"The Red" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3 Stars

I am not a fan of the genre, but its always good to expand your literary horizon. 

I presume erotic books are meant to transport you into another world and render you completely oblivious to the real world while you’re engaged in reading. I also believe it is written to be so far from reality that you can’t help but forget about your problems and stressors; that being said, someone who loves this genre would absolutely love this book. 

It is “action” packed and not exactly plot-driven. If you’re expecting to read a solid plot filled with rich character development then this isn’t the book. 

The Red is truly an erotic piece written for the sole purpose of transporting its reader into a salacious fantasy. 


Digital copy received from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

"Sarah" Book Review

My Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3.5 Stars

What a creepy little book!

I'll start with what I liked about Sarah - the creep factor. I applaud the author's imagination and ability to gross me out. This is not an easy task to do especially since I watch lots of gore films and have read many horror books in the past. I cringed more than once during certain scenes. Sadly, those were the only redeeming qualities of the book.

The main character was pretty naive throughout the book, even at the very end. The peripheral characters were irresponsible and naive as well causing me to think that they did not fully understand the severity of the situation.

The main romantic relationship featured was rushed and it felt forced.

Digital copy received from Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

"One Of Us Is Lying" Book Review

My Rating:   ★★★★★ 5 Stars

I was highly astounded after finding out that this is a debut novel. 
Debut Novel you say? Why yes!

The author seems to be a well-established writer with a few published novels out there already. But I digress; let’s get into the review of the actual book and not how surprised I am by the quality of the writing.

One of Us Is Lying has a brilliant plot with enough twists to make the ride a dizzy journey. 
The “Bayview Four”, as individuals, were the quintessential, most popular cliques found in any given high school, much like we’ve seen in the Breakfast Club. 
We had the jock, the princess, the straight ‘A’ student and the delinquent; and as the author said, One of Us is Lying was initially inspired by The Breakfast Club. 
The characters were, in no way, superficial. They all had depth and dark secrets which influenced their actions. I appreciated how they weren’t one-dimensional and how the author put time into creating solid characters. 
The peripheral characters were also interesting and had me wondering if they were involved in the death of the victim. I found myself taking notes and trying to solve the mystery before the big reveal, which I kind of did. 

The relationship between the characters genuinely grew. It didn’t feel forced even though the characters were, in a sense, forced to gravitate toward each other because of the situation they were in. 
I could feel when things started changing and when they began getting closer, not just because they were all murder suspects, but because they realized that they did have something else in common. 
Naturally, I felt more of a connection toward Bronwyn, it could be because she was the first character’s POV which showed up, or it could be that I identified with her the most. In turn, I also felt a connection toward Nate, and thus, their relationship and POV held my attention more than the others. I ended up looking forward to reading their stories and seeing their relationship grow. 

There was an underlying theme which I won't mention which becomes quite prominent toward the end. The author was brilliant and creative in the way she presented this theme, yet it was heartbreaking in its truth. Social media plays such a great part in our lives these days and can connect us to others who share our interests, all the good, as well as the destructive interests that we may have; and teenagers are so easily influenced by others, especially when they seek acceptance from others. I was angry at a peripheral character in particular, knowing that she could have prevented something from happening if only she had spoken to someone. 

I know this was just a fictional book but it presented us with a sad reality that needs to be addressed. Some teenagers/Young adults around the world do not seem to fully understand the severity of situations and thus consequences occur which cannot be reversed (in many cases). 
My wish is that if this book is read by a high school student, or a college student who is experiencing something similar to what went on in the book that he/she will do something, speak up, get help.


I really did enjoy this book and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. 

Digital Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

"The Ghost Files (The Ghost FIles #1)" Book Review

My Rating ★★★★☆ 4 Stars

What a pleasant surprise!

I’ve had this book sitting in my kindle library for the past year collecting cyber dust.

I loved(ish) the tone of the narrator.

The plot was even better – a girl seeing dead people and is helping to solve a string of deaths of which her foster sister is a victim.

I really liked the book! I only knocked off 1 star because of the relationship between the main character and a certain secondary character of the law.

I won’t go into details here. No sirree. Find out for yourself J  

"The Stepmother" Book Review

My Rating ★★☆☆☆ 2.5 Stars 


Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Stepmother is the first book I've read by the author - Claire Seeber. The premise was highly intriguing, reviews posted have been in the 4-5 star range and so I went against my better judgement and read this book with high expectations.

Jeanie, newly married to her prince charming Matthew King, feels like she has been given the opportunity to live a fairy-tale life. From his previous marriage, Matthew has two 15-year old teenagers who are fraternal twins while Jeanie has a son. Although it can be hard when families are joined through marriage, Jeanie is determined to make it work even when Matthew's daughter openly resents her and is often times hostile toward her. Matthew's ex-wife - Kaye King - is still very much in the picture which isn't making things easier and to make it worse, someone is trying to shatter Jeanie's new fairy-tale life by letting out a secret that may very well destroy her reputation and marriage.

In a house where the walls whisper, dead animals appear, blood pools on the floor and a grey lady in the mirror terrifies her, Jeanie corresponds with her sister Marlena and tries her hardest to save her marriage while maintaining her sanity.

The set up was so perfect, all it needed was the substance to carry it through yet that's what the story lacked. I couldn't take it seriously because of how "thin" this story was, there was no depth to it. From Matthew and Jeanie's quick marriage to their mounting, unresolved, trivial marital/family problems, it was utterly unbelievable and purely superficial.

The beginning of the book seemed tolerable until I got to the many mysteries which were dealt with so annoyingly. I understand that this is a thriller, it is bound to have its fair share of mysteries embedded in there which will later be explained, but it was written in such a way that all I kept thinking was "spit it out!". Give me something to hold on to, to whet my appetite so I can be gripped. Unfortunately all the twists, and there were many, turned out to be pretty anticlimactic in the end.

Many things were left unexplained, such as Matthew's behaviour/demeanor, Scarlett's reason for treating Jeanie the way she did, Jeanie's ex-boyfriend etc.

I think this would be so much better if each person's story went more in-depth, I'd have felt the full impact of the twists and revelations.

"The Last One" Book Review

   My Rating   ★★★★☆ 4.5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher Penguin UK – Michael Joseph – and Net Galley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.     

  

I promise you - this is a hauntingly superb read once you understand how the book is written/presented.

Let’s start with this cover – a grimy face peering out of the shadows, scoping the area, or at least that’s how I see it. There’s only one thing I love more than oxygen and that’s reading post-apocalyptic books which test the mental, emotional and physical limits of the characters. By simply looking at this cover I somehow knew I was in for some survivalist action.

Zoo, a moniker of the protagonist, is at the point in her life where she is about to have a life changing event. She wants one last adventure before she settles into motherhood; her chosen adventure – take part in a TV reality show which promises to test the endurance of twelve contestants. Challenges are given. The physically, emotionally and mentally strong will persevere while the weak get left behind (quit) but when strange things start happening, Zoo simply thinks the creators are making things harder for the contestants. She continually reminds herself throughout the journey that this is a game, none of it is real and that there’s a finish line. But is the game she’s playing still a game? Or is it her new reality within a game gone wrong?

Remember my previous statement?-The one about the presentation of the book? Well the thing is it might be a bit difficult to follow when you’ve just started reading but keep at it and it becomes tolerable; you’ll be rewarded (with a great plot). The point of view and time alternates between two narrators with each chapter; comments from a thread related to the TV show are thrown in there at the end of a few chapters. Chapter one begins with a general narrator, this unspecified gender gives a sort of play by play commentary of In The Dark challenges, behind the scenes, confessions of characters, camera angles, things that will happen in a few minutes from the now etc.; it basically follows the happenings of every character in the book. I was able to envision this as a real TV show, like I was watching it on a screen.

The second chapter has the narrator was Zoo, a couple of weeks ahead of the first narrator. It follows her present, life after team challenges – on the Solo Challenge. The timelines eventually meet near the end of the book, but don’t worry; you get the full story – past, present and the life of other characters in another part of the world.

So one chapter is general narration, the other is Zoo, the next is back to general narration and the other will be Zoo etc. 

I really got into the book at the 25% mark and I didn’t want it to end. Zoo is so determined that she is oblivious to what’s going on around her. I think it was this cluelessness which brought her this far in her journey. If she only knew how much reality had changed since she left she’d have broken down, been disheartened, maybe she would have died. My heart broke for her so many times; I just wanted her to know the truth. She found meaning and hidden clues in places that were not manipulated by the creators; she followed rules till the near end that were useless.

When she finally realized the truth it was even more heart breaking. I think I teared up a bit. I felt immense pain for her after the realization.

Of all the characters, she was a survivor – not knowing game from reality yet she still made it out alive.

I recommend this 100%.         

"Twisted" Book Review

My Rating ★★★★★ 5 Stars

And that is what I call a psychological thriller, a mind fuck of epic proportions and I loved every second of it!

Twisted was utterly gripping and entertaining. I was unequivocally hooked from the very first line. 

Andrew Kaufman created a solid story centered around a troubled character (as a result of both his past and present) which claimed my full belief in his present life and struggles.

I felt like I had a 3-D experience of the agonizing torment of a man whose world crumbles, a thing he tried so hard to avoid yet to which he inevitably succumbed. This simply means the writing style and overall story had me completely engrossed.

This is one of those books which is a must-read. 

I want to give this 5-stars, it deserves it but I'm giving it 4.5. I wanted more explanations in the ending; I wanted to know what was real and what wasn't. I wanted.. no needed. I needed the author to make everything clear regarding the two worlds. 
He did give an explanation but I just felt it wasn't enough for me. 

Read this book!

"Last Seen Leaving" Book Review

My Rating ★★★★☆ 4 stars

Book received from Publisher via Net Galley. You know something's wrong when civilians do a better job at solving mysteries than the police, and it's even worse when its a teenager solving that mystery. Last Seen Leaving was such a pleasant surprise. At one point (to me) it felt a bit similar to Papertowns, a pretentious book I detest and wasted a few precious hours reading; but that's only because I wasn't sure of the direction the book would take, and I was HOPING it didn't follow suit. This held my interest and I found myself speed reading through scenes, needing to find out what happens next. Some characters were likeable, others tolerable, one was necessary for the progress of the plot while one was trivial. All in all a fast-paced read that I totally recommend

"The Girl With All The Gifts" Book Review

My Rating ★★★★★ 5 Stars   

Every now and then I stumble upon a book so riveting and so well-written that the highest rating (5 stars) simply seems beneath it. This is one of those books, in a league of its own, demanding respect from readers ranging from young adults to mature audiences and those who aren't even a fan of this genre.

This genre? It isn't even like the others in its genre, that's what amazes me. The Girl with All The Gifts wasn't a survivalist apocalypse book. Not really. It contained a delicious plethora of themes - ranging from survival to love (but not the traditional cliché love), to acceptance of the worst kind of humans out there and an in-depth look at the science behind a world gone to ruin. It was everything and more.

I loved how the synopsis gave nothing away. The cover first reeled me in. There was something about the stance of the girl on the front cover - power. A little girl wielding power is what I first thought. Then the synopsis confirmed that she, named Melanie, was a special little girl who promises that she won't bite. This of course is the one and only hint we get that this is a Zombie book.

Did I mention that this was so much more?
The characters, so sure of themselves, are each driven by their unique, ingrained ambitions, all remaining consistent throughout the entirety of the book.

Melanie has a love so profound for Ms. J and wishes to protect her. Ms. J in return has a sort of motherly love for her and wishes to protect her even though Melanie is what she is.
Sergeant Parks, a protector, a man ruined, tired and haunted by the things he's had to do for the good of the remaining humans at the base and underneath it all he seeks redemption and acceptance, from whom you may ask? Well, from anyone willing to listen to him long enough to grant him his desire I presume.
Private Gallagher, a young man, sworn to protect but still scared shitless. He does what he can when he can. He thinks himself a coward, but I didn't see it that way. He is simply a survivor who has not made the best decisions.
And Dr. Caldwell. Driven by an intense urge to find a cure, she's ruthless in both her methods and her devotion and will not stop at anything to achieve her goal. I loved how I ended up feeling for her toward the end of the book. This was a character who no one should feel any kind of pity for, yet I felt something. At one point I accepted her justifications, that she did what she had to do in order to achieve her goals. I saw things from her point of view and I wanted her to succeed.

This was by far the most mature, well-written, well-researched book I've read in the past 12 months.

"Life, Love and Death: Short Stories" Book Review

My Rating ★★★★☆ 4 Stars An anthology comprised of romantic, horror, futuristic, fantasy, paranormal short stories. I tried not to go into this book having expectations, but it’s hard to achieve that, nonetheless I went in with an open mind. Surprisingly I really enjoyed this. The writing style was clear, very concise and easy to follow. I tend to enjoy and follow the plot of a story more when the writing is clear – less time is spent trying to decipher code, pretentious writing. The use of pronouns rather than names in the first story (as well as 2 others) confused me a tad bit. I had to reread to try to figure out the sex of the characters. I’ve never really liked stories which follow this pattern though, so it isn’t necessarily a negative thing about the book, it’s simply not a preference of mine. A few stories were more memorable than others and at times I found myself rushing to the end to read the climax. And yes, the climax for these stories was actually at the end. How odd but exciting. I also found myself wishing the stories were longer, much longer in some cases. They were way too short *sad face*. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I love her dark mind. A few stories had me wondering how she came up with the ideas. The darker stories were definitely more gripping and spoke directly to my dark soul e.g Clay Soldiers. I think this one was by far my favourite since it was creepy. The final story “Revolution Imminent” sounds like something that would be a fast-paced, action packed sci-fi thriller movie. I look forward to reading any future titles that are along the horror genre, once the writing style remains simple and unpretentious.