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Fierce Kingdom
Fierce Kingdom
Gin Phillips | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Have you ever read a book that’s brought out emotions in you that you weren’t even aware of? Because that is what happened to me when reading this book. I had no idea that I had innate maternal feelings, I’ve never felt broody or motherly at any point in my life, but something about the writing in this book pulled all the right strings, and I suddenly had “motherly emotions”. Phillip’s writing is superb and if you’re lucky enough to have a day off to read this, you will certainly get through it within a few hours.

This book is definitely a thriller, but because of the topics in it, all the “would I have done that?” questions running through your head, you can get completely lost in the moment of this story, only remembering Joan & Lincoln are hiding from gunmen when it’s mentioned in Joan’s narrative.

The characterisation in this is so good it’s hard to explain how good it is. Phillips is a mother herself so she is clearly writing from her own heart here. Joan is exactly the way I imagine being a mother feels, Lincoln is a little bundle of joy throughout the darkness of the book, and Robby is a tragic and sociopathic killer.

I can’t tell you that this book is perfect, because it’s not. The writing, for me, pretty much was perfect, but the plot lacked a little, especially at the end when I was left wanting more. More explanation, or a more rounded conclusion.

Overall, this was a seriously emotive and beautiful novel. It will bring out some seriously strong emotions in you and it will thrill you. This gets a very strong 4/4.5 stars from me.

<i>Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for sending me an ARC copy of this book. And also to Netgalley for my eARC copy. (I was sent the physical ARC after the Netgalley approval, I wasn’t being greedy!)</i>
  
TC
True Colors (The Masks, #1)
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disclaimer: I was given an ARC e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

True Colors follows Caitlyn "Caity" Davis, a high school senior just trying to make her way through her final year alongside all her friends. Little does must she know that one night out will change her life forever. A mysterious stranger bestows an even stranger gift on her, and she must try and deal with the fallout. Can she find a way to cope with her new-found ability with the help of her cute neighbor, or will it be the end of her friendship and life as she knows it?

This book, like all of Melissa's books, pulled me in right from the start. The story is such a new and different one, and I absolutely loved her way of putting it into words. The characters are all entertaining, and they certainly evoke strong emotions: envy, anger, empathy, sorrow, etc. For Caitlyn, she can see all those emotions rolling across the faces of those around her, and I felt like I would have been an open book to her while reading her story. I cannot wait for the next book to come out, as this plot is so intriguing. And the nod to the "Betwixt" series was a great crossover!!

5 stars (because that's as high as Goodreads will let me go!)