City of Buried Ghosts (Elisenda Domènech Investigations #2) - Chris Lloyd

Synopsis:

Be careful what you dig up… Still recovering from the tragedy that hit her team, Elisenda takes on a new case. Except it’s not new. On an archaeological dig by the coast a body is uncovered, seemingly executed with a spike thrust through the base of the skull – an ancient tribal ritual. It soon becomes clear that this body is neither ancient nor modern, but a mysterious corpse from the 1980s.

Assigned to the case along with her team, Elisenda soon uncovers a complex world of star archaeologists, jealousy and missing persons. They find a dark trade in illicit antiquities, riddled with vicious professional rivalries. And even though she’s staying close to the crime scene, Elisenda is also never far from enemies of her own within the police force.

Just as the case seems to become clear it is blown wide-open by another horrific murder. Elisenda must fight her personal demons and office politics, whilst continuing to uncover plots and hatreds that were long buried. How far will she go to solve the crime? Is her place in the force secure? And can she rebuild her life?

Review:

So this book takes places many months after the first instalment and its clear straight away that Elisenda is still struggling with her demons and that the rest of her team are still trying to cope with the betrayal and loss of one of their team members. As stated in the synopsis, the team end up with a cold case and then a fresh case both just as gory and very disturbing. This story is about the archaeological world and its unseen dark side. It explores the issue of stolen archaeological artefacts which somehow ties into two murders committed over thirty years apart.

The plot really is great, I love how much detail Chris uses as it keep you engaged and leaves you wanting to actually go an visit the setting itself. The more I read the further I fall in love with the series, I fell further in love with the members of the team after I got to know them a little bit more. Part of me really does just want to wrap them up in cotton wool and keep them safe. Elisenda is still strong and independent and smart and she still has not issue with standing up for what she believes in no matter what which I really love, I hope that soon she can fight off her demons and have all the happiness she deserves. Alex is still haunted by his experience from the last book and I really feel for him as you can really se how deeply it has effected him, its changed his character and it actually made me sad. All Elisenda wants is for the old Alex she knows to return but he doubts that he ever will. I feel like Josep and Montse are the ruts of the litter, like they are giving the long and draining parts of the investigations, doing a lot of research and fiddly things, they do their job well and with their characters doing it, it really helps paint a picture of them and how hard working they are.

I don't really want to give too much detail on the story because this story is one of those that can lose its touch if one thing is spoilt. What I can say is though you need to settle down and hold on tight because there are twists you can not see coming. You can try and figure it out like I tried to, I have faith you might do better than I did because I wasn't even close. I feel like you should try your best to remember every character you see in the span of this book just so you can get a clearer picture of everything and trust me it will help you understand.

You easily get absorbed in the story and can really believe you're involved. I cant even think of a bad thing about this book, not this time. I didn't really know what to expect going into the book but I really loved what I got when I was there. its a 5 out of 5 from me and I really cant wait to see what Chris has in store for Elisenda and her team in City of Drowned Souls which I will be moving on to read in the near future.

I have to recommend this to any crime/thriller reader, I don't feel like youd have to read the first instalment but if you want to get to really know the characters, reading it would be best.

Definitely Dead - Charlaine Harris

Synopsis:

Since Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has so few living relatives, she hates to lose one - even her cousin Hadley, undead consort of the vampire Queen of Louisiana. Hadley's left everything she has to Sookie, but claiming that inheritance has a high risk factor. Some people don't want her looking too deeply into Hadley's past, or Hadley's possessions. And they're prepared to do anything in their power to stop her. Whoever it is, they're definitely dangerous - and Sookie's life is definitely on the line...


Review:


Local Bon Temps barmaid and telepath Sookie Stackhouse is shocked when weretiger Quinn comes to see her in Bon Temps.the vampire queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne Leclerq, has requested Sookie’s services, the same services that Eric had requested before for a summit. It also happens that Quinn would like to start seeing Sookie romantically, and she agrees. She also needs to go to New Orleans to clear out her dead (vampire) cousin Hadley’s apartment, who was amongst the top on the Queens favouritesml.

The family of Debbie Pelt, the shifter that Sookie killed in self defence in the new year, is still looking for her, and are hooked on seeing Sookie to hear what she knows. Sookie however just wants to move on.

Sookie also has problems when she goes out with Quinn, leaving a furious Eric Northman behind. While on her date with Quinn, they are attacked by a pair of freshly bitten weres, both high on drugs. Neither has any idea why.

Leaving for New Orleans when the queen’s emissary, Mr Catialades, collects her, they learn that his niece Gladiola,a half demon, was killed to prevent her from delivering the message to Sookie about the queen sending to have her collected.

Bill accompanies Sookie and upon arriving in New Orleans Sookie finds that a talented young witch named Amelia Broadway has cast a stasis spell on the apartment to keep it from smelling bad. Things go terribly wrong when Sookie opens the apartment, considering the next night an unknown vampire rises, who was trapped by the spell, attacking both Amelia and Sookie.

Hadley had changed the man, who becomes known as a were named Jake Purifoy. Eric then visits Sookie in the hospital, and has an argument with Bill, who has also turned up. Eric then forces Bill to reveal his true agenda with Sookie which leaves her heartbroken.

After the narrow escape there, Sookie learns from Amelia that she can get some witches together to magically recreate the evening of Jake’s turning. Naturally, Sophie-Anne is interested, and attends the ritual.

Sophie-Anne also confides in Sookie that Hadley had stolen a bracelet from Sophie that was given to her by her new husband, the king of Arkansas, Peter Threadgill, and that she has to produce it on the wedding night, and that Sookie must help her find it.

Sookie obliges of course as it's in her nature to help,because there will be major issues if Sophie-Anne cannot show it. Quinn assists Sookie with the sorting and packing of the apartment, and there they are savagely attacked and kidnap them both.

The first thing i should say is that there is a short story called One Word Answer that can be read before this, apparently if you dont this book makes no sense but I didn't read it and I managed to understand every part of this book so reading One Word Answer is a choice not mandatory.

Although reading these books and reading a lot about Eric has been kind of amazing, to have him not so massively involved in this book was a kind of nice break? It gave room to learn more about Quinn who has my interest at every moment I see his name. He seems to be such a mystery, which makes me even more interested in his character.

I must say that these books are pretty addictive which you guys probably already guess from my reviews.

There was a lot of things that happened in the book and it was nice to have several things to concentrate on and remember. It was action packed and there was never a dull moment for me.

Overall the book gets a 5/5 and I bet that isn't too much of a shock to you. The series has gotten my attention and I hope someone out there is itching the read this series. Part of me didn't enjoy this book as much as I have the rest of the series but it seems that I still adored it that much I gave it a top rating.

Dead To The World - Charlaine Harris.

Dead To The World is book number 4 in the True Blood series  which is now a very well known TV series. In this book we see Bill and Sookie being civil with each other after all of the happenings of the last book which lead to their parting. Bill goes to Peru, letting Sookie know of this leaves her thinking about him every now and then.

But after a long New Years Eve party at Merlots, Sookie is driving home when she finds a half naked Eric Northman running down the road. It soon comes to her attention he has no memory and is in huge danger. Sookie being Sookie takes him home and cares for him, but a day later when Pam and Chow turn up Jason Stackhouse bargains for payment for his sisters service and within 24 hours goes missing. Sending Sookie into a panic over her missing brother, finds a distraction in the new Eric.

This is also a book where yet another kind is bought into the world of Sookie Stackhouse, Witches who happen to be Werewolves. Eric has been cursed by Hallow who wants him for her own and offers a reward for any tip leading to his capture by her. Whilst he sleeps she makes enquiries in Hotshot, where the girl Jason was seen celebrating new years with, proves fruitless, though she is courted by Calvin Norris, the leader in the area. Sookie then travels to Shreveport to meet with Alcide Herveaux, the Were who helped her when she was looking for Bill.

Without giving away too much of the plot, the book is action packed and very brilliant to read. I always see myself there, joining in with Sookie, minus the sexual moments but always with her through each lonely moment and action packed one. Seeing the venerable side of Eric added to the emotional feel of the book, it was great to see, to see him completely unprotected. He cared for Sookie no matter what.

I must admit that this book entertained me more than I was expecting. What will shock most people is that I liked not seeing a lot of Bill in this book, it kind of switched the focus a little bit and added some variation where he wasn't always there. The books speeds along very nicely and its easy to keep up with what is happing. It introduces us to new characters and experiences.

It is a great read, full of action and humour and very easy to get into, I give it 5/5 like its previous books and recommend it to all the same people. Even if the books don't seem to be your thing, maybe give the TV series a shot.

Dead As A Doorbell with be the next Charlaine Harris book I will review here on the blog.



Club Dead - Charlaine Harris

 *I MUST SAY THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SMALL SPOILERS IN ORDER TO WRITE AN UNDERSTANDABLE REVIEW.*

Club Dead is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Early on in the book Sookie realises that Bill is distant with her, spending more time on the computer than alone with her investing himself in their relationship. He drops a bombshell that he's going away for a while and then pushes Sookie away further. Once Bill is gone Sookie goes on with her life, before Bill is kidnapped and to find him it requires Sookie to once again dive into the other half of her life that has only existed since she dated Bill, the life threatening, extreme side of her life.

Throughout the book Sookie seems to of matured and become more intelligent and more efficient with her telepathy and seems to know more ways of using to help her in situations she's in. Alongside Sookie we get to experience the heartache she suffers from being away from Bill and now introduced to a werewolf who is trusted to keep her safe.

In the story we learn more about the Vampire world and the world of Werewolves and shifters as Sookie travels with a Werewolf named Alcide to Mississippi to find Bill who is in danger. Of course, Sookie is having to enter dangerous waters as it is most likely that the Vampire King of Missippi that has Bill. Louisana vampires cannot help as they are tied with the Vampire Queen of Lousiana and a war would break out.

There is a large amount of sexual tension throughout the book, Sookie lusts for Bill but finds herself attracted to Alcide and his animal magnetism, and even then she shows signs of being attracted to the good old boss of Bill, Eric.

I love how Charlaine managed to create such a bond between both a telepathic human and a werewolf and bring both worlds together whilst working together to save a man from a separate kind. I have to admit this book was a little more intense than the others so far, it seemed to be more action packed and at parts I'd be hit in the face by surprise.

Once again I have to award the book a 5/5 so far the series has been a great one and for all three so far to of scored 5/5 each time is a great start. I recommend this series to anyone who's into vampires and such kinds. 

Dead To The World is the 4th book in the series and it will also be the next review on this blog. I hope you'll come back to visit. 

Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris

Before Christmas my auntie bought over the 'True Blood' series books alongside all of our Christmas presents and I managed to get straight into it. I have 11 of the books in total but I will try to split up the series reviews as good as I can.

Dead Until dark is the first book in the series and as mentioned above, it is now an amazing (if I may say so myself) multi series TV show True Blood. I didn't however know there were books to the series until I finished watching all of the TV episodes. Thankfully the episodes are not perfect translations of the book. Although I have already experienced and am familiar to the Sookie Stackhouse life, I'm hooked on these books.

Although I'm a huge Young Adult, Coming Of Age book reader, I'm really in love and somehow feeling refreshed as I read this Paranormal/Mystery/Fantasy. it is a great break for me and well, a new experience.

I do love Sookie in this series, her voice in a sense. She's old enough to know who she is and to have a idea of what is right and wrong but not so old that she cant change the events that she finds herself in. Somehow I feel quite sad about how she considers her Telepathy as a disability, and how she is firm in her belief as it being a defect. Most of us hypothetically would love to have Telepathy as a part of us but as I read on I begin to see how Sookie doesn't want it as a part of her life, she doesn't want to have the power or skill to know everyone's secrets and possible power over them. To me this makes her appealing to me, I think ill always be a sucker for main characters who don't want the power they have because I'm not such of a sucker for power hungry ones.

Sookie has always got a first instinct to do the right thing, may it be helping out a friend or family or someone, a stranger in need of help. She does these things without wanting attention for it. She hates to complain and never whines, just moves forward,  it's just part of who she is and so it her no nonsense outlook.

As a whole Dead Until Dark is a great read. Having Sookie's point of view means we get just enough detail, but nothing that it too over the top. So when it came to violence or sexual encounters throughout the book, they were described but were not overly explicit like you would find it else where. Its a great balance to see especially when there is a TV adaptation of it all.

I really did enjoy this novel, that much so I immediately begun reading the second book, Living Dead In Dallas which I will review here in the near future. I give the book a rating of 5/5 and recommend it to anyone who's a fan of the show or just wants a new genre to sink their teeth into.

Top Tep Tuesday - Ten Book Series To Read If You Loved The Hunger Games

If you loved The Hunger Games series, here are ten recommendations for other series that you could possibly enjoy.

1. Unwind, Neal Shusterman




2. Divergent, Veronica Roth




3.The Maze Runner, James Dashner




4.Legend, Marie Lu




5. Partials, Dan Wells




6.The Last Survivors, Susan Beth Pfeffer




7. The Dwellers, David Estes



8.The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer

9. The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare

10. Matched, Ally Condie

I hope you have a great TTT and enjoy my list.

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