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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Village (The Spread #2) in Books
Nov 14, 2021
Following on from "The Hill", the first in this series and one which I do think you need to have read in order to get the full picture of just what the heck has gone on, this is another great book from Iain Rob Wright.
Here we have the survivors from "The Hill" making their way to "The Village" in the hope of safety and salvation. What they get is quite the opposite.
Iain creates brilliant characters each with their own interesting back story and all with their part to play. He also creates suspense, tension and the unexpected - one thing I have learned with Iain's books is not to get too comfortable with any of the characters no matter how big or small ... no one is safe!
This is an interesting take on the zombie theme and one which I am looking forward to seeing where it goes with subsequent books - I'm here for the ride and I know it's going to be bumpy!
Here we have the survivors from "The Hill" making their way to "The Village" in the hope of safety and salvation. What they get is quite the opposite.
Iain creates brilliant characters each with their own interesting back story and all with their part to play. He also creates suspense, tension and the unexpected - one thing I have learned with Iain's books is not to get too comfortable with any of the characters no matter how big or small ... no one is safe!
This is an interesting take on the zombie theme and one which I am looking forward to seeing where it goes with subsequent books - I'm here for the ride and I know it's going to be bumpy!
What it’s about:
Sisters is about July and September, born 10 months apart and as close as twins. They’ve only ever needed each other. But when school bullying results in them moving away with their mother to an abandoned house on the Yorkshire coast, their relationship starts to fracture. And as they push one another to do increasingly daring things, July starts to realise that something isn’t quite right.
My thoughts:
I love a quirky read, and Sisters is exactly that. I was never quite sure what July and September were going to do next, and their demands of each other were at times really dangerous. They are very insular and don’t seems to want anyone else involved in their relationship - even their mother. Even the house they live in is unfriendly, set in a hostile environment.
This isn’t a scary book at all, but it’s packed with suspense and there’s a really uncomfortable, disorientating atmosphere.
I loved it.
Sisters is about July and September, born 10 months apart and as close as twins. They’ve only ever needed each other. But when school bullying results in them moving away with their mother to an abandoned house on the Yorkshire coast, their relationship starts to fracture. And as they push one another to do increasingly daring things, July starts to realise that something isn’t quite right.
My thoughts:
I love a quirky read, and Sisters is exactly that. I was never quite sure what July and September were going to do next, and their demands of each other were at times really dangerous. They are very insular and don’t seems to want anyone else involved in their relationship - even their mother. Even the house they live in is unfriendly, set in a hostile environment.
This isn’t a scary book at all, but it’s packed with suspense and there’s a really uncomfortable, disorientating atmosphere.
I loved it.
Dead on Ice (A Lovers in Crime Mystery #1)
10.0
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Book
Dead on Ice is the first installment of Lauren Carr’s new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring...
Mystery Cozy Mystery Mystery > Cozy Mystery Romance Fiction Thriller > Mystery Thriller
The Knowhere child
Book
‘Her name is Sammy Went. This photo was taken on her second birthday. Three days later she was...
Gaelic Magic
Book
When romance author Delu Morris is troubled with unexplained panic attacks, she seeks help from a...
Romance Suspense Magical
Dirty Secret (Cole McGinnis #2)
8.0
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Book
Loving Kim Jae-Min isn’t always easy: Jae is gun-shy about being openly homosexual. Ex-cop turned...
Contemporary MM Romance Crime Suspense Mystery
Merissa (14027 KP) rated Midnight Conquest (Bonded By Blood Vampire Chronicles #1) in Books
May 30, 2023
This is the first book in the Bonded by Blood Vampire Chronicles. It is a paranormal romance/suspense, with a historical setting; rather than a historical romance with a paranormal twist. This is a distinction to be aware of as it MAY make a difference to a hardcore historical fan!
This story tells the tale of Broderick and Davina, how they meet, what impact on each others' lives they have or will have, tells of the fears they fight, and the enemies who plot against them. There will be an overall story arc running through this series, as the epilogue tells us when Cordelia once again makes an appearance.
With an engaging storyline, excellent world and character building, plus a smoothly paced plot that builds to a thrilling climax, this story is a wonderful start that nonetheless will leave you wanting to know more. Definitely recommended.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 21, 2016
This story tells the tale of Broderick and Davina, how they meet, what impact on each others' lives they have or will have, tells of the fears they fight, and the enemies who plot against them. There will be an overall story arc running through this series, as the epilogue tells us when Cordelia once again makes an appearance.
With an engaging storyline, excellent world and character building, plus a smoothly paced plot that builds to a thrilling climax, this story is a wonderful start that nonetheless will leave you wanting to know more. Definitely recommended.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 21, 2016
Have You Seen Him
Book
What if everything you believed about yourself was totally wrong? For David Byrdsong, life is a...
Mystery Suspense Thriller
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Fractured in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/fractured-by-catherine-mckenzie
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
<b><i>They say that if a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian rainforest, it can change the weather half a world away. Chaos theory...
All I know is today is that you can think that what you’ve done is only the flap of a butterfly wing, when it’s really a thunderclap.
And both can result in a hurricane.</b></i>
Julie’s life has gotten hard, she’s become a famous author and managed to bag herself a crazed stalker, so she decides to move her family across the country in hope of a new, stalkerless, beginning. And when she meet neighbour John, they hit it off immediately, the future seems brighter. But before long, things start to go wrong again. Who knew moving into a beautiful picturesque new neighbourhood could be so deadly?
I was really worried about reading this because Netgalley classed it as women's fiction and I have serious beef with that genre… but also, I was expecting a suspense thriller, not some family-lovey-dovey bullshit, but after seeing the rave reviews on Goodreads I had a little more hope that this would be bearable for me. And boy was it bearable, more than that in fact, it was exciting and thrilling to read!
As Stephen King says <i><b>“Good books don't give up all their secrets at once.”</i></b> and this book certainly didn’t! I thought it was excellent at keeping you on your toes, feeding you chunks of mystery and suspense a little at a time.
<b>Minor spoilers in this paragraph.</b> I really liked the main characters in this book… separately. Julie was a good mum and loving wife who was dealing with all her issues in a non-annoying way and John was a good dad, and, for the most part, a good husband. But put the two of them together and they got annoying. How could a grown man and woman not realise the friendship they had managed to create out of one conversation the day Julie moved in was inappropriate for so long? Julie especially, as her relationship with Daniel seemed close to perfect! The childishness of their situation had me really irritated and uncomfortable throughout the novel. I never used to have a problem with these kind of relationships in books until me and Matt had been together for a while, not that I <i>ever</i> condoned cheating on a partner before I got into a relationship, just the thought of being cheated on by your other half sets off all kinds of emotions and feelings inside of me that I can’t even begin to describe. <spoiler>So when they kissed each other outside Julie’s house, my stomach dropped, I felt instantly panicky and sick and contemplated putting the novel down as unfinished. I hate, <b>hate</b> reading about affairs.</spoiler>
My favourite character was Daniel though, what a lovely, gentle and understanding man… if not a little naive. Though I didn’t like Hanna, but she had every right to be angry and suspicious with John.
It’s pretty clear from a few chapters in who our criminal is, but McKenzie does well to keep what specifically the “accident” is and who our victim is secret until just the right moment. When we found out what happened and who it happened to I was shocked! It’s been a long time since a book has surprised me in the same way. What a crazy end to this rollercoaster ride of a book!
Overall, this is a fantastic suspense novel, with just the right amount of “women’s fiction” merged with thriller. I seriously recommend this for all thriller/suspense readers out there, I’m sure this won’t disappoint!
<i>(I don’t mean to create any kind of drama with this comment but this whole novel is <i>so American!</i> Wanting to sue someone over small things? Having “block parties” and neighbourhood newsletters and stuff with an immature queen bee in charge of it all? This shit would never go down in the UK.)</i>
I’d like to thank Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this in an exchange for an honest review.
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
<b><i>They say that if a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian rainforest, it can change the weather half a world away. Chaos theory...
All I know is today is that you can think that what you’ve done is only the flap of a butterfly wing, when it’s really a thunderclap.
And both can result in a hurricane.</b></i>
Julie’s life has gotten hard, she’s become a famous author and managed to bag herself a crazed stalker, so she decides to move her family across the country in hope of a new, stalkerless, beginning. And when she meet neighbour John, they hit it off immediately, the future seems brighter. But before long, things start to go wrong again. Who knew moving into a beautiful picturesque new neighbourhood could be so deadly?
I was really worried about reading this because Netgalley classed it as women's fiction and I have serious beef with that genre… but also, I was expecting a suspense thriller, not some family-lovey-dovey bullshit, but after seeing the rave reviews on Goodreads I had a little more hope that this would be bearable for me. And boy was it bearable, more than that in fact, it was exciting and thrilling to read!
As Stephen King says <i><b>“Good books don't give up all their secrets at once.”</i></b> and this book certainly didn’t! I thought it was excellent at keeping you on your toes, feeding you chunks of mystery and suspense a little at a time.
<b>Minor spoilers in this paragraph.</b> I really liked the main characters in this book… separately. Julie was a good mum and loving wife who was dealing with all her issues in a non-annoying way and John was a good dad, and, for the most part, a good husband. But put the two of them together and they got annoying. How could a grown man and woman not realise the friendship they had managed to create out of one conversation the day Julie moved in was inappropriate for so long? Julie especially, as her relationship with Daniel seemed close to perfect! The childishness of their situation had me really irritated and uncomfortable throughout the novel. I never used to have a problem with these kind of relationships in books until me and Matt had been together for a while, not that I <i>ever</i> condoned cheating on a partner before I got into a relationship, just the thought of being cheated on by your other half sets off all kinds of emotions and feelings inside of me that I can’t even begin to describe. <spoiler>So when they kissed each other outside Julie’s house, my stomach dropped, I felt instantly panicky and sick and contemplated putting the novel down as unfinished. I hate, <b>hate</b> reading about affairs.</spoiler>
My favourite character was Daniel though, what a lovely, gentle and understanding man… if not a little naive. Though I didn’t like Hanna, but she had every right to be angry and suspicious with John.
It’s pretty clear from a few chapters in who our criminal is, but McKenzie does well to keep what specifically the “accident” is and who our victim is secret until just the right moment. When we found out what happened and who it happened to I was shocked! It’s been a long time since a book has surprised me in the same way. What a crazy end to this rollercoaster ride of a book!
Overall, this is a fantastic suspense novel, with just the right amount of “women’s fiction” merged with thriller. I seriously recommend this for all thriller/suspense readers out there, I’m sure this won’t disappoint!
<i>(I don’t mean to create any kind of drama with this comment but this whole novel is <i>so American!</i> Wanting to sue someone over small things? Having “block parties” and neighbourhood newsletters and stuff with an immature queen bee in charge of it all? This shit would never go down in the UK.)</i>
I’d like to thank Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this in an exchange for an honest review.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Catching Fire in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Despite the fact that both Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games and returned home, the feel of the book is similar to how it felt when they were still entrenched in the drama of the Hunger Games, like they still have to be aware that everything they do and say is being watched and judged by the Capital. There is no feeling of gratitude or relief, only a pervading sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop. The suspense alone kept me from putting the book down much at all until I had finished it.
I really feel for Gale in this book, more so than the first book, both because he has made his feelings known and because "the odds" are never in his favor. He has absolutely no control in his relationship with Katniss simply because the Capitol keeps taking her away from him.
Before I read this book, I was careful not to read too many spoilers, and I wondered if there would be another Hunger Games event in the second book. With the 75th anniversary, this is taken to a whole new level, and of course abused by the Capitol for its own nefarious means. Still, I was curious as to how Suzanne Collins would make it more macabre than the previous one, and she did not disappoint.
I do have to wonder how Katniss completely missed so many clues about the organization of the rebellion against the Capitol. Even though she had moments of suspicion, she was so focused on the survival of Peeta and herself, she could not take the time to ask a few questions, which was frustrating.
There were also a few moments of humor interspersed throughout the book, which helped to give me a bit of relief from the suspense and tragedy. Many of the new characters introduced in this book were quite interesting in their own way, and I especially liked the oldest ones because of their surprising ability to survive in ways other than brute strength.
Overall, this book is as engrossing as the first, and I look forward to completing the series with Mockingjay.
I really feel for Gale in this book, more so than the first book, both because he has made his feelings known and because "the odds" are never in his favor. He has absolutely no control in his relationship with Katniss simply because the Capitol keeps taking her away from him.
Before I read this book, I was careful not to read too many spoilers, and I wondered if there would be another Hunger Games event in the second book. With the 75th anniversary, this is taken to a whole new level, and of course abused by the Capitol for its own nefarious means. Still, I was curious as to how Suzanne Collins would make it more macabre than the previous one, and she did not disappoint.
I do have to wonder how Katniss completely missed so many clues about the organization of the rebellion against the Capitol. Even though she had moments of suspicion, she was so focused on the survival of Peeta and herself, she could not take the time to ask a few questions, which was frustrating.
There were also a few moments of humor interspersed throughout the book, which helped to give me a bit of relief from the suspense and tragedy. Many of the new characters introduced in this book were quite interesting in their own way, and I especially liked the oldest ones because of their surprising ability to survive in ways other than brute strength.
Overall, this book is as engrossing as the first, and I look forward to completing the series with Mockingjay.