Category Archives: Book Review

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde & Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories

Title: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde & Other Stories
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Series: Word Cloud Classics
In: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde & Other Stories (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Collection
Publisher: Word Cloud Classics
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: “I have to thank you,” said he, “for your extraordinary patience.”

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

Synopsis

A book so iconic that its title is synonymous with split personalities, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson was first released in 1886. The story of a virtuous Dr. Jekyll who mistakenly creates an alter ego of unadulterated evil serves as an examination of the duality of human nature and the battle between good and evil. Full of mystery and fright, this story has remained popular for more than a century and has been adapted countless times — over 132 in film alone. An instant success and popular with students of morality, this thrilling tale is now available as part of the Word Cloud Classics series, making it a chic and affordable addition to any library.

Thoughts

An amazing collection of lyrical tales of crime, psychology and the horrors of humanity. I love that Stevenson takes the modern setting of London at that time, the common, everyday livelihoods and creates a dark and twisted tale. There are so many layers within these stories that create a world in which I am constantly questioning my daily life. Even over a hundred years after these stories were published.

One of the things that I always enjoy about classics is that fact that they have multiple layers and realities which you can sink your teeth into. These tales can be read again, and again, and again and there will always be a new layer you can find. I suppose that’s why they’re classics. But this collection has certainly moved to the top of my list of favourite classics… it’s just that little bit darker, and that little bit more twisted.

<- FrankensteinStrange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ->

Image source: Rainbow Resource

The Trials of Bryan Murphy by Cat Adams

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Irish RomanceTitle: The Trials of Bryan Murphy

Author: Cat Adams

In: The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance (Trisha Telep)

Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)

My Bookshelves: Celtic, Easy reading, Fae, Romance

Pace: Fast

Format: Short story

Publisher: Running Press

Year: 2010

5th sentence, 74th page: Her captor followed her abrupt gaze.

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

Synopsis

When Bryan’s wife is kidnapped by the fae, he is forced to face three trials to get her back.

Thoughts

If there’s a decent story about the fae, then you can almost guarantee that I’m going to love it. And, this was a very good story about the fae. And romance. And sacrificing everything in the name of love.

Bryan and Bridget have that love that most people desire. The understanding and acceptance of one another at the deepest level. And this ability to completely trust and want to be with one another in spite of all. And it is this drive that helps them to overcome Bryan’s three trials to get back his love. And to face up to the King and Queen of the fae and all of the tricks that they throw in their way.

 <- Oracle Review Nia and the Beast of Killarney Wood Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Human Nature by Eileen Wilks

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Human Nature

Title: Human Nature
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #5.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: “Of course.”

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

Synopsis

When the magically tattooed body of a man is found in a Northern California town, FBI Agent Lily Yu is drawn into the case. Trouble is, the victim wasn’t human – and the killer isn’t finished in USA Today bestselling author Eileen Wilks’s “Human Nature”.

Thoughts

This is story number 5.5 in the World of the Lupi series, but it takes place before the actions of novel 5 (Mortal Sins). That kind of threw me. I’m not sure why this is, but it didn’t take away from any of my enjoyment in the story. So it was still a thoroughly enjoyable way to procrastinate for the night.

I have a thing about tattoos. The fact that in Human Nature, one is used in the killing of one of the lupi was kind of sad, but still made it enjoyable. All throughout the World of the Lupi series to date, stereotypes and prejudice against others. This really came to the fore in this novella – although Lily has a murder to solve, the bigger issue she continuously comes across is the prejudice of the locals. Especially the local law enforcement. Actually, my biggest complaint about this story is that the poetic justice that I was hoping to see meted out didn’t occur. Maybe in one of the future novels in this series?

At the very end of this tale, a great point is made – Rule and his people may be different from humans. But they are still human, with all that that entails. And, ultimately, the murder is just another one driven by human nature and all the horrors that that entails.

<- Mortal SinsBlood Magic ->

Image source: Kobo

Mortal Sins by Eileen Wilks

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Mortal SIns

Title: Mortal Sins
Author: Eileen Wilks
Series: World of the Lupi #5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Animagus, Paranormal romance
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: But Georgetown University Hospital had a couple of rooms that were circled and heavily warded.

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

Synopsis

Welcome to the “strange magic [and] fantastic realms” of Eileen Wilks’s world of the lupi, where some sins are so dark and unlikely, no one thought to forbid them…

FBI agent Lily Yu is in North Carolina with her lover and mate, Rule Turner, Lu Nuncio of the Nokolai werewolf clan. He is there to take custody of his son from the boy’s grandmother. It’s a purely personal trip until Rule, in wolf form, finds three bodies in a shallow grave. They carry the stench of death magic, which makes the murders a federal crime. Lily takes charge of the investgiation and soon realizes that nothing adds up – not the motives or the main suspect, who is behind bars when death strikes again.

But murder, however bizarre, is an everyday affair for Lily, who was a homicide cop before being recruited into the FBI’s Magical Crimes Division. A more personal shock arrives in the form of Rule’s son’s mother. Why would she now challenge Rule’s plan to bring his son to live among the Nokolai? But family matters must take a backseat when the violence escalates, and there’s no rhyme or reason for the next strike – by a killer who may not even be of this world…

Thoughts

This is one of those series that I pick up and put down, but I’m slowly working through. This week I decided that it was time to pick up Mortal Sins, the book I am currently up to. Now I’m wondering why I ever put the series aside in the first place (I’m just easily distracted I suppose). I love Lily and Rule’s pretty damn good too. The storyline always captivates my attention and takes me on a great journey that I don’t in slightest bit expect.

There were two main threads to this storyline. Firstly there is Lily’s race to save the people of Halo and figure what’s causing so many deaths. For me, this takes up the majority of the story. After all, you follow Lily around and that’s the main focus of her actions throughout. Homicides and crime stories are captivating enough, but tie in the use of death magic and superstition against lupi, and the storyline gets a lot more intense. The entire time I was reading this, I was holding my breath, waiting for he next person to go crazy…

The other storyline is that of Rule and his son. A simple issue of changing his custody turns into something a lot more intense when his son’s mother gets involved again. I was actually quite blown away by this twist and sat there a little overwhelmed when I first read it. Although it isn’t the primary storyline, it is definitely the more emotional and powerful one. Something that helped me to get completely wrapped up in and swept away by the storyline.

 <- Cyncerely YoursHuman Nature ->

Image source: Dear Author

Ocean Light by Nalini Singh

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Ocean Light

Title: Ocean Light
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy-Changeling Trinity #2, Psy-Changeling #17
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal romance, Shapeshifters
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Gollancz
Year: 2018
5th sentence, 74th page: They are the enemy of peace, of unity, or Trinity.

Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR NALINI SINGH DIVES BENEATH THE SURFACE OF HER PSY-CHANGELING WORLD INTO A STORY OF PASSIONATE DEVOTION AND SELFLESS LOVE…

Security specialist Bowen Knight has come back from the dead. But there’s a ticking time bomb in his head: a chip implanted to block telepathic interference that could fail at any moment – taking his brain along with it. With no time to waste, he should be back on land helping the Human Alliance. Instead, he’s at the bottom of the ocean, consumed with an enigmatic changeling…

Kaia Luna may have traded in science for being a chef, but she won’t hide the facts of Bo’s condition from him or herself. She’s suffered too much loss in her life to fall prey to the dangerous charm of a human who is a dead man walking. And she carries a devastating secret that Bo could never imagine…

But when Kaia is taken by those who mean her deadly harm, all bets are off. Bo will do anything to get her back – even if it means striking a devil’s bargain and giving up his mind to the enemy.

Thoughts

I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for this to come out…. And once it finally arrived, well, I read it in less than 24 hours. It was just like every other book in this series, amazing, sweet and impossible to put down.

Kaia is so damaged, and yet caring and tender. I love that as her past unfolds, you can understand why she’s quite standoffish. But it’s her ability to care and love that truly shines through. There’s a reason why whenever things are going to hell in a handbasket in my own life, I pursue stories such as this – with Singh’s Psy-Changeling world there is always a happy ending. And a character like Kaia who is able to overcome everything in her past and be purely good. The fact that she is a dominant maternal, unlike any of the other changelings in the entire series just made the cockles of my heart warm all the more.

Silver Silence ended with Bo being shot. And although he’s had some kind of shady moments throughout the series, I was completely taken away and a little horrified. He’s an incredibly key character to the large overarching tale that ties all of the many Psy-Changeling stories together and I just couldn’t imagine how the trinity would work without him. Luckily, Singh obviously created him to be like this, because he didn’t die, he was just put into a top secret medical facility. Although in past books Bo has just been an amazing ally (and in some cases potential enemy), he didn’t seem like much more to me before Ocean Light. Then I fell just as madly in love with him as every other character that has had their tale told.

Other than the amazing love story and tale of conspiracy created by the resistance to the Trinity, Ocean Light also introduces the world of BlackSea. An underwater realm full of swimming changelings and mystery. Now I want another tale of the changelings of BlackSea to come out… it looks like I’ll just have to wait a little while until it does.

 <- Silver SilenceWolf Rain ->

Image source: Hachette Australia

August 2018

Book Review, , ,

August 2017

August is always a weird month for me – it’s my baby sister’s birthday and so should be one of my favourite months. But it also seems to be the month in which a lot of not-so-good things have happened in my life. Plus, it’s winter, and I hate being cold and sick, so I have just buried myself in the realm of books…

 

Image source: Quotes Pics

Green-Eyed Envy by Kasey MacKenzie

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Green-Eyed EnvyTitle: Green-Eyed Envy
Author: Kasey MacKenzie
Series: Shades of Fury #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: My overactive imagination the night before had delighted in reminding me over and over again that Scott had been involved with Harper, however briefly, which meant that he very well could be in danger from this lunatic

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

Synopsis

As a Fury, Marissa Holloway belongs to an arcane race that has meted out justice since time immemorial. As Boston’s Chief Magical Investigator, she’s responsible for solving any crimes committed by or against supernaturals.

Months have gone by since Riss discovered some unwelcome truths about her past – and managed to stop a supernatural war. Since then, tings have been quiet. Too quiet. But that all changes when the bodies of Bastai, shape-shifters also known as Cats, begin piling up in Boston’s magical underbelly – even though the legendary shifters are supposed to have ninety-nine lives.

One common thread ties the victims together: All were old flames of FBI Agent Harper Cruz. And since Scott Murphy, Riss’s lover, enjoyed a long-ago one-night stand with Harper, the Fury has twice the incentive to crack the case wide open, before the killer’s green-eyed gaze turns in Scott’s direction…

Thoughts

Everyone can get a little jealous at times. But, when that jealousy turns to something completely different that it can become dangerous. And in this case, downright deadly. Although Riss isn’t necessarily the one in danger, her own jealousy throughout this tale puts her in a decent amount of danger. And as two parallel conspiracies unfold around her, she is not only in a race to save the next victim of a serial killer, but also a race to save her own family.

Although one of these tales (the issues with her family) doesn’t actually get solved during Green-Eyed Envy, the fact that there is an extra complication in Riss’ life helps to increase the fast pace of this tale. Her ties to her family also help to not only ground her when things start getting a little bit too weird, but also create a larger issue. One that I can’t wait to see solved (hopefully) in the next Shades of Fury novel.

Serial killer tales and the race to stop them can always be interesting but adding in a supernatural spin on this murder spree, I just lapped it up. Add in Scott’s ex, racial prejudice and wedding bells in the future… well, you know that this is going to be good fun. I also love the way that issues such as racism and maddened possession are built upon to create a better understanding of the world. That, and it makes some of the issues that Riss is facing a little more relatable and realistic. I doubt anyone has seen a Fury, but we’ve all seen racism…

 <- Red Hot Fury Review Blackhearted Betrayal Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Red Hot Fury by Kasey MacKenzie

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

Red Hot FuryTitle: Red Hot Fury
Author: Kasey MacKenzie
Series: Shades of Fury #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Slow, Medium, Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Ace Fantasy
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: No less than the truth.

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

Synopsis

As a Fury, Marissa Holloway belongs to an arcane race that has avenged wrongdoing since time immemorial. As Boston’s Chief Magical Investigator for the past five years, she’s doing what she was born to do: solving supernatural crimes.

It’s far from business as usual when the body of a sister Fury washes up in Boston Harbor. But when Riss reports that the corpse’s identity has been magically altered, she’s immediately – and inexplicably – suspended from her job. Then a human assassin makes an attempt on her life, and Riss realizes that someone is trying to stir up strife between mortals and arcanes.

When a Fury gets mad, she gets even, and Riss is determined to uncover the truth. Without the support of the mortal PD, she turns to the one man she can trust to watch her back: shape-shifting Warhound Scott Murphy. But since Scott is also Riss’s ex, she’ll have to keep a short leash on more than just the supernatural rage that feeds her power as they try to solve a murder – and stop a war…

Thoughts

When I moved out of home, a lot of my books got boxed up. And sadly this was one of them. But, recently I was able to unpack all of the amazing books that I have stashed over the years and really sink my teeth into them. I read the majority of this in one night. Even though I knew what was going to happen (kind of, it’s been a long time), it still completely swept me away and pulled me in from the very first moment. So much so that I picked up Green-Eyed Envy immediately afterwards. Like I said, it’s just that good.

Furies in the folklore are something that fascinates me – really, anything paranormal and feminine is going to fascinate me if I’m honest. And I really like how this paranormal paragon of justice is also a cop in the story – it helps to layer the paranormal on top of the reality. It’s also a little fun to read a story that starts as a paranormal murder mystery. It quickly turns into something far more complex and intense, but at the very beginning, it lulls you into thinking this is going to be a little bit of a paranormal crime type story.

As with most stories, there is a romantic entanglement throughout Red Hot Fury. However, instead of being a budding romance, it is Riss’ ex that provides the emotional entanglements that raise the stakes of the story. As much as you kind of know that they will eventually end up together (because they always do, and we always enjoy it), I liked the added complication of a past breakup and all of the hot headed words that that entails. The past really informs all of the relationships throughout this tale and the slow unravelling of what is happening along both timelines makes you want to turn each and every page as quickly as possible.

 <- White-Knuckled Fear Review Green-Eyed Envy Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Oracle by Margo Maguire

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

The Mammoth Book of Irish RomanceTitle: Oracle

Author: Margo Maguire

In: The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance (Trisha Telep)

Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)

My Bookshelves: Celtic, Easy reading, Romance

Pace: Slow

Format: Short story

Publisher: Running Press

Year: 2010

5th sentence, 74th page: It was more vivid than any I’ve ever had.

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

Synopsis

A future oracle of her people travels to save the world. But she finds herself and her future instead.

Thoughts

I don’t get the obsession with virgins. The idea that a virgin woman (it’s always a woman) has some kind of mythical powers or prowess. It’s not something that’s ever made sense to me, and when I started reading this short story, part of me was going oh god, here we go again. And it was kind of like that… she has to be a virgin to become an oracle. She finds a temptation. But it wasn’t anywhere near as horrifying as I was expecting.

The immediate attachment between the two main characters was fun and potent. Although a little too predictable. The battle that they have to fight, and the storyline, were really well written and developed. Although I didn’t have much of an interest in the romance aspect of this tale (which is kind of new for me), I did like the rest of the story.

 <- The Ballad of Rosamunde Review The Trials of Bryan Murphy Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Armor of Roses by Marjorie Liu

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
Inked

Title: Armor of Roses
Author: Marjorie Liu
Series: Hunter Kiss #3.5
In: Inked (Karen Chance, Marjorie M. Liu, Yasmine Galenorn & Eileen Wilks)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Demons, Paranormal fantasy
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Berkley Books
Year: 2010
5th sentence, 74th page: It was 1944, but this could have been a quiet street sixty years from now.

Synopsis

When New York Times bestselling author Marjorie M. Liu’s demon hunter Maxine Kiss investigates a grisly murder, she finds herself involved in a conspiracy dating back to World War II – and a secret mission that her grandmother may have carried out for the U.S. government, one that involes the mysterious “Armor of Roses.”

Thoughts

Lately I’ve been enjoying a graphic novel series by Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda. So, I already knew that I enjoyed this author. However, reading this novella showed me that she is certainly one that I need to buy more of! And now I have to wait for the books to arrive…

I really enjoyed the swanky opening scene of this story – it was a swanky yacht with a very different crowd and a woman who so completely obviously didn’t fit in. Which, of course, drew me in immediately. Maxine is literally a woman who is surrounded by demons… luckily they are her constant friends and companions. But, it does make it a little difficult for her to fit in with the rest of the crowd she is originally surrounded by. Luckily, this quickly changes and she heads into a world that far better suits her companions.

I really wasn’t expecting a time travel component to this story. Or a greater conspiracy that would draw in World War II. But, it worked brilliantly and it was impossible to put down from the moment Maxine was forced to visit her grandmother. It was a really good journey and, as with all stories that I love, it didn’t go where I expected or predicted. Although, it did kind of hint at the first two novels in this series that I haven’t yet read… which might ruin the storyline a little, but certainly something that I look forward to regardless.

<- Skin DeepEtched in Silver ->

Image source: Penguin Random House