Aidan's book
OMG... yes! :)
Should be published June 28, 16.
So far...
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Monday, March 28, 2016
The Visitor by Amanda Stevens
400 p.
Published: 3/29/16
Publisher: MIRA
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
My name is Amelia Gray. I'm the Graveyard Queen.
Restoring lost and abandoned cemeteries is my profession, but I'm starting to believe that my true calling is deciphering the riddles of the dead. Legend has it that Kroll Cemetery is a puzzle no one has ever been able to solve. For over half a century, the answer has remained hidden within the strange headstone inscriptions and intricate engravings. Because uncovering the mystery of that tiny, remote graveyard may come at a terrible price.
Years after their mass death, Ezra Kroll's disciples lie unquiet, their tormented souls trapped within the walls of Kroll Cemetery, waiting to be released by someone strong and clever enough to solve the puzzle. For whatever reason, I'm being summoned to that graveyard by both the living and the dead. Every lead I follow, every clue I unravel brings me closer to an unlikely killer and to a destiny that will threaten my sanity and a future with my love, John Devlin.My thoughts:
I've noticed that reading horror is so much easier on me in book format. Not all movies scare me but the thinking after does. I think the book just engages me so much that I don't always make my own horror after it. There are a few exceptions. This is one of them and it did make me think about sleeping with the lights on. :) Yea, the big dog is worthless here. LOL
I have loved the previous books in this series. If you haven't started reading them, do pick them up. While it is creeptastic, they are so good even if you don't like horror, you will enjoy this series. It was a long time since the last book so if you are reading these for the first time you won't struggle like I did at the beginning to remembering what had happened in the past. It did come back eventually however. Still, you may want to reread the last book before this one. The next book is set to come out later this year so we won't have as long to wait between books. That makes me so happy.
In this one the mystery twists and turns and you are often left dangling without purchase for anything solid. While this is frustrating in most novels, it makes sense here since most of our answers hide in the ghostly realms. Things slowly come together and the graveyard information interspersed into the storyline really helps the atmosphere in the book. We get our answers, but find new ones to lead us to the next book.
My biggest problems in the story came from Devlin. Oh he frustrated me in this book. I know there is more to come, but dude... stop it. I do get it was a set up for the arc in the series so it didn't overwhelm me in irritation. I also wanted more with Angus the dog we got to know. There is just a small part with him in it. I would also love to have had more information about Micah and am hoping for more dimension within the character. Still, these are small problems and I know some of it is setting me up for more goodness in the series.
I give this book 4 stars. My only real horrid complaint about this book is that it took several years to get it. :) I enjoy this series and highly recommend it to those that enjoy a good ghostly mystery.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
432 p.
Published: 3/22/16
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
"Reader, I murdered him."
A Gothic retelling of Jane Eyre.
Like the heroine of the novel she adores, Jane Steele suffers cruelly at the hands of her aunt and schoolmaster. And like Jane Eyre, they call her wicked - but in her case, she fears the accusation is true. When she flees, she leaves behind the corpses of her tormentors.My thoughts:
A fugitive navigating London's underbelly, Jane rights wrongs on behalf of the have-nots whilst avoiding the noose. Until an advertisement catches her eye. Her aunt has died and the new master at Highgate House, Mr Thornfield, seeks a governess. Anxious to know if she is Highgate's true heir, Jane takes the position and is soon caught up in the household's strange spell. When she falls in love with the mysterious Charles Thornfield, she faces a terrible dilemma: can she possess him - body, soul and secrets - and what if he discovers her murderous past?
I have to admit it took me a bit to get into this book. I just didn't quite connect to Jane at first but I did love that there were passages from Jane Eyre in the book. I also didn't like the "said I" and "said he" instead of the I said interspersed unevenly throughout the book. Small niggles however.
By the middle of the book I became interested and invested in Jane. By the end, I totally loved the book. I'm an ending girl so the beginning where I had some problems now does not bother me in the least. I can say I loved this book and would reread it at any time.
The story line follows Jane Eyre in a very loose interpretation. Those that don't care for retellings might like this one as she uses the book to get through life more than the book becoming a alternative manifestation of the classic. She is also more of a survivalist than Jane Eyre who had survived by luck and circumstance. This Jane tended to make her own circumstance and protect those that she loved.
As I stated the ending was good, but odd. I think that because I'm reading the ARC it needed a bit more tweaking at the end. You go from storyline to author's note without notice. It was confusing at first but as I said... this was an ARC so take that with a salt mine.
I highly recommend this book. You do not have to have read the classic to read this and understand. This Jane goes through her own analysis of that book so you don't have worry. It is interesting to see what she picks out to emulate and what she thought were tragic mistakes on Eyre's part. Those who love historical romance with a mystery and some killing will enjoy this book. It is labeled adult but I think older YA and NA readers could get into it without problem.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
On My Wishlist: And I Darken by Kiersten White
by Kiersten White
Series: The Conquerors Saga #1
475 p.
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Published: 6/28/16
NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.
Been enjoying a lot of YA fantasy. Need more. :)
What is on your wishlist this week?
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