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The Perfect Victim
The Perfect Victim
Corrie Jackson | 2017 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twists that you don't expect (3 more)
Great writing
There are multiple story threads
Easy to connect to the characters and care about the events of the story
A small amount of cliché plot devices (1 more)
Can get bland in some areas
Keeps you hanging
I bloody loved this book. I usually hate these kinds of mystery thrillers and only like the very best the genre has to offer, and this definitely impressed.
You read from Sophie Kent's point of view, a journalist on the job, and there has been a murder. It isn't long before people start to point fingers at people one of them being Charlie Swift, Sophies co-worker. As evidence keeps turning to him further bolsters by his disappearance Sophie struggles to accept that Charlie could murder a woman.
Sophie does her job and investigates, stating one step ahead of the police's investigation and uncovers a broken childhood, a religious cult, burning bodies, and several murders.

What makes this book so good in my opinion is that it isn't solely focused on the murder and the characters have their own story arcs, their own problems.
Sophie had a younger brother Tommy who supposedly died of drug use, a fractured relationship with her father and DCI Durand keeps coming to her rescue but out of personal gain or affection is the question. There are struggles within the police force and the more important characters have lives.

I would recommend this book to no end, and that's coming from someone who usually dislikes these kinds of books.
  
40x40

Merissa (13298 KP) rated Finding You in Books

Sep 20, 2017  
Finding You
Finding You
Lydia Albano | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Finding You by Lydia Albano
Finding You is set in a world similar, yet different, to our own, with a possible historical/steampunk type setting. Isla and Tam have been best friends for years, yet Isla can't help but hope for more. Those hopes are dashed when Tam announces that he is signing on to the army, as it means his family will have food for the coming winter. She goes to the station to say goodbye to him, and is literally snatched off the streets. Horror and degradation follow, with her constantly hoping that Tam will rescue her. Once she realises that she has to do this own her own, the pace picks up slightly and the story quickly evolves.

This is a very good debut, with action and story aplenty. Isla is forced to do things that she would never have dreamed possible; that she never thought she would be strong enough for; simply because of the circumstances she found herself in.

With plenty of characters to keep your attention, this is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow. The pace was smooth, and the scenes flowed from one to the next.

A thoroughly entertaining read (some of it quite dark) that I have no hesitation in recommending.

* 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!
  
Castle of Blue Stones
Castle of Blue Stones
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a digital copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

With a Philip Pullman-esque storyline, Jordan Elizabeth has got another genre under her belt. Set in a fictional world, Castle of Blue Stones tells the story of the survivors of an apocalyptic volcano... Or so the protagonist thinks.

Led to believe she has lived in the castle since a volcanic eruption killed 90% of the population, Jaisy lives in a colourless world with no memory of what life was like before. Unable to leave due to the ice age conditions outside, Jaisy is forced to obey the impossible instructions set by the Guardians who seem to distrust her more than any other castle inhabitant.

As the story progresses, Jaisy begins to remember her past and realise the danger she and her friends are in. With rescue not an option, Jaisy must take her life and future into her own hands and save everyone from certain doom.

The author sucks readers into the storyline from the very beginning. Learning the truth at the same pace as Jaisy, Castle of Blue Stones is a gripping tale of fantasy, danger and untruths that are certain to keep readers wanting to know more.

Having raced through the book in one day, I was a little disappointed with the ending, which, although a satisfying conclusion, happened so quickly in comparison with the steady build up. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable read and one of Jordan Elizabeth's better novels.
  
Adrift (2018)
Adrift (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sweet romance between thou are immediately thrown into the action (0 more)
Confusing (1 more)
Grim
Contains spoilers, click to show
You are immediately thrown into the action of Tami coming to after being tossed about below deck from the hurricane. Had I not been reading a play-by-play on IMDB, I might have been more confused than I was but I was intrigued by what I read so I wanted to see how it all played out onscreen. I would have preferred to see the hurricane shown because I'm a fan of disaster films, but instead, we are shown the aftermath and flashbacks of the couple's first meeting and the romance that followed. I would also have liked to see more of the actual rescue and her telling her story to the Japanese sailors and/or people in Hawaii when she was taken to the island instead of brief and vague glimpses of it.

The doldrums of trying to survive aboard a broken vessel and all the boredom of hours upon hours of being adrift is shown.

The acting is decent enough.

There is very little excitement to hold one's interest. I was disappointed that in the movie but it wasn't my story to tell. This is based on the true story of Tami Oldham Ashcraft, who is listed as one of the writers and is shown briefly at the end of the movie.

It's not great. Reading about the actual story online is more satisfying. I am curious about Ashcraft's book but it's probably as boring as the movie.