A moving story of a man’s struggle with grief after the death of his wife.
Isaac is standing on a bridge, contemplating taking his own life when he scA moving story of a man’s struggle with grief after the death of his wife.
Isaac is standing on a bridge, contemplating taking his own life when he screams into the void. What screams back will change his live forever.
I won’t say any more as I do think it is best to go in blind and take it as it comes. But I found it to be a refreshing and devastating look at grief and guilt.
I’ll be looking out for what this author does next. ...more
A school shooting, but in the UK, not America. We flip between numerous characters, from the students and teachers to the What a hard hitter this was!
A school shooting, but in the UK, not America. We flip between numerous characters, from the students and teachers to the police officers and detectives hired to deal with the situation.
An explosion is heard from the woods behind the school, from there unravel a series of events including gunshots and further explosions.
But who are these shooters? What do they want? How did they get to this point?
So much ground is covered for a book that takes place only over 3 hours. So many shocks and terrifying moments, a powerful and frightening read. ...more
Now, it’s been quite a few years since I read ‘They Both Die at the End’ and I gave that one 4.5 stars. But, if I reread it now, that might be d3.5 ⭐️
Now, it’s been quite a few years since I read ‘They Both Die at the End’ and I gave that one 4.5 stars. But, if I reread it now, that might be different.
I can only go on what I could remember when I opened this prequel.
We begin on Death Cast eve. The evening death cast is first introduced to America, and the first Decker will receive a phone call to say that they will die in the next 24 hours.
There are several POVs but the main two are Orion, a New Yorker living with a severe heart condition, wondering everyday if it will be his last. The second is Valentino - who has recently moved to New York to start his new life as a model.
Their paths collide on death cast eve and the calls are made. One of them will die in 24 hours. They spend the next 24 hours together, and it changes their lives.
I know I am bitter and cynical now. I wasn’t when I was younger, but ya know - life. So the whole insta-love wasn’t great, even though one of them thinks they are going to die.
It was still very readable and I liked the other POVs such as an old man who receives a death cast call and numerous others with relevance to the overall story.
It was ok, just not like the previous book as I remember it. ...more
“True happiness springs from within, a contentment with oneself. And while it may be humbler and quieter, there is nothing more precious and lasting. “True happiness springs from within, a contentment with oneself. And while it may be humbler and quieter, there is nothing more precious and lasting.”
“But the woods near Sleepy Hollow were not the same as other woods. There were places deep and dark that no Christina Henry strikes again! 4 stars ⭐️
“But the woods near Sleepy Hollow were not the same as other woods. There were places deep and dark that no one dared go. No one dared go there because it was known that those places were the haunts of creatures not of this earth.”
Ben Van Brunt has lived in Sleepy Hollow his entire life. He knows there are certain parts of the woods no one goes in. The town is full of superstition, in particular the story of the Headless Horseman.
When young boys in the town start to go missing, the town try to brush over it. Better that than admitting there is something truly insidious in the forest.
I don’t actually know a lot about the original Sleepy Hollow story so I was able to go into this pretty much blind. Christina Henry, as usual does a great job of building tension and unease.
(view spoiler)[ I liked that the monster wasn’t entirely explained. That it is just ‘evil’ that simply exists and can’t always be destroyed. The idea that the Horseman becomes someone new every generation. That Ben never truly fit in the town, and after losing everyone he loved he becomes the new protector of the forest. (hide spoiler)]
Overall, a spooky tale with a host of characters to love and hate.
“Sleepy Hollow and the people of the hollow believed in ghosts and goblins, believed in spooks and haunts.”
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My favourite thing to see on the library app:
‘In Transit’ The only thing better is ‘on hold’ ...more
I love a good retelling, I never get tired of them if done well. And this was a really good one!
Wendy Darling is a grown up with a husband and daughtI love a good retelling, I never get tired of them if done well. And this was a really good one!
Wendy Darling is a grown up with a husband and daughter. She remembers her time in Neverland fondly, despite it sending her to an institution when she was younger.
When Jane is taken by Peter, Wendy must return to Neverland once more to retrieve her daughter.
Here Peter is the villain. He is callous and cruel, with no regard for anyone - especially those who speak against him.
I liked (view spoiler)[ that Peter’s shadow was the dark part of himself, which is why he cut it away and it grew monstrous (hide spoiler)]
The book switches between Wendy and Jane and also Wendy’s time in the mental institute. The separations were made clear and I didn’t find it confusing at all.
There were a lot of modern themes mixed in which I also enjoyed. It gave this well known story a new lease of life.
I will definitely be picking up more by this author! ...more
“Just pour the sodding wine and hope it chokes them.”
Really enjoyed this second instalment.
We join Briseis again, who is now married to Alcimus and “Just pour the sodding wine and hope it chokes them.”
Really enjoyed this second instalment.
We join Briseis again, who is now married to Alcimus and carrying Achilles’ baby. She is treated different by the other women as she is now a ‘wife’ rather than a slave like the others.
We meet many of the other Trojan women including Hecuba - Priam’s wife, Andromache - Hector’s wife and Cassandra - the daughter of Priam and Hecuba.
We see the stark reality the women faced. Particularly when one of the women reveals she is pregnant from a Trojan man and fears for the babies life particularly if it is a boy as all Trojan males are killed.
Overall an informative and gripping book full of powerful characters and strong women.
“Women are peculiar creatures. We tend not to love those who murder our families.” ...more
Told in two POVs by two brothers. We have Finn the younger brother and Joe the older brother.
You are told early on partA moving and heartfelt story.
Told in two POVs by two brothers. We have Finn the younger brother and Joe the older brother.
You are told early on part of how the story ends, so rather than it being unfurled, you are just waiting to see how it all happens.
Their dad is part of a shady gang culture that ultimately sends him to prison. Joe is desperate not to fall into that world, but it is very difficult when you are surrounded by it.
Set in a poor area of Dublin, I was gripped by the two boys and their struggles. Keep the tissues nearby!...more
“Letting go isn’t about forgetting. It’s balancing moving forward with life, and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it.3.5 ⭐️
“Letting go isn’t about forgetting. It’s balancing moving forward with life, and looking back from time to time, remembering the people in it.”
A heartfelt YA read. At times maybe leaning toward the younger YA age range, which is entirely fine - but I do think it missed out on some depth because of this.
Sam and Julie have been dating for 3 years when he dies suddenly. This book deals with the aftermath of the grief and finding a way forward.
The relationship sometimes seemed a bit too good to be true and granted, we only see Sam through Julie’s memories so he doesn’t really get fleshed out as a full character.
But the themes were so important and I loved the different characters. Unsure why Julie gets so much hate in reviews? She just seemed like a young girl struggling to deal with her emotions.
Overall, a good read and I would be interested to see what the author does next.
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Library copy available for pick up
I don’t think I’m emotionally ready for this....more
Lex is known as Girl A, the first child to escape her parents ‘House of Horrors’ and lead the police toI need something light now because fuuuuuuuuck.
Lex is known as Girl A, the first child to escape her parents ‘House of Horrors’ and lead the police to discover her siblings, chained and starved.
Each section of the book places more emphasis on each of the children, 7 in total. There were a few things kept behind until revealed later on (view spoiler)[ they mention 7 children but only name 6, I knew that what had happened to the 7th would come out eventually. Also I had an idea that Evie was no longer alive which was confirmed later on. (hide spoiler)]
I agree with a lot of what Wendy Darling wrote in her review. I didn’t necessarily need more grim descriptions, but with all the jumping between timelines there wasn’t a clear narrative as to when things started getting worse in the house and why. I’d have liked a cleaner line to follow, though i can understand why it was written this way.
I also would have liked more justice (view spoiler)[ annoying that the dad never got punished because he killed himself. There definitely should have been some retribution for Ethan too. Yes he was young but he definitely wasn’t innocent and avoided nearly everything the others suffered.
It was well written, and hard to stomach at times. A gripping and frightening story of trauma and how it stays with you. (hide spoiler)]...more
“I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing make me doubt the value of myself.”
4 stars ⭐️
I’m a sucker for retellings. Particularly ones ba “I would not let a man who knew the value of nothing make me doubt the value of myself.”
4 stars ⭐️
I’m a sucker for retellings. Particularly ones based around Greek myth.
Ariadne lives on the island of Crete with her controlling father Minos and her bull brother The Minotaur.
When the Greek hero Theseus arrives with a collection of Athenians to be sacrificed to the Minotaur Ariadne becomes infatuated. She sees an opportunity to stop the slaughter of innocents and take control of her own fate.
But everything changes when she leaves with Theseus and he betrays her by abandoning her on an island to die. But Ariadne’s story does not end here.
I loved the twist on the Greek heroes. Theseus is an asshole and I loved hating on him. I enjoyed all the different elements and characters, including Daedalus and Icarus.
It was good to see the other sides of Dionysus as well. I liked both Phaedra’s and Ariadne’s point of views.
Overall, really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read more from this author.
********************** My wait is almost over! I asked at the library how far down the queue I am for this book. I am next in line! Honestly I’ve been waiting so long I really I hope it lives up to the hype I’ve made up in my head ...more
“The sun is up,the skies are blue and murder is in the air.”
Very good. VERY clever!
4 elderly friends living in a retirement village have regular me “The sun is up,the skies are blue and murder is in the air.”
Very good. VERY clever!
4 elderly friends living in a retirement village have regular meetings where they look at cold cases and see if they can solve them.
When two people are murdered in short succession it seems the friends have a live case fall right into their laps!
Bossy Elizabeth, sweet Joyce, intelligent Ibrahim and feisty but lovable Ron all stick their noses in where they don’t belong and use their years of experience to find information even before the police. Much to the local force’s annoyance!
It was good fun, I loved all the red herrings and the final reveals were very well done.
“She isn’t a footnote, she’s a person. And she - all the Trojan women - should be memorialised as much as any other person.”
I enjoy anything relati “She isn’t a footnote, she’s a person. And she - all the Trojan women - should be memorialised as much as any other person.”
I enjoy anything relating to Greek mythology, it’s my jam. This book in particular grabbed my interest because it gives voice to the women during the Trojan War rather than the usual characters (Achilles, Odysseus, Agamemnon etc.) and granted, these men are obviously included. They cannot be ignored when recounting the Trojan War, but so too should the women be included. The wives, the kidnapped, the enslaved.
As well as those we have stories of the goddesses, ones who were involved in the beginning of the war due to their own petty grievances.
I loved all the different character perspectives and even learned a few things which I didn’t expect ...more
Alva has lived in the same town by the loch her entire life. She lives with her father, the man she believesI did not expect that punch to the heart!
Alva has lived in the same town by the loch her entire life. She lives with her father, the man she believes murdered her mother, she lives in fear that she is next.
She has been planning her escape for years, and soon her dreams will become reality.
When she and her best friend Ren start to notice the water level in the loch going down, they immediately know something is wrong. When animals are killed and then humans start going missing, the locals know something evil is among them.
This turned into a horror that I wasn’t expecting but absolutely devoured! Both the monsters in the loch and the monsters in the village. Like the mill owner, whose greed is what caused the water level to sink and whose unhealthy obsession with Alva’s mother is completely fucked up.
A lot of story in only 300 pages. A great read - I will say the ending was heartbreaking, but it made sense in the parameters of the story so I can’t complain! ...more
“Between life and death there is a library. And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you “Between life and death there is a library. And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be different if you had made other choices...would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets.”
This book hits differently. Got me thinking about my regrets and different lives ...more
“You tried to kill me. You could not. I know your power. I know your pride. And I have seen how you will fall...And if we fall, others will take our “You tried to kill me. You could not. I know your power. I know your pride. And I have seen how you will fall...And if we fall, others will take our place, because we are the tide. And we are rising.”
Goryhell and Bloodydamn!
This series has knocked about 10 years off my life I swear!
There isn’t really much I can say here. I was constantly shocked by the characters switching loyalties and plot twists.
The number of people being killed off had me on the edge of my seat.
This trilogy has a good ending but I am looking forward to starting the next series for more drama.
“We’re it, boyo. Broken and cracked and stupid as we are, we’re the light, and we’re spreading.” ...more
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