eProof Review - Missing White Woman

Sometimes, you crave a book as soon as you seen the cover online. It’s almost a physical reaction. This is what happened when I saw Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett. I saw someone tweet about it with the UK cover and I became obsessed with it. I mean, LOOK AT IT! And 24 hours later, it appeared on NetGalley so, of course, I had to request and hope that I would be approved. 

Which I was (hooray!) and once I finished Kate Atkinson’s Normal Rules Don’t Apply, I jumped straight into this. 

Title and Author: Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett

Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Gifted by UK publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review/reaction

Buy From (Affiliate): uk.bookshop.org

It was meant to be a romantic getaway in New York City. Just Breanna and her new boyfriend, Ty. They hired out an airbnb four-story house with a beautiful view of the skyline. Until Bree wakes up one morning to discover a dead woman in her foyer and Ty’s missing. Is the dead woman Janelle Becker, a recently missing dog walker that the media is reporting on and social media is a buzz over? 

A Black woman stranded in a strange city, Bree is scared. A black person involved in the white person’s disappearance/murder isn’t a good look. And she knows how the Police sees her. And until she can find Ty, the only person who can help her is an ex-best friend, a lawyer who Bree shares a complicated history with. 

But as the Police and the social media mob close in, Bree realises that the only way to stay out of jail is to discover what happened that night. But is she going to like what she finds…?

Audiobook Review - The Bone Hacker

Kathy Reichs is one of my favourite crime writers (I have a few that I have a soft spot for), and after having fun with Tempe’s Brennan’s previous outing, Cold Cold Bones, and my plans to try and read some of her earlier novels (mostly rereads, with one or two noticeable expectations), I knew I had to get Bone Hacker, and preordered it, ready. 

Title and Author: The Bone Hacker by Kathy Reichs

Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought

Buy from (Affiliate): Bookshop.org  

Called in to examine what is left of a body struck by lightning, forensic anthropologist Dr Tempe Brennan traces an unusual tattoo on the body and finds herself looking into another, much larger case. Young handsome men – all tourists – have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos for years. Seven years ago, the first victim was found with his left hand cut off; the other visitors vanished without a trace.

Against her better judgement, Tempe finds herself getting involved in the case and what starts as possible gang violence turns into something much, much bigger...

Murder Month 2023 - Cold Cold Bones

Title and Author: Cold Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought

Buy from (Affiliate): Bookshop.org

I had no plans to read/audiobook Cold Cold Bones by Kathy Reichs this month. I was considering saving this for next month for some reason (either though I preordered the audiobook last year before I cancelled Audible - again. I'm back for the next four month for £3.99 - I know, I'm weak. But am going to ruin their Plus Catalogue for a while so sorry in advance for some weird reviews in the coming months), but out of nowhere, I was desperate to listen to this. 

Forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan is back in her 21st outing. And it all starts when she helps her daughter, Katy, move house after her stints in the army. Brennan thinks Katy might be suffering from PTSD, but won't say anything. But when the pair return to Brennan's home, they discover a box. With an eye in it. 

From there, bodies begin to slowly turn up that have no pattern. But Brennan can't shake the feeling that they feel awfully familiar. Like cases she's has been involved with in the past. Is she the connection between them? And, if so, the killer is taunting her, watching her, buying their time before they strike...

And when they did, she won't see it coming.

The King Is Dead! Long Live The King!

I am thrilled and honoured to be involved in The King Is Dead blog tour! I am excited to get back into this book after my recent reading slump made me stop at the halfway mark (CURSE YOU ANXIETY-RIDDEN READING SLUMP!), so when the call to be involved in the blog tour came, I jumped at it! 

If you aren't aware of this, The King is Dead follows James, the first black heir to the throne. But when his father dies unexpectedly, James is thrown into the spotlight as the first Black King of the United Kingdom.   As well as trying to navigate this new world - a world he doesn't want - he is hiding his sexuality and his secret relationship. 

But when his secret boyfriend vanishes without a trace and royal secrets and scandals begin to leak, James realises that someone close to him can't be trusted...

Now, I was meant to have Benjamin on the blog in video form (heavens hopes that I can upload the video on here otherwise we are in TROUBLE), chatting about the book. But technology has got in the way (Once I have the video working, I will upload!) 

So, in the meantime, I have created a mood board to inspire you guys to pick up The King is Dead! I hope you like. 

Now, before I show my handle-work, I just want to thank Ellen and Simon and Schuster for asking if I wanted to be involved (thank you!) and thank you Benjamin for finding time to record upcoming video that should be here soon! I know how busy you both must be (and with the weather we had on Tuesday, am surprised we're all still functioning!) 

Oh! If you want to find Benjamin online to say hi, you can find him on Twitter at @NotAgainBen and on Instagram at @notagainben! Now, ONTO THE BOARD!

Mini-Audiobook Review - The Bone Code

Ok, this looks like it's gonna be a mini-review type post. Not much to see, but I thought I should tell you guys that I have read this and moved on. 

It has been a while since I read/audiobook a Kathy Reichs novel. I attempted A Conspiracy of Bones last year and was never in the right headspace (might try again later this year/next year) and I have been thinking of rereading some of my fave Temperance Brennan novels (just checked. According to Goodreads, the last Kathy Reichs novel I read was back in 2017 [really? Are you sure?] with Two Nights). And, of course, we have the TV the books inspired, BONES.

A storm hits South Carolina and, while driving to Isles of Palms to help out a friend, forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan receives a call from the Charleston coroner, asking for her assistance. Two decomposed bodies have been washed ashore in medical waste container, the bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting and bound with electrical wire. This shocks Tempe as the case rings frighteningly similar to an unsolved case she and her boyfriend, Andrew Ryan, worked on over 15 years ago in Quebec. As she works to try and get the cold case reopened and see if there is a connection between to the two, the citizens of Charleston are struck by a bacterium that, at its worst, can eat human flesh. After COVID (yep, that's mentioned in here. Thought we had escaped that!), thousands panic and test themselves for a rare genetic mutation that may have rendered them vulnerable.

The two can't be related. There's no way... right?

eBook Review - Me, My Dad And The End of the Rainbow

I don't feel like I need to say much about this book as this book seems to be EVERYWHERE! So, I should really be writing this as, I bet, you've already know about this and it's either on my To Be Read stack, on your radar or you've already read it. 

So yep. Little behind the times on this one. But when I first heard of this, I knew I had to read it and talk about it on here so, bear with me while I get info and we can talk, dear reader. 

Title And Author: Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by Benjamin Dean

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook

Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof gifted by UK publisher in exchange for honest review/reaction. 

Length: 352 Pages

Archie Albright's life has been turned upside down since his parents separated and, when they do get together, they seem to fight all the time. And they're both hiding something from him. So when his dad reveals that he's gay, Archie has a hundred questions he's can't find the words to ask and isn't sure how to feel, react or is scared of things changing. But when he discovered a flyer for London Pride, he think this might help reconnect him and his dad and build his family together... but to go, he and his two best friends, Bell and Sea, might have to break some rules...

Audiobook Review - A Pinch of Magic

• Title And Author: A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: eBook and Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: eProof Gifted by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and Audiobook borrowed from local library via BorrowBox
• Length: 368 Pages or 8 Hours 44 Minutes

This is gonna be a tricky write-up to write. Bear with me as I was approved to read this Advance Reader Copy a year or so ago via NetGalley and I was super intrigued and excited over it as early rumblings were hugely positive and sounded right up my street. However, once approved, I was never in the mood to read it so, earlier this year, I decided to keep it for Believathon if/when it returns. And yet, when I saw the audiobook of this and the sequel, A Sprinkle of Sorcery, was on my library’s Audiobook app, BorrowBox, I requested and thought I would listen to it instead - something I’ve started to do on some of my ARCs I’m kindly received from publishers and I don’t have time to read them and give them my full attention.

Betty Widdershin is the middle sister of three, with Fliss being the oldest at 17 and Charlie at 6. They live with their granny above a pub on the island of Crowstone. Betty is itching to get off the island and see the world. she’s tired of granny’s watching, her mother’s death and her father being in prison. She wants to see the world. Shame that, when she tries on her thirteenth birthday, Granny breaks the news that they girls can never leave the island: they are cursed and if they live the island, they will die.

But Betty didn’t having it. She is going to figure out the way to break the curse and save her family. Shame that the Widdershin family isn’t known for their luck and things go quickly out of control…

Audiobook Review - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

• Title And Author: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster
• Physical, eBook or Audiobook: Audiobook
• Bought, Borrowed or Gifted: Bought
• Length: 400 Pages or 12 Hours 10 Minutes

It feels like everyone - and I mean everyone - has read Evelyn Hugo and is raving about it. And it was’t till recently that I decided to go for it with this, though I have been eyeing the audiobook for months. 

Monique Grant just can’t believe what’s happening to her. Her professional life is going nowhere and her husband has left her, so when she is picked to do an interview with ageing and reclusive Hollywood icon, Evelyn Hugo, she can’t believe her luck. And the fact that Evelyn demanded her or she wasn’t going to do the article makes everyone astounded. Why did Evelyn Hugo, who could have anyone she wanted, want Monique, a nobody of a journalist? 

But it gets weirder as, when Monique meets Evelyn, Evelyn tells her that there will be no article. Instead, Evelyn wants Monique to write her biography and publish it after Evelyn’s death. It would be a bestseller without even trying as Evelyn is Hollywood royalty and her love life and her seven husbands filled articles throughout the 1950’s all the way through to the 1980’s when she left the industry. Monique wants to do it as she has two questions she wants answered: why did Evelyn so desperately wanted her to write her biography and who was the love of Evelyn’s life? 

The answers to both are surprising and devastating.

Burn The Witches

Another day, another blog tour. And this one is about witches! And as you know, I love a good witch story! And with this story told from the woman behind the smash Twitter of @EverydaySexism, Laura Bates, I can sense this is going to be one interesting read.

The Burning follows Anna, who is starting over. New school, new town, new surname, and all her social media profiles erased and deleted. No way to connect her from "the accident". Till the whispers and rumours start. As they begin to swirl, Anna finds herself drawn the Maggie, a girl accused of witchcraft centuries ago... and who's life has terrifying parallels with Anna's...

I am thrilled that Laura found time to write down a list of Laura's favourite witch stories and they are an interesting and exciting mix! I can't wait to share this list with you all!

Before I hand over to Laura's top 5 list, I just want to thank Laura for finding the time to write this guest post. I, also, want to thank Anna at Simon and Schuster for asking if I wanted to be involved in this tour!

Now, if you want more info about The Burning, why not check out Simon and Schuster website. Plus, if you want to say hi to Laura or find out more about The Burning or Everyday Sexism, check Laura out on Instagram or via Twitter at @EverydaySexism or at EverydaySexism.com.

Now, ONTO THE WITCHY LIST!!!

Book Review - Lord of Shadows

Oh, Cassandra Clare. Every time I think I am through with you and the Shadowhunter world, I somehow get sucked back in. Now, I read the eNovella, Son of the Dawn, while I was on holiday in Cyprus (write-up for that is here), but I did wonder whether I was done with the world or not. Lord of Shadows was sent to me by the publisher, Simon and Schuster, so I knew I was going to read this. I just wasn't sure when or if I wanted to. It's a beast of a book and anything longer than 500 pages makes me nervous.

But after my holiday in Cyprus, I wasn't sure what to read. I felt a bit in a weird reading funk and I want to keep my fun reading groove going. So, I grabbed a bunch of books off my TBR shelves and went to my Other Half, saying "Pick one". After skimming a few blurbs, he chose Lord of Shadows because it sounded my kind of weird.

After the events of Lady Midnight, Emma, her parabatai Julian and the other Blackthorns feel the betrayal of their once close friend. But that's not all they're worried about. Emma discovered a horrible truth about why parabatai should never fall in love with each other: they will be cursed. To protect Julian, she starts "dating" Julian's brother, Mark...

But even that might not be enough when it becomes clear that enemies are on all sides. The Unseelie King - the Lord of Shadows - want the Black Volume of the Dead. With this, he plans to break the Cold Peace and rule over both the Unseelie and Seelie Courts.

And with rising tensions between Shadowhunters and Downworlders, comes a extremist brand of Shadowhunters called the Cohort, who want to register all Downworlders and "unsuitable" Nephilim, now is a dark time. But the Blackthorns are desperate and when Julian decides to depend on a unpredictable enemy, the repercussions are beyond anything they can imagine...

I am going to say this right off the bat: I am still in two minds about this trilogy. It doesn't grab me the same way the first Mortal Instruments books and Infernal Devices trilogy did. There is something that doesn't click with me. Maybe if I read the latter Mortal Instruments books, I would be sucked in but I don't feel that need to read City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls or City of Heavenly Fire.

I've said this before and I will say this again, Cassandra Clare is awesome with diversity. Like I said in my Lady Midnight write-up, she has diversity left and right and it feels nature. It doesn't feel shoehorned in. And it grows with this book. We have a character who is on the autism spectrum, a character who is suffering mental health issue, a underage carer, Mexican characters, characters who cover the LGBT spectrum and it's glorious! It's wonderful to read this and it not feel like the author is ticking each of the diversity and representation boxes. This is one of this trilogy's strongest qualities.

This book does grow in character development and exploring the Shadowhunter world and that pushes this story arc forward nicely. I'm intrigued to see where this trilogy goes in this respect, hopefully it will show us the Shadowhunter world outside of the US and the UK. I wanna know what Shadowhunters in China or Australia are like...

I do have a few nitpicks with why I wasn't as blown away compared to other readers. Like I said before, I'm still not sure how I feel about this trilogy as a whole. I'm not sure why I'm holding back from being invested in this trilogy compared to other Shadowhunter books I've read. This is a me thing, not a book thing. Plus, the appearances of characters from other Shadowhunter books - Yes, this is going to be a hugely unpopular opinion - but I am done with these characters. To me, these characters's stories are done within their respected series, so while nice to see them pop up, it's kinda distracting me from liking the main characters from this trilogy...

But one of my biggest issues with this book is this book's length. It's under 700 pages long, and there was a good 100-150 pages in the middle where I really struggled with. I was dragging my feet through these pages and, though I really enjoy reading some of the characters, I did wonder if it was worth me continuing this book if I was struggling this badly. This just felt too long and with the final book in the trilogy, Queen of Air and Darkness, rumoured to be even longer (720-ish pages according to Amazon.co.uk), I am worried that I am going to hugely struggle to read and finish this trilogy. Hell, I'm wondering if I should read the next book if it's going to be that long and if it's going to be real slog to read...

I am in two minds about this. There are chapters and characters that I do like (the ending pulled the rug from under me) and I am intrigued to see how Cassandra Clare wraps everything up, I am worried about the book's length and whether my enjoyment will carry all the way through. We will have to wait and see...

Dear Martin

Dear Martin,

Hell, this isn't weird or intimidating. Nope. Not at all! [insert nervous laughter here]

Ok, let me explain why I'm writing to you. I was asked by the lovely Eve at Simon and Schuster a few weeks back if I wanted to be involved in a blog tour for a book called Dear Martin, written by Nic Stone. It felt like a sign when I got the email as it was the fifty anniversary of your death (sorry to be morbid while writing to you) and, in the book, the main character writes letters to you after he is arrested by an off-duty white police officer and, after the event, something happens involving another white police officer, and we see how the main character copes with everything that happens.

Which means I should write about the Black Lives Matter movement. Or gun control in the US. Brexit. The current US President. How we're killing the planet. Issues within the LGBT+ community. Why we want superheroes in our lives, now more than ever. The environment. I could research your life and your legacy as well as other inspiring people. I could write to you. about anything. Anything.

So, why is it so hard to do so?

*deep breath*

Ok, there's a show I used to watch - I still dip in and out of it from time to time. Grey's Anatomy. Anyway, there's a line in one of the early seasons that I keep thinking about every now and again. Maybe because I'm a dark person, maybe because I like how true this sentence is, or maybe because I'm so jaded with the grown-up world around me. The quote goes like this:

"We all remember the bedtime stories of our childhood. The shoe fits Cinderella, the frog turns into prince, Sleeping Beauty is awakened by a kiss. Once upon a time, and then they lived happily ever after. Fairy tales, the stuff of dreams. The problem is, fairy tales don't come true. It's the other stories. The ones that begin with dark and stormy nights and end in the unspeakable. It's the nightmares that always seem to become reality."

A few years ago, I would have said this line was rubbish. It was true for some people, up to a point, I would argue. But it's not true to everyone.

But now... now I'm not so sure on myself.

It's seems weird that I feel like this. So unsure of myself over something that, a few years ago, I was strong-minded about. And in some cases, changing your mind is the right thing - you learn new things, you mature and you try and be a better person for it.

When I was a child, like most kids, everything was black and white. Right and wrong. It was so clean-cut. But as we grew up, the line blurred between them and it all got tangled and messy. And when we were kids, it was so easy for us to say "That's wrong. Stop that." whereas now as an adult, we're more shy about it. We're more quiet about speaking out, especially when the other person is, for one reason or another, more powerful or louder than you.

So, how did you do it, Martin? How did you stand up and call out injustice, even when the world was trying to disagree with you? What makes you remain standing out and continue to say "No, this is wrong"?

I ask this as over the past few years, the world feels darker somehow. Things happen and it feels so out of anyone's control that to have a person say "This is wrong" or "I've made a mistake and I must correct it", it feels like shouting into a void.

And I know what you would: one voice can change the world. And I do believe that. But it's hard, sometimes, when you look at the world and you see the evil and cruelty in it.

Maybe that's why we have to keep going. Keep standing up and keep shouting into the void. But the world is a bad place, but over time, little by little, it will get better. It will be kinder. I mean, compared to where we were 50 years ago, we're improved so much. We still got a way to go, but we're trying, we're getting there. We'll break that glass ceiling and if we hit it in the same spot, over and over again, someone will break it and won't be scratched by glass.

Sorry for my rambling. I didn't mean for this letter to go this way. But writing this (then rewriting it several times over to get the thoughts out right - well, for it to make sense to me!) has oddly been helpful!

Thank you. Will try and keep standing and keep shouting.

Andrew

YAShot 2018 - Captive In Your Light

I am thrilled to be today's stop on this year's chock-ful YAShot, and I'm really excited to welcome Annalie Grainger on the blog.

Annalie is the author of two YA thrillers, Captive and Into the Light. Captive follows Robyn, daughter of one of the master powerful men in the world, and what happens to her when she gets kidnapped. And Into The Light, Annalie's upcoming release (3rd May and you can follow the drama on social media under the hashtag #InYourLight), follows Lil who is desperate to find her missing sister, but when she crosses path with Alice, a young woman desperate to escape the seemingly peaceful community, Lil can't help but wonder if Alice knows what happened to her sister? And she can't help but wonder why Alice is so frightened...

I am quite excited over this post as it's a little different for me. As myself and the lovely Eve were chatting about ideas for YAShot, I mentioned an idea similar to "8 Questions in 8 Minutes", and something just clicked with us both. While the idea has changed slightly, we wanted to keep the idea as much as we can.

So, to everyone at YAShot, Annalie and Eve, thank you so much for all your help, ideas and just being your wonderful selves! I know how busy you all are at the moment so you all having times to deal with me is awesome so thank you.

Now, before I hand you all over to my questions and Annalie's answers, just gonna give you all the links to go if you want to find out more details about the lovely author and this lovely event! You can check out Annalie's website at ajgrainger.com & her twitter is @_AJGrainger, and if you want to check out YAShot, their website is yashot.com and their twitter is @yashortmediateam.

Now, onto past me and Annalie.

They Both Die At The End Contest

I don't normally write blog posts at the weekend. I try and make weekends be blog free (posting, I mean. Writing blog posts is mostly at weekends), but today, I'm hosting a contest!

I am, via the lovely Hannah at Simon and Schuster UK, giving away three advance reader copies of THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera to give away. Oh, and they're signed as well. Just an extra magical touch.

Now, if you haven't heard of this, THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END follows Mateo and Rufus. Both get the dreaded call from Death-Cast, sadly informing them that today is their last day alive. Alone and isolated, the two boys reach out via an app and, together, they spend their last day on earth together... Living their lives to the full... Neither expecting that this would include falling in love...

Does that sound wonderfully heartbreaking?

If you want to win one of three signed advance reader copy, all you have to do is fill in the form below! This is a UK only contest (sorry international readers. I am planning a contest for you guys in the coming months!) and you had till 5pm on Thursday 17th August! The winners will be picked at random via random.org and will be emailed sometime that evening to get contact information (aka how the publisher can send your winning book!).

All that is left to say is good luck!

Book Review - Lady Midnight

Oh, Cassandra Clare. I thought I was done with you and your Shadowhunter world. Apparently, I was wrong.

Ok, let me go back and explain this first sentence. When I first discovered The Mortal Instruments trilogy (as it was back then), City of Glass was about to be published. So I binge read all three books back-to-back (it's very VERY rare I do this) and loved them. So, when it was announced there was going to be another trilogy - The Infernal Devices - and three more books added to The Mortal Instruments trilogy, turning it into a series/cycle: I was excited. I read The Infernal Devices and probably loved it more than The Mortal Instruments trilogy. And while I have City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls on my kindle, I believe that I am done with Clary, Jace and the other characters. To me, their stories are done.

So when I heard news that Cassandra Clare was doing a few more trilogies, I was hesitant. I believed I was done with this world and I wasn't sure if I wanted to return.

So when I got Lady Midnight last year from Simon and Schuster, I was hugely grateful but uncertain if I wanted to go back. It was only in the past few weeks that I thought "Maybe I should try. What have I got to lost?". And when I received a copy of Lord of Shadows from Simon and Schuster and I saw Lady Midnight was free on Audible, I went "Ok, I have to go back. These are signs and I feel ready to risk it."

Taken place several years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire, we follow Emma Carstairs in Los Angeles with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn with his brothers and sisters, who stumble into something that they are, by Shadowhunter Law, not get involved in. Bodies of humans and fairies are being dumped round the city and when the fairies ask for Emma and the Shadowhunters of the Los Angeles Institute to investigate, an uneasy alliance is formed. For Emma, this is a chance to find the truth about her parents murders and get revenge. For Julian, this is a chance to get his brother, Mark, who was taken by the Wild Hunt for being half fairy.

But as they investigate, feelings come to the surface between Emma and Julian. And if the Shadowhunters have one rule they hold dear, it's this: you don't follow in love with your parabatai...

Am going to say this right off the bat, I'm glad I had the audiobook because if I didn't, I don't know when I could have found the time to read Lady Midnight. But, also, due to the audiobook [mainly, its narrator], I didn't like this book as much as I believe I could have. If I had read this, I think I would have liked it a lot more than I did.

I'm not 100% certain about the story. It'll be interesting to see where Cassandra Clare does take it as I feel there is room to make this a gripping read. And I have seen people who love this book and do call it a gripping read, and while I did enjoy it, it weirdly fell short for me. I can't put my finger on why. It might be the length, it might that this book is setting up for the rest of the trilogy, or it being be that even though this is a new trilogy, we still got characters from The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices popping up doing little cameos and pushing the story forward (but why, though? Your story is done. Can't you let the new characters have a moment to shine?). I'm not sure but there was something lacking for me.

One thing that isn't lacking which I loved is representation. In all her Shadowhunter series, Cassandra Clare goes full out on representation and diversity and Lady Midnight is no expectation. We have Cristina and, later, Diego who are Mexican and speak Spanish [and with everything that is happen in the USA at the moment, this was wonderful and refreshing. Plus, I can't think of any books I've read/am aware of that have Mexican lead characters!]. We have Ty who is somewhere on the Autism spectrum. We have another character who is suffering from mental health, possibly even brain damage. And, because of this, we have a underage carer, not only looking after them, but also a young family as well. We have a character who is bisexual and, according to some readers, is polyamorous (a term I have never really heard of so had to Google) and a few other character who are on the LGBTQIA+. Even though I question this series and wonder if Cassandra Clare is just milking that cash cow, I can not fault her for writing representation and writing it well.

I do worry about the Shadowhunter world as there seems to be a lot of trilogies and spinoffs. We have The Last Hours trilogy - the first book, Chain of Gold, coming out in 2018 - which follows the children of the characters from the Infernal Devices trilogy. We have an adult Shadowhunter trilogy which she is co-authoring with Wesley Chu, The Eldest Curses - the first book rumoured to be coming out in 2018. We have The Wicked Powers trilogy which is rumoured to be Cassandra Clare's last trilogy in the Shadowhunter world. And there is rumoured to be be other projects either very similar to The Bane Chronicles and Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy or entering new styles such as graphic novel. Now, while I am OK with authors expanding their worlds (JK Rowling and Philip Pullman are doing it with their Fantastic Beasts movies and The Book of Dust trilogy), what I am concerned over is that readers will be looking at Cassandra Clare and will be wondering how many stories she can tell within this world or whether she is doing this is exploit her readers from their cash. She and her publishers need to be careful not to oversaturate the market and fans.

While this might not be one of my favourite books I've read set in the Shadowhunter world, I do think this trilogy does has potential and I will be reading Lord of Shadows sometime in the next 12 months.

The "All You Left Me" Contest

Where has the month gone?!

Anyway, while we wonder what on earth happened to the month of January 2017 and avoid the news like heck, who fancies a small contest? If you do, you are in luck!

With thanks from Hannah from Simon and Schuster, I have 3 copies of History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera to give away!

History Is All You left Me follows OCD-afflicted Griffin who discovers his first love - Theo - died in a drowning accident. Unable to copy with this, he forges a friendship with Theo's new college boyfriend, Jackson. As the two bond, Griffin tries to learn every detail of Theo's new life and his death. But the facts that come to light, Griffin begins to question his version of the truth...

Like I said, I have three copies to give away. And all you do is fill in the form below. The contest will close this coming Saturday (4th February) at around 3pm. This contest is for UK addresses only (sorry!).

For those who are going to enter, GOOD LUCK!!!

Book Review - An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld

I am a bit behind on my Shadowhunters reading. I have, on my current TBR; City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy and Lady Midnight (though, when I do get my rear in gear to read these, I won't be reading these in order. I sense I might read Shadowhunter Academy and Lady Midnight before I read City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls. And let's not get me start of the upcoming Last Hours trilogy coming soon...).

So, imagine my surprise when, out of nowhere, Simon and Schuster sent me a copy of (brace yourselves for long title to say in one breath) An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld. And with my weird reading slump, I decide to blitz this tiny gift. 

In this anthology, we see characters from all of Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter world - The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, Tales from the Shadowhunters Academy, The Dark Artifices and the upcoming The Last Hours - with never before known titbits of information on each character and with illustrations from Cassandra Jean - creator of the Shadowhunter Tarot that we've seen on Clare's website. 

I am a bit torn over this book. On one hand, I think true fans of this series will love this christmas stocking filler. Cassandra Jean's art is beautiful and is the real selling point for this book, in my opinion (and I love reading art books and spent quite a bit of time looking at illustrations in the books I read). 

Like I said, true fans of the series - all of the Shadowhunters series - will love this. But for someone who isn't up to speed (aka myself), the information given is a bit of a problem. While new information (and fans will be reading these and going "oh, that makes sense with so-and-so"), it doesn't feel entirely important to the world. For example, why is it important to tell us that, when younger, this one character had a brief spell at stamp collecting? 

There were times that I looked at this and thought "Is this a cash cow moment?". 

This is a die-hard fan book. But if you are a casual fan, I would say get a copy from your library. But go enjoy the art. 

T.R. Richmond Talks What She Left

I want to welcome T.R. Richmond to the blog today. T.R Richmond wrote the novel, What She Left, which have had people comparing it to Gone Girl on Goodreads and Amazon. The story starts with Alice Salmon, a young woman who died when returning to her university town one night.

But as Professor Cooke begins to look into Alice's life via her paper and internet trail, he begins to wonder...

To celebrate this book's US release (out next week, for those of you in the States), T.R Richmond has joined us to reveal why he wrote What She Left in the style that he has.

Before I hand it over to T.R. Richmond, I just want to say thank you to him for taking time out to write this post. I know how busy he must be, but thank you nevertheless.

I expect most people who read this blog, as well as loving traditional “paper” books, also have an electronic reading device. 


It’s not just how we read novels that’s changed in the last decade or so, however. The way we get our news and information has changed more in the last 10 years than it did in the previous 100.


Long gone are the days of keeping up with what’s going on in the world by taking one newspaper or catching one radio or TV news bulletin. The internet allows us to hear about local, national and global events in a host of ways from a multitude of sources. 


It's also true of how we communicate with friends, colleagues and loved ones. We interact in a variety of disparate, episodic methods. We text, email, tweet, blog, post on Facebook and use picture-sharing websites. So many ways, these days, to get in touch, stay in touch and to hear – and spread – news, views and information.
I wanted to reflect this in my novel, so rather than featuring one single narrative voice included multiple subjective accounts and snippets. My lead character was a 25-year-old woman who was part of the Facebook generation – it felt appropriate to tell her story in this way. 


Of course, it means readers have to do a bit of “join-the-dotting” (is that an actual expression?) as they piece together the story of Alice Salmon’s life and, ultimately, the mystery surrounding her death. But hopefully that’s the fun bit – they get to “play detective” as they sort fact from fiction, work out who to believe, and come to their own conclusions about what she was like and what she left. But this is actually no different to what we all do every day – we piece together news and the narratives of our own lives. 

As for why I opted for multiple first-person narrators, well, I’d always enjoyed this form (we’ve all read Gone Girl, right, and I’m currently watching a TV show called The Affair which also does it brilliantly). It feels like an “honest” approach because we all see things from our own perspective and are all, in fact, unreliable narrators of our own lives. I’m also a fan of epistolary novels (everything from Dracula to Bridget Jones) so was drawn to this format.
Ultimately, I wanted to explore how representative of us the traces we leave behind in this digital age are – because, more than at any point in history, we all leave a “footprint” nowadays. 


So this was the challenge I set myself – to write a suspense story that collated a life (and the circumstances of a death) from this footprint. In some ways, I wanted What She Left to feel like an unfolding news story, as well as a novel.


I might have set out with such motives, but when you get into the heart of a story, the characters take over. It not so much then about what I wanted – more about what they told me they were going to do. At times, it felt like I was doing a jigsaw puzzle, but that’s how life feels, isn’t it.


Writing What She Left highlighted to me how much I enjoy the digital world – it reminded me of its joys, its power and its omnipresence. That said, it’ll never replace that most old-fashioned and wonderful of things – face-to-face human contact. Just as electronic reading devices will never totally replace traditional books.

GoodRead - Year of Yes

One of my favourite storytellers is Shonda Rhimes. For those of you who aren't aware of her, Shonda is the creator of hit shows Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, Private Practice and is one of the executive producers of How To Get Away with Murder (which I am very obsessed with. If you follow my Twitter, you know how obsessed I am with that show!), so when I first heard that Shonda was writing a book (last year, maybe?), I got very excited. Shonda is writing a book! SHONDA RHIMES IS WRITING A BOOK! I didn't care what it was about, I WANTED/NEEDED IT!

So, a few weeks ago, I discovered that it was going to be published in the UK, I got excited. Then I discovered that there was an audiobook and, oh yeah, Shonda was reading it herself, I went from excited to "I AM GETTING THIS! GET OUT OF MY WAY, I AM BUYING THIS!!!". And because the lovely people at Midas PR gave me an extra credit for Audible.co.uk, I got this a few days after I finished After Alice by Gregory Maguire (review here) and started within ten minutes of downloading it.

Shonda Rhimes is a powerhouse of storytelling. Hugely successful TV shows, given a whole night of her shows (which is unheard of. Ever), a mother of three children, Shonda has a lot of reasons to say no to events. No to media appearances, no to speaking engagement, no to that huge Hollywood party, no no no.

One Thanksgiving (2013? Sorry, can't find my notes!), Shonda was telling her sister about these events, when her sister asked "Are you planning on going to any of these?", surprising Shonda. And when Shonda answers no, her sister mutters under her breath "You never say yes to anything."

Shonda realises that she is scared of saying yes. Nothing new to fear if you say yes. So, realising this, Shonda makes a challenge for herself. For one year, she has to say yes to everything that scares her. And soon, Shonda realises the power of the word Yes and how it changed her life...

I'm going to say this right here and now: I loved it. I'm going to be unashamed about that. I was sucked it and devoured the audiobook within 5 days (Started on the Sunday, finished on the Thursday - and that has NEVER EVER happened with me and an audiobook.).

What I found wonderful is that Shonda is very real. She speaks about her insecurities and how she overcame them, her realisations over her life and the people over her life and how she overcame them. She also wrote in a style I really liked - she was funny, truthful and she wrote in a "It's just you and me" style, which is refreshing in a non-fiction book. Plus, Shonda realised questions in me that made me go "She's speaking the truth here", "I need to say yes more", "I never thought of that before" and "Do I agree with this?"

From some of the reviews I have read, there might be one or two problems some readers might have. To some people, Shonda never really addressed why she said no - but I disagree. She admitted very early on that she's an introvert and she struggled with shyness all her life. Other people might find her "It's you and me" writing a tad grating but, listening to it via audiobook, I never had this problem. In some respect, having Shonda read it outlaid helped hugely, but I think if I had the book, I would have flown through it.

I think people who love Shonda's shows will love this. I devoured this and, hopefully, I will get a hardback copy of Year of Yes for Christmas. If not, I will be buying it in the sales...

GoodRead - Captive

This, I have decided, will be my last review of 2014. I know. Am shocked that this year is nearly over but yes, this is my finally review. The last few days of 2014 will have me away from my laptop (so I need to do some forward planning). But yes, this is my last review. And it was a book going to be published next year!

Robyn Knollys-Green is the daughter of the UK Prime Minister. She is also kidnapped. Trapped in a room with kidnappers that seem to think she willsolve everything, Robyn is scared for herself and her family. This wasn't the first time that something this awful had happened to her...

But, slowly, Robyn begins to find out that she's in trapped inside a web of global corruption, lies and betrayal. And with one of her kidnappers - the one with the green eyes - might not be the bad guy... But if he isn't, who is?

Ok, am going to say this right off the bat. This is a mixed bag. It is a debut and it's fairly strong, but there are flaws that made me want to throw my kindle across the room is fury. I mean, seriously?!

Ok, let's get the negative out of the way because I had two or three HUGE problems with this. And if I get them out of the way, I can then rave (because I do like this book) about the book's good points.

The first problem I had was the term "Princess". It was used a lot by the kidnappers to Robyn. And I totally get why - if they call her by her name, she's a human. She's someone's child. A person. But the more I heard it, the more frustrated I got.

My second was Robyn's reactions in some situations. There was one scene I remember where I was shaking my kindle. She didn't react the way I thought someone would in her situation, but the reason for this was because of my third and my biggest problem.

There was a hint of romance. A sniff of one, you could say. I was warned over this before I started reading this so I braced myself but still, when I saw it begin to develop at the halfway mark, I instantly hated it. I found it was rushed and really? In that situation? What about Stockholm syndrome - could it be that? Nope, because Robyn knew it wasn't. But, if you had it, you wouldn't think you had it, right? I was just against it and, because I felt that way, I never believed it. But I think this is a me issue...

However, with all my ranting, I did like it. I did! I found a good chuck of the book addictive. I love the thriller-element (I love thrillers so I knew I was going to like this) and I never felt bored while reading. Even with the tiny flashback to what happened a few months prior to Robyn being kidnapped, I never felt bored or rolled my eyes. And with AJ giving clues to why this was happening to Robyn and, even then, you couldn't really trust it till you heard it from one person's mouth.  It had a feel of a Sarah Alderson novel.

So, while this does have its faults, I think Sarah Alderson's fans will love to get their teeth into this...

GoodRead - Tormenting Lila

I blame Conspiracy Girl for my sudden "Oh heck, I might fall into a reading slump" feeling I had the past few days. I really enjoyed Conspiracy Girl (review here if you missed it) and I fancied reading something else by Sarah Alderson (I bought Out of Control on Thursday. Before Black Friday. FOOL!!!) but I didn't want a novel. I wanted something short. And then I remembered that, months ago, I bought this so attacked it while on route to Walker Books for today's blogger event.

Set around 8 months after the events of Losing Lila (which I haven't read. Whoops!), we catch up with Lila and Alex trying to spend some alone time with each other. I mean, is that too much to ask? Well, apparently not as Lila's brother, his hopefully-in-the-near-future girlfriend and two of Lila's closest friends decide to gatecrash. And when they visit an island that might have a serial killer on it, will they get off alright?

I liked it. It was nice to revisit these characters - it's been an age since I read Hunting Lila (review for that is here) and because I haven't read Losing Lila, I wasn't sure if I should due to spoilers. So, if you haven't read this series, there are a few spoilers so you might want to read the series before this.

But the characters are the main reason I enjoyed this short. I liked Lila and Jack's interaction, smiled at Nate and Suki - I forgot how much they made me laugh in Hunting Lila - and as for Alex... Sarah Alderson knows how to write swoon-worthy leads.

What interested me with this short is this is a gateway into another novel Sarah had written (and one I haven't read!) - The Sound. So, The Sound and Lila are set in the same world (like Out of Control and Conspiracy Girl) and yet, these two are so different. Lila is quite paranormal while we have a serial killer thriller in The Sound.

With rumours that Sarah might be writing a third book for Lila (are you, Sarah?), I shall be intrigued to see where she takes the characters... But first, I need to get back up to speed with her other books!