Saturday, 8 February 2020
Saturday, 1 June 2019
Crushed Blog Tour
17th May 2019- This is my stop for the Crushed blog tour
Phoebe stands on Pulteney Bridge, tights gashed from toe to thigh. The shock of mangled metal and blood-stained walls flashes through her mind as she tries to cover her face so she won't be recognised. It wouldn't do to be spotted looking like this. She's missing a shoe. She feels sick. Phoebe thought murder and murder happened. Thoughts are just thoughts, they said. Now she knows they were wrong. At home, Phoebe arranges the scissors and knives so they point toward her mother's room. She is exhausted, making sure there's no trace of herself - not a single hair, not even her scent - left anywhere in the house. She must not let her thoughts unravel, because if they do, there's no telling who might be caught in the crossfire, and Phoebe will have to live with the consequences.
Why is so much death affecting the 3 main characters- Orla, Phoebe and Grace? Are they really witches who can influence the events that occur around them?
The action started in the vert first scene/chapter of this novel with someone dying in a car accident. However, the action was very spaced out throughout the whole of the novel. A few death scenes did occur throughout the novel but they were spaced apart and few and far between. The death scenes were basically the only action scenes throughout the whole of this novel. In some places the overall story did drag and was very slow paced.
In terms of characters I did not feel that there was much of a character profile/backstory for Orla. I would liked to have found out more about her character. I found Phoebe's character quite annoying in a lot of places as her character wasn't very happy at most points in the novel. I also found one of the relationships in the plot line very weird and did not enjoy reading about it, especially how that story line ended.
A lot of the novel was too descriptive and they did not improve my enjoyment of reading the novel. There was too much description of their surroundings and things in my opinion that didn't really need to be described. That's why I found the overall plot slow and lacking.
Overall, I gave this novel 2.5/5 stars. I found it very slow paced with not enough action and too much description. However, other people will like this novel because of the magic involved throughout the story line and the action/death scenes featured in the story.
The action started in the vert first scene/chapter of this novel with someone dying in a car accident. However, the action was very spaced out throughout the whole of the novel. A few death scenes did occur throughout the novel but they were spaced apart and few and far between. The death scenes were basically the only action scenes throughout the whole of this novel. In some places the overall story did drag and was very slow paced.
In terms of characters I did not feel that there was much of a character profile/backstory for Orla. I would liked to have found out more about her character. I found Phoebe's character quite annoying in a lot of places as her character wasn't very happy at most points in the novel. I also found one of the relationships in the plot line very weird and did not enjoy reading about it, especially how that story line ended.
A lot of the novel was too descriptive and they did not improve my enjoyment of reading the novel. There was too much description of their surroundings and things in my opinion that didn't really need to be described. That's why I found the overall plot slow and lacking.
Overall, I gave this novel 2.5/5 stars. I found it very slow paced with not enough action and too much description. However, other people will like this novel because of the magic involved throughout the story line and the action/death scenes featured in the story.
Rating 2.5/5
.5Wednesday, 20 March 2019
Before She Knew Him Blog Tour
21st March 2019- This is my stop for the Before She Knew Him blog tour
Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.
But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either. Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate? The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. . .
This novel had quite a slow start but as soon as the action stated the novel picked up pace. It was a gripping story line as you didn't know if Matthew really did what Hen accused him of doing and if he did then why did he commit this crime. You really wanted to be on Hen's side as you believed she was telling the truth even though she was on medication so no one else believed her, not even her own husband.
Matthew was a bit unlikeable at times as he would just hurt any man, even though it was for the reason that said man had hurt women. He also said that he would never hurt women. However, Matthew has a brother called Richard and he likes to hurt women. You had to feel sorry for Matthew's wife Mira as sometimes she didn't have a clue what her husband was doing or the trophies he liked to collect. Lloyd was also a bit of an unlikeable character as he never believed what his wife was saying about their neighbour and you could guess that he was having an affair with someone as he never wanted to be with his wife much.
Hen was a likeable character as you knew she was telling the truth about her neighbour and she just wanted other people, like the police, to believe her. She would do anything to find out the truth even if that meant putting her own life in danger because of it. Mira was a bit of a sad character as she would let her husband get her drunk and she didn't have a clue what was going on in her own home most of the time.
The action was spread throughout the novel which gave it a good pacing. The twist at the end of the novel was so unexpected and I never saw it coming. That was a total shock to me. I won't say what the twist is and if you want to know you will have to read the novel for yourself. Matthew knew how to make people think that he was telling the truth when all along he wasn't. He wanted people, especially his wife, to think that Hen was just a crazy lady living next door.
Overall, I gave this novel 4/5 stars. It is a great thriller with lots of twists and turns the whole way through. Definitely a read if you like your novels twisty and dark with lots of parts to get you thinking about what is really going on. A psychological thriller for those with dark minds.
Rating 4/5
Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.
But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder—an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either. Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate? The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. . .
This novel had quite a slow start but as soon as the action stated the novel picked up pace. It was a gripping story line as you didn't know if Matthew really did what Hen accused him of doing and if he did then why did he commit this crime. You really wanted to be on Hen's side as you believed she was telling the truth even though she was on medication so no one else believed her, not even her own husband.
Matthew was a bit unlikeable at times as he would just hurt any man, even though it was for the reason that said man had hurt women. He also said that he would never hurt women. However, Matthew has a brother called Richard and he likes to hurt women. You had to feel sorry for Matthew's wife Mira as sometimes she didn't have a clue what her husband was doing or the trophies he liked to collect. Lloyd was also a bit of an unlikeable character as he never believed what his wife was saying about their neighbour and you could guess that he was having an affair with someone as he never wanted to be with his wife much.
Hen was a likeable character as you knew she was telling the truth about her neighbour and she just wanted other people, like the police, to believe her. She would do anything to find out the truth even if that meant putting her own life in danger because of it. Mira was a bit of a sad character as she would let her husband get her drunk and she didn't have a clue what was going on in her own home most of the time.
The action was spread throughout the novel which gave it a good pacing. The twist at the end of the novel was so unexpected and I never saw it coming. That was a total shock to me. I won't say what the twist is and if you want to know you will have to read the novel for yourself. Matthew knew how to make people think that he was telling the truth when all along he wasn't. He wanted people, especially his wife, to think that Hen was just a crazy lady living next door.
Overall, I gave this novel 4/5 stars. It is a great thriller with lots of twists and turns the whole way through. Definitely a read if you like your novels twisty and dark with lots of parts to get you thinking about what is really going on. A psychological thriller for those with dark minds.
Rating 4/5
Monday, 28 January 2019
The Puppet Show Blog Tour
28th January 2019- This is my stop for the Puppet Show blog tour.
A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of. Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant but socially awkward civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it. As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive...
Washington Poe was dismissed from the police for mixing up evidence in an investigation. Now there is a serial killer murdering people, setting them on fire and stringing them up like puppets in stone circles. Can Poe and his team find the killer before they claim more victims?
As the story went on the characters became more likeable. Especially as you found out more about each character as the story progressed. Poe wasn't a very likeable character at the start as he liked starting fights with people and enjoyed being on his own. Then you started to like him more as he would do everything he could to protect his friends. Tilly was a very likeable character as, although she was different from everyone, she just wanted to be liked by people. She was very smart and gained street smarts towards the end of the novel through events that happen within the story line.
The killer in the story was a bit of a surprise twist, especially when you found out who it was at the end of the novel. I was not expecting this person to be the killer. However, it did make sense when you found out the person's backstory and why they did what they did to the victims they chose. One character I didn't like was Gamble as he just wanted to take credit for the whole police investigation and wouldn't let the other officers do their jobs as he believed he was right all the time.
In terms of description there was a bit too much at some points. Such as describing every part of the scenery and not enough of the actual crime scene. You would find out everything the characters could see away from the victim's body and not the body itself. However, I did like the gory nature of describing the bodies when they were described. the overall pacing of the novel was good and I enjoyed that the action/death scenes were so spread out in the overall story. The action started from the first page of the novel and continued right until the end of the novel.
Overall, I gave this novel 4/5 stars. I enjoy reading crime stories and thriller stories. I will definitely be reading the next novel in this series when it is released later this year.
Rating 4/5
A serial killer is burning people alive in the Lake District's prehistoric stone circles. He leaves no clues and the police are helpless. When his name is found carved into the charred remains of the third victim, disgraced detective Washington Poe is brought back from suspension and into an investigation he wants no part of. Reluctantly partnered with the brilliant but socially awkward civilian analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, the mismatched pair uncover a trail that only he is meant to see. The elusive killer has a plan and for some reason Poe is part of it. As the body count rises, Poe discovers he has far more invested in the case than he could have possibly imagined. And in a shocking finale that will shatter everything he's ever believed about himself, Poe will learn that there are things far worse than being burned alive...
Washington Poe was dismissed from the police for mixing up evidence in an investigation. Now there is a serial killer murdering people, setting them on fire and stringing them up like puppets in stone circles. Can Poe and his team find the killer before they claim more victims?
As the story went on the characters became more likeable. Especially as you found out more about each character as the story progressed. Poe wasn't a very likeable character at the start as he liked starting fights with people and enjoyed being on his own. Then you started to like him more as he would do everything he could to protect his friends. Tilly was a very likeable character as, although she was different from everyone, she just wanted to be liked by people. She was very smart and gained street smarts towards the end of the novel through events that happen within the story line.
The killer in the story was a bit of a surprise twist, especially when you found out who it was at the end of the novel. I was not expecting this person to be the killer. However, it did make sense when you found out the person's backstory and why they did what they did to the victims they chose. One character I didn't like was Gamble as he just wanted to take credit for the whole police investigation and wouldn't let the other officers do their jobs as he believed he was right all the time.
In terms of description there was a bit too much at some points. Such as describing every part of the scenery and not enough of the actual crime scene. You would find out everything the characters could see away from the victim's body and not the body itself. However, I did like the gory nature of describing the bodies when they were described. the overall pacing of the novel was good and I enjoyed that the action/death scenes were so spread out in the overall story. The action started from the first page of the novel and continued right until the end of the novel.
Overall, I gave this novel 4/5 stars. I enjoy reading crime stories and thriller stories. I will definitely be reading the next novel in this series when it is released later this year.
Rating 4/5
Sunday, 30 December 2018
Sunday, 23 September 2018
The Infinite Blacktop
The Infinite Blacktop by Sara Gran
Published- 20th September 2018
Publisher- Faber Faber
Pages- 304 pages (Paperback)
Claire DeWitt has been involved in a car accident, but it was no accidental car crash. Someone set out to kill her. Why would someone want to kill Claire DeWitt and who wants to kill her? She must set out on her mission to find out these answers. This novel is set in the 1990's and in 2011.
When I finished reading this novel I had two big questions which were buzzing round the top of my head that I never found out the answers to. What happened to Tracey and why did 'beep' want to kill Claire? These answers were never fully explained at the end of the novel so I was left a bit disappointed. The ending felt a bit rushed and answers were never fully given.
The action started at the beginning of the novel with the car crash and Claire leaving the scene to try to find out who killed her on her own mission. However, the action did slow down went she had to go on the run and find her own ways to survive by threatening and hurting random people and stealing things. I do believe that she should have suffered more injuries than she actually did in the car crash, as it seemed like she only suffered minor injuries.
A lot of the middle of the novel was quite slow as not a lot happened whilst she was on the run. You found out a lot of information from her contacts helping her solve her own crime. The only action that occurred was a car chase with the attacker and a gun fight towards the end of the novel between Claire and her attacker.
Claire's character was a bit difficult to like at times as I found her quite rude to everyone she met, she was quite annoying and very self centered. She was always annoying a lot of people so no one really liked her that much. She was a smoker and did a lot of drugs and stole money. I did want her to solve the case but I wasn't very supportive towards her especially the way she went about solving her own case.
Overall, I gave this novel 3/5 stars. It was an intriguing novel set in the 1990's and 2011. It is a mysterious crime filled with twists, turns and drama set in the past.
Rating 3/5
Published- 20th September 2018
Publisher- Faber Faber
Pages- 304 pages (Paperback)
When I finished reading this novel I had two big questions which were buzzing round the top of my head that I never found out the answers to. What happened to Tracey and why did 'beep' want to kill Claire? These answers were never fully explained at the end of the novel so I was left a bit disappointed. The ending felt a bit rushed and answers were never fully given.
The action started at the beginning of the novel with the car crash and Claire leaving the scene to try to find out who killed her on her own mission. However, the action did slow down went she had to go on the run and find her own ways to survive by threatening and hurting random people and stealing things. I do believe that she should have suffered more injuries than she actually did in the car crash, as it seemed like she only suffered minor injuries.
A lot of the middle of the novel was quite slow as not a lot happened whilst she was on the run. You found out a lot of information from her contacts helping her solve her own crime. The only action that occurred was a car chase with the attacker and a gun fight towards the end of the novel between Claire and her attacker.
Claire's character was a bit difficult to like at times as I found her quite rude to everyone she met, she was quite annoying and very self centered. She was always annoying a lot of people so no one really liked her that much. She was a smoker and did a lot of drugs and stole money. I did want her to solve the case but I wasn't very supportive towards her especially the way she went about solving her own case.
Overall, I gave this novel 3/5 stars. It was an intriguing novel set in the 1990's and 2011. It is a mysterious crime filled with twists, turns and drama set in the past.
Rating 3/5
Saturday, 30 December 2017
Christmas Presents 2017
Heated Hairbrush, Electric Toothbrush and a tin of mints
Hedwig Cushion and Marie from Disney The Aristocats Large Cuddly Toy
Suitcase
Game of Thrones T-Shirt, Lynx Set and Chewbacca Bed Warmer Pillow
Beauty and the Beast Lumiere Purse, Kipling Purse, Harry Potter Hogwarts Purse, Natures Lipbalm Set, Biofresh Soap Giftset
Dog Mug and Marshmallow Set, Harry Potter Photo Frame (for Harry Potter Studio Tour Photo) and Bath Creams Giftset
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Illustrated Book and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Book
Harry Potter Satchel Bag and Sherlock The Blind Banker Manga
Harry Potter Fleece Pyjamas
Husky Snow Scene Blanket
Memory Foam Slippers
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