Top Ten Tuesday - Haloween Freebie/ 10 Horror books on my TBR

IT - Stephen King

Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

House Of Small Shadows - Adam Nevill

The Sacrifice - Charlie Higson

Red Rain - R.L.Stine

The Fear - Charlie Higson

Apartment 16 - Adam Nevill

Under The Dome - Stephen King

The Strain - Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro

The Terror - Dan Simmons

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

Something (Wisteria 1) - Shelby Lamb

Synopsis:

“I will find true love and everything will be okay. I will find true love and everything will be okay…” she chanted.

They say be careful what you read. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong. It can happen to anyone. This is just four teenagers’ story. Aubrey Golding hates her face, her body, and is devastated after Nathan Silva leaves her. Alone, suicidal, and desperate for love, she discovers a book called Something and unknowingly links others to a dark and terrifying curse that is beginning to consume her. Nathan is glad to be moving on with someone new and can hardly believe what is happening now. Wild child and amateur porn star, Bella Broadhurst, loves bullying that “emo whore” Aubrey with the other girls, but mostly she loves partying, hookups, and plain ol’ drama when terror arises. And Kendra Coke is just a new teen mother working on a delicate relationship when things start becoming utterly bizarre. Chilling sleep disturbances and figures hiding in the corners of their rooms are just warnings of what is to come. Be careful what you read, they say. Tread carefully.

Review:

It's going to be a hard review to write, I have to begin by saying that just so it's clear. Shelby contacted me about this book in August of this year and I eventually got around to reading it, the synopsis really pulled me in an di really couldn't wait to get into the book.

First off I loved the diversity of the characters, they're all different from one another, its lovely to see as not only does it create a lot more interest in each character but it also stops you from getting bored over the same old same old sort of character. The whole scenario of 'something' is really something to admire, the pure creepy feeling I got reading about it as I read it really impressed me.

"The nail-biting idea of a curse being spread by reading a book will make readers feel a part of the story, and more connected to the diverse and interesting characters. - Kathlean Thomas" is a quote I cannot agree more with, a curse for starters isn't exactly something I've read a lot of books about so I really enjoyed the freshness of the spreading of evil and darkness, including the title of the book as being the title of the book which pretty much starts the whole thing off really does drag the reader in and they do get to experience the paranoia of if 'something' really is watching and always will be.

The book really is great, a great amount of everything from character background and their portrayal, a perfect mix of horror and twists but I must go to what I found not bad but just simply something I begun to cringe about after reading the same sort of thing 3 times. Sex. I get it I really do, Audrey is suicidal and desperate for love and Bella is delving into the adult entertainment industry as an amateur porn star but I found the sex scenes after like 3 times really something that was making me cringe because I felt like although its part of who the characters are and things, it just felt like it was a way of just passing the time with the characters, giving them something to do whilst horror unfolds.

It really is a book worth reading, its gripping and terrifying and I must admit, a book I couldn't put down, I may have accidently run over my lunch break at work not once but 3 times because of this book. I can't wait for what is next, the ending was really something that dangled me over the edge of  'what now?' The book gets a 4 out of 5 from me, I really should take time to thank Shelby for giving me the opportunity to bring Something into my life. 

Top Ten Tuesday - 10 characters I would name Kids after

Alaska - John Green (Looking For Alaska)
Luna - J.K Rowling ( Harry Potter)
Abigail - Lincoln Cole (Ravens Peak/ Ravens Fall)
Isabella - Kiran Millwood Hargrave (The Girl Of Ink and Stars)
Fay - Laura Richardson (The Edge of Juniper)

Tory - John Grayson Heide (The Flight of The Pickerings)
Mike - Rich Leder (Let There Be Linda)
Dan - Rich Leder (Let There Be Linda)
Leo - Lisa Williamson ( The Art Of Being Normal)
Kyle - Eugene Lambert (The Sign Of One)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

the case of the lower case letter - Jack Delany

Synopsis

The famous lexical semanticist Professor Edgar Nettleston had been found dead, a gunshot wound to the head.

Review 

This short story is based all around the famous lexical semanticist, the police believe that is is suicide so when his wife heads into the office of our nameless main character the whole journey begins by decoding the letter the wife believes is a suicide note.

With quick realisation and a smart main character in near to no time, the case is solved and the story wraps up nicely.

I love how there isn't a name to the main character so it becomes alot easier to put yourself in their shoes and see yourself playing that part. Although I love how the story unfolds it seems really easy to figure it all out. 

Its a 3 out of 5 for me just down to how easy it was to figure out and it's actually length. Id have preferred more detail and more information but what we get is good. 

Top Ten Tuesday- Books ive Read by Reccomendation

Now there's only ever been one book recommendation made to me which I can remember which was from the lovely Peter Monn where he recommended The Girl In The Red Coat. I actually bought the book a few days after he recommended it. I still haven't read it though, my mother took it on holiday with her after me and my sister had already been on holiday and the book got a touch of sun. the book still sits on my shelf though and I'm working to read it as soon as possible.

I'm sorry there's no list this week, but do go and check out all the lists on blogs listed at the bottom of The Broke and The Bookish' Top Ten Tuesday post.

Death at The Seaside - Frances Brody

Synopsis:

Nothing ever happens in august, and tenacious sleuth Kate Shakleton deserves a break. Heading off for a long -overdue holiday to Whitby, she visits her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller there.

Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside sojourn, but upon arrival discovers that almas' daughter Felcity has disappeared, leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch-guard. What makes this more intriguing is the jeweller who advanced Felicity the thirty shillings is Jack Philips, Alma's current gentleman friend.

Kate cant help but come involved, and goes on to the jewellers shop to get some answers. When she makes a horrifying discovery in the back room, it soon becomes clear that her services are needed, Met by a wall of silence by the towns officials, keen to maintain Whitby's idyllic façade it is up to Kate - ably assisted by Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden - to discover the truth behind Felicity's disappearance

And they say something happens in August

Review:

I was send a copy of the book in order to participate in the book tour which ended yesterday after visiting this blog as well as many others since the 3rd of October. My copy came around the 8th of September and it sat on my shelf for just over a week before I finally pulled it off and begun reading it.

The blurb was what pulled me in if I have to be honest, I wanted to know the ins and out of all of it and really get to know everyone involved in what seems like the most mysterious disappearance that has ever happened. Unfortunately for me the book just wasn't what I had expected.  It took me far too long to really get into reading the book and even then I could only read 20-30 pages a day before having to force myself to read more.

I didn't feel very connected to any character in the book at all, although Kate is really vivid in my head, I just didn't forge any connection with her, she was just an important role in the book. To find out Kate has a series really makes me wonder if I read more about her will I make connections. It's a really big issues with me, if I can't forge a connection then I really find it hard to read these characters for a long time. Kate is clearly intelligent and resilient and those qualities are great to have I just wished I loved her as a character as much as other have said they do. As for Alma and Felicity, they weren't as vivid as Kate was but they still had the same outcome to me, as did everyone else.

I loved the scenery and its description really does made it sound idyllic and I fell for it as a setting. I find myself loving books set by the seaside with beautiful houses and piers.

The books had its twist and turns for surprises and didn't do bad with the overall plot because that in fact was quite nice and bearable. I could easily see Felicity and Kate in the current times and maybe if I did I could forge some sort of link with them. I'm always willing to give crime novels a shot, they intruege me and I like to see if I can figure it all out before it ends. This time I didn't figure it out at all, I figured it out when the book told me about it, all of the clues as to the events were all kept well hidden so I didn't catch on at all so it did come to me as a surprise when the truth unfolds.

I liked it as a read, it wasn't exactly a short one as all crime/mystery novels have to build up suspense etc., It was nice and refreshing to read a different genre for a change, I just wished I had connected more maybe I would have enjoyed it a lot more. The plot wasn't horrific and the characters were well written. for all of that I give the book a 4.5 out of 5. Maybe ill go off and read more of the Kate Shakleton Mysteries and see where that gets me.

Death At The Seaside Book Tour

'Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers.' Daily Mail

Death At The Seaside by Frances Brody

Publisher: Piatkus

Published 6th October 2016

Paperback Original £8.99

Blurb:

Nothing ever happens in August, and tenacious sleuth Kate Shackleton deserves a break. Heading off for a long-overdue holiday to Whitby, she visits her school friend Alma who works as a fortune teller there. 

Kate had been looking forward to a relaxing seaside sojourn, but upon arrival discovers that Alma's daughter Felicity has disappeared, leaving her mother a note and the pawn ticket for their only asset: a watch-guard. What makes this more intriguing is the jeweller who advanced Felicity the thirty shillings is Jack Phillips, Alma's current gentleman friend.

Kate can't help but become involved, and goes to the jeweller's shop to get some answers. When she makes a horrifying discovery in the back room, it soon becomes clear that her services are needed. Met by a wall of silence by town officials, keen to maintain Whitby's idyllic façade, it's up to Kate - ably assisted by Jim Sykes and Mrs Sugden - to discover the truth behind Felicity's disappearance.

And they say nothing happens in August . .

About the author

Frances Brody is the author of the Kate Shackleton mysteries, as well as many stories and plays for BBC Radio, scripts for television and four sagas, one of which won the HarperCollins Elizabeth Elgin Award. Her stage plays have been toured by several theatre companies and produced at Manchester Library Theatre, the Gate and Nottingham Playhouse, and Jehad was nominated for a Time Out Award.

Check out all of the other wonderful blogs who have taken part in this book tour and don't forget to come back tomorrow for a full review of this wonderful book.

Top Ten Tuesday - Favorite TV Villains

The Master (Doctor Who)

Sideshow Bob (The Simpsons)

Moriarty (Sherlock)

Philip Blake (The Walking Dead)

Sylar (Heroes)

Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal)

Klaus ( The Vampire Diaries)

The Miniature Killer (CSI)

Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham)

Riddler (Gotham)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish

Ravens Fall (World On Fire Series #2) - Lincoln Cole

Synopsis:

Abigail was arrested by the Council, and now she's awaiting trial for the decisions she made leading up to and culminating in the events of Raven's Peak. She is restless while she waits for answers and knows that there is a real threat outside their walls plotting to bring them down.

Meanwhile, Haatim is getting a crash course in this world he knew nothing about and finding out that nothing is as it seems.

There are dark clouds on the horizon and it is coming whether they are prepared or not. Will they be able to weather this storm?

Review:

Lincoln provided me with a copy of the second book and I was truly thrilled and super excited to see what was going to unravel in this instalment.

We begin with the epilogue which really pulls ypu in making you wonder what has haooebed to get to that point and altimately what hapoens after. But the story itself begins months after Abigail is arrested, Frieda is letting Haatim travel with her whilst educating him about the world he was kept out of for so long. Once at the location where Abigail is being held for her trail, he is taught by a wonderful Dominick how to defend himself.

The book keeps touching on the feud between Haatim and his Father Aram who has kept this world from him for so long and now seeks punishment for the girl who saved Haatim in Ravens Peak and Haatim doesn't stand down when it comes to defending her name in the presence of his Father.

Coming up to Abigails trial we get to meet a few of the council members all who have a say on what happens to Abi but Aram brings up evidence against Abigail that could seal her fate at the lest second which leaves us all wondering how this is all going to unfold. 

The book splits between Haatim, Abigail, a little of Frieda and at parts,other hunters although that seems like a lot it's easy to keep track of the story they are part of.

Hunters begin to go out on missions that aren't a proved by Frieda and this puts them in danger. Whilst hunters are out things begin to hapoens which adds up against a single person.  Once it all unrolls it creates a sort of domino effect. I don't really want to give away what happens too much but basically things begin to happen in relation to the mysterious person back at Ravens Peak and more lives hang in the balance.

The book again is very much action packed and has so many unforeseen plot twists I had to take a moment to absorb what I had just read and experienced. I really loved getting to see more of the council as they serve a very large purpose in the world of the book and I thought it really ideal to get to know more of it.

As I got to see more of not only Haatim and even more of Abigail, I've only grown more fond and protective of their characters and I've even become connected to Frieda and Dominick who are to me kind of essential foundations to this plot line.

Its clear than not only has Haatim become physically stronger and able, he has also further developed mentally, leading him to stand up for what he believes in and knows are facts rather thank backing down when conflicted. As for Abigail she begins to show how human she really is, becoming worried the trial will go the wrong way rather than being optimistic, she then shows us a side of her we've never seen before providing us with not only a shock but also a thrill. I can't wait to see more of Dominick so that we can actually get to know even more about him and his past. I hope that we also get to know more about Frieda and her past as we only know a small amount about her.

At parts I got in a good laugh and that was often with scenes involving Haatim and Dominick which only makes me want to see them more. They're such a great pair.

The book was action packed and had many plot twists, I was fully immersed and can't even fault Lincoln in his writing. He has created a wonderful read that's thrilling throughout. With all that has happened up until now I really can not wait to see what else is in store.

Its a clear 5/5 from me and I'd also like to thank Lincoln for allowing me to read his work so far, I feel truly blessed to be able to read and write about his work.