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The Mother Fault
The Mother Fault
Kate Mildenhall | 2021 | Dystopia
8
7.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dystopia is my catnip. I can’t resist it. But as I’ve said before, I have to be careful how much of it I read (overactive imagination alert!). And even more so with these dystopian novels that seem plausible and could actually happen sooner than you think!

The Mother Fault is one of these books. It’s set in the not too distant future in Australia - but a very different Australia. The country seems to be under the control of an organisation called BestLife. They even make sure that babies are implanted with a chip. The adults all have them, and life is made more difficult for those who opt out.

Mim’s husband goes missing whilst working in a mine in Indonesia. But instead of care and support, BestLife respond by asking for Mim’s and her children’s passports, offering to ‘take care’ of the children. It’s a barely veiled threat.

Mim responds by trying to drive away as far and as fast as she can. Everywhere she goes, she’s surveilled, and everyone she sees or visits is in danger.

The descriptions of an Australia ravaged by climate change are haunting. The decisions Mim makes can be questionable, but that just makes it more interesting!

It’s a really tense read, I continually felt that they would be caught, even when they were at sea (especially so really, because who would be there to witness whatever BestLife would do?!).
The part of the book that took place in the boat was so frustrating at times, and really helped to put the reader in Mim’s shoes.
This was a great read, and I’ve added another writer to my watch list!!
  
Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16)
Peace Talks (The Dresden Files, #16)
Jim Butcher | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It was, what something like 5 years? 6? Between the release of the last book in the series (Skin Game) and this.

Long enough for me to go back and re-read the entire thing from scratch, anyway.

I'd also seen several reviews (on Amazon, mainly) bemoaning the fact that this is more like half a book: first impressions, upon receiving it, where that they were right: this was roughly half the size of that previous novel.

Having said that, there was also an argument to be made that those later novels (from around Changes onward) had themselves become too bloated, unlike the earlier entries in the series when Harry was (mainly) a detective.

Now that I've finished reading this, I can see where some of those reviews were coming from: more than any other I can think of in the series, this definitely sets up the next (Battle Ground, cutting off just as it 'tees up' the conflict to come and how the supernatural community is going to react to it.

After having conspicuously being absent in the previous, this also see's the return of Thomas Raith (and his sister Lara), both of whom play a large role in the proceeding within this, as does Harry's mentor Ebenezer McCoy, with the concept of family coming to the fore.

Did I enjoy it?

Yes.

Do I feel slightly cheated by the fact that it sets up but doesn't resolve the conflict to come, meaning I would have to buy the next book?

Also yes.

(I was going to anyway, having made it - and mainly enjoying them - this far)
  
The Memory of Animals
The Memory of Animals
Claire Fuller | 2023 | Contemporary, Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’m completely braised. I love Claire Fullers writing, I’ve loved everything I’ve read by her and The Memory of Animals is no exception. And the fact that this could be described as a dystopian or even an apocalyptic novel made it even more fascinating. I love this genre - even though it usually enters my dreams and makes for an interesting nights sleep!

This is a pandemic novel - but not our pandemic, not Covid. This is a dropsy-type disease, where those infected swell up, their brains swell up too, they forget - and more often than not, they die.

Neffy (Nefeli) and a group of young people volunteer to be vaccinated against, and then infected by, the virus. Something goes wrong, and it looks as though Neffy and four other test volunteers are the only ones who are alive and well. But they can’t leave the building they’re in and the food is running out.

Neffy is a Marine Biologist, an Aquarist, and my favourite parts were her letters to ‘H’ as well as her flashbacks to childhood and pre-pandemic.

This isn’t *just* a speculative, science fiction book, it’s a story about the human condition, about the human drive to survive against the odds, regret, loss, grief, memory, love and above all, hope.

I could go on and on about this. I would never have expected a novel like this from Claire Fuller after reading her previous novels, but that’s what makes it even better. I actually read this twice (unheard of for me, actually). I finished it and immediately started reading again.

So yes, I would most definitely strongly recommend this book!
  
DS
Druids Storm ( Alice Skye 2)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
22 of 220
Kindle
Druids Storm ( Alice Skye 2)
By Taylor Aston White
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A betrayed witch. A fractured past. A dark secret.

Just two months after her abduction, Alice Skye is ready to get back to her job as a Paladin Agent, tracking and detaining Breed by any means necessary. Even though bones have healed and bites have scarred, she’s no closer to the truth, and the one man who knows is nowhere to be seen.

Riley Storm has his own problems being heir to the Storm empire and a Guardian of the Order. So he keeps his distance from the unpredictable Alice Skye. Until he’s forced back into her life, whether she wants him to be or not.

As a vampire genocide shocks the city, Alice partners as the new liaison with the local authorities, the job an exciting opportunity that would help bridge the relationship between Breed and Norms for good. But Alice can’t help but feel there’s more to the dark murders, that maybe there's something bigger behind the lies and deceit.

Can Alice trust her instincts and stop the poison before more lives are taken?

Or will she be distracted as her life unravels once again?

I loved this second book. I like that she’s solving crimes and dealing with her magic and finding out who she is without a whole load of relationship drama, reminds me of the early Anita Blake novels. I think the characters are brilliant bad and good it was so much better than book 1 and I love it’s set in London.
  
Monster High (Monster High, #1)
Monster High (Monster High, #1)
Lisi Harrison | 2005 | Fiction & Poetry
10
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am twenty years old and I loved this book more than I think an intelligent college student should. There were just way to many things that kept me from not turning the pages and walking away. In fact, I have only one negative thing to say about this book.

This is a book meant strictly for pleasure reading for fantasy and novels alike. While it kept true to the high school novel feel, it also had enough fantasy to make it that much more interesting than just high school girls worrying about losing their boy toys. It was similar to any other young adult novel I have read except for the one factor making it completely different: it revolves around the descendents of monsters. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would have hated this book. I have always loved everything to do with fantast monsters and creatures. The fact that Mattel created a doll series about it was cute, but the book made it enjoyable for an audience older than seven years of age.

 Quite honestly, I am tired of all the criticism of this book. It is meant to be a light-hearted, moral teaching novel meant for young adults, therefore, it is meant to relatable by teens. All the slang that the students use is how the real world is, people. I am sorry if you don’t understand their lingo, but it’s how kids are, especially high schoolers. They invent words that they think are cool and some tend to catch on. Melody’s family is from Beverly Hills. Why wouldn’t they have designer clothes? Frankie was born 15 days ago. What else would she wear but what magazines and the media tell her to, which just happens to be designer clothing. As for the celebrity names dropped, this is not in the leagues of Lewis or Tolkien. Few people will read this in 50 years when the current generation doesn’t know who Lady Gaga or Justin Beiber is. This was meant for the generation here and now.

This is not a deep novel people. There is no great mission by amazing warriors meant to save the world. The romance is just that: cute teen romance. No sex and no deep involved feeling that are too complicated. If this novel was not grown up for you, then you probably shouldn’t be picking up books from the young adult section. Try some Lukyanenko novels and then talk to me. Thanks.

Moving on. The books two main female characters are Melody and Frankie Stein. The description is a bit misleading, however. Frankie and Melody actually don’t even really talk to each until the end. Before tragedy strikes, bringing them together, the two are lost in their own little worlds, hardly even concerned with each other. Both girls are focused on making it a new community and high school, while dealing with major crushes and vicious students. Each makes their own friends. One’s are psychotic back-stabbers that need to have cell phone service banned and barred. The other’s are true and stand behind her even if they don’t agree with her.
 
The characters were adorable, crazy, funny, and had so much…well character. It was easy to tell one from another and I absolutely loved reading about them interacting with each other. Most of the novel had me either laughing, or setting the book aside until I could get over my empathetic embarrassment. I found myself sympathizing with all the characters’ points of view even though none of them know the whole picture like the reader does. Not to mention, sharing Frankie’s frustration. I was with her 100% even though I kept telling myself her parents’ way was the safest. How could you not feel frustrated when everyone was telling her to have pride in what she was and the forcing who to hide what she was? Hypocritical much? I thought so.

Now to the only negative thing I have to say about this book: I wanted to continuously shut Melody down. I found it down right annoying that she thought she knew how Jackson (Dr. Jekyll’s grandson) and Frankie (Frankenstein’s granddaughter) felt about being outcasts just because she had a nose she considered ugly. Are you kidding me? Really? I thought this was a poor attempt by Harrison to give Melody and Frankie some common ground. Being made fun of because of your nose is nowhere near the devastation of being hunted down because your grandfather was a chemical addict or a stitched together living doll. Oh, I am sure that it was tragic enough for Melody, but how dare she say she understood what it was like. Melody was never in mortal danger for her difference, so please, honey, get off your self-righteous horse.

The main reason I loved this book so much was because it was so distracting. It was such a light and fluffy book about the “simplicity” that is high school life. It was refreshing from all these novels nowadays where the protagonist is the only person capable of saving the world, their loved, blah blah blah, while the protagonist is some immensely powerful being. Note to writers: that scenario is getting old real quick.
  
Kill the Father
Kill the Father
Sandrone Dazieri | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Filled with Twists and Turns
This was one of the better thriller/mystery novels I have read so far this year. Wow. It was well written, filled with lots of twists and turns and the way everything is tied together is fantastic and makes the writing flow to keep you engaged and the pages turning.

The characters speak for themselves. They’re heavily flawed and are dealing with horrible pasts. I like both of them and Dante and Colomba do make a great team. Dante certainly has his quirks and his mannerisms due to his being a previous kidnapping victim. It feels like they certainly complement each other and they have an amazing chemistry when working together. They’re both very strong characters, no doubt.

If any of you have read The Monster’s Daughter by Michelle Pretorius I found some similarities between Colomba and Alet in the fact they both don’t take crap and go beyond their limits to solve things and they’re certainly not afraid to take a swing or kick to make their point across (Colomba has a good share of that throughout the book)

The plot was really good and what I really enjoyed reading the most was the way everything was seamless and how it was put together. Everything that happened to Colomba and Dante was related and well explained. The explanation as to the origins of Colomba’s situation was very well done! I enjoyed that aspect of the plot. The only thing is, the book is rather long and the plot a bit on the slow side but it’s nevertheless a great read and going through the twists and turns was completely worth it.

And yes, there’s a cliffhanger ending. I can’t wait to read the second one.
  
40x40

Hazel (2934 KP) rated Unseen: No. 7 in Books

Jan 12, 2018  
Unseen: No. 7
Unseen: No. 7
Karin Slaughter | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
I haven't read any previous novels with these characters so didn't know any background to them but it didn't seem to matter to me as Karin was adept at shedding light on history but not too much that the story became confusing and bogged down which can happen.

I found it to be an exciting story that, unfortunately, is very plausible in this day and age (wow, I sound like my mum!) and it kept me interested throughout. The descriptions of places, people, situations, injuries, etc were vivid and, I felt, accurate enough to enable me to develop detailed pictures in my mind as I was reading which made it all the more real.

Some of my thoughts on the main characters:

Lena - I didn't like her at first but once the character started to develop I found myself on her side and defending her like she was a real person.

Sara - annoying but likeable in a strange way. She came across to me as quite a hard and unforgiving person but I think I warmed to her in the end.

Will - my favourite loved him - a very complex character that I want to know more about. A tough exterior with a very soft centre and a good heart; brave and fearless and someone you would want on your side.

There was one negative that I found and it was that I thought the chapters were way too long - I hate stopping midway through a chapter but if you only have a short amount of time to get a few pages read, you have to with this book which I found quite frustrating.

Overall though, I enjoyed it so much I will be reading more and would definitely recommend to people who love a fast paced crime thriller.
  
IC
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Alyssa never asked to become a vampire, but when handsome Lysander changes her in order to save her from two brutal rapists and murderers, she is forced to live with his decision. She soon learns the history of her new kind, her new abilities, and starts falling head over heels for her handsome savior. But just when things look like they can't be all that bad, the strongest known coven--whose leader has been holding a grudge against Lysander--and the most dangerous group of vampire hunters on earth show up. Now Alyssa has to use her newly found skills to save herself--and the man she loves.

I really enjoyed Imortalis Carpe Noctem. I tore through it in a few hours, and regretted having to put it down. It was very addicting and fast paced, especially the action scenes at the end, quite entertaining, and not to over-dramatic.

Imortalis was, in some ways, a typical vampire novel: having to escape would-be-vamp-rulers, running from vampire hunters, falling in love with a handsome vampire. The thing that made it worth reading was the characters and their emotions. They had so much character to them, and Alyssa's feelings were so real and—pardon me, human—that they were incredibly relatable. I felt like I was Alyssa, I could feel her pain and her joy, her love and her loss.

The writing was pretty good, except there was some careless editing and misuse of comas. They were everywhere they shouldn't be for some reason, as if the computer put them in willy-nilly. It wasn't so much of a distraction that I couldn't enjoy the book, however.

I am anxiously awaiting the sequel Imortalis: Hunter & Prey as well as Salidas' other upcoming novels.

Content: little language, some sex.

Recommendation: Ages 18+
  
The Litigators
The Litigators
John Grisham | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I first started reading this book, I was disappointed that there wasn't a gripping story in the first chapter. I'm used to that with Grisham novels.

David Zinc a thirty something attorney at a big law firm in Chicago has just lost it. He has thrown away a secure job at a lucrative firm. After a day of drinking, he finds himself at the law firm of Finley & Figg. A firm with two lawyers, Oscar Finley and Wally Figg, who are ambulance chasers. When David jumps into action during an accident in front of the firm, he makes a decision he probably should have made when he was sober. The next morning he becomes the third associate at Finley & Figg and the only one never to be in a court room. David had spent much of his time shuffling papers at his other firm and was anxious to get in on the action.

David comes to the firm just as Wally stumbles upon a tort case involving a drug company. According to Wally, they are all going to get rich and Finley and Figg will become a respectable law firm. Much to the chagrin of Oscar andd David, this drug case seems to be more than they can handle. David is trying to make a name for himself as well, by helping out a friend and her housekeeper. Her grandson had been hospitalized for months for what the doctors assumed was lead poisoning.

Which case will help the firm? Which attorney will bring it down? How will David hold up in court?

The book overall was good. The ending is pretty predictable with a couple of surprise twists in the middle. If you are a John Grisham fan, you will enjoy this book. It's not one of my favorite's of his, but still enjoyable.