A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Haze and her husband Fox were a serial killer team murdering bad men across Europe. They have very opposite backgrounds, Haze is a Brit, grew up in care under multiple abusive foster families. Fox is American, born into privilege until his parents discovered his first kill and exiled him to England.

Both agreed to retire when they had daughter Bibi but Haze in particular is struggling. She's mostly a stay at home mum - she's also a successful artist but her main inspiration was their kills - which leaves her time to dwell. Fox seems to be having a successful business career but both are hiding things.

I loved the characters and I thought it was brilliantly written but I do wish it had come to that big climax a little bit sooner. I certainly hope that there's a sequel though!

Steff Out x

What July Knew by Emily Koch

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars

Despite giving them the same rating I did prefer this to Keep Him Close and I think the author does better at these domestic sort of stories than thrillers.

July is 10 years old, as far as she knows her mother died in a car crash when she was 2, she knows very little about her and if she asks her dad too many questions he'll teach her a Lesson but then July's teacher sets their summer homework as a report on someone they know and July decides to use it to try and get some more information about her mother.

This was definitely well-written, everything felt very realistic and I liked the descriptions and the characters were all well-defined but my biggest issue was the pacing. So much of the important plot happens in the last quarter or so, there needed to be more in the earlier stages where the story felt quite flat. We also don't get much of an end past a character writing a letter which tells us a few important things.

I also want to make a specific comment about how much I loved the growth of July and her stepsister Sylvie's relationship from playground rivals that couldn't be seen together to what happened at the end was a beautiful arc.

Steff Out x

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars

Set in some kind of future vaguely post-apocalyptic Scotland where poverty is rife and magic exists. 14-year-old Ropa is a ghostalker, delivering messages from the dead to the living for cash when a particular ghost asks for help finding her missing son Ropa ends up caught up in something new and dangerous...

I liked the characters in this, Ropa was sharp and witty and her interactions with her gran and her sister Izwi were lovely, her best friend Jomo was lovely, a real loyal to the end type, and new friend Priya was a firecracker. A wheelchair user but it definitely does not hold her back!

I also thought elements of the story were good, the talking to ghosts and the library in particular but there was a mention of fae which seemed very out of nowhere and the overall pacing wasn't brilliant. Also I understand this is the first in a series but the ending was very abrupt.

Steff Out x

Keep Him Close by Emily Koch

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

2/5 stars

Alice's son Lou has just died following a night out. Indigo's son Kane has confessed to killing him but is that the truth?

Alice finds herself getting close to Indigo, first by accident when she visits the library where Alice works but then she deliberately orchestrates further meetings. Indigo herself refuses to believe her boy has done wrong, is she right or is she blinded by a mother's love?

I kept reading because I wanted to know the truth. Neither of our main female characters are particularly likable, Alice is cold and judgemental and Indigo is fussy and obsessed with everything containing radiation. The plot is thin and weak and everything takes way too long to be resolved and when it is it makes the ending weak.

Steff Out x 

The Memory Wood by Sam Lloyd

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars

This is told in 3-way narration between Elissa who has been kidnapped from her chess tournament, Mairead the detective looking for her who has been having troubles of her own, and Elijah the mystery boy who visits Elissa but is unwilling or unable to help her.

This was an interesting novel and an intriguing concept but I think the execution was lacking slightly. It felt like the reveal and the full story behind it were kind of rushed and glossed over. The ending was very rushed as well.

Steff Out x

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea by Rebecca Thorne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

The book opens with Reyna, who has been acting as Queen for several months at this point, being kidnapped. When Kianthe finds out she is naturally in a panic and immediately flies to the rescue but Reyna being Reyna doesn't entirely need rescuing and as a matter of fact she's also discovered the work of a rogue alchemist.

In the meantime tourists are invading Tawney and the pair are struggling with the fact that they may have to close their shop to save the town.

Along the way we solve the mystery of the missing dragon egg and Serena is trying to plan her proposal to Bonnie.

This was the fourth and final book in the Tomes and Tea quartet and I am so sad that it's over 😭 I love these books, the characters, the way they're written all just get me. I definitely plan to read anything else the author writes!

Steff Out x

The Island by C.L. Taylor

 

Paperback read but ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

4/5 stars 

6 teenagers are on holiday with their families. Their parents met while pregnant and the holidays have become an annual tradition each year. This year's coincides with Jefferson's birthday and his dad has organised an extra expedition: a week on a tropical island unaccompanied by the adults.

Things start off well enough but then their guide dies of a stroke and the teens are stranded. Twins Milo and Mia, Jefferson, Danny and girlfriend Honor and Jessie who is struggling following a traumatic incident. The group discusses phobias on their first night and then those phobias start appearing...

This was super tense and definitely kept me guessing but the initial idea of them going on yearly holidays because their parents were pregnant together was a little weak. The characters weren't super likable but we also didn't learn a lot about them.

Steff Out x

My Three Dogs by W. Bruce Cameron

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Liam and Sabrina have a happy life with their two dogs, Riggs and Luna, or so Liam thinks but when he brings home puppy Archie - rescuing him from a bad situation - it suddenly reveals that there are cracks in their relationship. Sabrina moves out for a break. Several days later Liam has come to his senses, he's spoken to Sabrina and they're planning to meet up where he wants to propose but before that happens he's in a car accident.

Liam's brother Brad takes over, tells Sabrina that Liam is dead and takes the dogs to a shelter where they are all eventually adopted separately to mixed success but Riggs in particular wants to reunite his pack.

At less than 300 pages this is a short novel, maybe a little too short in that we don't properly get to know our human characters but who cares when we are so perfectly in the heads of our canine characters and I love all three of them and never want them to come to harm! I especially loved the epilogue!

Steff Out x 

Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

2/5 stars

Josephine Morrow is Girl One of Nine. She was the first to be born as part of Dr Joseph Bellanger's experiments with parthogenesis or solo birth. Her mother, Margaret, and the other mothers all lived with Joseph at a place known as the Homestead until a fire claimed the lives of Joseph and the youngest child, Fiona.

Now years later Josie, following in Joseph's footsteps and studying reproductive science, is semi-estranged from her mother but then she hears of an incident. Margaret's house has burned down and she is missing. Josie finds a notebook that implies Margaret was more interested in the others than she let on so with the help of journalist, Tom, whom Margaret contacted, Josie sets out to find her.

The concept of this was so interesting although I didn't really understand the choice of the time period chosen (the births took place in the late 70s and the story is set in the 90s) but the execution was such a letdown. The whole story is tell tell tell. Each vital bit of information is given by another character telling a story. There is very little show. Also the ending??? What the hell was that??? To put it bluntly there was no ending. It just stopped.

Steff Out x 

The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter

 

4/5 stars

Detective Robert Hunter is part of an elite murder investigation team in LA when he gets a call one day about a grisly murder. A district attorney has been killed despite being terminally ill and weeks from death. Yet this isn't an ordinary murder. He has been brutalised with limbs chopped off and used to make a grotesque sculpture, but what does it mean?

This was a gripping, fast-paced novel and the characters were interesting but I did have issues. The author was obsessed with describing everyone... Well everyone female. I don't care if the female bartender has a messy bun, or that the random in the bar has obviously artificial breasts, or that the victim's daughter is five foot five. None of this is relevant to the plot.

My other big issue was the plotting itself. The killer reveal was suitably tense but it did raise questions about things that happened earlier in the novel. There was a scene where the killer poses as a certain trade but I can't imagine it panning out as is but no disguise was ever mentioned.

Elements read as a debut novel rather than the author's fourth but I did enjoy it and seeing how things unfolded and the clues revealing themselves.

Steff Out x

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

The prequel to Legends and Lattes showing orc Viv's early life at the beginning of her mercenary career.

Viv's enthusiasm to get the job done maybe without thinking too much about it leads to her getting a nasty leg injury which results in her group leaving her to recover in Murk, a dismal little seaside town.

On her explorations Viv comes across Fern and her dilapidated inherited bookshop. Fern loves the place but customers are very thin on the ground and Viv takes it upon herself to help once Fern's book recommendation inspires her that is...

An excellent and diverse cast of characters: Viv is an orc, Fern is a rattkin, we also have a dwarf, a gnome and some other beings. Each character is written so well with a distinct personality and I loved the way they all came together.

If I had one criticism it's that the "big finale" took a while to come and was over a little too quickly. I also wanted more of the end!

Steff Out x

So Thrilled For You by Holly Bourne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Four best friends meet up for a baby shower on the hottest day of the year, a baby shower that ends in a horrific fire.

Charlotte who is struggling with infertility has organised the shower for Nicki who is hating being the centre of attention, especially considering one of the guests Charlotte invited for her... Lauren has already had her baby and is secretly struggling following a traumatic birth and Steffi is happily child free by choice and her career is taking off. Everyone has their secrets and tensions are simmering.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this and the way everything was revealed slowly but it frustrated me that these women have been best friends since university yet they don't talk properly about anything. The characters were really well developed but I did want more from the ending.

Steff Out x 

Tea You at the Altar by Rebecca Thorne

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Book 3 in the Tomes and Tea quartet and Kianthe and Reyna are deep into wedding planning when news arrives from tyrannical Queen Tillaine's spymaster Locke. She has a secret half sister who could be eligible for the throne! He also knows where she is and plans are afoot to bring her to town. But things are never that easy...

I love these books, I love this world, the writing style is nice and easy to follow but doesn't talk down to the reader. The representation is impeccable, we have our lead lesbians, we have characters who are bi or gay, one of our new characters in this edition is AroAce, we have multiple non-binary characters (would like a bit more pronoun variety, someone using neo-pronouns for example) including that rarity of an AMAB non-binary character - so many people just see non-binary as woman-lite so I was glad to see Rebecca bucking that trend. The characters are all so well-written and have distinct personalities and I love the secondary (tertiary?) plot with the dragons!

I'm looking forward to book 4 but I'm also sad that it'll be the last one but rest assured I'll look forward to reading whatever else Rebecca writes in the future!

Steff Out x 

Girl A by Abigail Dean

 

Paperback read but ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars

I initially rated this at 4 stars but then reevaluated and edited it to 3 stars after reading some reviews on Goodreads. I guess I got caught up in the drama and was looking through rose-tinted glasses but reading other reviews (not always recommended) helped me see more clearly.

Girl A is Lex Gracie. She escaped her house of horrors aged 15. She and her siblings were starved and chained by their Father. Their Mother did nothing to help. Now Mother has died and Lex wants to turn their old house into a community centre but she needs her siblings signatures.

So when I first finished it I was caught up in how compelling the story and the writing were and how everything just flowed. Abigail Dean has a very easy, readable writing style.

But after some thought I realised there are just too many plot holes. Ethan's involvement, Gabriel's sight, the full story of the cake, the end of Lex's relationship (apparently fertility related but never explained), everyone's reluctance for her to attend the wedding. The twist was a little obvious and then that ending?? Very abrupt, very confusing.

This book frustrated me on the whole because I can see the potential it had to be so much better.

Steff Out x 

After Life by Gayle Forman

 

Ebook provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

3/5 stars 

It's a normal day when Amber cycles home until she walks into the house and her mother screams at her. Because Amber died 7 years ago yet somehow she's back and everything has changed.

This was a really interesting look at how grief affects people and how far-reaching it can be and how many people one death can connect. Told in multiple POV from the many people Amber's death has affected.

I really liked the concept and the way the characters were written even if I wasn't fond of the character themself - Casey was a good example for this, she wasn't a likable person but she felt real.

There were also a couple of side plots that I didn't quite understand the point of or where they came frome. One was an incident when Amber was a child and the other was the breakdown of Amber's mum and aunt's relationship, that was never really explained. I think on the whole it could have done with being a little longer to round some of this stuff out.

Steff Out x 

The Bones Beneath My Skin by TJ Klune

 

Hardback bought by myself but ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

5/5 stars

Nate has lost his parents in a murder/suicide. Not that he's had much to do with them since they basically disowned him for being gay. Now he's also lost his job so he decides to use his only inheritance from his parents - his dad's truck and their holiday cabin in the mountains - and get away for a while.

When he gets there however he finds the cabin occupied by a giant hulking army guy and a little girl around 9 years old. Alex, who prefers to shoot first and ask questions later, and Artemis Darth Vader, who is not quite normal, however she is obsessed with western novels and bacon.

Yet another stunning novel by TJ. Tightly plotted with characters that are so easy to love and to root for and yet another brilliant example of found family! This was so visually written I can imagine being a fantastic movie, hey Hollywood can you get on that?

Steff Out x 

The Word Trove by Elias Vorpahl

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

4/5 stars 

This was a super short, super sweet little novel. It's set in the world of Language where words live. We follow a young Word who doesn't know it's meaning, once it is spoken it loses it's memory and it needs to find itself by travelling through the world of Language.

Along the way it meets some interesting characters like Mad and his hare friends - easy to see the inspiration for that scene - and some old forgotten words like Looking-glass and Wherefore.

I will say that I thought the Word was going to be something different but I still found the ending satisfying. It was also interesting to read the translator's notes at the end (the original book was written in German) and how some sections had to be changed to still make sense in English.

Steff Out x 

Fig Swims the World by Lou Abercrombie

 

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

4/5 stars

Fig Fitzherbert is a worrier. Her life is ruled by anxiety not helped by her controlling overbearing mother, known as Mubla. Mubla is constantly setting her goals and resolutions to complete and has a lot of rules.

Mubla's latest resolution is acting classes culminating in a stage role but the thought of speaking in public makes Fig throw up. She decides to set her own resolution! To swim the world! 20 open-water swims across 6 continents. There's just one snag - she can't swim yet!

I really enjoyed this and I really admired Fig's gumption and refusal to give up on her goal. I do think especially at the beginning Fig was a little blind to her privilege but she did realise and I appreciated how she got along mostly on her own.

I do wish there had been more of a confrontation with Mubla and the ending was very abrupt.

Steff Out x 

The Warehouse by Rob Hart

Ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

2/5 stars

Set in a non-specified but possibly not too distant future where Cloud *cough*Amazon*cough* is everything. They have squashed small businesses and are pretty much the only option. MotherCloud is where people live and work in various departments from picking to security to medical care.

We follow Gibson, the founder of Cloud, terminally ill and set to announce his replacement, Paxton a former prison guard whose small business was killed by Cloud and Zinnia who has her own agenda.

So I knew early on that this book wasn't going to be gripping enough to be a four star rating because the nature of their jobs - Paxton as security and Zinnia as a picker - was very monotonous and the narrative deliberately played on that monotony but I was feeling a 3 star for a good long while until the last quarter or so. Not a lot happened and then everything happened very quickly without warning, there were elements that could have been taken further, the "big reveal" was underwhelming, we never learn Zinnia's motivation and the ending was very abrupt.

Steff Out x

Everything is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray

 

Paperback read but ebook previously provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

5/5 stars

This was a sad yet hopeful book and beautifully written.

In no uncertain terms Amy is a hoarder. Specific items - green wine bottles, mugs, clocks, ashtrays, cookbooks, ceramic birds, plant pots/vases and newspapers. All items relating to specific moments in her relationship with the man she planned to marry, until the day he and her best friend disappeared without a trace, presumably together.

The book follows a dual timeline of now and then with each then section headed with the item it relates to. In the present day Amy is dealing with an interfering neighbour who is obsessed with her hoard being dangerous. Then a new family move in next door which changes everything.

This was really sensitively written, especially around the hoard and how much Amy clearly cares for her belongings. The word hoard is only used once so as not to stigmatise things further. The mystery of Tim and Chantel's disappearance added an intriguing extra layer.

Steff Out x