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Helmand to the Himalayas: One Soldier's Inspirational Journey

David Wiseman and Nick Harding

10.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

"From the war torn valleys of Afghanistan to the frozen peaks of the Himalayas, David Wiseman's...

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

J.D. Vance

8.2 (5 Ratings) Rate It

Book

'THE POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR' Sunday Times SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE by director Ron...

BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Twisted Tree in Books

Sep 24, 2020

The Twisted Tree

Rachel Burge | 2020 | Horror, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Martha is our protagonist in this novel, and this book is told from her perspective. I really liked Martha, she is different, she is blind in one eye and marked with a scar that makes her doubt herself. There is no very wide selection of characters, but all of them are very intriguing. I really liked Stig (the boy who ran away from his home) in this book as well. He is strange but at the same time very sweet and likeable. One thing that I really don’t understand is the need for kids to consume alcohol in books. Why? In this case, it did not bring anything to the story, so I think it could’ve been left out. :/

I really liked the way the author combined different themes in this book. We have modern day youth entwined with ancient mythology, magic, demons and souls, and topped up with a little bit of romance. It was a dark and spooky read, the whole setting of this novel feels isolated and gloomy, set in a little island in Norway during winter, where snowstorms rattle the whole house. It is a tiny book, so the story is really fast-paced and filled with interesting turns and twists. I really enjoyed how the author analysed the family relationships through our main characters. It was heartbreaking but very amusing at the same time.

I really liked the writing style of this novel, it is easy to understand, but it delivers a lot of new things to me. There is plenty of Norwegian mythology in this novel, and I think the author has done a great job with the research. The chapters were a decent length and didn’t feel draggy, and I absolutely loved the artwork used in this novel, it made the reading experience more enjoyable. The ending was nicely written, but it left me with many unanswered questions. What happened to Martha and Stig? Who is going to water the tree? Etc.

So, to conclude, it was a really good read, filled with unique and different characters, as well as action-filled and entertaining plot, where magic and scary ghosts are only a few steps away, hidden in the Twisted Tree.

Kudos

Debbiereadsbook (1303 KP) rated Blue Fire in Books

Aug 26, 2019

Blue Fire

Z.A. Maxfield | 2015 | LGBTQ+, Romance

8.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

it hit THAT spot, good and proper!

This was a freebie in August 2019.
Jared loses his home to a wildfire, and Adam rescues him. Adam doesn’t usually follow up his rescues, but Jared calls to his soul, deeply. When Jared isn’t recovering from his depression, Adam takes a chance and takes Jared to the place Adam calls home. Just when things start looking up, Jared runs. Years later, when Jared finds out Adam has been injured, Jared has moment of clarity, and realises he might have run away from the only person who made him truly whole. Will Adam see him, let alone listen to him?
I really rather enjoyed this!
It’s not very long, some 80 odd pages, only took me an hour to read, but it was a very enjoyable hour on a wet and miserable Wednesday morning!
Jared is still grieving the loss of his husband to cancer, and now the house he built has been destroyed and Jared feels destroyed too. Adam, with his ice blue eyes, rescues Jared from the blaze and visits him in rehab. Adam feels a powerful need to look in on Jared, to look AFTER Jared, and taking him to the cabin in the hills seems just the thing. And it was, till one of them says something, that sends them both into a tailspin and Adam has to return to work. After Jared runs, three years pass, and Jared’s glass work centres around his search for that perfect blue, the one that touches his soul. But it isn’t until Adam is injured, that Jared knows he’ll never find that perfect blue in a glass bauble.
I felt for both these guys. Adam, fighting his growing feelings for Jared, and Jared who is still recovering, and fighting all kinds of inner demons of his own.
They both have a say, in the third person. It’s hot and steamy in places, and deeply emotional in others.
It just hit THAT spot, you know? The warm and fuzzies one.
First I’ve read of this author, I’d love to read more!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**