Lady Firebird (The Sedumen Chronicles #2) by Orren Merton

Read from December 31st 2014 - January 8th 2015.

Published October 7th 2014 by Darkling Books

Format     Paperback - 215 pages

Review

The story focusses on an 18 year old Alexandra Gold.She is half human (from her mother) and half demon (from her father) who belongs to the House of Keroz. Now, do not think of demons in this book like the vision you have of demons in your head usually, as you would have it very wrong. She can travel through portals to another universe where her father lives. Time couldn't be more different there. 2 hours on Earth equates to 2 days in the Sedu universe. Half-demon Lady Firebird of the House of Keroz has to keep up her life on Earth as a normal 18 yr old and help her father and friends stop Dirk Raum from travelling to Earth and kidnapping other young Sedu girls like herself (there seems to be a fair few) to make his army to conquer both universes. She fought and triumphed over him before when he was murdering humans whose fresh souls he fed the House of Raum. This won her the respect of some but the enmity of others. she longs to step forward as Lady Firebird, and let people know that she will protect them—but she worries that once people see her flaming hair, eyes, and long fangs, she will terrify those she wants to help. She is ready to meet the challenge; but is the world ready to meet Lady Firebird? I really took delight in reading this book.Although a set of chronicles and this one book two, I read it stand alone and was able to without feeling I was missing some vital information for the story. As the story progressed I did find it had become quite dark and remembering it is advertised as a YA plus adult read book, it did have me wondering if the topic was maybe too dark as there is reference to rape throughout most of the story. However, I was quite engrossed in this read and as I have said, enjoyed it. I did struggle to put the book down to the point of actually walking to the bathroom still reading it when I had to go. It is a great fantasy read full of strong emotion.Nice to see a strong young female lead.This seems to be getting fashionable with a lot of the latest books I have read. The book is very well written.The print is very small and tightly packed together and I questioned whether my eyes would start scanning pages and missing lines at the beginning but it didn't take anything away from the story and worked very well. This is obviously an American written book and my only quibble is that when a Sedumen girl from the UK comes into the story and goes back to London, she meets up with her mum and says "hello mom". That was clearly an oversight or not researched properly as we do not call our mother mom in the UK but again, that didn't detract from the story.I just happened to take note of it. I would definitely read it again and would recommend it to others but be aware of the dark content inside. 4 out of 5 stars given for this one.

Raven Heights Manor by Sharol Louise

Read from February 4th - 14th 2015.

Published December 17th 2014 by Five Star (ME)

Format   Hardcover - 244 pages

Review

What a foreboding place Raven Heights Manor is. The story is set in the late 18th century. Claire Temple is a 15 year old orphan. She comes to live with her uncle, Sir Rudyard at the manor in Cornwall, whom she has never met. Claire is lonely since her parents death nine years previous and has spent that time residing at school. She quickly becomes quite bonded with the housekeeper/Sir Rudyard's second cousin Mrs Dawson, who warns her not to walk on the cliff path, from which a girl, Zillah, recently fell to her death. The manor itself isn't very welcoming and her estranged uncle is not there to greet her as he does go abroad for a month or two at a a time. Claire eventually begins to enjoy the manor, all the rooms and the grounds. As Claire Explores the neighbourhood, she meets the brothers Roman and Vitus who are around her age, who educate her about the smugglers that hide their treasures in caves along the coast. She also befriends Alice, a young sight challenged girl who boards with Miss Bethany Coulter at her inn. Recently deceased Zillah and Alice were very close before Zillah's death. Eventually Alice confides in Claire about a note or a clue that Zillah had left behind which leads Claire to realise she will, indeed, explore the cliff path but at her peril. She soon realises that not all the people she has grown to know and like are all that they seem. Claire is extremely curious about the young woman’s unfortunate fate. She is determined to solve the string of puzzles and learn the secrets buried in Raven Heights. I really liked this book by Sharol Louise. It wasn't at all what I expected from the off. I enjoyed every characters portrayal and liked how the author has used the the whole place for the setting and takes you, the reader around each and every part. I felt like I had been sucked into the 18th century village myself. In my mind throughout the whole book, the scenery was dark, craggy, windy and forboding, just like the illustration on the front cover and I felt that darkness whilst reading it. I didn't find the story predictable at all and think it helped I hadn't read any other reviews before hand. This book is very wordy and descriptive but in an acceptable amount.I found it an easy comfy read which kept me entertained all the way through. A good clean mystery with young characters which isn't too taxing. 4 out of 5 stars given.

This Little Piggy by Bea Davenport

Read from January 16th - 22nd 2015.

Published April 1st 2015 by Legend Times Group

Format    Paperback - 288 pages

Review

WHOA!!!!! I can say no more right now apart from, that was amazing. One of them books where you read it and then you are left just staring at the wall with your mouth open for a few minutes. A review of this book will be written this weekend....... This psychological thriller is set in 1984, at the time of the coal miners strike in Britain. This strike had a huge impact on close net communities and would take a good couple of generations to recover from. A main character that the story is centered around is Clare Jackson. Clare is a North East newspaper reporter who missed a promotion due to personal reasons which are not clear at the beginning but become apparent as time goes on and the reader connects more with Clare. This event is touched upon very lightly during the story and explains some of Clare's behaviour throughout. Whilst coming to terms with this event and losing the promotion Clare is sent on an investigation into the death of a nine month old baby boy, Jamie, on the housing estate where many of the miners resided. Whilst gathering information, she comes across a young girl called Amy, who isn't all she seems. She lives in the dilapidated flats on the estate with her mother and her dog Max but fends for herself and has a penchant of making up stories that it was difficult to know what was truth and what was fiction. Her own mother didn't believe much of what she said. Her mother lacks in parenting skills often leaving Amy alone for days so she could go off with 'boyfriends'. Clare instinctively wanted to protect and nurture Amy, despite warnings from her friends to stay away and stop her unprofessional attachment to 'a story'. But Clare was convinced that she could help Amy. Clare became a real friend to Amy, someone the little girl could trust. Clare believed she had an attachment with Amy, which meant that events started very soon to spiral out of control for everyone involved. With Clare's psychological emotional state due to her own unresolved issues influencing her actions, Clare works hard pushing herself into her work almost becoming a one man band on some kind of adrenaline rush reporting the story of the baby, while also reporting on the situation behind the picket line where miners and police were increasingly moving into a volatile situation. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling the story for others and letting too much out but lets just say this story is full of twists and turns that you just don't see happening and some you do and work out for yourself. It isn't all it seems. Things are not what they seem. I really enjoyed reading this story.I wasn't too sure about it at the beginning but it was such a smooth easy read, I soon got into it and found it very difficult to put down. I even found myself smiling in places at the 1984 references that took me down memory lane. Although only 8 at the time, I remember the time and the miners strikes well and how tough it was on mining families. It was one of those books that played on my mind after I had read it. Bea Davenport who incidentally was a journalist in her own right, really reeled me in and caught my attention and imagination well as I'm sure she did for others who read this. She depicts the communities of the time very well showing the hardships of a poor community in poor housing during hard times but without the story appearing all doom and gloom. It wasn't a depressing read but the content was very raw. There wasn't much I didn't like about this book although the ending was a little cut short I felt. I loved how the ending played out but due to the intense nature of the book, I personally would have liked a slower roll out to the last sentence. I really loved this book and it has fast become one of my favourites. I will have to look into some of Bea Davenports other works as I truly like her style of writing. Very easy read even if the content wasn't. 4 out of 5 stars.

Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan (What She Knew - US Title)

Read from October 7th - 17th 2015.

Published February 2015

Format    Paperback - 384 pages

Review

Powerful!!! This debut novel of Gilly Macmillan is a real energetic, fast paced compelling read. What ever has happened to eight year old Benedict Finch? Ben went missing after an afternoon walk in the woods with his mother Rachel and his dog Skittle.When to allow your child to run ahead of you for the first time is an extremely hard decision to make for any parent.That Sunday in October, it was Rachel's turn to make it......... There is a fair bit of back story to Rachel and Ben's life up till this point which becomes evident throughout the story from beginning to end knitting it's way into the plot. What attracted me with this novel is the fact that it wasn't like any other 'child goes missing' book.It isn't soft,mushy and teary or showing it from Bens side.It does something very different and tells the story mainly from Rachel Jenner and DI Clemo's day by day view point.The chapters being defined by names as oppose to numbers which switch back and forth between the characters.This is something that normally confuses me in other books but Gilly Macmillan has pulled this off smoothly and kept the whole story flowing equally throughout.One characters chapter didn't over shoot the other which can be an easy thing to do when writing this way.They ran along side each other as to complement each other. I particularly enjoyed the style of this book.There were chapters put together similar to a play script format.This is evident in the chapters of sessions where DI Clemo is chatting to his counsellor.Gilly Macmillan also adds in emails and shows what can occur on social media pages during a case like this.All this variety adds to the palpable tension as the clock is ticking.Twists and multiple suspects keep you turning the pages and wanting to read more.Between some of the chapters is some facts which are clearly referenced and accompany the story nicely along the way. The ending was superb.I thought it was going to end rather abruptly and give me that lost something feeling but it didn't.It followed through and gave closure to the story.Gilly Macmillan seems to looks after her story but also her readers. You can see that a lot of research has gone into putting this book together. A fabulous, easy read thriller that I would recommend to anyone who likes this kind of story.Certainly has become one of my favourites. 5 out of 5 stars for this fabulous read.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Read from November 27th - 29th 2015.

Published 2013 by Headline

Format    Hardcover - 248 pages

Review

How many times can I say "I really really loved this book" in this review space? It deserves all the I LOVED ITS going. I rated it 4.5 stars and it should have got a 5 star rating.The only thing that put a halt on that for me was the ending which I just felt in the last few pages lacked the powerfulness and grip that the rest of the book gave and so I considered it let the rest down just a tiny little bit. The book is full of magic, fantasy and fun and fear mixed into one, cleverly entwining reality, dreams and nightmares into a few gripping pages.It is crammed with it.Crammed with Neil Gaiman's 'out there' imagination. I finished it very quickly as I couldn't stop smiling and turning the pages.I really don't know how I managed to go to work the next morning. I loved and connected with all the characters and really wanted to support and protect the main protagonist.Neil engages the reader so very well into the lives of each character. A beautifully written book for adults about childhood, although I believe some 'mature' minded young adults would enjoy it too. Be aware, parts of the story borders on a dark reality in a fantasy world but is so nicely done. As I was reading it, I could sense a little of Terry Pratchett and a little of Alice in Wonderland too.A much enjoyed book that I recommend to anyone that likes something a bit off the beaten track glittered with magic and fantasy. 4 out of 5 stars given.

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises by Fredrik Backman

Read from August 18th - 26th 2015.

Published June 4th 2015 by Sceptre Books

Format    Hardcover - 320 pages

Review

LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!!! Ok, calm down. A mix of Alice in Wonderland verses Narnia,kept me engrossed throughout.Beautifully written.The beginning had me chuckling away at the relationship between Elsa who is almost nearly eight and her rather non granny eccentric like grandmother who takes Elsa into a pretend fantasy world not like any other. Elsa is a precocious child,cheeky and at times appeared a little rude but so insightful and very caring. Be aware, there is a few 'bad words' throughout which is relevant to the character it comes from and definitely an adult/young adult read. The book is more like two stories rolled into one. I struggled to see her as a seven year old to be fair but the book is remarkable and amazing and I could not put it down.I wanted more...and more.....and more. Taken from the blurb- 'Granny has been telling fairy tales for as long as Elsa can remember. In the beginning they were only to make Elsa go to sleep, and to get her to practise granny's secret language, and a little because granny is just about as nutty as a granny should be. But lately the stories have another dimension as well. Something Elsa can't quite put her finger on...' Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy. Standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa runs to her grandmother's stories, to the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas. There, everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal. So when Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has hurt, it marks the beginning of Elsa's greatest adventure. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones-but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other. My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman's bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different. 5 stars given for this book.

Order of Seven by Beth Teliho

Read from December 10th - 19th 2015.

Published April 7th 2015 by Branches & Ink Press

Format    Paperback - 240 pages

Review

A win.......looks fab. I have just received my signed copy with free bookmark in the post.Wish I could attach a photo. Different is the word I'd use to describe this book.It isn't like anything I have ever read before and probably anything I have yet to read.This book got better as it went along. It wasn't a book that gave the wham bam,wow,jump at you factor but that was ok, not every book needs to be that way and sometimes it is nice to read something a little more mellow. This book gives us some interesting characters each with their own back stories full of unique gifts. I enjoyed how the relationships between the young people and their parents intertwined and the history that develops into their current lives. What I liked about this story is because it is so unique, I just never knew where it was taking me.I particularly enjoyed the fact that we, as the readers were finding out 'the story' as the characters were.Once the story really kicked in, I found it giving me a new surprise at many points throughout. If I had to pinpoint things that didn't work for me then I would say apart from their capabilities, how bland the characters appeared at the beginning.There didn't appear to be much depth behind them which made any kind of connection with these characters difficult.I got the feeling that Beth Teliho wrote it without feeling that too BUT........ I loved the book.I liked the story full of prophecies, runes, magic and 'mind games'. The story had a fair amount of intricate detail from beginning to end which filled the pages with reading pleasure. If you want to read a YA book that shows something original and new, then this is the book for you and I would encourage you to give it a go. I would like to think that Beth Teliho would carry this story on. 4 out of 5 stars given.