Suzi
Catherine Cowles can simply do no wrong!
This is my 11th book from this author and whilst I can say that there is a structure to her books, this isn't a bad thing. I enjoy the formula and always works for me.
Her books always include an amazing family setup and Sparrow Falls is no different - in this series we follow a family of mostly adopted siblings but they're just as close as the Hartleys and the Eastons.
Catherine is the queen of romantic suspense and this book really takes it up a notch with ties back to Anson's past as an FBI profiler.
All in all, I loved this as I expected to and can't wait for book 2 in August.
I am not a sci-fi reader, I've enjoyed some in the genre but I just never gravitate towards them. However, this series has been pitched so many times as “sci-fi for the fantasy reader” and has been loved by people whose opinion on fantasy books I 100% trust so I had to give it a go and it did not let me down.
There was a lot to like here - Hadrian is aloof and a bit whiney but I couldn't help but like him. I also enjoyed the side characters he met on Emesh, especially Valka and Switch.
It's a lot of setup but the ending was very well done and I'm so intrigued to see where it goes next.
I listened to this one on audio and absolutely loved the narration by John Lee, he nailed the slight arrogance of Hadrian and the accents of the other characters. I'm disappointed to see he only did the first book in the UK but I'm sure I'll enjoy the other narrators too.
DNF @ 45%
I cannot believe I am DNFing a series half way through the final book, but here we are. I just can't bring myself to finish it.
This series had some positives but never really did enough to draw me in fully - a lot of themes and plot points were quite generic for the genre and the dialogue and characters were written too dramatic and obnoxious to enjoy it.
I did like some of the political aspects of the plot but by this point in the last book, it felt like nothing had changed but clearly with 50% left to go it was all going to tie up in a very probably predictable way. I just don't care.
The worst thing for me was the audiobook narrators - I know this shouldn't impact a book review, but I really feel like they made the dialogue (which was repetitive and cringey) even worse. It was so melodramatic and overdone, I have literal eye ache from all the eye rolling.
I'm a long time fan of this series and enjoyed this one as much as the others.
The reason this isn't a full 5 stars is the constant over explaining of everything, both in the dialogue between the characters and the general narration. I've noticed this in previous books but sort of looked past it, but it really grated in this one and distracted from the story.
Where were the witches?!
Apart from a little in the introduction and a few mentions through the rest of the book, there are very few links to history, witches or witch hunts. This is largely a look at modern feminism, societal pressure to have children and the misogyny associated with this.
This in itself wouldn't be a bad thing, if you went into the book expecting it, but the title, book cover and blurb make it sound like this would be more focused on how feminism and misogyny are linked to attitudes to women thought to be witches throughout history.
Also, the introduction is way too long and covers all of the points the author then goes on to elaborate on, over and over - it quickly becomes incredibly repetitive.
After a really slow start, I ended up enjoying this one by the end.I had recently read a non-fiction book ([b:Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power 62039165 Young Queens Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power Leah Redmond Chang https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1670260372l/62039165.SX50.jpg 97797648] by Leah Redmond Chang) which had some sections covering the Wars of Religion in France and the royalty involved, so reading this just after gave me a greater understanding of the political and religious issues at the time.As with other books I've read from this author, they are clearly very well researched and written. The history of the places really comes through and adds to the quality of the writing.The weakest part of this for me was the romance, I know there was a war going on and all, but there was barely a molecule of connection between them so just seemed unbelievable that she would up and leave to follow him then suddenly decide they were in love later on.
This is an interesting way to present a specific period in history, through the connected lineage of these 3 queens and the different stages of their lives.
Whilst I knew a fair bit about Mary Stewart already, it was good to know more about her earlier years and before her imprisonment.
I really enjoyed learning about Catherine de Medici and Elisabeth de Valois, especially through the amount of letters sent by them.
The book itself was perhaps a bit too long, it's 18hr+ on audio but the narration by Olivia Dowd was excellent.
I don't know if I just wasn't in the right mood for this but this one just didn't do it for me like Elle Kennedy's books usually do.
I still like the small town vibes and there were some cute moments, but the tension between Gen and Evan felt a but forced and I could not stand the bitchy girl group.
I may still try the last book in the series to finish it out and hopefully that one lands better.
DNF @ 45%
After loving The One and giving it 5 stars, I was excited to see another book in the same setting, that being a near future UK.
The premise sounded great, given how it's not that far a reach to see how devices in our homes (Hey Alexa) and our internet usage can be monitored and used by the Government as they see fit. The whole Smart Marriage theory sounded so interesting too and I was into these elements of the book.
But, the big issue I had with this was the characters. There are 5 or 6 major character POVS and not a single one is likeable, perhaps maybe the old chap Arthur but his storyline is just plain sad.
I just couldn't keep listening to these awful people being awful, it was too much to even push through to the end which is a shame.
Perhaps I could have got on better with the physical book, as I did find a couple of the narrators a bit stilted and grating to listen to, but I'm good to just leave this and move on.
Contains spoilers
One step forward and two steps back.Amara is out of the Wolf Den and things are looking up, but she soon finds out her patron is not the man she thought he was.I spent the majority of the book tensely waiting for the affair to be found out, but it ended up being so much worse. The thought of having to decide to leave her newborn daughter or risk Felix exposing who the father was, it's just unbearable.I cannot wait until someone, hopefully Britannica, kills Felix in a brutal and painful way.Onto the last book...
4.5 stars
God this was so good.
I listened to this one on audio and I was so completely immersed in the story that I was genuinely shocked when it ended, I could have kept listening for hours longer so I'm glad it's a trilogy.
This is raw and brutal and heartbreaking at times, but really doesn't overdo the graphic side of the life of the women in the brothel. It really focuses on how cruelty, power and abuse can affect these women and how they look after and support each other through it.
I loved the descriptions of Pompeii, the streets, the buildings and the pictures on the walls, as I've been to the ruins of Pompeii I could easily imagine the places we visited in the story.
Given how closely this is set to the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79, only 5 years prior, I'm very intrigued to see where this goes in the next 2 books and will be continuing very soon.
This was an absolutely fascinating history of the charge of murder in English/UK law. Sounds like it would be dull, but the author tells of all of the changes through various well known and some lesser known murder cases throughout history.
It was particularly interesting to hear more about the legal sides of some corporate manslaughter cases like Hilsborough and the Grenfell Tower disaster, and how the law changing can then affect the appeal process years later.
I've got another book from this author downloaded so will be getting to that one soon.
3.5 stars
As with the previous companion novel, it's always great being back in this world with these characters.
I'm not normally a fan of books told from another character's POV as they can become repetitive, however as this covers a time when Valek and Yelena are apart it stands as its own story. There some overlapping plot points but it's not much.
I did find some parts in this one seems a bit underdeveloped or glossed over, if read near to Magic Study then maybe this wouldn't have been the case but it's been a good few years since the last time I read the series so a little more detail would have helped.
I was excited about this one but it wasn't for me.
This started quite strong, with a tense opening sequence of 2 children accidentally getting on a Tube train alone and only 1 getting off at the next stop.
After the first 20% however the pace slowed right down and became a bit of a slog, with short present chapters but longer past chapters which just became a bit samey and boring.
I skimmed through the the 40-60% mark and found barely anything had changed, then it eventually picked up again at the 80% mark.
For a short book, it felt dragged out and the big reveal wasn't all that worth it in the end.
DNF @ 45%
Given it's been over 2 years since I read the last book, I wasn't sure how I'd get on with this one....and it wasn't great.
I still like Pen's writing and will pick up other books by them, but I'm just not into this series and characters any more.
I gave it a good try but it's okay to move on and read something else.
4.5 stars
This was so good!! I know a lot of people have compared this to The Hunger Games, but I found very little to link them. There's so many books out there which have trials so can be compared to a lot of books, but can also stand by itself as a great book!
I was immediately immersed in the writing, it wasn't the most detailed world building but the strength here are the characters. I liked all of them and enjoyed learning about the different abilities they have.
The trials were entertaining and I loved the face off towards the end. Then the end!! Loved it!
I can't wait for the next one
This was quite good!!
A few things irked me a bit - it was a bit dry and over explained at times, the (overused) alcoholic main character, everyone not believing the character for the longest time, etc.
But it was very readable and had quite a unique spin which kept me going in the story.
Definitely worth a read and great on audio too!
Well this got dark and weird.
This starts as what seems a fairly standard thriller with some potential haunted house elements, but the second half just went off the rails and I'm really not sure it worked.
I really started to dislike this around the 25% mark but thought I would keep going to see if it would pick up (easy enough to do on audio), then it hit the 60% mark and things started getting weird so I kept going and wish I'd just stopped.
A lot of things just didn't make complete sense to me, but a few which stand out are:
- What was the point in the past storyline with Leon? Literally nothing came of it.
- Was there a point in her flashbacks of being in a cupboard? Why wasn't that linked to when she was actually trapped in a cupboard?
- When she was trapped, why did she wait a day to look for a way out? Even if you're terrified, that is the first thing you would do.
- The whole snuff film element felt completely out of place in the story, it was as if it was from a different book as it felt so disconnected to the the preceding 60%.
This was my first book from this author, but I do have another which I'll try before deciding if they're for me or not.
This has been recommended numerous times for fans of Ryan Cahill, and I can definitely see why.
The foundations of the story are quite like a lot of other fantasy series, however this is never a bad thing for me as long as its done well.
I really liked all of the characters and how those who would initially be deemed the ‘good guys' have a greyer background or deviate from their path.
The multiple POVs were great, I enjoyed all of them and didn't find any of them lessened the pace or plot.
All in all, this was a really strong opening to a series and I can't wait to continue soon.
Way, way too long and full of unnecessary POVs which add absolutely nothing to the plot. I skipped so many pointless portions - the hashtags, the literal shit jokes, it just read so immature.
The best bits about this one were the Ruthless Boys making a few appearances and Xavier getting his wings back. That is all. Like obviously Darius comes back and obviously Darcy gets out of the shadow beast because its not even the last bloody book!!
