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Kaz (232 KP) rated Never Say Spy- Book 1 of the 'Never Say Spy' Series in Books

May 18, 2019 (Updated May 18, 2019)  
Never Say Spy- Book 1 of the 'Never Say Spy' Series
Never Say Spy- Book 1 of the 'Never Say Spy' Series
Diane Henders | 2011 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Exciting Story, Likeable Characters, Great female Main Character (0 more)
Slightly Implausible behaviour by some of the characters at times (0 more)
A Real Page Turner
This book was given to me as a present by a friend and is the first in the 'Never Say Spy' Series.

Firstly, what I really liked about this novel, was that the main character was a woman. This is a book set within a crime/spy environment and it's unusual to have a female main character, within this genre. I also really liked how Aydan Kelly was not portrayed as a weak, helpless victim, who was waiting to be rescued. She had guts and could definitely hold her own in a tricky situation.

This is a very fast- paced novel, from the very beginning. I liked this because you felt like you were finding out things, as Aydan was. This is so gripping, that I found it difficult to put this book down.

I also liked the Sci-Fi element to this novel. Usually I don't like books mixing genres too much, but actually., I wish that it could have been used a bit more, because it makes this different from every other novel within this genre.

I enjoyed reading about the male characters within this novel. They are all very distinctive and I liked that they all had their own identities. I loved the dynamics of the two main male characters with Aydan and it kept me wanted to know how this was going to resolve.

Due to the fact that Aydan Kelly is such as strong character, she has some very funny one liners and I really cared what happened to her. However, my only criticism of this novel would be that, as well as being a feisty woman, she also has a lustful mind. This is good because it's realistic, but, I did feel that these thoughts crept into her mind at the most inappropriate times, particularly when she had just been in an intense, dangerous situation.

This is also violent and gory in places. Although I wouldn't say that these parts were not inappropriate to the story.

I'm generally not a fan of spy novels and films, but I really enjoyed this one. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.
  
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ClareR (5674 KP) rated The Mars Room: A Novel in Books

Jul 30, 2018  
The Mars Room: A Novel
The Mars Room: A Novel
Rachel Kushner | 2018 | Thriller
8
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A stunning debut.
Romy Hall has been given 2 consecutive life sentences for the murder of her stalker. This novel follows her arrival at prison, and reveals the story of her life in the lead up and at the start of her incarceration. We also meet some of the women who she lives with during this time.
I can see why this book has been nominated for The Man Booker Prize 2018 - it clearly shows how a childhood of poverty and benign neglect can lead to drug addiction and crime. It also shows the awful conditions of the prison that Romy is kept in and the hatred of the guards towards their charges. This isn't an environment of rehabilitation, it's an environment of harsh punishment. Which probably explains the high rates of reoffending.
It's a frustrating book to read, because I think the reader really does start to care about the people that they read about (at least I did), even though the writing doesn't actually invite us to feel for the characters. In fact it's all written in quite a detached way. They are more than just the crime they committed, and this book shows that.