Category Archives: Book Review

Double the Bite by Chris Marie Green

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
First Blood

Title: Double the Bite
Author: Chris Marie Green
Series: Vampire Babylon #3.5
In: First Blood (Susan Sizemore, Erin McCarthy, Chris Marie Green & Meljean Brook)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Vampires
Dates read: 25th September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: As a deputy back home, he knew his way around an investigation.

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Synopsis

On a hunt to find the cause of his brother’s mysterious death, Ben Tyree finds himself at the infamous Studio 54, and soon in the path of two preternaturally beautiful women. Ginny and Geneva aren’t just twins, they’re vampires. Their connection is put to the test when Ginny falls for Ben, much to Geneva’s anger. How can Ginny choose between the man she’s falling in love with and the sister who won’t let her go?

Thoughts

I don’t think I will ever understand why men are so obsessively fascinated by identical twins. Ever. I do not understand the attraction. But I do get that it’s there, and it’s a great story tactic to fill out the hours. After all, there’s a huge attraction to the stereotype, so why wouldn’t it be used in a paranormal romance tale?

The idea that blood means you can get away with pretty much anything has never quite sat well with me. It’s not a great ideal, and, as is the case in this story, that bond is used in the worst possible way. Alright, that bond has previously been twisted beyond all recognition by a sadistic S.O.B. but it still added complications which shouldn’t have been there. Although, I can’t quite imagine going so far with getting my sister to stop… I suppose I’m just lucky that I’m not a twin and my sister is not certifiably insane…

This was a great story which took two sides of the same coin and showed how differently they can handle some severe changes in their social dynamics. For one, a sense of compassion and need to find oneself came about her awful turning. For the other, a desperate need to feel anything which led to a lot of death and mayhem. I like that the one who finds compassion also finds love… although, they may just be interlinked. Regardless, this story was intense, bloody and oh so good. Well worth the read.

 <- Russian Roulette ReviewThicker Than Blood Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for looking for alibrandi book cover

Title: Looking for Alibrandi
Author: Melina Marchetta
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Book to Film, Contemporary, Family, Young adult
Dates read: 23rd – 24th September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1992
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I can look after myself,’ I argued as I followed her into the house.

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Synopsis

And what’s this about you and your friends driving around Bondi Junction half-dressed last week?’
‘Who told you that?’
‘Signora Formosa saw you. She said you and your friends almost ran her over. She rang Zia Patrizia’s next-door neighbour and it got back to Nonna.’
Telecom would go broke if it weren’t for the Italians.

Josephine Alibrandi is seventeen, illegitimate, and in her final year at a wealthy Catholic school. This is the year her father comes back into her life, the year she falls in love, the year she discovers the secrets of her family’s past and the year she sets herself free.

I’ll run one day. Run for my life. To be free and think for myself. Not as an Australian and not as an Italian and not as an in between. I’ll run to be emancipated.

Thoughts

This book is amazing! Ground shakingly, life-changingly amazing. Which shouldn’t surprise me. Since I felt that way about the movie when I first saw it as a teenager. After all, it’s about a young Australian girl who is just trying to find where she belongs in the world. Trying to fit in amongst racism and parental expectations. Trying to understand the past and find a way towards a new future. All things that we struggle with ourselves, just with different pressures.

There is so much pressure put on students who are studying year 12. Stupid amounts. I remember my year 12 year, we were all told to put all relationships on hold and just study. That is not a sane, safe or reasonable thing to ask anyone. Let alone a teenager. Josie’s story encompasses that year and the pressures that we all feel about our future, our choices and the external requirements people place on us perfectly. Her sarcastic, attitudinal teenage voice carries the message better than any other story would – and make it far more relatable for someone like me, who was a highly attitudinal teenager.

The relationships in this story are intense. And real. And, when bad things happen, heartbreaking. Enough so that I started weeping in the car. In the middle of summer. With my partner looking on in total confusion. Marchetta manages to create characters that you knew in high school. Dynamics that you too had, even if they were people of a slightly different socioeconomic group, or background. From that moment of first falling in love to letting go of the crush you always had, to seeing the “mean girl” as just another real person… she manages to show the growth and change that we all went through at such an important time in our lives.

Australia is known as a multicultural country, but it’s not always so accepting. Marchetta helps to bring this to life, not only in Josie’s experiences, but the tales of her mother and grandmother. Interweaving three generations of strong women into one story and showing the importance of family takes you on a fantastic journey. Not only through Australia’s cultural past, but also in the making of Josie Alibrandi and bringing all three women full circle to who they are today. And oh, my beating heart… now I just want to read this amazing novel all over again…

 <- Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil ReviewOn the Jellicoe Road Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

God Clown by Carol Emshwiller

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for coyote road book cover

Title: God Clown
Author: Carol Emshwiller
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Tricksters
Dates read: 24th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: I treat myself to more of his lemonade.

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Synopsis

You would think that God is a trickster and maybe a bit of a clown… and, if this short story is anything to go by… you’d be right.

Thoughts

I’ve sometimes wondered if the world is run by clowns. Or something similar. After all, nothing really makes sense, everything is random, and whoever in charge probably has a sick sense of humour. Very sick. Sadistic even. Which is why I like the idea of a story which is based on the idea of a God Clown.

The idea of a clown running the world is kind of scary. But it’s also kind of fun. I’m pretty sure that the clown I’m imagining is the same as the one in IT because that’s where my brain tends to go… but that also somehow works into the entire ideal perfectly. If not in a way that made me want to stay up all night watching Disney movies…

One image that strongly sticks with me after turning the last page of this story was the image of the God Clown on the side of a mountain. That he is eventually replaced. And every decision made is about balance and future wellbeing. It’s not vicious and its not kind. But, rather, everything has to be in perfect balance to keep the world turning…

 <- A Reversal of Fortune ReviewThe Other Labyrinth Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Love Struck by Melissa Marr

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for love is hell book cover

Title: Love Struck
Author: Melissa Marr
In: Love is Hell ( Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalestier, Gabrielle Zevin & Laurie Faria Stolarz) & Faery Tales and Nightmares (Melissa Marr)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, Fae, Paranormal romance
Dates read: 24th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Harper Teen
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: He paused, considered telling her that he suspected that Veikko had entrapped her, and decided against it.

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Synopsis

Alana has been entrapped by a selchie. But what if all of the stories she’s heard aren’t true? What if it’s love, and not entrapment?

Thoughts

I’ve read quite a few stories about selkies and the fae. Or at least, stories which have a moment featuring them throughout. This was an incredibly different take on a familiar tale though. Which I’m beginning to expect from Melissa Marr. For starters, the selkie isn’t the one necessarily doing the entrapment, and vice versa.

Alana is kind of a perfect partner for a selkie. A race of seal-beings who are all about lust, love and sexual fixation. Alana on the other hand is basically living a celibate life. She doesn’t necessarily want to pursue the lust that her mother has so heavily involved herself in. And she really doesn’t want to tie herself down to one being, regardless of how deeply she is drawn to him. It acts as a nice balance to the traditional tales.

The betrayal and secrets interwoven throughout this story are kind of beautiful. Even though I was pretty sure I knew who the “good guy” was, there were still constant moments of doubt. Moments where you wonder if what you perceive to be the truth was really the truth and so on. It was enough of a mystery to hook me in and make me want to never put the story down. And then it ended. And I was left feeling the urge to pick up yet another Melissa Marr story.

 <- Fan Fictions ReviewLove is Hell Review ->
Image source: Harper Collins Publishers

Kiss by Lilith Saintcrow

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for urban enemies book cover

Title: Kiss
Author: Lilith Saintcrow
Series: Jill Kismet #6.5
In: Urban Enemies (Joseph Nassise)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Demons, Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 22nd September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Gallery Books
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: You must agree that’s only fair.

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Synopsis

Is it the kiss of steel or the kiss of death? What could this horrifying creature be planning for?

Thoughts

I’m still not entirely sure what the storyline in this tale was. I’m more than a little confused by it. But I liked the darkness. The idea of a villain plotting against her victims for decades… and there was a lot of information about kisses and debts to be paid… like I said, not entirely sure what I was actually reading about… but I know that I liked what I did understand.

Most of the short stories that I read are really good standalones. This is not really one of those stories. It’s kind of hard to follow, and the insidiousness of the villain seems to be highlighted better in the preceding stories. it made it a little hard to fear and question the villain than other stories in this collection. Because I just didn’t know how much of a villain she truly was…

This story was a lot about plotting. Every move is calculated and part of a much larger scheme. It reads like a set up for the next Jill Kismet novel. One that will pay dividends when you finally get up to that point in the series, but a short story that doesn’t necessarily draw me into the world and make me want to rush out and buy the first novel.

 <- Sixty-Six Seconds ReviewThe Naughtiest Cherub Review ->
Image source: Simon & Schuster

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Image result for illuminae book cover

Title: Illuminae
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Science fiction, Young adult
Dates read: 15th July – 22nd September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: What’s it like to be a hero?

Synopsis

The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations – are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra are forced to escape on the evacuating fleet.

But their troubles are just beginning. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it’s clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Thoughts

This is one of the most unique, intense and fun books I’ve read in a long time. Actually, it’s the only book like this that I’ve ever read. Rather than being a traditional prose, it is full of snippets and dossiers, information that you have to put together yourself as the story unfolds in front of you. When I first opened the pages of this, I wasn’t really sure that I’d like this style of writing. After all, it is completely different to what I normally read. But I found that I actually loved it. The difference in flavour and taste of the story was a great departure from what I usually read.

Most stories I read with a little romance start with a couple meeting each other. Illuminae on the other hand starts with the main couple breaking up with each other. Arguing and yelling at one another as they air their differences. It was kind of fun to have a different start to what is considered a bit of a romance. The fact that Ezra and Kady are obviously going to realise that they still care about each other. That they are actually meant to be together. The arguing and questioning each other is exactly what a healthy relationship means to me… so it was nice to see a couple that constantly pushed at each other and challenged their preconceptions.

I’m not a huge conspiracy buff. Not someone who tends to get drawn into some of these discussions like many of my friends do. But this story, the way it was written and the structure of the tale made me completely believe that some of them may even be plausible. After all, this is a tale about a rival company literally destroying an entire world and killing everyone they possibly can just to wipe out the competition. It was written in a completely plausible manner, one that made me feel a little uncomfortable and concerned about what their modern day counterparts would do.

Illuminae is an amazing adventure. It makes you feel emotional, drives home the fact that life is fleeting and is also full of fun and sass. Kady is driven, intelligent and completely loyal. She’s the kind of heroine I love, and she has enough gumption and independence to leave me laughing out loud. Multiple times. Ah. The innocence of youth.

 <- MementoGemina ->

Image source: Amazon

How’s the Night Life on Cissalda? by Harlan Ellison

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for alien sex book cover

Title: How’s the Night Life on Cissalda?
Author: Harlan Ellison
In: Alien Sex (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Aliens, Lust, Science fiction
Dates read: 22nd September 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: ROC
Year: 1990
5th sentence, 74th page: Capote’s voice instantly dropped three octaves.

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Synopsis

The creatures of Cissalda just want someone to love. Again and again and again. In the most intensive of ways. There’s a fairly high chance that they’ll just love their partners to death…

Thoughts

This is so completely disturbed. And I LOVED it. There was this wonderfully sassy, sarcastic and fun voice to the narration of this story. One that helped make this feel a little less disturbed, and a little more plausible. It was still incredibly disturbed, and I still felt slightly dirty for even reading it. But I also loved that it had me laughing out loud because it was truly out there.

Sex seems to be an incredibly potent topic, one that “makes the world go round”. Alright, it kind of does, because without it, we wouldn’t have the next generation… but it’s still a kind of difficult topic to approach. I read a lot of sex stories in my romances, but they’re about romance and the ideal which is completely unrealistic. This tale on the other hand was about pure, unadulterated lust. An alien race arriving on earth, and literally sexing its inhabitants to death. Lust and sex do have their downfalls…

This short story felt like a bit of a warning about how we let sex and lust take over our lives. The one person who isn’t going to succumb to the carnal death slated to the others doesn’t because he told the truth. In doing so, he betrayed his lover from Cissalda, which is probably bad, but I kind of like that he survives because he told the truth. Even if it means he’s about to die alone and abandoned…

 <- War Bride ReviewThe Jamesburg Incubus Review ->
Image source: Amazon

The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends by Peter Berresford Ellis

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of celtic myths and legends book cover

Title: The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends
Author: Peter Berresford Ellis
Series: Mammoth Books
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Celtic, History, Mythology, Non-fiction
Dates read: 25th October 2018 – 22nd September 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: Where are the gods and their goddesses, where the heroes and noble knights?

Synopsis

STIRRING SAGAS FROM THE ANCIENT CELTIC WORLD

From an oral history and storytelling culture dating back to the dawn of European civilization, the Celtic peoples have developed one of the world’s most vibrant mythologies. In this collection from Irish, Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Manx and Breton sources, Peter Berresford Ellis has brought together the classic myths and legends, as well as exciting new tales which have never been published.

Berresford Ellis, a foremost authority on the Celts, brings not only his expertise but also his acclaimed skills of storytelling to this original and enthralling selection of gods and goddesses, magical weapons and fabulous beasts.

Thoughts

This is a bit of a hard slog of a book. Not in any negative sense, but in the sense that it is over 500 pages of Celtic mythology. Which encompasses all of the wonders of their convoluted names and intricate kinship ties. It doesn’t really matter which tale you read, this is something that can be a little bit difficult to work with. Especially, when like me, you know nothing about the names and communications of people from this part of the world.

I’ve long been fascinated by Celtic folklore. And I have dabbled a little bit in this world. However, The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths & Legends was a GREAT way to immerse myself in this otherwise unknown world. Now, when I read stories which have obviously used a thread of this tradition and folklore, I can recognise it, and even understand it a little more.

Each section of this book starts with an introduction which highlights the region which the myths come from and where these retellings are sourced from. As many of the folklore of the time was orally passed, it was interesting to see where this had been pulled from – opening up a new world but also helping to tie it to the past and the roots of the tale.

If you have any kind of interest in mythology. Pick this book up. Maybe do like I did, and read a few stories before turning to something that doesn’t have so many incredibly similar names. But still pick this book up. It is phenomenal, potent and completely impossible to put down. One that I would highly recommend to all fans of the past, supernatural and myths.

 <- The Mammoth Book of Celebrity MurdersThe Mammoth Book of Chess ->

Image source: Amazon

Fantasy by Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger

Book Review, , , , , , ,
Overview
Fantasy

Title: Fantasy
Author: Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger
In: Fantasy (Christine Feehan, Sabrina Jeffries, Emma Holly & Elda Minger)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary romance, Paranormal romance, Short story collections
Dates read: 4th July – 21st September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Jove
Year: 2002
5th sentence, 74th page: They’d made love on the floor before the fireplace, writhing on the fur rug like cats in heat.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Where do your fantasies take you?

Under the blazing heat of the Borneo sun…
… a beautiful naturalist’s dream comes true – to live among the feral jungle creatures. But an untamed, irresistible beast of another sort forces her to explore her own wild side.

In an exclusive gentlemen’s club in Victorian London…
… adventurous ladies are available to the highest bidder. Yet how far will a modest widow go to fulfill her fantasy of being auctioned off as a rake’s midnight plaything?

From the depths of the dark unknown…
…a child of midnight has arrived in a spiritual Tibetan refuge to rid herself of wicked desires. Here this ageless beauty meets the one man who can save her – or damn her soul forever.

In a private, all-male school for seduction…
…she might just graduate with honors. If she can only maintain her disguise long enough to teach the man of her dreams a few lessons.

Thoughts

I bought this because I had a few weeks / months of obsession with Christine Feehan. I didn’t expect to find more authors to be completely obsessed about. Alright, I read another Emma Holly story the month before I read this one, but still… three new awesome authors and four beautifully simple and cute novellas to spend my nights forgetting about the world around me… what more could a girl want?

Fantasy is a collection of four novellas that run the gambit of romance stories. Two are heavily paranormal, featuring the typically expected paranormal creatures of vampires and shapeshifters. On the other hand, there are two more contemporary tales which take place in the past and the presence. Contemporary and paranormal, present and historical sit side by side in a fantastic collection I absolutely adored and thoroughly enjoyed. I just couldn’t put it down.

If you like romances that will make your heart skip a beat and pulse pound, this is the kind of collection that you’ll enjoy. It’s got a taste of everything, and more than a tease of passion and lust amongst the pages. I found it difficult not to turn immediately to the next page whenever I finished one tale… and it was only the knowledge that I had other responsibilities in life to take up my time… responsibilities that are just enjoyable, but distracting from this story, just the same.

 <- The Awakening ReviewThe Widow’s Auction Review ->
Image source: Christine Feehan

A Choice of Accommodations by Jhumpa Lahiri

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for unaccustomed earth book cover

Title: A Choice of Accommodations
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
In: Unaccustomed Earth (Jhumpa Lahiri)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Family, Race
Dates read: 21st September 20199
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: Megan was content with one, telling him she’d paid the price for being from a large family.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide
Synopsis

Amit is attending an old friend’s wedding with his wife. The past and the glory of the night make him reflect on the decisions he’s made in life and whether he’s truly happy in the world he’s created for himself.

Thoughts

Relationships aren’t always sunshine and roses. Whoever tells you that they are is either lying, completely delusional or still in the honeymoon stage of theirs. That’s not to say that relationships aren’t completely amazing, but there is a level of comfort and almost boredom that you reach after a point. One that isn’t glorified in stories, because it is this amazingly comfortable, well-loved and satisfied feeling. Which, in a rare case for the stories I read, Lahiri manages to do kind of perfectly.

Multi-cultural relationships are a little bit difficult. And meeting people from your partners’ past can make all of the issues you thought you no longer had rise to the surface. Jealousy. Insecurity. So many questions. Yet, Lahiri manages to highlight this with a sense of respect. Not just for what people who have been happily married for umpteen years’ experience, but how they sometimes deal with their first night of freedom away from their children.

One of the things I am completely falling for with Jhumpa Lahiri’s writing is her way of taking the everyday life and telling a tale. In some cases, it’s the everyday life of migrants and refugees (something I don’t have much in common with). But in others, it’s the everyday ins and outs of being in a relationship. I think that it’s something that needs to be addressed more frequently. After all, the meeting and first contact are fun and intense. But that bit after? The part where you become comfortable and know that you’ve found that person to spend forever after with. Because forever after can all be first moments and stolen kisses… it has to be about something more.

 <- Hell-Heaven ReviewOnly Goodness Review ->
Image source: Bloomsbury