to finding out more about them in the rest of the series.

For those that hate insta-love I'd steer clear of this one as there's plenty of that and if you don't like your leading men to be cavemen types I'd give it a wide berth on that score too... Me? I'm not keen on the "Me man, you woman. Assume the position" muscle bound hero's but Noah wasn't toooo much of that. He got a bit over-dramatic with the 'she's mine' carry on at times but he was really just a big lug and it didn't get on my nerves as much as it usually does.

Any mention of their home planet and customs and language and mostly anything at all to do with that part of the story didn't really ring true and I started to question the mechanics of it all so I tried not to dwell on those bits too much as it was pulling me out of the story. It was just the planet-y stuff I glossed over though, the actual Saviors were interesting in how they differed from humans. I really liked how that was done.

Verdict? The story was good, I liked Noah and Abby and I'll definitely work my way through the rest of the series. I'm just hoping the vampires that were mentioned in passing will get a little more page time, I'd be interested to see how they fit in to it all.

Review - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Indigo
Publication date: 6 June 2013
ISBN13: 9781780621418

First Line - "The Servants called them malecnchki, little ghosts, because they were the smallest and the youngest, and because they haunted the Duke's house like giggling phantoms, darting in and out of rooms, hiding in cupboards to eavesdrop, sneaking into the kitchen to steal the last of the the summer peaches."

The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.

Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.

But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?

If you open a book and the first thing you see is a map showing the four Kingdoms then it's probably a safe bet that you are about to read a Fantasy. Shadow and Bone has the intro maps, but it turns out it's more YA Fantasy Lite than full on Fantasy.

It's got the four kingdoms at war with each other and the hard to pronounce place names, it has a medieval overall feel to it and a bit of 'magical abilities' (or small science as it's known here) and at it's center it has the 'special one' who is actually quite plain at the start and who must save the world. Yep, that'll be a fantasy then.

It's quite a good story and it kept me interested throughout but I wasn't as sucked into the story as the hype surrounding the book led me to expect. It's maybe just that it's age appropriate for a YA audience and I'm no longer YA.

It's set in what can only be described as a boarding school, complete with mean girls, crushes on an older authority figure, bad tempered teaching staff and teenage angst regarding body image. There's a love story in there somewhere too with a touch of 'love triangle' going on but all is not what it seems so don't be put off by that, if those kind of things bother you. The story itself is quite good and the pace is just right.

I liked the story well enough and will probably read the next one, I'm just not in a mad rush to get to it.

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

Review - The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Publication date: 29 August 2013
ISBN13: 9781405911665

First Line - "It was all because of the Berlin Wall."

At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read

"My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died..."

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive...

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all — she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia — or each other — but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

What a wonderful story! I'm always a bit hesitant to read a book that is so hyped because I'm usually the one to upset the apple cart and hate it. Not this time though! I loved every word and the hype is spot on! It's such a good book. Believe the hype and the great reviews. It's marvelous.

I was a bit confused at the start, trying to keep up with all the different characters because there are three different storylines going on and I lost track of the names and characters for a while. It didn't take long to get them all sorted out though and I was invested in each little story. Usually with these split storylines I like one line better than the others and get frustrated with the less liked parts but here I loved all the characters and rooted for all of them.

It's a layered plot and I'd go so far as to say I've never read a layered plot done better. The three semi-seperate plot lines are filled with flawed, interesting and real characters and gradually they all start to intertwine and become one big story and I loved watching it all come together. It's very skillfully done and eminently readable.

The husband's secret lies at the core of the story (obviously) and I'll be honest, I guessed the secret before the reveal but that didn't really spoil anything because the real story is what happens 'becasue of' the secret, not actually the secret itself. It's just so good and so very well done.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to friend's, family...strangers on street corners...anyone and everyone. I just loved it and if you're considering this as your next read I'd say definitely go for it. It's so good!

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

Review - The String Diaries by Stephen Lloyd Jones

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Headline
Publication date: 04 July 2013
ISBN13: 9781472204677

First Line - "It was only when Hannah Wilde reached the farmhouse shortly after midnight that she discovered how much blood her husband had lost."

The String Diaries.

A jumble of entries, written in different hands, different languages, and different times. They tell of a rumour. A shadow. A killer.

The only interest that Oxford Professor Charles Meredith has in the diaries is as a record of Hungarian folklore ... until he comes face to face with a myth.

For Hannah Wilde, the diaries are a survival guide that taught her the three rules she lives by: verify everyone, trust no one, and if in any doubt, run.

But Hannah knows that if her daughter is ever going to be safe, she will have to stop running and face the terror that has hunted her family for five generations.

And nothing in the diaries can prepare her for that.

I didn't really know what to make of this one in the beginning but within a few chapters I was drawn in and enjoying it. Told over three periods of time the chapters alternated between Modern day Wales, 1870's Hungary and 1970's Oxford.

It has a Dan Brown feel to it with ancient mysteries and clues and academia...but with shapeshifters. It's not Urban Fantasy shapeshifters though it's more the gothic horror type of shapeshifting and it's very well done. It didn't take long to get gripped and I was enjoying it but by page 400 I was starting feel like I'd heard it all. The story is good but it felt unnecessarily drawn out. The characters are great, the plot is enjoyable, it's well written and it's different enough to keep it interesting...I just felt like I'd had enough by 200 pages to the end.

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

Review - Lexicon by Max Barry

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication date: 20 June 2013
ISBN13: 9781444764659

First Line - "He's coming around."

At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or mathematics—they are taught to persuade. Students learn to use language to manipulate minds, wielding words as weapons. The very best graduate as “poets,” and enter a nameless organization of unknown purpose.

Whip-smart runaway Emily Ruff is making a living from three-card Monte on the streets of San Francisco when she attracts the attention of the organization’s recruiters. Drawn in to their strange world, which is populated by people named Brontë and Eliot, she learns their key rule: That every person can be classified by personality type, his mind segmented and ultimately unlocked by the skilful application of words. For this reason, she must never allow another person to truly know her, lest she herself be coerced. Adapting quickly, Emily becomes the school’s most talented prodigy, until she makes a catastrophic mistake: She falls in love.

Meanwhile, a seemingly innocent man named Wil Parke is brutally ambushed by two men in an airport bathroom. They claim he is the key to a secret war he knows nothing about, that he is an “outlier,” immune to segmentation. Attempting to stay one step ahead of the organization and its mind-bending poets, Wil and his captors seek salvation in the toxically decimated town of Broken Hill, Australia, which, if ancient stories are true, sits above an ancient glyph of frightening power.

Wow! What a book! This guy can write! Even though I had no clue at all what was going on in the beginning I was sucked in and gripped from the very first page. The story is completely unbelievable and yet I believed every single word. It's genius! It's scary how easily something so far fetched can be plausible but that's exactly what I felt...scarily plausible.

Words are powerful, we all know that but in this book powerful words take on a whole new meaning. It's really hard to say why or how I liked this without giving huge plot spoilers but I'd hate to ruin such a terrific book for any new readers so I won't go there. What I can say though, is that I urge everyone to at least give this one a whirl and try it out. It's really hard to pinpoint a genre as I've not come across anything like it before but 'Thriller' probably comes closest...maybe...I think. It's sooo much more though. This would definitely make a fantastic movie and I'd go to see it in a heartbeat! Try not to read any spoilers for this before you go into it as I think it was the complete mystery surrounding everything that made it so exciting for me. I enjoyed it so much more not knowing what was coming next as I hurtled at breakneck speed though it. It's better to find out what's going on as the characters find out.

LOVED IT!!

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

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.