Welcome!
I post book reviews as often as possible but at least once a week every Wednesday! I hope they help you to find some new books that you'll love as much as I did!
The Synopsis Birmingham, 1885. Born in a gaol and raised in a workhouse, Cora Burns has always struggled to control the violence inside her. Haunted by memories of a terrible crime, she seeks a new life working as a servant in the house of scientist Thomas Jerwood. Here, Cora befriends a young girl, Violet, who seems to be the subject of a living experiment. But is Jerwood also secretly studying Cora...? My Review The Conviction of Cora Burns is a mesmerising story of a young girl and her fascinating journey to understand her past. The exploration of the nature vs nurture theme is eloquently and insightfully done and I thought it was really quite powerful. I was totally transported to the 1800’s and the feeling that I was really there didn’t falter once, it was excellently written. Looking back at the notes I made as I was reading, I noticed that the words ‘intriguing’ and ‘unsettling’ came up an awful lot and I think this really encapsulates how I felt during this book. Parts of it were really unsettling and the sense of foreboding grows throughout. At times it was uncomfortable to read, but the intrigue keeps you gripped. Things unfold gradually with tantalising clues dropped in exactly where they’re needed and I was engrossed the whole way through. Where I really fell in love with this book though, was the ending. I absolutely adored it, it was so beautiful and stunningly written. I don’t want to give anything away about it, but it really moved me. Overall I’m giving The Conviction of Cora Burns 4.5 out of 5. It’s intriguing, powerful and excellently written. This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review The above is an affiliate link About the AuthorOriginally from Sunderland, Carolyn Kirby studied history at St Hilda's College, Oxford before working for social housing and then as a teacher of English as a foreign language. Her novel The Conviction of Cora Burns was begun in 2013 on a writing course at Faber Academy in London. The novel has achieved success in several competitions including as finalist in the 2017 Mslexia Novel Competition and as winner of the inaugural Bluepencilagency Award. Carolyn has two grown-up daughters and lives with her husband in rural Oxfordshire.
2 Comments
 Today is my stop on the blog tour for Welcome to the Heady Heights by David F. Ross! Thanks so much to Anne for organising the tour. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops! The Synopsis It’s the year punk rock was born, Concorde entered commercial service and a tiny Romanian gymnast changed the sport forever... Archie Blunt is a man with big ideas. He just needs a break for them to be realised. In a bizarre brush with the light- entertainment business, Archie unwittingly saves the life of the UK’s top showbiz star, Hank ‘Heady’ Hendricks, and immediately seizes the opportunity to aim for the big time. With dreams of becoming a musical impresario, he creates a new singing group called The High Five with five unruly working-class kids from Glasgow’s East End. The plan? Make it to the final of Heady’s Saturday night talent show, where fame and fortune awaits... But there’s a complication. Archie’s made a fairly major misstep in his pursuit of fame and fortune, and now a trail of irate Glaswegian bookies, corrupt politicians and a determined Scottish WPC are all on his tail... My Review When I first got the email through inviting me to join the Welcome to the Heady Heights blog tour I thought it sounded brilliant, but I wasn’t sure how much it fitted into what I usually read (and therefore how much I would enjoy it). However, I’ve learned to trust that anything from Orenda Books will be a fantastic read, so I said yes, and once again Orenda hasn’t let me down! Welcome to the Heady Heights has everything in it that you could possibly hope for. It’s funny, exciting, thrilling, moving, heartbreaking and poignant. And all of this is topped off by the strong sense of place which weaves throughout the book, with the written Glaswegian dialect making me feel as though I could hear the voices coming from the page. You can’t help but have a soft spot for Archie, even when his decisions are questionable, and this made him a brilliant protagonist in my opinion, as I felt myself rooting for him and willing him on throughout the book. I really enjoyed how Ross uses dark comedy to explore much more serious themes and I thought that it was really effectively and intelligently done. Each page is more and more compelling, especially as the pace picks up, and I was quite honestly left breathless at times. Overall, I’m giving Welcome to the Heady Heights 4 out of 5. It’s gritty, poignant and darkly funny. Yet another cracker from Orenda Books. This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review The above is an affiliate link About the AuthorDavid F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over thirty years. He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social media commentator, author and enabler by night. His most prized possession is a signed Joe Strummer LP. Since the publication of his debut novel The Last Days of Disco, he’s become something of a media celebrity in Scotland, with a signed copy of his book going for £500 at auction, and the German edition has not left the bestseller list since it was published.
 The Synopsis Surviving the plane crash is only the beginning for Allison. The life that she’s built for herself – her perfect fiancé, their world of luxury – has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Now she must run, not only to escape the dark secrets in her past, but to outwit the man who is stalking her every move. On the other side of the country, Allison’s mother is desperate for news of her daughter, who is missing, presumed dead. Maggie refuses to accept that she could have lost her only child and sets out to discover the truth. Mother and daughter must fight – for survival and to find their way through a dark web of lies and back to one another, before it’s too late… My Review Before saying anything at all about what I thought of Freefall, I just want to give you a warning: be prepared to lose sleep over this book, it's impossible to put down. I’d recommend reading it when you know you’ve got plenty of free time because you just won’t be able to tear yourself away! (Don’t say I didn’t warn you when you have to cancel meetings because you can’t stop reading!!) In Freefall, Barry explores the bond between mother and daughter in a fresh and fascinating way which really highlights the complexity of the relationship. I loved reading both Allison and Maggie’s chapters. I found Allison’s point of view the most tense while Maggie’s point of view was the most gripping but I really enjoyed how they were both equally important and developed. I liked the way the story was told with these alternating perspectives and how new information gradually came to light, because this really amped up the tension and kept me totally hooked. The twists were brilliant, especially those towards the end which I didn’t see coming at all, adding to my enjoyment even more. The ending itself was powerful and I felt that it wrapped up the book very well. Overall, I’m giving Freefall 4.5 out of 5. It’s gripping, emotionally charged and impossible to put down.  This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review The above is an affiliate link About the AuthorJessica Barry is a pseudonym for an American author who grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was raised on a steady diet of library books and PBS.
She attended Boston University, where she majored in English and Art History, before moving to London in 2004 to pursue an MA from University College London. She lives with her husband, Simon, and their two cats, Roger Livesey and BoJack Horseman.  Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Taking of Annie Thorne by C.J. Tudor! Thanks so much to Jenny for organising the tour, and don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops! The Synopsis One night, Annie went missing. Disappeared from her own bed. There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. And then, after 48 hours, she came back. But she couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened to her. Something happened to my sister. I can't explain what. I just know that when she came back, she wasn't the same. She wasn't my Annie. I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that sometimes I was scared to death of my own little sister. My Review I was so excited to get to read The Taking of Annie Thorne as I absolutely loved The Chalk Man. As soon as I started reading, Tudor reminded me exactly why I love her writing so much and proved once again that she’s the queen of the riveting opening chapter. (And as a matter of fact a riveting entire book) I was completely frozen to the spot while I was reading this and it moved along at exactly the right pace, meaning that I finished it in just one day! Tudor’s writing style is so addictive and it really gets under your skin, gradually building up a sense of foreboding that consumes your thoughts so that all you can focus on is what is happening in front of your eyes, gripped even harder by the creepy and sinister edge that runs through the plot. Without giving too much away about the ending, I thought that the final twist was brilliant and unexpected and the epilogue was haunting and so, so chilling. Overall, I’m giving The Taking of Annie Thorne 4.5 out of 5. It’s haunting, creepy and quite simply spellbinding. I already can’t wait for C.J. Tudor’s next book! The above is an affiliate link. This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. About the AuthorC. J. Tudor's love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert.
Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover artist, television presenter, copywriter and, now, author. Her first novel, The Chalk Man, was a Sunday Times bestseller and has sold in over forty countries. The Taking of Annie Thorne is her second novel. Twitter @CJTudor Facebook @CJTudorOfficial  Today is my stop on the blog tour for The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea! Thanks so much to Jenny for organising the tour. And don’t forget to check out the rest of the stops! The Synopsis Jón Eiríksson buried one wife this year. How long before he buries a second? 1686, ICELAND. AN ISOLATED, WINDSWEPT LAND HAUNTED BY WITCH TRIALS AND STEEPED IN THE ANCIENT SAGAS. Betrothed unexpectedly to Jón Eiríksson, Rósa is sent to join her new husband in the remote village of Stykkishólmur. Here, the villagers are wary of outsiders. But Rósa harbours her own suspicions. Her husband buried his first wife alone in the dead of night. He will not talk of it. Instead he gives her a small glass figurine. She does not know what it signifies. The villagers mistrust them both. Dark threats are whispered. There is an evil here - Rósa can feel it. Is it her husband, the villagers - or the land itself? Alone and far from home, Rósa sees the darkness coming. She fears she will be its next victim . . . My Review The Glass Woman is quite simply an absolutely stunning read. Despite the beautiful cover, it’s probably not the kind of book I would usually be drawn to straight away, as I tend to choose something in a more contemporary setting, but when I got invited to the blog tour and I read the synopsis I thought it looked brilliant - and gosh was I right or what! By the opening few pages, Lea had ensured that I wouldn’t be putting The Glass Woman down any time soon, by instantly drawing me into the extremely atmospheric setting she created. I have no personal experience of Iceland but I could picture every detail. I remained completely engrossed for the entirety of my train journey, and even managed to ignore someone’s music playing loudly through their headphones! I finished the book in just 2 days and its grip on me didn’t falter once. It’s really well paced and expertly creates intrigue and a growing sense of foreboding as the story progresses. The characters are unique and fascinating to read. All of them are well-developed and explored, allowing me to feel really strongly what they were all experiencing - especially Rósa. The ending is beautiful, moving and absolutely brilliant. It’s so well written and felt really right. Overall, I’m giving The Glass Woman 4.5 out of 5. It’s dark, emotive and compelling. A beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable read. *Just a brief word of warning to those who are slightly squeamish, the later parts of the book can be a little graphic in places, so do be prepared for that. It’s definitely bearable and worthwhile though, so please don’t let that stop you reading it!* This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review. The above is an affiliate link. About the AuthorCaroline Lea grew up in Jersey and gained a First in English Literature and Creative Writing from Warwick University, where she now teaches writing. Her fiction and poetry have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize.
|
Categories
All
Archives
July 2018
 Click here to visit my trusted affiliate partner.
 |
RSS Feed