The Violinist - C.R.Tyra

Synopsis:

"All sailors bware, for only one will the Lioness spare."

In the 34th century, vicious creatures walk the earth, and a bloodthirsty witch rules over the sea. The captial city of Zargo has found that music may keep its monsters at bay, and Lucien Mooncaster, the lead violinist of the city orchestra, is the toast of the town. But even with the lifestyle of a celebrity knocking at his door, the only company he cares to keep is that of his endless supply of books.

Meanwhile, perfection proves to be fragile as Licien's picturesque life of comfort falls out rom under him when a storm strikes, and an unearthly beautiful woman washes ashore, shipwreckd outside his home.


Review:

There is no denying that within the first few pages I was hooked, completely and in no doubt. Throughout the book we see the world through 4/5ish points of view, James Tolston who is s rookie aboard a ship sailing the sea, Archer Solomon, a monster hunter armed to the teeth and for the majority of the book, Lucien Mooncaster, the lead violinist of the towns orchestra who loves the company of his endless collection of books. The other 1 maybe 2 POV's are up to you as a reader to see.

Lucien is such a relatable character which helps as a reader to keep me fully imersed in the book. He loves his books and prefers them over people ( I can totally relate to that but shhh dont tell anyone.) As a main character it's not only his preferences to books over people that makes him relatable for me, but also his emotions and reactions to the things he is thrown into and experiences.

The world in which this book is set is a beautiful mix of so many things like Victorian Steampunk, some sort of brilliant fairytale and my favourite, post apocalypse setting. This alone wins The Violinist and C.R.Tyra a hell load of points just for being one off and in no doubt, memorable.

In the grand scale of things, if you look at the book as a whole there are themes that really do touch you as a reader. What screams at me the most is how the main characters are struggling with their past relationships, would it be love or family and there inability to let go of the past which is the source of inner turmoil. The themes of love annd loss are touching and well portrayed. What i see which is minimal I guess, but how music is portrayed as a defence mechanism for the town againsts the bad things that may come. It feels quite relatable as sometimes music is an escape from feeling quite bad but can also be a source of happiness.

Without a doubt The Violinist gets a 5/5 from me and its impossible for me to score this read any lower it was just so enjoyable and gripping. The Violinist is a beautiful dark fantasy deffinetly worth checking out.

Shadows and Lies (Carson Reno Mystery Series Book 16) - Gerald W. Darnell

Synopsis:

All Carson Reno Mystery Series Books are standalone novels. It is not necessary to read them in any particular order.

What happens when a rich client, three beautiful women, a shifty businessman, a gambler and a missing spouse are all suspected of murder? The results are a merry-go-round of shadows and lies in a house of cards with clues almost as old as Carson.

Greed, blackmail, infidelity, murder, serial killers and a twenty year old crime spin a tale that is practically unbelievable – with the truth masked behind a story that nobody wants told.
This old fashion ‘whodunit’ takes Carson Reno and his crew on a complicated adventure, which has too many victims and too many suspects.

Come along and help Carson find the clues and discover the truth as he tries to make sense of all the Shadows and Lies.

Review:

Going into this book I knew great things were going to happen as ive read on Carson Reno Mystery books before and I loved it and this book definitely lived up to the last book of Gerald's book that I read. I love the fact that it is still as fast paced as I remember the series being, as soon as I begun reading I was pulled into the drama and it was great. Some may be concerned that you wont be able to make sense of all that was going on as this book is a part of a series ( Carson Reno Mystery Series) but as Gerald explained this book stands alone and everything ended up being crystal clear easily understandable.

The pictures involved in the pages of the book were really nice and a great change from the usual block of text. I like how not only they split up the text but also helped you imagine the story unfolding in these places because after all each and every one of the photos were of either places or of objects used in the story which helped enhance the overall immersion.

There were many characters within this story, they're easily remembered and I have to admit they are captivating characters, each of them involved within this story are portrayed so well it's hard to not become attached to them. They are all very strong and powerful characters who are all very different from the other. I don't want to name or describe any of them because I feel that doing that with these books takes away some of the magic. Darnell manages to bring each of them to life and makes them truly unforgettable.

The plot was very much a great one, it was a very well thought out and well written. I didn't see any of this plot happening, it was much of a surprise to me as it was the characters. There are so many moments where you have to sit back and try joining the dots, I failed miserably of course so come near the end of the book and I'm on the edge of my seat just begging to know the secrets hidden within the story, when the whole thing is told I sat back in amazement having not seen it coming the conclusion just blew me away, I wish I had managed to join some of the dots if I'm honest. Although to some the plot may seen far fetched or whatever, it's very gripping and brilliantly written. 

I have to give this book a 5/5 I'd feel horrendous and it would feel very wrong for me to mark it anything else. It was truly brilliant and gripping all the way through. There are no negatives from me.

Chasing Eveline - Leslie Hauser

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Ivy Higgins is the only student at Carmel Heights High School who listens to cassettes. And her binder is the only one decorated with album artwork by 80s band Chasing Eveline. Despite being broken-up since 1989, this rock band out of Ireland means everything to Ivy. They’re a reminder of her mom, who abandoned Ivy and her dad two years ago. Now the music of her mom’s favorite band is the only connection she has left.

Even though Ivy wavers between anger and a yearning to reconnect, she’s one-hundred percent certain she’s not ready to lose her mom forever. But the only surefire way to locate her would be at a Chasing Eveline concert. So with help from her lone friend Matt—an equally abandoned soul and indie music enthusiast—Ivy hatches a plan to reunite the band.

The road to Ireland won’t be easy, though. And not just because there is no road. Along the way they’ll have to win over their Lady Gaga-loving peers, tangle with some frisky meerkats, and oh yeah, somehow find and persuade the four members to play a reunion gig. It’s a near-impossible task, but Ivy has to try. If she can’t let go of the past, she’ll never be able to find joy in the present.

Review:

Chasing Eveline is the story of a 16 year old girl named Ivy, one day her mother got up and just left her, leaving her to be raised by her father even though he himself is dealing with the loss and abandonment.

Ivy has only 1 connection  with her mom and that is through her mom's favourite band from the 80s called Chasing Eveline. All of the songs take her to a place with her mother where the memories are fresh and they are happy.

Together with her friend Matt who himself is struggling with a break up, try to get Chasing Eveline back together and they try to get the band new love from teenagers in creative ways and it made my heart melt how determined they both are in these activities because it was just that important to them. In the end they meet a boy named Sean who they quickly become friends with due to his love for the band too. Up to this point as a reader you really don't know which way this book is going and let me tell you there's plot twists in there.

The best part of this entire book to me was that it was a realistic story told about a teen girl dealing with pain and grief. She was strong in her broken heartedness. She was strong and determined and so real. The ending of the book was perfect, I mean they struggle hard throughout so any sort of reward at the end was going to be worth it but the end was such a great reward for them. Its a story of friendship and love, family and acknowledgment and acceptance. Just pure brilliance.

I feel as though this is YA novel that anyone can read no matter their age. Its heart warming and heart breaking, food for the soul, sewn together with love and written so perfectly. I cried and laughed, I experienced emotions with these characters and their lives, a great book does this and Leslie has done an amazing job here.

For all of this alone it is a 5/5 from me and a recommendation to anyone, I believe there is so much more for me to say but I can't quite put it into perfect enough words to express it. I really hope that I can read more of Leslies work in the future because Chasing Eveline with stay with me.

The Puppet Master - Abigail Osborne

Synopsis:
Manipulated by fear and love...could you cut the strings and take back control?

Billie’s hiding from the world, believing it to be the only way to take control of her life as she lives in fear of the man who nearly destroyed her. But what she doesn’t realise is that she’s exactly where he wants her; isolated and afraid. A chance meeting with budding journalist Adam sparks a relationship that could free her from the terror that controls her. But will Adam be able to see the real Billie buried under her terror and pain?

Adam knows exactly who Billie is and is determined to expose her and get justice for the lives she ruined. But first, he needs to convince her to open up to him but as unwanted attraction and feelings blossom between them, Adam is forced to realise that all is not as it seems.

Most of their lives have been unknowingly governed by the desires and needs of someone who considers himself their master. He has influenced and shaped them for years, meticulously weaving a web of lies and control around them. Can Billie and Adam survive the betrayals in store and cut the strings that bind them?

One thing is for sure. The master wants his puppets back – and he’ll do anything to keep them.


Review:

So this book is actually told through 3 points of view, our main character Billie, our supporting character as I like the call them, Adam and then a point of view you don't know who's it is until near the end I suppose.

Automatically we are thrown into the world of Billie and you can tell straight away she has had a terrible past in the way she lives and interacts with everyone around her, its soon in the story that you meet Adam in her perspective and It seem like they both get along quite nicely until the POV changes and you can suddenly tell that Adam has ulterior motives for striking up conversation with her.
 Billie has a past she wants to escape, she's learnt to lock it away and she is just getting by living but as soon as Adam appears everything begins to change.

What's great about these characters is that Adam is persistent and funny, handsome and intelligent and very much protective but also he is easily angered but also gets what he wants. Billie is very excluded from the world, she's not exactly happy and she haunted but around Adam she comes out of her shell and they're literally opposites of each other and you know what they say, Opposites attract. Throughout the story Adam tries to get Billie to open up to him about her pat because he knows there's something in there he needs to know but all the way she refuses to open up even when he opens up first hoping to lure her out. eventually sparks begin to fly between the pair and they both have conflicting feelings about it because Adam doesn't want to love her but he can not and Billie loves him but knows she is in danger if she does.

There's a lot of build up to the end that I feel is 100% worth it. When Billie finally feels comfortable enough to open up and the suspense is at what you think is the most it can be we finally get to see what has traumatised Billie for so long and what has really given Adam motivation in his actions. I physically felt my heart drop and my anger bubble in my blood, it hit me so hard and made me angry because of the other characters that were portrayed in Billies past, if you ever read this book you'll know why, I just hate characters that are so oblivious, rude and horrific.

The book begins in the present day then visits early years and then back to the present day once we have all the information we need, even though the transitions are quite large its very easy to keep track and build up both characters and see them for who and what they really are. The story does have some twists and turns surprise wise for the reader, the author really holds your attention and immerses you into the story where you feel like you're in the scenes, not in physical form but you can see it unfolding like you're invisible right next to them if that makes sense.

I have to give this book a 4.7 out of 5, it's definitely a great read however I just found that it didn't particularly blow me away hard enough to get a 5/5 yet it wasn't a waste of my time to read to get anything lower than a 4,but I enjoyed it none the less. As this is Abigail's debut novel I cant wait to see what else she comes up with because I'll definitely be looking out for her.

If you do want to read this book I don't want to spoil it for you but it doesn't contain the grooming and mild description of child molestation so that is just a warning. I do recommend it to anyone who really loves trying to figure out things just because I was totally unable to do so until the book literally spelt it out for me. Thank you to Faye Rogers who supplied me with a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Around the World in 80 Tales - Dave Tomlinson

Book Summary: 
80 Stories, 25 Countries, 5 Continents, One Heck of a Ride! A journey of captivating true travel stories from that will inspire, amuse and amaze. This fascinating kaleidoscope of people, places, food and culture brings to life the colourful experiences of travelling the world on a budget!

Review:

I've always wanted to travel, since I've been a child I was always thinking of where I should go, for how long and what I would do there and most importantly how I would get there. As I grew I begun to see the full picture, how much it was going to cost to go to places I craved to visit, I even made plans for a road trip through American once with a few friends, we planned the majority of and I still quite embarrassingly have the notepad document on my laptop that I typed  it all in. The plan of course fell through, distance grew between me and everyone involved yet the very need in me to visit America and everywhere else to see all of these beautiful things still lingered within me.

So when Dave contacted me and told me about his new travel book Around the World in 80 Tales I really couldn't say no. It is one of the greatest things I've gotten to read about the world, the people scattered around it and the wonderful views and experiences to be had outside of my home.  I'm beyond envious of Dave's journeys, incredibly in awe of the photo's he took, the experiences he had and those who gave him a glimpse into their life and were so generous on his travels through each place.

Each story is short and engaging, accompanied by beautiful photos. Reading each story at home tucked under a roof in between 4 walls I was in a constant state of seeing myself in each situation, even in those not so very 'glorious' ones Dave will know which ones I'm talking of! and a state of pure envy which would physically ache my chest. Each story is pure and true, in no way exaggerated or altered for our pleasure, they are real life moments, memories and breath taking moments. Dave made me envious but reading his tales, poured gasoline on the flame inside of me that wants to travel.

I am beyond thankful for Dave having shared with not only me but you, his stories, its been a great experience and a very much eye opening one. As you know before now I have wanted to travel, to experience cultures and peoples generosity whilst experiencing great things, now I don't 'want' to travel, I thrive to, I pray and hope to do so even if its only to a few places, it's still an adventure or several, all of which I would be thankful to have experienced.

Having bought me so much joy and laughs I can't reward this book anything less than a 5/5. I recommend it to anyone who wants to travel but haven't got the time or money or are going to be traveling and want some ideas on where to go and activities to do. Thank you to Dave who provided me with a copy for a review.