The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

Synopsis:

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee—whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not—stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden—a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

Review:

I actually had this book read to me by the great Humphrey Bower on Audible. It's easy to say I automatically fell in love with the book and Bowers narration. Whilst reviewing this book I'm going to try to keep spoilers to a minimum in case anyone out there hasn't read this masterpiece yet. 

The story follows Todd Hewitt who is on the verge of 'manhood' and he lives in Prentisstown, a world without women and where the thoughts of men and “creachers” (his pet dog Manchee included) can be heard. Todd’s father died of illness and his mother was the “last of the women”, according to Ben who is one of two men who are raising him. Amongst the chaos of haring the 'noise' Todd likes to pick apples in the orchard where he can get a break from all of the men's thoughts, memories and secrets. 

Whilst out on a walk with his dog, Manchee, Todd encounters a break in the Noise, a pocket of pure silence and when Todd and Manchee return home, their Noise reveals (with no lack in trying to keep it quiet) reveals what happened in the swamp, and Todd, with Manchee at his heels, a packed bag, Ben’s big hunting knife, and his mom’s journal, is sent away from the only home he’s ever known. 

When Todd encounters a girl on his travels, and comes across towns filled with men and women, everything he has ever known about the world is changed in an instant. The men of Prentisstown are harboring a terrible secret and will stop at absolutely nothing to get Todd back. 

The Knife if Never Letting Go is a fast paced read, gripping and intense. Action packed, without a single boring chapter. There is so much to say about this book, its a tale of many things, its not for the faint hearted to, containing scenes of murder and other adult like themes. As you can also expect, this isn't the only book as it does indeed belong to a series called Chaos Walking which also includes The Ask and The Answer and Monsters of Men which are the following 2 majors books to the series but Chaos also includes 3 mini books as I like to call them which add more detail to the adventure. I personally can not wait to get my hands on all of the other books as I loved this one just soooo much. I cant score it any less than a 5/5 after saying that anyway so it does indeed get a 5/5 from me.

His Wife, Her Answer - Danielle Yosere

Synopsis:

Tyler needs a wife to fix his reputation. Lucy needs and answer to her problem. Are they one and the same? After a quick marriage agreements, they have a long journey ahead of them. Will they stay together? Or will things be more complicated that they expected? Come along for the ride! Find out what happens to Tyler and Lucy!

Review:

So Danielle and I actually met via instagram and that was when and how I learnt she was a published author. Me being me and having this blog I assured Danielle I would read and review her book for her once I purchased a copy. Wanting it as soon as possible I bought an Ebook copy and got right to it.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, well i mean i had a rough idea but nothing too exact. Pretty much right from the beginning I was imersed, as a reader you are thrown right into the thick of things, meetinb oth charracters and getting small hints of their deeper story but nothing too soon that would leave you knowing everything before it happened.

The book switches between two points of view, both being the mian characters, thankfully even though it is told through two points of views, there were no repeating of events, what you heard in one persons POV was pretty much non existent in the others. I fell for Lucy, she felt like a close friend of mine and Tylers felt the same and I just wanted to protect and love them both. The secondary characters int he story each add something lovely to the story, more depth and something i cant quite explain, but with both sets of characters the story moves smoothly along.

Danielle created and told events in such a way that make your emotions swirl throughout the book, there are unexpected twists and turns, laughs and moments of pure awghs. Something great about this book, one of the many, is that there is brief desciptions of both the characters and the settings which leaves room for the reader to fill in the gaps witht heir own mind which makes the experience different for each reader.

His Wife, Here Answer is an easy read, quick and sweet. I can not wait for what Danielle has in store for the rest of the series. a 4.5/5 from me, I just want more!

On Holy Ground - Louise Cole Blog Tour

Synopsis:

Saving the world was just the start.
In The Devil's Poetry, Callie gambled with her life to stop a war. And she won. But now the game has changed. A Reader who understands the Book's magic is either a savior or a curse - what she can't be is free. When Callie stranded in the US, hunted and penniless, she desperately needs allies. But whose agenda can she trust? She must re-evaluate everything she knows, and find a way to escape, or die trying.

Review:

Late in June of last year I was happily a part of The Devil's Poetry blog tour and back then I was ecstatic with the opportunity and absolutely loved the book and tour so when I was contacted about being a part of the On Holy Ground ( The Devil's Poetry Series #2) Blog Tour, I simply could not say no.

On Holy Ground started with one hell of an opening sentence, which I absolutely loved but will not post here because its sort of a bummer to share something you should read in the book first, and even that's after reading the first of the series.

As with the previous book the point of view switches between first person from Callie and third person from a range of other characters’ perspectives. With nearly a year between when I read the first book it took me a little while to find my way with remembering the characters but I managed easy enough once I settled.

While The Devil's Poetry was set nearly exclusively around Callie's home town and London, the second instalment of the series jumps locations several times, and we get to see a lot more of the Order and the Cadaveri. The location jumping and the wide focus we get which allows us to see more of The Order and The Cadaveri is one of the highlights of this book. As it shows us more of these two opposing teams per say, we have a chance to learn more about their aims, their motives and what they are and are not willing to do to achieve them compared to what we see in The Devil's Poetry. I found that throughout the book, the lines of good and evil and the choice between right and wrong become so hard to distinguish and more faded than ever. There's no denying that the moral complexity in this series alone, not just this book, is one of my favourite things, it reflects the real world around us much more effectively than anything that has the good guys fighting the forces of evil.

In On Holy Ground I absolutely loved seeing Callie having to deal with things on her own. In The Devil's Poetry she generally had the Order around her, a team of highly skilled operatives protecting and directing her in the way she needed to go. In On Holy Ground she's cut off, isolated and on the run and she's bloody brilliant! The 'chase' sequences are well written, dramatic and exciting and have the feel of a action movie to them as she changes disguises and tries to stay one step ahead of her pursuers. It's also very hard for her and me as the reader to be sure of who she can trust, as every one has their own agenda. Despite this, it is nice to see Callie keep acknowledging the help she is receiving, whether from strangers or her support network back home, and that wherever she is, knows that she is never completely alone.

There is no way on this god given earth that I can give this book anything less than a 5/5, it ramps up the action and drama in comparison to the first book, gives us more detail of the world of which its set within and allows the reader to interact with some morally complex characters. I must say that if you haven't read the first book of the series but want to read this one, definitely take the time to read the first book first, it makes a difference.

Book Information

Title: On Holy Ground (The Devil’s Poetry #2)

Author: Louise Cole

Release Date: 14^th April 2018

Genre: YA Thriller

Publisher: Valkyrie Books

Format: Ebook & Paperback

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38721327-on-holy-ground

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Ground-Devils-Poetry-Book-ebook/dp/B07C1XVTXD

Author Information

Louise Cole has spent her life reading and writing. And very occasionally gardening. Sometimes she reads as she gardens. She can be seen walking her dogs around North Yorkshire - she's the one with a couple of cocker spaniels and a Kindle. She read English at Oxford - read being the operative word - and hasn't stopped reading since.

In her day-job she is an award-winning journalist, a former business magazine editor and director of a media agency. She writes about business but mainly the business of moving things around: transport, logistics, trucks, ships, and people.

Her fiction includes short stories, young adult thrillers, and other stuff which is still cooking.

Her YA and kids’ fiction is represented by Greenhouse Literary Agency and she is also published on Amazon as one of the Marisa Hayworth triumvirate.

Don't forget to check out the other blog posts on this blog tour.

Strife (Third Book of the Nameless Chronicle) - M.T.Miller

Synopsis:

Babylon is under new Management.
It’s not easy being king, even for a god. Four months after defeating the old Management and taking his place at the top, the actions of the risen amnesiac god known as the Nameless are catching up with him. Within the post-apocalyptic pyramid city of Babylon, dissent festers. Gangs and old enemies put up their last stands while the Nameless tries to pull the city out of the gutter and build a better life for his citizens.

But pressure comes from outside as well. To the west, the so-called One True Church of America is building up to one grand push for dominance. From deep within the swamps of Louisiana, the New Voodoo Movement also begins to put its shadowy hand in the mix.
The fuse has been burning for far too long, and the powder keg is about to explode. In the fire of the blast, the Nameless’ immortality will be put to the test.

But even if he survives, will he want to live in the world he’s created?

Review:

The first two books of the Nameless Chronicle show us Nameless as he struggles just to survive whilst along the way stumbling into adventure, some wealth and other kinds of success. He never seemed to have much of a plan for anything, but things worked out in his favour eventually, and at a great cost. But after the great success, if that is what we are calling it, after Ascent, Nameless isn't worried about survival, he doesn't have to, he isn't worried about doing anything more than existing this time and for the first time in his life (can we use that phrase in relation to Nameless?) he's got time for plans and they're not just plans for himself, but for the citizens of the Pyramid too. Things don't go so well for him this way but man, what character growth. Really, there are depths to Nameless that may not surprise readers, it makes sense that they exist, but we've never had the opportunity to see it before.

There are two other cities on the post-apocalyptic landscape, New Orleans and the White City. New Orleans is full of the New Voodoo Movement, and the White City is the home base of the One True Church of America, religious movements that Nameless doesn't have a good track record with, and has done a lot to try to get rid of. Now both of these cities have plans for Babylon and Nameless but it's clear that pretty much all the White City wants out of them is woeful surrender. As with most, that's just not going to sit well with Nameless. Now Nameless has to look at the world that he's helped to create, but he has a chance to reshape it, and save the city he's adopted.

There's a lot of exploration into what makes Nameless tick and his origins in this book, but the focus is on what he's going to do next and why. This is only the third book in the series, and I can't really pinpoint and explain what the "typical" Nameless book is, whatever I'd say if I could,  this isn't it. I don't know how to really talk about it without pulling apart the plot and laying it all out in front of you and we all know that's not how I do things here. There are old friends and new, old threats and new (and some old friends are new threats and vice versa). Which is not to say that the core of Nameless a ruthless, skillful killer of all in his way isn't there, he is and he does. But there's a little more to him than just that.

Having read all of Millers books so far from the first book in the Nameless Chronicle to A Strange Chemistry which is a tale from the world of the Nameless Chronicle, I can happily say I'm hooked with how Miller writes, he seems to have a way with words and I can tell he's becoming more and more mature with how he writes which is so good to witness.

If you want to read The Nameless Chronicle, go from the foundations up, from the start and right through to now, don't start here. I feel like as a reader you would need all that had happened to a character and all of his experiences to understand who he is now, if that makes any sense? If Miller can keep this series going Id be a happy bunny, I can't wait to see where he goes from here but if he can't, I'm more than satisfied with where things are left and the journey we have seen. A very satisfying ending after a good mix of thrills, fighting and character growth. I cant award this book anything less than a 5/5. Miller has a way with words and I hope some readers will give him a show to impress them, he brings a great balance of lightness and darkness in his stories.

I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion.

BOOK TOUR; Power Struggle ( Detective Madison Knight Series #8) - Carolyn Arnold

Synopsis:

One hit man who’s back for revenge.
One detective who’s not going down without a fight.

It’s been ten months since Detective Madison Knight almost died at the hands of Russian Mafia hit man Constantine Romanov. She hasn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he escaped police custody and fled to Russia soon after his arrest, except now her latest murder investigation gives her reason to believe he’s back in town. Seeing as the victim is the man who killed her grandfather, her perspective may be a little skewed, but with the MO smacking of Constantine and the victim’s connections to the mob, she finds it hard to be objective. Still, she’s doing her best to consider all the evidence.

When she receives a threatening letter from Constantine, however, her suspicions are confirmed. And he’s made it abundantly clear that not only does he plan to finish what he started but he has her family and loved ones in the crosshairs, too. Madison vows to do whatever it takes to save them, but as the hours race by, the body count rises. And the stakes only get higher when Madison’s sister, Chelsea, goes missing.

Now, Madison’s only play is to take Chelsea’s disappearance for what it really means: Constantine is calling Madison out for one final showdown. And they won’t both survive…

Review:

10 months previous to where this story begins, Madison Knight was almost killed by a Russian mob hit man by the name of Constantine Romanov and she is just about managing to pull herself back together. With the help of her therapist and the love from her boyfriend she is managing to get better. But suddenly Romanov is back and he wants to finish what he started. 

He announces his arrival to Madison via a letter, in which he threatens to kill her family and all those that she loves. The whole police department and Madison are out looking for him but when Madison's sister, Chelsea goes missing Knight knows that the end is coming.

Having not read this series before now, as it makes a great stand alone I can only assume that this instalment is a brilliant addition to the series. The characters are well defined and I just wished I had read the other books in the series to watch the characters grow and more particularly see Madison tested in her personal and work life. I feel as though if I had read more than one of these books that I would have formed a stronger bond with the characters although this time I felt I had a strong bond with Madison anyway

Although I read this book as a stand alone, and it worked really well, I would recommend starting at the beginning so those things that make a good series aren't missed. 

It's hard not to love a book with a cold hearted villain so with that point alone the book is a high recommendation from me but it's exciting and put me on edge ever so slightly, bodies fall and there's just a great book to be read right there and I can't give it any less than a 5/5. One day maybe I'll go back and read this series from the start. Only having read one book from Carolyn in the past, from her Brandon Fisher FBI series, it's easy to see that Carolyn has a way with words and creates such wonderful and enjoyable books.  Any of Carolyn' work is an easy recommendation to anyone wanting to dip their toes into reading crime or to anyone who already loves reading crime novels and wants to add another book or indeed another 3 series of them to their book shelves. 

The Red Thread (The Straits Quartet #1) by Dawn Farnham Blog Tour Review

Information about the Book

Title: The Red Thread (The Straits Quartet #1)

Author: Dawn Farnham

Genre: Asian Historical Fiction

Publisher: Monsoon Books

Format: Paperback

Published: 7^th April 2015

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21149887-the-red-thread

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Red-Thread-Chinese-Singapore-Straits-ebook/dp/B005DIAOSM

Summary:

Set against the backdrop of 1830s Singapore where piracy, crime, triads, and tigers are commonplace, this historical romance follows the struggle of two lovers Zhen, a Chinese coolie and triad member, and Charlotte, an 18-year-old Scots woman and sister of Singapores Head of Police. Two cultures bound together by the invisible threads of fate yet separated by cultural diversity.

Review:

I love learning about new cultures and countries so when I was asked if I wanted to read The Red Thread and write an honest review for the upcoming blog tour I simply couldn't resist. The Synopsis excited me as I wanted to know how everything would play out but firstly how everything would come to be. As a genre that I don't read, I'm actually pretty sure this is my first Asian Historical Fiction book I've ever read and it was an enjoyable first experience.

Set in the Singapore of the 1830's, the story follows Charlotte and Zhen in their different, yet intertwined paths, the Red Thread of the title binding them together. Charlotte is young and now in a foreign land which is not like the Singapore we know of today and Zhen  who's portrayed as super sexy, both of them I cared for and sympathised with them but part of me didn't feel all that invested in them in the end. They were both great characters in a great story I just didn't fully connect with them but I loved them all I could. Alongside our two main characters Dawn mixes a number of real-life characters from 1830s Singapore into the pages,  George Coleman and his partner Takouhi most notably, Coleman was an Irish architect who was responsible for the infrastructure of Singapore 

As a whole I thought the story was very well written, with some good prose and some suggestive passages, so I did enjoy the book, its a great mix of love and culture which in the set period of time and place are conflicting things. There has clearly been a large amount of research into each aspect of the cultural and historic moments within the story. Dawn has done a great job and I can understand why she has gone on to write another 3 books under The Straits Quartet series title.

I love the whole belief in the red thread.'The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmate or a destined flame.'

Despite not fully connecting with the characters but loving the plot and the history of the book I can easily give this book a 4 out of 5. Although I have read a few reviews which pointed out many negatives I didn't feel as though they were negatives to me in the situations regarding the plot and the time frame. One day I hope I'll be able to pick up more of Dawns books and enjoy them as I did this one. I recommend this book to anybody who loves history and/or romance. 

About The Author

Dawn Farnham is the author of The Straits Quartet (The Red Thread, The Shallow Seas, The Hills of Singapore and The English Concubine), as well as numerous short stories, plays and children’s books. A former long-term resident of Singapore, Dawn now calls Perth, Australia, home. Her new book, Finding Maria is published in October 2017. Learn more about Dawn at www.dawnfarnham.com.

Website: www.dawnfarnham.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/farnhamauthor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dawnfarnhamauthor/

*PLEASE NOTE* The Red Thread is going to be FREE on Amazon from 17th - 25th September

Monday 18^th September

Little Hux Tales

Book Lover Worm Blog

Tuesday 19^th September

Fiction Fascination

Our First Year Here

Wednesday 20^th September

Bibliobeth

The Bookish Fairy Blog

Thursday 21^st September

The Writing Greyhound

A Books Eternal Glory

Friday 22^nd September

Big Book Little Book

Two Book Thieves

Saturday 23^rd September

Tales of Yesterday

Rambling Mads

Sunday 24^th September

Rachel Bustin

Kraftireader

Juniper Limits (The Juniper Series, #2) - Lora Richardson

Synopsis:

Celia has spent her life waiting for the next crisis. When the tension at home begins to ease, she wonders if she’ll finally be able to relax. Her father has stopped drinking, her cousin Fay has moved back to Juniper, and it seems like Paul might really care about her. But trust is an uphill battle for Celia, fighting against doubt the whole way.

Paul has been drawn to Celia for as long as he can remember, and she is finally giving him a chance to show her how he feels. But when Celia can’t stop worrying everything will fall apart, and when things in Paul’s own life take a turn for the worse, can they learn to rely on each other?

Review:

Having read and reviewed Lora's work which is the first book of The Junpier Series called The Edge Of Junpier and fell in love I was more than happy and honoured to read Junpier Limits. This time we follow Paul and Celia throughout the book, watching their friendship strengthen and blossom.

I was so happy to be back in Juniper and seeing who felt like old friends, this story takes place so close to where The Edge Of Junpier ended and it all fitted so well. Celia's father Tedd is staying sober after being within the hold of alcohol for so long which we got to see in the previous book. it was ice to finally have faith in Tedd and wish he would follow the sobriety all the way through. At the end of the previous book we find out that after leaving Junpier, Fay is moving back and the trio she left behind are excited for her to return. All the while Paul is trying hard to show Celia how much he cares for her and he means it all but Celia doubts him all the way having struggled with trust for a long time.

It's beautiful to watch them both blossom with each other, I knew in the previous book that Paul cared and he was being true. Paul is a breath of fresh air. He isn't a bad boy, just a funny and cheery guy who is persistent in his pursuit of the only girl he's set on getting, but much like Celia his life isn't perfect and my heart really goes out to him, he's caring and sympathetic and yet he's strong and way beyond his years.

What struck me (yet again) about Juniper Limits is how realistic it feels. The dialogue and humor shared between Celia and Paul was so true and relalistic. When it came to how Celia dealt with the stress at home, her reactions felt so believable. Between the sadly true to life situations Celia and Paul were dealing with, Celia's reluctance to trust not only Paul but anyone, and Paul's conflicted feelings about his mother, there was a feeling of authenticity that ran throughout the book. Richardson perfectly captured Celia's tough outer shell, her constant worry, her fear to hope for better, and the shred of hope she allowed herself to feel anyway.

I don't think I can score any lower than 5/5 here, Lora has blown me away again and it was incredible to be able to see their faces and Juniper once again. I went through so many emotions whilst reading this book, all of them with the characters and that just shows you how great Lora writes. It was sad to have to leave them behind when I closed the eBook but I hope ill be seeing them again sometime.

The Salvation Project - Stewart Ross

Synopsis:

A mutation in human DNA means no one lives beyond nineteen. Scientists working to reverse this pandemic died before their Salvation Project was complete, leaving behind the results of their research in a sealed vault – the Soterion.

122 years have passed. The civilisation of the ‘Long Dead’ is almost forgotten, the Soterion has been burned to ashes, and communities of Constants are tormented by brutal tribes of Zeds. Cyrus, Miouda and Sammy flee their burning city with a laptop rescued from the inferno. They believe it contains the key to the Salvation Project. But its batteries are dead, there is no electricity to power it, and murderous Zeds will stop at nothing to get it back…

Review:

We gather here today to witness the ending of The Salvation Project series.

Within this book we once again bare witness to the world of Zeds and Constants, after the happenings of the previous book it's safe to say not only were the character affected but so was I as a reader. If you ever thought the pacing of these books was ever going to change, you are wrong.

With this being the finale of the series I was even more eager to see what would happen and how all of this was going to play out. We follow Sammy, Cyrus, Miouda as they flee from their burning city, its lovely to see Cyrus happy again with Miouda and how she is happy with him. All the characters remained close to my heart and I still maintain a link with them somehow, they were just so real to me. In their possession is what they believe to be the key to the Salvation Project but they have no way to access it without electricity so it becomes their priority to find some and avoid the Zeds.

Along the way we meet survivors unlike any others, they are shrivelled and hiding from the world believing the sun tainted humans. But they have electricity and that's all that gets the group interested as well as providing a place to avoid the wolves in the city that they narrowly manage to escape from on their way to encountering these survivors. However there is only momentary success and they leave with a new companion and a hotter burning fire within them to carry on and finish what was started years and years ago.

In Zed world things are still as violent and bloody as always, however fractures in the ranks begin to effect the whole Zed kind. It's clear that nothing good will ever come from them except for 3 zeds who run from their tribes in search of Cyrus and the other but for a whole new reason which warmed my heart. I will not lie but they do meet, and unlike what you expect things don't go south. Well not for long anyway and its glorious to see.

Throughout the series yet alone this final instalment I prayed for success for the Constants, wishing they get the happy ending they so rightly deserve after all they have been through, all the struggles they have had and the dangers they've had to face. Stewart Ross himself stated " I honestly think it's the best book I've written. Not to everyone's taste because it's controversial, especially at the end; but you must read it." And I have to agree, its not going to be to everyone's taste and it is controversial especially the ending and you really of have to read it but for me it was to taste and although part of me was upset by the ending, more of me was pleased with it.

Each character got what they deserved in the end and I finished the book with a good hearty cry and farewell to all those in the series. Stewart created a world that teaches readers about love and loss, friendship and enemies, education and responsibilities and lets not forget the importance of being able to make a choice for yourself. Although I'm sad to see the series come to an end, I'm incredibly happy to have been on the journey with all of these amazing characters who now I look back at them , had their own reasons for everything they ever did. Much like the other instalments of the series, its a 5/5 from me. Please if you ever have a chance to pick up and read these 3 books, I beg you to take a chance and do it. I didn't regret it, I hope you wont either.

Ask No Questions (Detective Caelan Small #1) - Lisa Hartley Blog Tour

About the Book

Title: Ask No Questions

Author: Lisa Hartley

Release Date: 10th July 2017

Genre: Thriller

Format: Ebook

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35486880-ask-no-questions

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B072X2MY21

Summary:

Some secrets were meant to stay hidden… Trust no-one

After an operation goes badly wrong, undercover specialist Detective Caelan Small leaves the Metropolitan Police for good. Or so she thinks. Then the criminal responsible is seen back in the UK.

Soon Caelan is drawn back into a dangerous investigation. But when the main lead is suddenly murdered, all bets are off. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone is a suspect - even close colleagues.

Someone in the Met is involved and Caelan is being told to Ask No Questions.

This isn’t an option: Caelan needs answers… whatever the cost.

The nerve-shredding new crime thriller from bestseller Lisa Hartley starts a must-read new series. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza, it will keep you guessing until the very end.

Review:

So I got this book request whilst I was in the middle of only wanting to read thrillers/crime novels so I was beyond willing to want to read it, the synopsis pleased me and I just couldn't wait to read it. I'm not quite sure how long it took me to read, maybe 2 days? but all the way I was hooked just turning page after page after page needing to get answers and see this through until the end.

In this book we follow Detective Caelan Small, after an operation goes wrong, the backlash causes her to hand in her resignation before going on a holiday beginning her retirement. That is until she finds out the criminal from the operation that went wrong is back in England she cant seem to say no to joining the investigation once again. From the outset I loved Caelan, she;s a very straight forward and pretty much a character who I can relate to personally when it comes to her emotions and personality.

Richard Adamson, a fellow colleague of Small's is approached by Elizabeth Beckett who is an assistant commissioner for the specialist crime and operations and also part of the Mets senior management team. To him she is god and he cant even refuse to do as he's told even if it means convincing his former colleague to come out of retirement and join the Met once again. He's seen as the only one that knows her enough to be able to talk her around.

Deputy Assistant Commisioner Michael Nasenby, Commander Ian Penrith and Inspector Tim Achebe. When these 3 characters meet Small one for the first time it is clear that there are a vary of emotions towards her. Ian isn't her biggest fan and actually does as far as to rip chunks out of her verbally making no move to hide his feelings about her. Nasenby is sort of like a father figure to her, her previous boss and someone who trusts Small to do a good job. Tim meets her for the first time and is amazed by her skills of working under cover and her techniques of changing from one person to another and I'll admit I was just as amazed as he was. These 3 characters pop up consistently throughout the book and I found it quire easy to follow their encounters by the way they spoke to Caelan,

Every character needs a side kick and for our main character she chooses her own, determined not to work with Richard Adamson again or anyone else but Ewan Davies, ex army now working for the Met. Ewan and Caelan get on well for the most part, they are a great pair that I actually want more of.
One more character to remember is Chief Superintendent Adele Brady, with all of these characters to keep an eye on and think about its quite fun, hard to tell who's friend or foe if any of them are either at all. Each character plays their part, I found it incredibly hard to figure out how the plot was going to go, everything was well felt like it was all hush hush.

The whole book is gripping and full of twists you cant see coming, there are shocks and surprises in store for any reader who will turn the pages of this book. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from Lisa Hartley and seeing Caelan Small again in the near future. Hartley created a world and situations which feel completely real, action packed and breath taking. I had to pause a few time at each twist and just take a breath or two just to let myself process what I was reading. It's a truly amazing thriller and I hope that anyone who loves crime and thrillers will get a chance to read this book because its definitely worth it. I may even go as far as to pick up copies of Lisa's previous work just to experience greatness like this. I cant give this book any less than a 5/5 and I will be processing the ending for maybe months to come. A truly amazing piece of work.

Author Information:

Lisa Hartley lives with her partner, son, two dogs and several cats. She graduated with a BA (Hons) in English Studies, then had a variety of jobs but kept writing in her spare time. In addition to this new series with Canelo she is also working on the next DS Catherine Bishop novel.

Website: http://www.lisahartley.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rainedonparade

Revenge of The Zeds - Stewart Ross

Synopsis:

The Soterion has been opened, but does it mean salvation or devastation? A horrific mutation in human DNA has resulted in a world where no one lives beyond nineteen. Cyrus and the noble Constants have opened the Soterion vault containing the Long Dead's secrets of science, art and possibly even the cure to the mutation. First, Cyrus must teach the Constants to read. But those he calls friends are falling prey to the greed and power knowledge can bring. Meanwhile, the barbaric Zeds are massing against them, determined to take the Soterion for themselves and destroy everything the Constants have built.

Review:

The second book in the Soterion Mission trilogy is just as gripping as the first, after being left internally screaming after finishing the first book, It was an easy call to quickly move on to the second book and continue the journey. I'm going to try and keep this review as spoiler free as I possibly can.

By the title alone I knew there were going to be hard times ahead for the Constants. Revenge of the zeds picks up almost exactly where we left off. In the first chapter alone their is the conclusion of a trial, funerals and the fate of Malik Timur's is found out by the Zeds. Its a pretty fast paced book yet alone chapter wise, it's perfectly paced this way and is action packed and gory. What I love about the book is that even though there are still moments of violence and action, we still get to see the quieter more thoughtful moments and its a lovely contrast and it still wonderful to see great characters being developed and seeing them interact and relate to each other.

When it comes to the characters of the book it was lovely to be back and seeing familiar characters like Sammy and Cyrus from the constants and Giv and Jamshid from the zeds. The one character who is new to us this book, is a character I didn't think I'd like but she grew on me quite quickly and her name is Malika Xsani who is the head of a different tribe of Zeds who you can really feel has determination and focus. There are many characters within this book, majority of them are new to us and that's because we get to see Cyrus become a tutor to members of Alba, he uses what is found within the walls of the Soterion to do so. What's great about this is how logically the character went about this and how well it was portrayed. Although Cyrus himself is not able toe read and write effortlessly and know the meaning of everything, he is the best they have so he is soon tutoring members of Alba whom he himself didn't pick bar 1.

I feel as though these books have lessons to learn within them and to me this book feels like it's about knowledge and how it is valuable, that it is powerful and it can be understood differently by  many. Some want knowledge in order to be able to share it with others, to make things better, but others see knowledge as something to be feared or something to be kept to oneself in order to maintain a position of power and importance. I feel as though the reference to and the plot itself backs this idea up.

This is a really good continuation of the story of the Constants and Zeds so it easily gets a 5/5 without a struggle. The ending is great, but as so many things are left unresolved there is a wonderful place for the next and last instalment. Thanks to the build up and ending of the book you are left needing the next book just to find out what happens and how so. It is yet again beyond words for me to tell you how I fully feel about this book and that I hope a lot of teenagers will pick this book up and absorb it.

The Salvation Project by Stewart Ross Blog Tour

Information about the Book

Title: The Salvation Project (The Soterion Mission #3)

Author: Stewart Ross

Release Date: 20^th June 2017

Genre: Dystopian YA

Publisher: Blean Books

Format: Paperback

Synopsis:

Humanity’s hope of salvation lies within a single laptop…

A mutation in human DNA means no one lives beyond nineteen. Scientists working to reverse this pandemic died before their Salvation Project was complete, leaving behind the results of their research in a sealed vault – the Soterion.

122 years have passed. The civilisation of the ‘Long Dead’ is almost forgotten, the Soterion has been burned to ashes, and communities of Constants are tormented by brutal tribes of Zeds. Cyrus, Miouda and Sammy flee their burning city with a laptop rescued from the inferno. They believe it contains the key to the Salvation Project. But its batteries are dead, there is no electricity to power it, and murderous Zeds will stop at nothing to get it back…


Review:

This book review is actually of the first book in The Salvation Project called The Soterion Mission, I wanted to do this so that my reviews were in order so I didn't review The Salvation Project which is book number 3 and then go back and review book 1 and 2 but I'll definitely be reviewing the following 2 books so please keep your eyes out them.
I wasn't so sure what to expect from this book ore series in general, once I received the books I sat and read 25 pages from the first book and could instantly feel the pull of not wanting to put it down. The following day I sat down and managed to finish the book in 1 sitting, it was literally a book I could not put down.

The whole series is based over a hundred years or so in the future, thanks to a worldwide epidemic no one lives past the age of 19, once they reach their 19th year they age rapidly in a mater of weeks. Only living until they are 19  means there is no longer any knowledge of the life from 2019 and beyond, it has all disappeared and life has now turned back to what it would have been like in the early years of human civilisation.

The characters were so well constructed and beautiful, Roxanne is the character that kind of throws everything up in the air at the beginning of the book, she's vulnerable and beautiful, she's clever and can read and write unlike the other characters but she's so real and I felt linked to her and the others in a way I cant even describe. She has knowledge of a place of knowledge, a place called the Soterion which holds the very last intel on human life before the epidemic, it's a place full of centuries of lost knowledge. On the quest to uncover the Soterion she is joined by Cyrus, a handsome and funny man, he knows what he must do the moment he meets Roxanne, he's drawn to her beauty and knowledge and can't help but love her. His life time friend Navid joins him, he didn't even need to be asked, he's a great friend, supportive and trusting, there isn't a good story without a dog, and his name is Corby, failthful and loyal. There are so many good characters when together make a diverse group, I find that characters clash at points and that that's meant to happen, I wasn't a fan of Taja mostly because eof her reaction to the whole thing, she seemed full of hatred towards Roxanne but that was her character but in the end I didn't hate her, her development over the span of the book really helped.

The point of view allows us to explore the words of the Constants who are the tribes who follow the values of the people before them- and the Zeds who are brutal tribes which revel in other people’s pain and suffering. Thanks to the ability to see both sets of people it made the story flow much easier, it gives you as a reader the knowledge from each side.
There were a lot of humorous parts in The Soterion Mission, I found it quite heart-warming and funny when Roxanne begins to talk of the only 2 books she has read so far and one happens to be the IKEA catalogue, which in all fairness helps a little. Where there is humour there are sober moments and to have both sort of intertwined in the story was a lovely contrast.

After meeting the characters early on in the book I instantly clicked with them, they are just teenagers living in a world that can barely work, and their faith in finding the cure to live on was so heart-warming. The connection with the characters doesn't falter, I got emotional too many times and I may have had a one sided argument with the book over a few decisions made within the book but all together the book was a great one for the start of a series, alone the first chapter grips you and let me tell you, the whole book alone makes you want to see where the rest of the series is going.

Its an easy 5/5 from me, its beyond words for me to tell you how I fully feel about this book, I hope a lot of teenagers pick this book up and absorb it as well as the rest of the series because throughout there are lessons everyone should learn.

Thank you to Faye for providing me with the book to which I have given my honest opinion.

Goodreads Link:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35095911-the-salvation-project

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salvation-Project-Stewart-Ross/dp/0957101929

About the Author

Stewart was born in Buckinghamshire and educated in Oxford, Berkhamsted, Exeter, Bristol, and Orlando, Florida. He taught at a variety of institutions in Sri Lanka, the Middle East, the USA, and Britain before becoming a full-time writer in 1989.

With over 300 published titles to his credit, he is now one of Britain’s most popular and versatile authors. His output includes prize-winning books for younger readers, novels, plays, three librettos, a musical, and many widely acclaimed works on history and sport. Several of his books are illustrated with his own photographs.

Stewart also lectures in France and the UK, gives talks, runs workshops, and visits schools. He is an occasional journalist and broadcaster. His brother, Charlie Ross, is the celebrated auctioneer.

n his spare time Stewart enjoys travel, restaurants, sport, theatre, photography, art and music. He lives near Canterbury with his wife Lucy, and - occasionally - his four children and two grandchildren. Each morning he commutes 10 metres to work in a large hut in the garden.

Website: http://www.stewartross.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Booksmyth

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Soterion-Mission-194311443946577/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jstewartross

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