The Monster’s Leather Apron by Adrian Ludens

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of jack the ripper stories book cover

Title: The Monster’s Leather Apron
Author: Adrian Ludens
In: The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper Stories (Maxim Jakubowski)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Thriller
Dates read: 5th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2015
5th sentence, 74th page: He concentrated on the drifting sensation that now buoyed him, curled in his murky womb.

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Synopsis

Edward is just trying to teach these women how they should be… or at least, that’s what he thinks. Then he has to flee the country with his leather apron. When a tribesman begs for his help, he finds the perfect partner in crime.

Thoughts

This short story definitely didn’t end the way that I anticipated. Actually, I sat there in my living room in a feeling of kind of suspended horror… there was just something scary about the Ripper hooking up with a cannibal. “Teaching” the women of their sins… like I said, suspended horror at the conclusion of this.

The beginning of this story highlights brilliantly Edward’s madness. There is no motive to his actions throughout. Or at least, not an obvious enough one for me to feel settled… but, it does go a long way to explaining the obsessive needs and tendencies of this incredibly creepy man.

There is a point in this story at which you think Edward, the villain, is going to die. And it makes you happy. Even though this story is told from his POV, there is nothing redeemable about this character. You’ll be disappointed. He doesn’t die… he lives… and tortures and dances around the streets in his creepy leather apron…

 <- Knowledge of Medicine ReviewBluebeard’s Wife Review ->
Image source: Amazon

Noble Rot by Holly Black

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: Noble Rot
Author: Holly Black
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Humour, Urban fantasy, Zombies
Dates read: 5th December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: “Don’t like good-byes,” she says.

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Synopsis

He’s slowly wasting away. But, there is a beautiful delivery girl that seems to keep his life interesting. Little does he know what she’s turning him into…

Thoughts

I’ve been around enough sick people in my life to know that disease and, the treatments, can completely mess up your taste buds. However, the ways in which this story plays with ideas of messed up taste buds is entirely unique. And more than a little bit gross. Although completely fun. as you can probably tell, I got a few somewhat mixed feelings about this.

There was so much backstory to this tale. Which made me dive in completely. I would also love to reread this, because now that I know what the lead female was doing the whole time… I feel like I’d be able to grasp at some of the hints throughout.

I love that this is about a sick man who is given a second chance at a new life. There is something beautiful, and really tragic about this. Which makes it fit perfectly into the theme of the Naked City collection.

 <- And Go Like This ReviewDaddy Longlegs of the Evening Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs

The Lighthouse Keeper and His Wife by Sara Mackenzie

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for the mammoth book of paranormal romance book cover

Title: The Lighthouse Keeper and His Wife
Author: Sara Mackenzie
In: The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance (Trisha Telep)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal romance, Time travel
Dates read: 3rd December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Zek didn’t disillusion her.

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Synopsis

Zek gave up his life and the lives of hundreds to save his wife. Now, he’s been bought back for a second chance. Will they get their happily ever after?

Thoughts

It took me a little while to get into this story. There was just something a bit “meh” about the beginning of this. But, then, after a few pages… something about the tone just flipped and I was hooked. Completely, happily and smilingly pulled in.

I like the combination of old gods and a new goddess (her name is never mentioned, which is really beside the point). Mostly, Neptune is just a huge douche nugget and liar face. Which works quite well into the storyline. It puts the humans in this firmly on the side of good and creates a story which has it’s nice, neat, happily ever after.

The Lighthouse Keeper and His Wife has a great righting the wrongs of the past in this. Second chances always make a great story, and using time travel to provide this. Not only for true love, but to save hundreds of lives… it was quite sweet.

 <- When Gargoyles Fly ReviewBlood Song Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover the young elites

Title: The Young Elites
Author: Marie Lu
Series: The Young Elites #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Science fiction, Young adult
Dates read: 3rd December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Speak
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: On a strange impulse, I reach out and close my hand tightly around the rose’s stem.

Synopsis

A decade ago, a deadly blood fever swept through the nation. Most of the infected perished, but some survivors were left with strange markings, rumored to signify powerful gifts for those who possess them. And though their identities remain secret, this group of survivors has come to be called
The Young Elites.

The Inquisition Axis seeks to destroy them. The Dagger Society aims to find them before the Inquisition Axis. And Adelina Amouteru just wants to be left alone. But two truths will soon surface:
Adelina’s powers are far from ordinary…
And she is not to be crossed.

Thoughts

This is a seriously intense, wonderful and amazing story. It also made me cry. Not heaps… but a bit. Enough that you know there are some serious heart-string pulling moments. Which is surprising because I thought this would be a great story with a girl coming into her superpowers. Rather, it was far more dark than I had anticipated. So dark in fact that I felt a little uncomfortable whilst reading it. Which is the kind of story that I absolutely adore.

As a forewarning to those who want to read this story… the ending to this story is kind of tragic. There were multiple heart-rending moments throughout this story… but it was the way in which it ended that truly made me have super feelings. It wasn’t what I expected at all to be fair. I thought there’d be a much happier ending. But, ultimately, the story becomes about sister bonds which makes me love this even more.

Ultimately, this story is about trying to find love and acceptance. Trying to fit in in a world that doesn’t necessarily want you. And to find those people who will actually love you, no matter who and what you are… sadly, it takes a long time to get to that point… mostly, there are a lot of characters who are using the lead. Alright, in a lot of ways it’s for a good cause… but it’s so incredibly hurtful.

I found this book almost impossible to put down. I knew that it was going to be good, because the Facebook group I’m in has suggested this multiple times. What I didn’t expect is to basically give up on doing anything productive because not only could I not stop reading this… the times when I did pause left me thinking about this… obsessively. I can’t believe I have to wait until next year to buy the next two books in the trilogy!

 <- More Marie LuThe Rose Society ->

Image source: Goodreads

And Go Like This by John Crowley

Book Review, ,
Overview
naked-city

Title: And Go Like This
Author: John Crowley
In: Naked City (Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 3.5 (Liked this)
My Bookshelves: Urban fantasy
Dates read:3rd December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Year: 2011
5th sentence, 74th page: And what about the great ones of the world, the leaders and the presidents-for-life and the field marshals and the members of parliaments and presidiums, have they really all come?

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Synopsis

Is the world overpopulated? What do we do about it?

Thoughts

The cadence and pace of this short story was a bit… off for me. Sometimes I love stories which don’t follow the more traditional flow of prose and I love them. This was not one of those. There was just something about it that I really, really couldn’t get into. Which was quite disappointing because there was something in this story that I think I could love.

I do love the fact that this story seems to be about overpopulation. It’s something that is of concern to me frequently and so it was kind of fun to read something that highlights this.

I don’t actually know if this story is saying that overpopulation is bad or good. I swear there was also some racist stuff in here… as I said… the cadence of this just threw me.

 <- Guns for the Dead ReviewNoble Rot Review ->
Image source: Patricia Briggs

Cold Feet by Brenda Novak

Book Review, , , ,

Overview
Image result for book cover cold feet brenda novak

Title: Cold Feet
Author: Brenda Novak
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, Romance, Romantic suspense, Thriller
Dates read: 2nd November – 2nd December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harlequin
Year: 2004
5th sentence, 74th page: Where’s my girl?

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Synopsis

When the past won’t go away…

The Seattle police suspect Madison Lieberman’s father was the serial killer they call the “Sandpoint Strangler.” Madison refuses to believe it. Her father is now dead, and all she wants is the chance to create a new life for herself and her six-year-old child.

Then she discovers something in the crawl space beneath her parent’s house. Something that makes her question her father’s innocence. Or the innocence of someone else who’s equally close to her…

When another woman turns up dead, crime writer Caleb Trovato wonders whether they’re dealing with a copycat killer. Or is the real Sandpoint Strangler still alive? Caleb’s sure Madison knows more than she’s telling, and he’s determined to find out what. But he doesn’t expect to fall in love – or to lead Madison and her child into danger…

Thoughts

I have never read a Brenda Novak story, nor have I heard of them. This was just the only book I could find with the word “feet” in the title… and I needed that for a reading challenge. It turns out that it was a brilliant choice. I absolutely adored this book. And I was completely blown away by who the villain in this tale was. Actually, the mix of romance and suspense in this novel was not at all expected, and seriously enjoyable.

Normally I tend to guess who or what is going to be the killer fairly early on. Or at least, I get pretty damn close with my guess. I DID NOT see the identity of the bad guy coming at all! I started to have an inkling of the fact that: a) my initial hunch was wrong. And b) who the actual bad person was. I’m not normally this damn surprised, and every time I thought, hmmmm… maybe… there was something that quickly disproved my theory. It was brilliant!

I like that this romance featured a divorcee and her young daughter. That it was all about perceptions, loyalty and trying to find your way in the world. Rather than a twenty-something woman who had never experienced love, was a virgin, ya da, ya da, yay da… she had already had some really difficult experiences. And so had he. The older I get, the more I appreciate older characters in romances… after all, their experiences seem to start being a little more in line with mine.

The only reason I didn’t gobble this book up in just a day was that it was an eBook. There is something about eBooks that tend to take me a little more time to read… yet, the physical copy of this (which I now want to find a second hand version of) would have been completely inhaled in a matter of hours… late at night… when I was supposed to be sleeping.

 <- Before We Were Strangers ReviewDear Maggie Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

Nos Galan Gaeaf by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover haunted nights ellen datlow

Title: Nos Galan Gaeaf
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Cainsville #0.2
In: Haunted Nights (Lisa Morton & Ellen Datlow)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Paranormal fantasy, Urban fantasy
Dates read: 2nd December 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Blumhouse
Year: 2017
5th sentence, 74th page: But remember this: there is no fate you cannot undo.

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Synopsis

In Cainsville nothing is as expected. Including Halloween. And a bit of revenge might just turn sour… and quickly.

Thoughts

Halloween has always felt like somewhat of a dark holiday to me. There is just something about it that isn’t all clean and shiny like many of the other holidays and festivals that we celebrate. So I really loved that Armstrong took this and made it even darker, twistier and waaaaaaaay scarier. She created a kind of horrible (but also bloody brilliant) story that I look forward to reading again in the future.

This story starts out with a crush. More of a lustful crush. One that isn’t reciprocated. But, it doesn’t mean that they’re evil and have cast a spell on you. It probably just means that you have a crush. This is Cainsville though. Nothing is quite that simple, and it is always much nastier than a normal response. Which is why I love it.

My favourite thing about this short story is that karma is a fickle bitch. It’s a reminder that what we plan to do to someone is likely to come back to us… tenfold. And, especially if you live in Cainsville, you should probably make sure that you think about your actions first…

<- The Screams of DragonsDevil May Care ->

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Holes by Louis Sachar

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover holes louis sachar

Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Series: Holes #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Book to Film, Contemporary, Easy reading
Dates read: 26th November – 1st December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 1998
5th sentence, 74th page: But the last thing he wanted to do after digging all day was to dig at night, too.

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Synopsis

Stanley Yelants has bad luck (which is all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather).

When Stanley’s bad luck unfairly lands him in the juvenile detention centre Camp Green Lake (a very weird place that isn’t green and doesn’t have a lake), he and his campmates Zero, X-Ray, Armpit, Squid, Magnet and Zigzag are forced to dig holes in order to build character…

But what are they really digging for?

Thoughts

This is one of those books where I’m actually not sure if the book or the movie is better… I can remember watching the movie as a teenager in high school. It’s one of those that seems to be a staple of the Australian high school experience. But I’d never had the chance to actually read the book. I’m not entirely sure how it’s a classic – it seems a little too easy to read. But I do understand why so many people enjoy reading it.

This was such an incredibly easy read. Like, ridiculously. I ripped through it in next to no time (when I actually got a chance to sit down). Although it did flick through past and present a little, it wasn’t done in any kind of confusing way. The language was incredibly easy and accessible. And the entire story was just generally easy to follow and fun to read. I’ll be interested to see what the other books in the series are going to be like…

Holes is kind of an intense story. It is, after all, about a boy who is incarcerated. There’s not going to be sweet, innocent characters in a story like that. It is also about righting the wrongs of the past, finding yourself and, I think most importantly finding a way to like yourself. Or at least, that was the journey that I really got for Stanley. He might have lost a little weight because of his time at Camp Green, but it mostly ends with his actually accepting who he is and finding a friend who feels the same.

I absolutely adore how all of the threads of this story are interwoven. The past, the present, and the future are all weirdly interconnected. It’s hard to write like this in a way that doesn’t feel clunky and contrived. And Sachar manages to do this perfectly. All of the connected lines are completely natural and you only truly realise how they are linked at the very end of the story.

 <- Small Steps ReviewStanley Yelnats’ Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake Review ->

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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Book Review, , , ,
Overview
Image result for book cover a game of thrones

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #1
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Grimdark, Medieval fantasy
Dates read: 22nd October – 1st December 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Year: 1996
5th sentence, 74th page: Sansa had named hers Lady, and Arya named hers after some old witch queen in the songs, and little Rickon called his Shaggydog, which Bran thought was a pretty stupid name for a direwolf.

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Synopsis

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stak counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what will, not what he must… and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

Thoughts

It’s taken me a long time to get to this story. Like, a ridiculously long time. But now that I’ve finally gotten to A Game of Thrones over ten years after I had a friend first suggested it to me… I can understand why it’s such a well-loved book! Like, wow! I don’t normally plow through a book of this length in such a short period of time. In fact normally books of this length take me a lot of stopping and starting, with whole books in between.

There are some books, that when you finish them, you sit there, in total wonder and just stare out to the horizon. This was one of those books. Although I knew roughly what was going to happen because of seeing fragments of the TV show (I still haven’t watched it, will now start the first season…). I still sat there just staring out my window in wonder. There is just something about Martin’s writing that sweeps you up and away in a completely abandoned way.

Knowing that this novel follows a variety of casts, I was kind of expecting it to be a little difficult to keep all of the characters separate. I normally find it to be a bit difficult to remember who is who and how they’re all related when I read these kinds of novels. Yet, I didn’t find it to be like that at all. The way in which each of the chapters was started and the style that it was written in made it incredibly easy to not only remember who you were reading about, but how everyone was interrelated.

I don’t know if it’s bias from the TV show (because I know who is likely to survive through the published novels), or just the writing. But I already have clear favourites in this series. And I can’t wait to read the next book and find out how they survive the insanity of the Iron Throne.

<- More George R.R. MartinA Clash of Kings ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

The Princess and her Future by Tanith Lee

Book Review, , ,
Overview
Image result for red as blood tanith lee book cover

Title: The Princess and her Future
Author: Tanith Lee
In: Red as Blood (Tanith Lee)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Fairy tales
Dates read: 1st December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Wildside
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: But such an idea was foolish.

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Synopsis

All she wants is to know what her future holds… but it’s not the shiney, happy ending that she’s hoping for.

Thoughts

One of the things about the more traditional fairy tales that I don’t love is the fact that the women always want a husband, and that husband always ends up being the one rescuing her. Not so in this story. She gets in trouble because she’s trying to find out who it is that she’s going to marry in the future. The answer is certainly not one that she wanted… and there’s a certain level of trickery which leads to quite a tragic ending.

This is a seriously creepy and dark little fairy tale. I’m not entirely sure if it’s based on an original that I haven’t read before. But mostly, it was just a really creepy fairy tale which makes me want to lock all the windows and doors… there was just something particularly dark about this story.

I did thoroughly enjoy the fact that a lot of this story is built of webs of trickery, lies and deceit. Yet, in the end, the villain doesn’t actually lie – he just spins the truth to suit a certain view of the world.

 <- The Golden Rope ReviewWolfland Review ->
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