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Merissa (12066 KP) rated The Mayfair Moon (The Darkwoods Trilogy #1) in Books

Mar 31, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)

The Mayfair Moon (The Darkwoods Trilogy #1)

J.A. Redmerski | 2019 | Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult (YA)

10.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

About a week ago I was lamenting the fact that I am so behind on reading the books that I have downloaded onto my Kindle, and that I have so many now (over a thousand) that I can't remember what they are about. I have now come to realise that this is not always a bad thing. For hidden in the middle of August 2012, I have just read a book that is absolutely fantastic.

I will start by saying that it is the Paranormal genre, which as most of you know, is a favourite of mine. It has been compared to the Twilight Saga and admittedly, if you have read the books - not just seen the films - there are similarities and not just for the fact that there are werewolves. But there are also striking differences which make this book stand alone and not just in the shadow of Twilight.

This is a gritty, fast-paced book with well-rounded characters that you can get your teeth into (pardon the pun). There are twists and turns, revelations and mysteries, good guys who are not saccharine sweet and evil guys that you really do dislike. The relationships between the characters are believable and I know I had a best friend like Harry and still do.

There is violence and blood in this book but it does not take over the story and becomes unnecessary. This actually makes a nice change from the loveable, cuddly werewolves that you normally get who are so soft they can't fight out of a wet paper bag.

Recommended for anyone who was Team Jacob, who like Paranormal with a hint of romance and for all who like reading about werewolves.

* Verified Purchase ~ August 2012 *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
July 27, 2016

Kudos

The Silence Before Dawn (WW2 Resistance Series Book 1) [Audiobook]

Amanda Lees

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Nazi-occupied France, 1944: I tear open the envelope, extracting a sheet of folded paper. I read it,...

ClareR (5726 KP) rated Hard By A Great Forest in Books

Mar 10, 2024

Hard By A Great Forest

Leo Vardiashvili | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I turned the last page of Hard by a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvili, and felt like my heart had been well and truly put through the wringer. This is going to be one of those books - you know the ones: this book has broken my heart and destroyed me - here! You MUST read it!

Saba, his brother and father escaped the conflict in post-Communist Georgia when he was a child, leaving behind their mother because they couldn’t afford the bribes. Saba’s father never recovers from having to leave her behind, and when things in Georgia start to settle down more, he returns there. However he goes missing, Saba’s brother goes to look for him and he goes missing too. So Saba goes to look for them both.

Saba’s head is full of the voices of his past, people who are no longer living and stories that his mother used to tell him. His brother leaves Saba a paper trail of clues, including the play that their father wrote, and parts of fairy stories and Shakespeare quotations from their childhood.

This is an emotional novel. There’s the constant feeling of being watched, danger is around every corner. The police are corrupt, and you don’t know if friends are really friends or working for the police.

Saba’s journey is both cathartic and dangerous. It takes him and his friend into the danger zone through a military blockade. It was so tense. Throughout, Saba has to deal with the trauma of his childhood and it’s impact on his adult life. He may have survived the war, but will he survive the trauma and the quest to find his father?

I loved this. I was rooting for Saba throughout, and I feel that I learnt a lot about what has happened in Georgia (considering I knew nothing beforehand). It’s wonderful book.