I have a serious amount of reviews to catch up on and, if you know me at all, you’d know that I’d rather be reading (my current book is sat by me, whispering ‘read me’ ever so softly in my ear!).
So, here’s a quick spring round up to get up to date.
Big Brother, by Lionel Shriver
Rating: 
I was recommended this as a friend and finally managed to tick another book of the A-Z Challenge. This is a book that will make you think; it will make you question what kind of person you are and how judgemental you can be.
I expected a completely different story to the one I got and probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I should. The ending was also brilliant and completely threw me (I hated it but loved it all the same).
One I would recommend, but one I probably won’t read again.
Den of Thieves, by David Chandler
Rating: 
This is a tricky book to review. I enjoyed the plot, and the writing is good… but it was lacking in something – it just wasn’t gripping enough. A good fantasy novel should whisk you away from reality; a great fantasy book does it so well you simply can’t stop till the end. This book didn’t do that; I happily put it down and tended to get bored.
So, although I enjoyed it, I wouldn’t read the sequel simply because there are better fantasy books out there.
Bad News, by Edward St Aubyn
Rating: 
This was a re-read (read my first review here). I generally love reading my favourite books again and again – each time you find something new to appreciate. With Bad News, it went the other way. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is haunting and beautiful but once you get past that – it’s a book about an arrogant idiot’s three-day drug spree. I can’t help but wonder if I would have loved it as much if I hadn’t read the first book.
So it loses one star – still a brilliant book, but I’m a little less in love with it than before.
Angelfall, by Susan Ee
Rating:
This is the book that kicked me out of my reading slump and by kicked I mean ‘whooped the crap out of’ it. But we have to be realistic here, it’s a commercial YA novel. It’s never going to be an award winning, beautifully written masterpiece, but it ticks all the boxes. It’s fast-paced, gripping, has twists you can’t guess, and will completely immerse you in the story.
And I love Raffe.
World After, by Susan Ee
Rating:
I re-read Susan Ee’s books to prepare myself for the third that came out at the end of May. I read the first in about eight hours, I read the second in around five. I genuinely could not put it down.
Elijah’s Mermaid, by Essie Fox
Rating:
The cover for Elijah’s Mermaid is beautiful; once I saw it I had to buy it. I’d also read some reviews online and it seemed a good choice. I had some time to kill till the next Susan Ee book was out so I decided to give it a try.
Despite being the second book in a series, it reads well as a stand-alone and is very atmospheric. Unfortunately these are the only compliments I can give. The plot was convoluted, the font was tiny (a huge bug bear of mine!) and I only managed to finish because I 1.) Hate quitting; and 2.) Badly wanted to get onto the next book on my TBR.
Just goes to show that you should never judge a book by it’s cover.
End of Days, by Susan Ee
Rating:
Oh. My. Gosh. The best ending possible to the trilogy. I read this in record time – the world stopped spinning, nothing else mattered until I got to the last page. This is an absolutely brilliant YA trilogy that I would recommend to everyone who enjoys the genre.
Seriously, I have already converted three people. You could be next…
Half the World, by Joe Abercrombie
Rating: 
Another brilliant fantasy book. As with most of my books, it took about twelve months for me to start reading it and, for once, I’m happy I did. Why? Because it was so good I had to have the third book straight away and I would very likely have died if I had to wait a whole year for it. OK, maybe I wouldn’t have died but I would have been really quite upset.
The second book follows a set of new characters: Thorn, the ultimate fighter who happens to be a woman, and Brand, my latest fictional crush. Their story links perfectly with the first book and you’re taken on a journey across the seas to new lands.
My only warning for this book is that you shouldn’t read it on public transport. I almost missed my stop every time I read this on the train. Entertaining for everyone else, embarrassing for me.
Pretty Is, by Maggie Mitchell
Rating:
I was provided a review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Just as I started to make a dent in my bookshelf, I remembered a significant collection of NetGalley books that I needed to get through. I started Pretty Is as it looked like a good thriller.
Unfortunately, there was nothing thrilling about it, the premise is intriguing – two girls kidnapped almost willingly and spend six weeks with their kidnapper without being harmed at all. They don’t seem to be physically or emotionally damaged, but how did the experience affect them?
It felt as if the author had a brilliant concept but no idea how to execute it. The book starts off OK, builds well (I started to get interested) and then falls off a cliff. The ‘dramatic’ end is a huge anti-climax and the plot doesn’t really get anywhere.
Great potential, not-so-great follow through. This isn’t a book I would recommend or read again.
A Literary Mind 