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ClareR (5879 KP) rated Fragile in Books

Nov 2, 2021  
Fragile
Fragile
Sarah Hilary | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I think there is always a case for choosing a book based purely on the cover. This is another of those times where I’ve done precisely that - and I loved this book.

Fragile is a haunting thriller, where two young people, Nell and Joe, run away to London from their foster home after a tragic event. An event that we’re drip fed the information of as the book progresses.

Joe and Nell become separated, so Nell decides to go and knock on the door of the last place she saw him. When Dr. Robin Wilder opens the door at Starling Villa, Nell manages to talk him into employing her as his housekeeper. But all is not as it seems. Is Nell really safe here? What happened in Wales before she ran away to London with Joe? What does Dr. Wilders wife want with Nell? And where is Joe?

Nell and Joe’s backstories about their lives in care are heartbreaking. From a young age, Nell becomes the house ‘mother’, cleaner and cook. It’s a horrible life for her and so well described. Joe’s life isn’t any better.

Actually, the writing is so descriptive: people and places are described picture perfectly, and some scenes are so emotive, whilst others are really tense. The gripping finale was heartbreaking.

Sarah Hilary is a new author to me, and one that I’ll certainly look out for in future.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Nov 27, 2022  
Love surfing? Author Kellye Abernathy stops by my blog to share three things you many not know about surfing. While you're there, check out her middle grade magical realism fantasy book THE AQUAMARINE SURFBOARD, and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a signed copy.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/11/pop-up-blog-hop-and-giveaway-aquamarine.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
“Age never matters; these things are about bravery and heart.”

Thirteen-year-old Condi Bloom’s dream is to learn to surf, but her laid-back beach town isn’t what it used to be. Big resort owners are taking over the cove. Worse, someone’s harassing the Beachlings, the mysterious old women living in the cliffs off Windy Hollow, a lonely tower of rock that people say is haunted. When a new surfer boy named Trustin shows up in town and invites Condi to a forbidden surfing spot, she’s swept into an extraordinary underwater adventure, where a surprising encounter with Koan, the Riddlemaster of the Sea, changes her life. Along with Trustin, his quirky twin and a mystical aquamarine surfboard, Condi learns the untold stories of the Beachlings, uncovering the timeless secrets of Windy Hollow.

Ebbing and flowing between reality and magic, times past and present, The Aquamarine Surfboard by Kellye Abernathy is a riveting beach tale about opening up to mystery, building community when and where you can — and discovering the ocean is filled with magic—the really BIG kind—the kind that changes the world.
      
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ClareR (5879 KP) rated The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue in Books

May 29, 2023  
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
V.E. Schwab | 2020 | Contemporary, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
8.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Addie doesn’t want to marry and become just a wife and mother, waiting for old age and death. She wants to really live! So, on her wedding day she runs to the forest and asks the spirits there for help, just as her friend, and elderly woman, does. Addie has been warned not to make deals with the dark, but her plea for help coincides with dusk, and the wrong god/ spirit comes to her help. The deal is struck, and Addie finds herself making a deal that means for the cost of her soul, she will live for as long as she wants. It’s only afterwards that she learns that one of the conditions is that no one will remember her.

Until the day she meets Henry in present day New York.

Honestly, I don’t know why she had such a problem with the god she struck the deal with. He’s clearly rather dishy - dark, brooding, very powerful…

I’ve seen this described as Faustian, and I suppose it is. She makes a deal with a devil to live for longer. Except her deal has no time limit, or at least only the limit that she’ll give it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The Henry character was interesting as well, especially after his reveal.

This author has written a lot of YA apparently, and this is her first adult novel. It’s definitely worth keeping my eyes peeled for whatever she comes up with next!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Murder at an English Séance in Books

Jun 26, 2024 (Updated Jun 26, 2024)  
Murder at an English Séance
Murder at an English Séance
Jessica Ellicott | 2024 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I Foresee a Fun Book in Your Future
The biggest news in the village of Walmsley Parva (well, aside from Beryl’s latest stunt) is the arrival of the Dinsdales. Miss Dinsdale is a psychic, or so she claims. Beryl has had previous experiences with so called psychics, and she has her doubts right from the start. So she is fully on board when the two friends are hired to prove Miss Dinsdale is a fake.

Naturally, that means attending a séance or two to see Miss Dinsdale in action. What no one expects is for them to find a dead body at one of the sittings. Edwina and Beryl quickly change the focus of their investigation. Will they solve their latest case?

Since the last book took place mainly outside the village, I was thrilled to be back for this book. I enjoyed seeing the residents again, and see how Edwina and Beryl’s relationships with them continue to grow. The new characters are good, although there was one that seemed a little young for the age he had to be. I also enjoyed seeing how Edwina and Beryl continue to grow. The story was good with a couple of subplots that kept me engaged as I was reading. The time period came alive as I was reading as well. If you haven’t started this series, you are in for a treat. And if you are already a fan, you’ll be happy with the latest entry.