Review: Fourth Element Trilogy

Publisher: Acorn

 

 

Before I review, I'm sorry I'm not really keeping up with the reviewing lately, work is just so busy all the time...and my reviews keep falling to the bottom of my list...sorrrrry

 

Anyway, the fourth element trilogy

 

Well, I was prepared for it to be a trilogy so I went in pleased. I was going NUTS with things not being stand alone but only finding out when I got to the end of the book. BOOOO

 

 

I'm going to review all three in one and here goes.

 

The characters are varied, and vast, so you will need to refresh yourself I would imagine if you leave time between each book. There are baddies, BIG baddies, goodies, TOO good goodies and those guys inbetween. The relationships between these characters are also amazing and developed completely and complex, from love, friendship, confusion and hatred. The characters really blossom in themselves and their relationships as the three books develop.

 

Plot wise, it's pretty darn good. There is the main plot of sorting out just what's gone on in the past an dhow we clear up the lies and the what could be interpreted as slavery. But then there are the subplots of love and friendship, mini/minor quests and all that jazz. They interweave perfectly.

 

Style wise, I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of POVs/voices included in the books as we went along and the story and characters broadened. The continuously changing voices gave the book variety and excitement and things like that. YAY.

 

The only downside I see is at the end we are told there are more adventures for the characters.....why can't things really be just left alone?

 

HAppy Reading for these three though

 

BG

Two VERY different autobiographies

Sooo, I am not a huge reader of biographies or autobiographies, but I've found myself reading two of late, two that I enjoyed thoroughly but are SO very different. And here they are

Trevor Noah is a recent addition to my life, Boy Geek discovered him a few years ago, and since then has been a fan. I bought Boy Geek TN's book for his birthday and he devoured it on holiday, so I followed suit.

It's an incredible book, it is funny, devastating, unbelievable, heart-breaking and inspirational all at the same time. It really is amazing that TN has become one of the 100 most influential people in America after all the shit he's put up with and the odds that were so very against him for such a long time. Also, I have to point out that TN's voice and personality are wonderful, I obviously don't know the man but it sounds like him and I don't think it has been too heavily edited or influenced.

But, despite this book being about TN and his life, it is also about his Mum. She seems like an amazing woman, an inspiration in her very own right. And considering all SHE has been though emotionally and physically it's amazing that she's still the strong woman she seems to be. And in one piece too.

This really is a wonderful book. It still makes me think, it had me in tears of joy, despair and laughter and even caused me to be very silent and speechless for a while....which NEVER happens.

THANK YOU MR N for this book.

The second book comes from northern delight Sarah Millican. She's not as new to me as TN but still pretty new. The bezzie has ALWAYS been a huge fan of SM and about 6 years ago I took the bezzie to see her for her birthday, live. And since that moment I've been a fan, the woman is hilarious.

The book indeed, tells us of SM's life, her experiences, her personal struggles and how she's overcome them with the support of her friends, family, cake, pets and comedy.

I found it easy to relate to many parts of this book, which made it strike a few chords with me and also made me feel like giving SM a massive hug for telling her story that's one so many people can relate to. Not so much the comedy, I'm not as funny as SM by any means, but the anxiety, the love of cake and the struggle with what people think about you and how they see you.

The other thing I'd like to say about this book is I love the words of wisdom at the end of each chapter. The advice that's given on how to be champion. It really is some very sound advice on many an occasion.

Fabulous.

Well, have a read, something for everyone here for sure

BG

Review: The Vanishing Season

Publisher: Titan Books

 

 

We are with Ellie, she's had a horrific past but now she's a cop in a small town, where seemingly nothing ever happens. Seemingly, as something has been going on for the last three years and she's determined to get to the bottom of it.

 

 

So, yeah, the plot is decent, the page turner fuel is definitely there too for this book. It's grim, it drip feeds you key facts about the past and about what's going on now. And Ellie and Reed are decent characters. Ellie is your stereotypical angsty but tough yet at the same time vulnerable lead female and Reed is your standard hero with a fatal flaw....it's kinda all you would expect from this genre and book.

 

I did guess who the baddie was VERY early on, but this didn't ruin the book for me, I just enjoyed seeing how and why the baddie did what the baddie did and how it developed in to the finale.

 

Have a read if you like crime and thrillers

 

BG 

Review: The things we learn when we're dead

Publisher: Accent Press

 

When I came across this book I was really very intrigued, and now, to be honest, I feel a little let down. And I'm not 100pc sure what I think about it.

 

 

Lorna has died and has gone to heaven and things are not completely as they seem. God is strange, Irene is unusual. And whilst we navigate heaven and death with Lorna we also see her past life, we see things that shaped her.

 

 

So, that's the general idea of it, and it had a lot of promise, but I don't quite think the book got to where it was maybe intended to by the author. It seems like it didn't quite achieve everything it wanted to.

 

I think it lacked some umph and some poignancy and exploration of second chances and events moulding life that would have really made this the book it was meant to be/could have been.

 

But then again I could be completely wrong.

 

Anyway.....the story of Lorna's life was good, the heaven stuff was alright but it lacked a bit of welly.

 

Cheers



Review: Two Nights

Publisher: William Heinemann

This will be a brief review as I'm afraid I've not got all that much to say. This isn't the best book I've read but neither is it the worst. It's about Sunday a retired cop who is hired by a rich old lady to go on a mission to find the perpetrators of a crime that wracked her family.

I liked the parts about Sunday's past more than anything and I would actually like a book more about her past than her now. She's, to be honest, just another angst ridden and unhappy ex-cop who has somethings to get off their chest and finds a way to do it....that's maybe why I can't see this book as more than just a source of formulaic entertainment.

It's an easy read, the action scenes are decent, the plot is alright, you can kinda see somethings coming, the sub-plot/past story is really what carries it, well in my eyes.

I'm sure people will like it, easy holiday read, but nothing special

Cheers

BG

Review: The Good Women of China - Hidden Voices

Publisher: Vintage

So, I've had this book a while, quite a while and I'm sorry I've only just gotten around to reviewing....I even read it a little while ago now, I'm not good at staying on top of this lately, sorry....

Carrying on, this book reminded me of White Swan, but it was possibly even more bold, brave and open in its content and dissection and exposition of the Chinese world in which women have and do live.

The book is a series of stories and experiences experienced by one very impressive and brave Chinese radio journalist and broadcaster. In this collection she manages to show you every aspect of women's lives in China in a series of stories that have heartbreak, hope, love, joy, war and hate as components almost without exception.

This book really is an insight beyond what you think you know about the culture of China and the place women hold in the society.

Xinran is the voice of the hidden Chinese woman and everyone needs to read this book to hear what she has to say.

BG

Review: The Book of Hidden Things

Publisher: Titan Books

 

 

This book took me by surprise. I was expecting fantasy and magic and wizards, but instead you get gangsters, crime and a touch of comment on mental health, with indeed a little hint that maybe, somewhere there is some magic but you can't be too sure.

 

I love the fact that we are on a journey to find out what the hell has happened to Art, whilst we look at and analyse relationships between three old friends, their relationships with their loved ones and all from different points of view. The POV switches are fantastic and allows you to see character flaws, plot subtleties, and relationships in many different ways.

 

There is also the big question always of what the hell is real and what the hell isn't? Are we looking at real sneak peaks of fantasy in the real world or are we dealing with God or are we dealing basically with someone's terrible break down and mental health?

 

Overall a book I thoroughly enjoyed, a book that totally took me by surprise and a book I was very sad to finish.

 

Cheers

 

BG

Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Publisher: Harper Collins

This book is brilliant. My colleague read the back and said, ‘so basically this is Bridget Jones’. Oh how very very wrong.

Imagine Bridget but a version of it that’s got grit and balls and takes you to places about mental health, social care and beyond that you never thought it would go.

 

This book is full of so much love and compassion. Raymond is a glorious and beautiful creation but then again so is Eleanor. The book is obviously covering topics that the author deeply cares about and that is apparent the whole way through. The language is carefully selected and the progress of EO from who she is at the start of the book to who she is at the end is brilliantly crafted.

 

Definitely a book that all should read and the accolades, attention and awards enjoyed by the author and the team behind this book are much deserved.

 

Brilliant

Review: Assassin’s Fate

Publisher: Harper Voyager

 

This is the final book of the world of Fitz and the Fool and now I feel a bit like my life is a little bit empty. I will fully admit that I started reading this book in May 2017 and finished it on Saturday 2 June 2018. I was trying to draw it out for as long as I could to ensure that they would stay in my life for as long as they could. I’ve been in love with Fitz since I was 15 years old…I’m 32 now.

 

Anyway, I’m not going to say much as I don’t want to give too much well, any, of the plot away but what I will say is this……The Bee chapters, as with the other two books in this trilogy are tedious. I really cannot be arsed with her at all. She’s boring. Even if events that happen to her are not boring, her voice is incredibly boring…BUT, this book is a fantastic ending to what for me has been an amazing 17 years of heartbreak, adventure, love and joy.

 

Read these books, read them and love them. High Fantasy at its very best

 

OH – one thing I will say, do read ALLLLLLLLLLL of Robin Hobb’s books in order which are outside of these 9 books as they will add Hugely to your context – so read the live ships, read the dragons…read them all and read in order….YAY

Review: Forever on Thursdays

Publisher: City Fiction

 

 

So this is the third one I've in the Novella Nostalgia series and I have to say I like this one, and I'm glad we are back to the depth of character that we saw in The Man Who Hated.

 

We get to know the characters in the main plot, and even the subplots a lot more, get to know their backgrounds, their lives, understand them and what's going on with them and I think regardless of length of book or novella that's important.

 

I also indeed like the fact that even though this is a novella, with Neil and Jonathan we do indeed get a few hints of subplots and that's cracking.

 

I do think that there is a bit more cheese than I would generally tend to like in a book in this read, but I imagine the film Brief Encounter upon which this is based has buckets of the stuff, so for that I forgive.

 

Also, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the email elements of this book. It was a really interesting and intriguing aspect that kept me guessing, the whys and the point?

 

 

Have a read

 

BG

 

P.S. I'm writing this from some notes I made in May - so very sorry it's a bit shit

Review: The Last Librarian

Publisher: Laughing Rain

 



I know I've had a moan on here more than once about books in a series and how there are too many of them these days. But this time, THIS TIME, I think I may have found a series I would very much like to continue with.

 

We are in the future, the world has changed, not beyond recognition so that things are totally alien, but there is a new global power, we have super technology, and we're apparently getting rid of all the physical books - I'm sure you'll also all find it amusing, if you read this or have read it, that I read this on my Kindle.....

 

Anyway, we're with the world's last librarian and we're helping him and his friends save the books, the key books, the books that can change the new world we're introduced to when we commence reading and exploring this new space.

 

The characters are great, there are some complex ones, mad ones, loveable ones and completely hateful ones but they all have their place, time and position in the novel and not one feels unneeded.

 

The plot is great, there are as I'm sure you can imagine twists and turns, but they are very well concealed and if you do see one coming it's more often than not the opposite of what you are expecting.

 

I really do have everything crossed for book two.

 

Cheers

BG

Review: My Absolute Darling

Publisher: Fourth Estate

 

 

This book was given to me by a friend as a present at my Hen Do...but have only just got round to reading it.....

 

I can safely say I was not prepared for this book, I should have taken more notice of the blurb. I don't want to say too much about what I wasn't prepared for as it'll give things away. But the level of abuse in this book is brutal if you are not expecting it.

 

The novel is well written and also the relationships particularly between Turtle and her father, Turtle and her peers, and Turtle and her teachers are thoroughly interesting to read about and watch develop.

 

It's also very interesting that a man is providing you with a convincing story, narrative and emotional analysis of a teenage girl's life, emotions, experiences. This is very well done indeed.

 

But, what I think let the book down was the almost ending. I found a bit too much to cope with and a bit over the top. It almost didn't fit with the subtly and muted bubbling of the rest/previous part of the novel.

Short but, here it is

Cheers

BG

Two that need no introduction

I've been reading some books lately by authors who need no introduction and I'd just like to talk about two of them:

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb

As these books surely need no review from me, I'm going to just gush a bit

The Course of Love
This was a wedding present from Boy Geek's colleague and I thoroughly loved it. I didn't really know what to expect and when I read the blurb I was rather perplexed as to why it was given to us a wedding present. But as I read it, I realised...it's very real, it's very honest and it's fantastic in it's composition. It tells you how love really is and should be viewed and it is totally attuned with how I see the world. It also I think show's how well Boy Geek's colleague knows not only him but me.

I can see this book as a Woody Allen style film with a narrator over the top of the action, and those who have read this book will get what I mean...

Do read this book, it's wonderful!

Assassin's Fate
So, I got my pre-ordered, signed copy in May last year. I finished just over 5 days ago. I have been reading it slowly, so very slowly it's taken me nearly 13 months to read. BUT I didn't want to rush it as I knew this would be the last book in which Fitz would be present. The last book in which the character I've been in love with since I was 15 would feature. The man has been in my life for nearly 17 years and I didn't want to lose him quickly.

Of the trilogy this book was the strongest, there was less Bee - she's annoyed me a bit in the previous two - and when she was around she was more grown up and more intelligent so that made me feel a lot better.

I don't want to say a lot about this book as I don't want to spoil it for people who are on the road that's Fitz's mad life. But what I will say is BRAVO, it was a wonderful ending. But Hobb, I won't forgive you for all the CRYING I did on about 5 occasions whilst reading this book....you broke my heart just as many times as well!

If you haven't read any Hobb books, start at the beginning, The Farseer Trilogy, do it!

So, two books by two authors that need no introduction....go for it if you haven't already

BG

Review: 12 Troubled Jurors

Publisher: City Fiction

 

This is another of the shorties from Tony Drury where he takes inspiration from the world of film.

 

I think this one could have benefitted from being a tad longer as it was more short story than novella and I feel that there was some more to explore here with regards to juror backgrounds/intentions/relationships. I think it lacked the depth of the first one I read.

 

The last portion of this book held a glimmer of that talent and character exploration that we were shown in The Man Who Hated. So maybe this would have been spiffing if it had have been longer. The potential was definitely there.

 

Indeed, once more I am inspired to return to 12 Angry Men and watch it once more!

 

Happy Reading

BG

Review: The Almond Tree

Publisher: Garnet Publishing

 

Wow, just wow.

This is truly an incredible book. I was drawn to it as I don't really know as much about Palestine as I think I should. I don't quite know the whys and wherefores so this I thought would be more of an exploration. And indeed it is that, but it's also emotional, personal and beautiful.

 

 

Yes, the book focuses on one family and one man in particular but as you explore Ahmed's life and the lives of those around him you realise that this book represents the struggle of not just one man but of an entire people and MCC, author, has compassion and hope.

 

The entire book is beautifully crafted and truly heartfelt and it has moments where it brings not only tears of sadness to the eye but those of joy as well.

 

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants to either understand more about Palestine and also those who want to read a beautiful book, regardless of what it is about.

 

BG

Review: Wipe your feet please

 

 

So, I started reading this book as I was thinking it would be funny, farcical and easy to read, and that it was. So good work there MS. Your book did exactly as stated, fun, light hearted and pleasant.

 

I did indeed enjoy I would say the first half, but I found, sadly that it all got a tad repetitive. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent read, but it could have done with being shorter, or a bit more varied. I did indeed enjoy the contrasting writings of owner Simon and his funny old man ways and then his long suffering wife (poor woman indeed). But the monotony got to me.

 

Good attempt

 

Cheers

BG



Review: Strawberries

Publisher: Creativa

 

I'm going to be honest I was expecting this to be totally rubbish, but it wasn't. Huzzah.

 

The story was really creepy, the main character/suspect was terrifying and his crimes horrendous!

 

I think however it was the characters that really made the book for me. Harry and Love - Brilliant dynamic, totally loved them! Sylvia and Bill - She's a babe and he is a bit of a dude so totally loved their dynamic as well./ Then Larry and Simone - just awwwwwwww, awwwww all round when it comes to these two.

 

The one thing I wish this book had was even more info and details on why the murderer was like he was, was there more than just a screw missing in his brain!

 

OVerall, pretty good, have a go

 

Cheers

BG

 



Jeckyll and Hyde

So, when I read classics these days I don't tend to write about them, but I feel like writing a line or two on Jeckyll and Hyde!

Of course I've seen umpteen adaptations on TV, film, stage of this tale and therefore had a certain imagine and story in my head of the Jeckyll and Hyde narrative. MAN I WAS WRONG.

I imagine that it must have been a horrific, and terrifying and unimaginable sort of horror story when it was written. And it must have been gripping and a real page turner.

When I read it, I just really thoroughly enjoyed how unexpected the narrative and unveiling of the Jekyll and Hyde was created and constructed and presented. I also like the change in voices in the tale telling and the language with which the story is created. It really is far more accessible than I was expecting.

In essence, really enjoyed the story more than I expected

Boom

BG :-)

Review: The Devil You Know

Publisher: Titan Books

 

So, from the cover and the blurb this book was defos not what I was expecting, and for sure in a good way. I thought this would be your usual murder mystery, but in fact, what you got was the story of Evie as she struggles to sort out/come to terms with/fill in the gaps around the murder of her childhood friend.

 

Of course there is violence, standard thriller sequences and activities, intrigue and suspense, but it's not all driven around your standard and formulaic plot which usually accompanies murder/thriller/mystery books. It's more personal.

 

 

There is also a rather good sub-plot. Well I call it a sub-plot, Evie is still involved but it's ever so slightly off kilter/topic with the main plot and I do indeed like that.

 

Also, and very rarely do I say this, but there is an excellent wrap up/resolution/climax to the novel. It really is a conclusion to be satisfied with. And what thrilled me even more is that I believe this to be a stand alone novel! And if you are readers of this blog you will know how much I am missing them right now.

 

Good read, well written, takes you through a story you aren't expecting.

 

Boom

 

BG

Review: 2084

Publisher: Unsung Stories

 

Absolutely fantastic concept and execution. A real joy to read, when not feeling alarmed, uncomfortable and concerned about life and what's going to happen next.

 

I would thoroughly recommend this book, the stories are superb and there is something for everyone to feel something about and react to.

 

Below are just a few of the highlights that I wanted to point out.

 

Babylon

This is a scary one, you can see the world actually turning in to this, the them vs. us, the poor vs. the rich, world powers vs. the other. It's a story of race in essence I feel.

You can also see North Korea in the state/situation described in this story.

It's a great start to the collection, it's unnerving as has so much potential to be real....maybe not literally but in some ways.

 

Here comes the flood

Again a relatable and realistic story looking at climate change.

I think there is a lesson in this story which is along the lines of think about now because of what will happen to the future. Also seems to be a comment on our collective denial that things are this bad and will get worse.

 

The Endling Market

Now this story felt different, it felt like you were being told it person to person. It was written in a conversational style.

But again it was dealing with extinction and something that again, is very real and alarming in the world today.

A change of tone and pace and a good un. 

March-April-May
I totally got this story (I think and hope) and could see that indeed social media is worrying and can indeed suck people in, feed their perceptions, world view, understanding, exposure to life. It's pretty alarming.
Real life can be online exclusively for some people and that's alarming - says the tweeter and blogger I know!

Bravo!

BG

Review: Kin

 

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books

 

It's great to have Snorri Kristjansson back, I indeed enjoyed his Valhalla series which were of course fab action packed but sensitive Viking joys.

 

 

But SK is back in a very different way, he's got women in charge now and leading the way in these new books. Helga is  good lead character in some ways, but I didn't fall in love with her. But for sure SK adopts the female voice and PoV well indeed. The other strong women surrounding Helga also make this book awesome, especially her adopted mother.

 

The Viking family that we get to know, fear and become part of in this novel feels modern in a way. I'm not sure if this is intentional, buy I suppose a family is a family regardless of when the book is set and the world is placed. 

The baddies were the kind that you love to hate, or even hate to love and that was also cracking.

Overall, a good page turner with good depth of characters and family. I did indeed enjoy the read.

Happy Reading

BG

Review: The Man Who Hated

Publisher: City Fiction

 

So, it seems that this is part of a series 'Novella Nostalgia', in which TD is taking classic/old films and twisting them/using them as inspiration for a Novella or two. from this one, I am indeed inspired to see Falling Down which is the film linked to this book, and I also think it would aid me in appreciating this novella more.

 

This is, being a novella, a quick read. But, despite this fact, you still get the depth of Milton's character. His idiosyncrasies, his issues , him in general. Dave and Lucy are a tad cheesy for my liking though, they seem superficial and 2D in comparison to Milton.

 

I love the blunt end sentences, the way of writing, how the style changes when Milton is the focus and he's speaking.

 

One tip however, don't eat lunch while reading the final action.

 

I would indeed like to read more from this collection. Novel concept and well executed here.

 

Cheers

 

BG

Review: Swinging: the games your neighbours play

Publisher: The Friday Project

So, I thought this book was going to be an amusing work of fiction. Boy Geek read a couple of chapters ages ago and also thought that is what this was. It's not, it's like an essay, come extended opine on, yep, swinging. 

The author of this book is indeed, obviously, eloquent, intelligent, well educated, but I couldn't help but think whilst reading this that he was using this as a means to justify to himself his chosen path in life after coming out of rehab.

Indeed, sex, swinging and all that's related is written about with taste and sensitivity. There is nothing gratuitous or uncomfortable. There is nothing that ends up making one feel like you are getting too involved in something you shouldn't be. But all the time I did read this book, all I could think was that I was, for sure, just reading one man's justification to himself for choosing a new lifestyle in an attempt to bring intimacy etc to his life. Indeed forgive me if I am wrong and I'm sure I am, but I couldn't see past this.

I would like to know the thoughts of others who have read this piece.

Cheers

BG

Review: A Perfect Grave

Publisher: Carrick

 

A murder-y, thriller-y book about nuns....sign me up and why the hell not, as it is a new one on  me.

 

 

What I think I enjoyed most about this novel is that I didn't see the whodunit at all. I am usually pretty good at guessing whodunit in thriller/murder novels as I've read a fair few in my time. But this one kept me on my toes and kept me guessing and I had absolutely no idea who was it. That made me VERY satisfied with this read.

 

I really liked main character Jason and even though I haven't read any of the other books he is involved in, that didn't hinder my enjoyment of it or of him as a character. He still had depth and layers and personality etc.

 

 

The one criticism of this book I have is that I thought the conclusion was a tad rushed. There was so much build up and rich context that the finale seemed a bit of an afterthought and a bit sort of churned out.

 

But overall, I did indeed enjoy this book and it was a surprise how much so.

 

Cheers

BG

Review: Drug of Choice

Publisher: Hard Case Crime

So I'm still working my way through this collection of rediscovered books.

This one doesn't have so much of the women as 'the little woman' feel about it. Which was a lovely refreshing change on the previous ones. I mean, I've coped with how women are treated in all of these books, but it was nice to come across one I could be even more comfortable with. 

There is for sure an air of the Twilight Zone about this novel. An island and set up which isn't quite right and when you find out what isn't quite right your mind goes 'eeeeeeeek'. It feels uncomfortable, it feels strange, it feels science fiction with a bigger element of the weird. 

I for sure enjoyed this and I think you can see a few layers in it (I am aware that I sound like a bit of a dick here). Also, I think Clark seems like an anti-hero which is pretty cool.

For sure the best one I've read so far.

Cheers

BG

Review: Sworn Secret

Publisher: Canvas

 

To start off with, I'm going to admit that I was bit put off by this book by the blurb and also by the cover. I did sadly, judge this book by its cover. I LOVED the Judas Scar by AJ. It was emotional, dark and compelling. The cover and blurb for this book (her first) didn't sell it to me as the type of book this very author would write. But I'm glad I opened it and read.

AJ once more writes about things that are hard, things that are sensitive, things that are bleak, things that hurt, things that are difficult. And once again this book is an example of how AJ writes about topics like this with compassion, love and balls.

I don't want to comment too much on the topics that are handled as it will give the story away so I'll move to the characters.

Hayden and Lizzie are really relatable and I thoroughly loved their developments. Jon is a total doll, I can't say more about him. Kate, her character was created with tenderness and whilst she really pissed me off to start with, I warmed to her for sure.

I also have to say one thing. The last chapter of this made me cry. Good work AJ.

Read away!

BG

Review: The Relic Guild

Publisher: Gollancz

I first off have to say one bad thing - well banish - balls this is a two parter. I'm getting a bit miffed by the fact that more and more and more and more books are at least two parts these days. What's wrong with a standalone novel? What I ask?!?!?

Anyway, rant over....

I enjoyed the parallel stories of 'now' and 40 years ago. The similarities in situation, standing, character etc was enjoyable indeed. The stories seeming to be in tandem was indeed enjoyable to me!

When it came to the characters, I really liked Van Bam and Samuel. In fact they totally ruled. It was interesting to see how their stories and backgrounds etc etc changed and how they became who they became. Marney and Clara however were a bit annoying. Indeed, the similarities in parallel character was good, but they were a bit winey....

Now, Hamir! Well he brought an edge to this book which made it more Sci-Fi than Fantasy and enhanced the genre mashup which was there to begin with. I did indeed like that and I do indeed thoroughly look forward to getting to know him. Indeed, I may well read the next one because this was sure a page turner and a book I did enjoy!

Cheers EC

BG :-)