What She Saw
8.5
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How far would you go to keep your daughter safe? Everyone knows Leona would do anything for her...
Thriller Mystery Debut Novel
The Comet Seekers
10.0
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One Day meets The Time Traveler's Wife in this spellbinding, magical debut novel about love, loss,...
Fiction Literary fiction Antartica Comet Love Friendship
Pineapple Street
9.0
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Pineapple Street follows three women in an old Brooklyn Heights clan: one who was born with money,...
Family New York
Fire Rush
10.0
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This is our dancing time. Yamaye lives for the weekend, when she can go raving with her friends...
Historical fiction Literary fiction Music Race Women’s Prize Shortlist 2023
Merissa (13555 KP) rated Dalysian Hope (Dalysia #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2023
This is the author's debut novel and I am already in love with her intimate and descriptive writing style. It doesn't feel like it was written for the masses, but rather just for "you" alone. This means that you are drawn right into the story and care about the characters, some more than others!
With layer upon layer woven together in a thrilling elemental story, this book will sweep you away and definitely leave you wanting more.
Oh, one thing more I need to say - TEAM REN!!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 30, 2016
In Rob Rinder's debut novel, he has created a veritable smorgasbord of excellent characters, a totally engrossing story with twists and turns and all written at a good pace. I particularly liked the chapters given over to conversations and messages between Adam and his mother, who is determined to marry him off to a good Jewish girl, which adds humour to the story.
Although a work of fiction, it is clear that Mr Rinder has put a lot of his own experiences into the book which added a level of authenticity and realism without it being dry and boring and I, for one, hope there is more to come as I want to know how Adam develops as a barrister and to make sure he is eating enough and/or whether he finds a nice Jewish girl!!!!
Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Trial.
The Gardener’s Plot
5.0
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A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Nix in Books
Dec 4, 2017
It spans nearly fifty years, with flashbacks to student protests during 1968, from the present day, and the travails of an academic, struggling to engage with lazy and disaffected students, and playing ‘Elfscape’, an online role-playing game that works along the lines of World of Warcraft. The narrative perspective moves around quite a bit in the first few chapters, but a strong theme quickly emerges.
Samuel Andresen-Anderson is the principal protagonist, and is a genuinely empathetic character. Far from perfect, he is beset with irritations, ranging from the cheating and ignorance of many of his students to the family upheaval suffered during his childhood, which still troubles him more than twenty years later.
Behind all this is the story of Faye, Samuel’s mother, who walked out on her family more than twenty years earlier, and who is catapulted into the public consciousness following a sudden impulsive act. This offered Hill the opportunity for some acute observations about the motives and actions of the student rebels from the late 1960s, while also exposing the hypocrisies of the establishment and the cruelties of some of the police during those troubles. In between, the author even delves into Norwegian folklore.
The writing is fine – clear and accessible - and Hill manages the complex storylines admirably. Moving backwards and forwards between the late 1960s, late 1980s and 2011, the plot never flags. This was a long novel, but very entertaining throughout.
tanuki (2 KP) rated The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1) in Books
Feb 6, 2019
The opening chapters seem inspired by wuxia novels and the tale of Yim Wing Chun - kung fu practitioners will note a number of references here to their origin tales, as well as some beautiful descriptions of the biomechanics of the art - mixed with Hogwarts. We have the neglected orphan who works hard to achieve her school place and study the fields of combat, lore, medicine and so on. There is an unusual teacher occupying the position of wise sage and there's the handsome rival. So far, so comforting. One can enjoy this fairly cosy ride.
But then there is a distinct undercurrent. It creeps up on you, darker and more earthy than the tone suggests. Just as the students spend their days training for a war that'll never come, we read this schoolyard tale as if the latter half of the book won't come.
It hits with a bombshell, and they just keep coming. Now fiction isn't fiction at all. History is woven through the narrative. We can see the major players and we know how it ends. And yet the deftly woven plot, excellent prose and gripping characters keep us on the edge of our seats.
A phenomenal debut and the start of a thrilling trilogy.