Category: reviews

books, reviews

Book Review: Belle Rèvolte – Linsey Miller

ramblingmads

Emilie des Marais is more at home holding scalpels than embroidery needles and is desperate to escape her noble roots to serve her country as a physician. But society dictates a noble lady cannot perform such gruesome work.

Annette Boucher, overlooked and overworked by her family, wants more from life than her humble beginnings and is desperate to be trained in magic. So when a strange noble girl offers Annette the chance of a lifetime, she accepts.

Emilie and Annette swap lives—Annette attends finishing school as a noble lady to be trained in the ways of divination, while Emilie enrolls to be a physician’s assistant, using her natural magical talent to save lives.

But when their nation instigates a terrible war, Emilie and Annette come together to help the rebellion unearth the truth before it’s too late.

My thoughts:

A French inspired, queer, role swap story with magic.

I thought this was great fun, Emilie and Annette are great characters, as her friends and allies, as they fight to save their country and stop the corrupt king and generals from slaughtering innocents and dragging their people into endless war and mayhem.

The plot is clever and full of joy, even as it heads towards the culmination of the story and the two girls join forces to fight back against their enemies.

From discovering their gifts and learning how to use them, to falling in love and finding their person (Annette’s gentle kitchen based romance with Yvonne is a delight).

Miller explores gender identity and queerness through these characters, but doesn’t make it the focus of the characters’ side plots, just part of who they are – which is refreshing.

While it works well as a standalone novel, the ending leaves it open to the possibility of a sequel, which would be interesting.

I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher with no obligation to review.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Containment – Vanda Symon*

ramblingmads

Chaos reigns in the sleepy village of Aramoana on the New Zealand coast, when a series of shipping containers wash up on the beach and looting begins. Detective Constable Sam Shephard experiences the desperation of the scavengers first-hand, and ends up in an ambulance, nursing her wounds and puzzling over an assault that left her assailant for dead. What appears to be a clear-cut case of a cargo ship running aground soon takes a more sinister turn when a skull is found in the sand, and the body of a diver is pulled from the sea…

a diver who didn’t die of drowning…

As first officer at the scene, Sam is handed the case, much to the displeasure of her superiors, and she must put together an increasingly confusing series of clues to get to the bottom of a mystery that may still have more victims…

About the author

Vanda Symon is a crime writer, TV presenter and radio host from Dunedin, New Zealand, and the chair of the Otago Southland branch of the New Zealand Society of Authors. The Sam Shephard series has climbed to number one on the New Zealand bestseller list, and also been shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award for best crime novel. She currently lives in Dunedin, with her husband and two sons.

My thoughts:

This was very twisty and turny with plenty of red herrings. Well written and gripping, showing the dark underbelly of the sunny New Zealand coastal towns.

I really enjoyed the way the author conjured up the landscape, even though I’ve never been to New Zealand, I could picture the ocean and the various buildings the characters enter. I could even imagine the differing officers and persons of interest quite vividly.

The plot is clever and the characters have nuance and shade, Sam’s a cop but not unwilling to colour outside the lines, making her feel more realistic and I liked her partner Smithy.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Venators Magic Unleashed – Devri Walls*

ramblingmads

Welcome to Eon.

An alternate dimension where fantasy and paranormal is reality, and humans sit at the bottom of the food chain. In this world of unadulterated power and ability, the innocent suffer greatly.

The ruling council of Eon has selected two humans, born of the Venator bloodline, and brought them through the gate—wishing to manipulate their strength and special abilities for the council’s corrupt purposes.

But, Grey and Rune have very different ideas. When their college dorm is infiltrated by creatures from another realm, Rune Jenkins, her twin brother Ryker, and old friend Grey Malteer are thrown into unexpected, twisted chaos. While Rune and Gray are able to escape, Ryker is kidnapped away to Eon, the alternate world from whence these dark beings came. With the help of a supernatural guide, Rune and Gray must now travel to Eon to save Ryker, and discover the illuminating truth about their ancestry.

In this new world of fae, vampires, werewolves, and wizards, power is abundant and always in flux. Rune and Grey are being set up as pawns in a very dangerous game and must find their way through – and out of – Eon before it consumes them.

Devri Walls is a US and international bestselling author. Having released five novels to date, she specializes in all things fantasy and paranormal. She is best known for her uncanny worldbuilding skills and her intricate storylines, and her ability to present this all in an easy-to-digest voice.

Now gearing up for her first national release, Devri is excited to introduce her sixth novel, book one in the Venators series. She loves to engage with her loyal following through social media and online sessions she organizes for her readers.

Devri lives in Meridian, Idaho with her husband and two kids. When not writing she can be found teaching voice lessons, reading, cooking or binge watching whatever show catches her fancy.

My thoughts:

This was an interesting idea – two humans are pulled through a portal into a world inhabited by magical beings. Humans are at the bottom of the heap and have limited powers of any sort.

This was very readable and enjoyable, Devri is a good writer with a strong understanding of plot and world building.


*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

books, reviews

Book Review: Anna K. – Jenny Lee

ramblingmads

Meet Anna K! Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way…

At seventeen, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna’s brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie.

As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is…until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all.

Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Anna K: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy’s timeless love story, Anna Karenina—but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.

My thoughts:

A wonderful retelling of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina on the Upper East Side, with a Korean-American Anna, courtesy of the author’s own heritage.

Anna Karenina is of course hugely tragic, and while this shares some of that, it is a much more gentle book, I definitely cried more at the Russian original.

There’s humour among the moments of sadness, and it’s very Gossip Girl for a new century at times, so no surprise that it’s already being adapted as a TV series by HBO.

With an ethnically diverse cast, and social media as the way gossip spreads, as opposed to Tolstoy’s letters and whispers, this is a smart, fierce update.

Jenny Lee’s writing is assured and she clearly knows her source material, Anna and Vronsky are sympathetic characters, even though they’re not always on the moral high ground.

The other characters are also well drawn and interesting, the subplots enjoyable and fully formed, creating a whole world around the great love story at the heart.

I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher with no obligation to review.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Other Mrs – Mary Kubica*

ramblingmads

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbour, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.

As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

My thoughts:

This is a clever, clever book. Without spoiling it or giving too much away, nothing is quite what it seems in this story. People cannot be trusted, narrators are avoiding things and there’s some heavy duty gaslighting going on.

I want to discuss the only issue I had with this book, but I worry it would spoil it for readers, so if you’ve read it, come to Twitter and DM me so we can discuss please.

Other than that this is a well written, twisty thriller that shocks when the real killer is revealed.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Deep State – Chris Hauty*

ramblingmads

Hayley Chill isn’t your typical West Wing intern. Ex-military and as patriotic as she is principled, she is largely vilified by her peers and lauded by her superiors – it’s a quick way of making enemies. It is Hayley who finds the body of the White House chief of staff, Peter Hall, on his kitchen floor having died from an apparent heart attack. It is also Hayley who notices a single clue which suggests his death was deliberate, targeted. That he was assassinated. Unsure who to trust, Hayley works alone to uncover a wideranging conspiracy that controls the furthest reaches of the government. And Hall is just the beginning – the president is the next target. Hayley must now do the impossible: stop an assassination, when she has no idea who the enemy is, all while staying hidden, with Peter’s final words to her ringing in her ears: Trust no one. Because the Deep State will kill to silence her. And they are closing in.

***

It is entrenched. It is hidden. It is deadly.

Who can you trust?

Chris Hauty is a screenwriter who has worked at all the major movie studios, in nearly every genre of film. He currently lives in Venice, California, in the company of a classic Triumph motorcycle and a feral cat. Deep State is his first novel.

My thoughts:

This is a clever, twisty turny thriller. The twist at the end in particular is pretty jaw dropping.

Well written, pacey and gripping.

I really liked the little asides telling you about how some of the characters end up, they were entertaining little snippets that broke the tension in the plot and helped you focus on all the political intrigue and sneaky double dealings.

I’ve passed my copy onto my Grandad who loves a good thriller and likes to ring me up to tell me his favourite bits.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: Dead Ringer – Nicola Martin*

ramblingmads

Get ready to meet the other you.

Just upload your photo to get started. Using the latest facial recognition software, plus your votes, MeetYourDouble will find your doppelgänger.

She might be an astronaut or a model. He might live half a world away … or a few miles down the road. You share the same face. Who knows what else you might have in common?

Start now…

The idea is simple, vain, exciting. Tap the app, upload a picture of yourself, find your lookalike. Set up a meeting to see whether you have anything else in common.

When Ella and Jem meet, the physical resemblance is uncanny, but their lives couldn’t be more different. One is from a tiny island in a deprived Northern community – pretty much the back of beyond – where she has no job, no boyfriend, limited prospects.

The other is a London socialite, an aspiring actress living in a multimillion-pound mansion. By all appearances, she’s living a charmed life, but she’s got some serious shit to run away from. Both of them have. Can either hide in her double’s skin? And at what cost? Will it solve any of the problems, or merely compound them?

Nicola Martin studied at the University of East Anglia and the University of California, Berkeley. After many years working as a senior copywriter in the low carbon technology sphere, she is now a freelance writer. Dead Ringer is her first novel.

My thoughts:

This is a very clever concept, two girls who look so similar they could be sisters, dip into each others lives and wreck havoc.

Obviously it’s not a new concept – the idea and appeal of doppelgangers has been a subject for countless writers, from Alexandre Dumas (The Man in the Iron Mask) to Mark Twain (The Prince & The Pauper) but this brings the idea bang up to date with a twist on the dating app.

Jemima is a spoilt socialite with wealthy parents and a devil may care attitude to everything, Ella lives in a caravan and cleans hotel rooms for a pittance. But what happens when one decides she wants the other’s life?

Darkly comic and viciously apt on how teenagers think and act, this is a clever, twisted tale of how the other half lives.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: One Moment – Linda Green*

ramblingmads

Finn and Kaz are about to meet for the first time…
Ten-year-old Finn, a quirky, sensitive boy who talks a lot and only eats at cafes with a 5-star hygiene rating, is having a tough time at school and home.
Outspoken Kaz, 59, who has an acerbic sense of humour and a heart of gold, is working at the café when Finn and his mum come in.
They don’t know it yet, but the second time they meet will be a moment which changes both of their lives forever . . .

My thoughts:

This is an incredibly moving, heart rending read, so have your tissues on standby.

Beautifully, sensitively written, with both grief and mental illness handled with compassion and understanding by a talented author.

It’s not often you read a book and have to sit quietly with your thoughts after, but I was so moved by the quietly redemptive story and the gentle and kind characters within the pages, that I needed a moment.

Life affirming and genuinely moving.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

books, reviews

Book Review: The Mermaid of Black Conch – Monique Roffey

ramblingmads


April 1976: St Constance, a tiny Caribbean village on the island of Black Conch, at the start of the rainy season. A fisherman sings to himself in his pirogue, waiting for a catch – but attracts a sea-dweller he doesn’t expect. Aycayia, a beautiful young woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid, has been swimming the Caribbean Sea for centuries. And she is entranced by this man David and his song.

My thoughts:

This was a really interesting folktale set in the modern age, where a mermaid falls for a fisherman, who unfortunately decides to take her from the sea.

Others lay claim and she yearns for her watery home.

Akin to the stories of other ocean dwellers trapped on land, like selkies, and indeed other mermaids, the existence of such a beautiful creature stirs desire and greed in the hearts of many and places these mythical beings in peril.

Roffey writes with confidence and assurance – as befits an accomplished writer.

Written in Trinidadian dialect, the cadences of people’s speech really adds to the sense of place and gives it an authenticity and character all of it’s own.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book by the publisher with no obligation to review.

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Slaughterman’s Daughter – Yaniv Iczkovits*

ramblingmads

When Fanny Keismann turns ten, her father, Grodno’s ritual slaughterer, gives her a knife, and she soon develops a talent for her father’s trade. But in nineteenth-century Russia, ritual slaughter does not befit a wife and mother, so when it comes time to marry and raise a family, Fanny abandons her work and devotes herself to raising her five children.

When Fanny’s older sister’s husband disappears, Fanny leaves her own family and sets out for the great city of Minsk in search of her wayward brother-in-law, armed with her old knife and accompanied by Zizek Bershov, who is either a sly rogue or an idiot. Fanny’s mission to help her sister turns into a misadventure that threatens the foundations of the Russian Empire. What began as a family matter in Motol, a peripheral Jewish settlement, breaks the bounds of the shtetl, pits the police against the Czar’s army, and upsets the political and social order they all live in.

My thoughts:

I’m entirely sure what this book is – is it straightforward historical fiction, a family saga, a crime novel?? It’s all of these and more.

The blurb doesn’t do it justice at all. There’s dozens of stories fitted into one over-arching narrative – that of Fanny Keismann looking for her errant brother-in-law in order to help her sister.

Almost every character’s entire life story will be told, battles will be conjured in the air, men and women will die, people will find themselves in strange situations and a very thin man will eat a lot of food.

The writing crackles and sparks, several languages are spoken by the characters and you wonder how they all make themselves understood – although misunderstanding is one of the books many themes.

The power of words is vital, from letters sent from the front, newspaper advertisements, the fact that a mixture of Yiddish, Russian and Polish are spoken, various polemics are written and ignored, the Torah gets quoted a fair bit, and everyone spends all their time exaggerating or not explaining.

For all that the action takes place in about a fortnight, it spans some characters’ lifetimes in explaining who they are and how they became mixed up in all the chaos Fanny is leaving in her wake.

This is an impressive, strong book about a remarkable woman, not just for her time and place, but for every reader who meets her.


*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour but all opinions remain my own.