BLOG TOUR: The Incendiaries - R.O.Kwon

Synopsis:

Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet during their first years at a prestigious university. Phoebe doesn't tell anyone that she blames herself for her mothers recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy transferring in from bible college, waiting table to make ends meet. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.

Haunted by her loss, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group - a secretive cult tied to North Korea - founded by a charismatic former student with an enigmatic past involving Phoebe's Korean American family. Will struggles to confront the obsession consuming the one her loves and the fundamentalism he's tried to escape. When the extremist group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she cold have been responsible for this violent act.



Review:

The opening to this book is uhm… quite explosive, literally. The book starting at the end before then jumping around in all directions as Will searches for any ounce of a clue that could possibly point to Phoebe being responsible for such an act. 

The chapters switch between Will, John and Phoebe but the majority of the story is told by Will. There is many times where he recalls moments and conversations with Phoebe whilst almost straight out admitting that sometime he isn't really sure he's remembering things correctly.

The Incendiaries is a short book lasting only 210 pages but I must admit it wasn't anything like i expected it to be, it was a very slow burner and it was hard for me to really read it for long periods of time. It is as though the peak of the action took place right at the very start, most of the story that was being given, which was Will and Phoebe's back stories served in a broken/fragmented way which for me moved towards a somewhat anti climatic ending.

Initially it was the synopsis which had me interested and encouraged me to say yes and take part in this blog tour which I can't say I regret doing even if I feel somewhat in the grey towards the book and I have no regrets because the book carries themes that stick with you after you've closed it and moved on. Phoebe reminded me how vulnerable people can be, showing how people can be easily guided towards bad things in bad times, how easily they can be open to radical ideas. There's no denying that we as people like to think that we are strong-minded and can’t be moved and easily influenced by others but from this book it seems that maybe we don’t really know what we are, as humans are capable of when we’re feeling lost, at what we see is the very bottom of us and someone offers a hand to pull you free.

By that alone, as much as I actually liked the themes of the book, I'm giving it a 3.8 out of 5, I just wished I could have been able to feel something relatable about the characters, even if it were just the small things.



Amazon link to purchase a copy of The Incendiaries.

The City Of Lost Fortunes - Bryan Camp

Synopsis:

The fate of New Orleans rests in the hands of a wayward grifter in this novel of gods, games, and monsters.

The post–Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son.

Review:

The City of Lost Fortunes is one of those books that takes magic, mythology, folklore and culture, throws it all into a blender and ends up being that smoothie that's a mix of mind blowing fantasy. It's unique and highly engaging, there's even a chance that The City of Lost Fortunes could be described as fantasy on steroids!

This novel was an absolute joy to read what with such a beautiful writing that guided me through time and dimensions as if it were a dream. The gods, monsters and mythological undertone blew my imagination.

The conflict at the centre of this book is not a simple one but rather a large cluster of events that through cause and effect guide Jude towards truths and a fate that he never considered.

There is a lot of magic in this book, suppressed magic, magic that has been taken away and magic that has been enhanced. And one way, or another, Jude experiences magic in all forms. But he is not a know-it-all; he learns and discovers and gambles… the game among gods and monsters isn’t over until the final card has been dealt.

Yeah, Jude is a bit of a wise-cracker! I loved his character- his intelligent, analytical mind, his particular view of men, gods, magic. Everything he goes through in this book, and it’s a LOT, he takes it in his stride, without complaint, even when he ends up experiencing an unexpected … ahem.. out of body experience of sorts! As he investigates the murder, and as his very essence hangs in the balance, Jude must remain alert to recognize friend from foe.

I liked all of the characters in the book- some of them we have all heard about through various tales, but it seemed to me that Bryan Camp is a special kind of puppeteer to bring them all together: angels, vampires, zombies, psychopomps, voodoo loas riding the human bodies, ghouls… I’m telling you, this book is a treasure and when you’re reading it, you’re the pirate taking a dive into a loot of pure gold.

The City of Lost Fortunes is an ode, a dedication, to New Orleans and its people. A fantastic, imaginative fairytale-like puzzle of gods and monsters, supernatural folklore and myths. It is an incredible venture into a world otherwise unseen to mere mortals, topped up with a generous dose of attitude, unexpected nuggets of wisdom and twists, underlined by an unwillingness to fold in a game with an open ending. Basically, do yourself a favour and read this book. Its a 5/5 from me and in a world where the number would be out of 10, it would still be a top scorer.

Wrecking Ball: A Big Lad From a Small Island - Billy Vunipola

Synopsis:

Wrecking Ball is a captivating and humorous memoir by Billy Vunipola, one of the stars of England's recent rugby renaissance, and will be enjoyed by those who have read the recent autobiographies by Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing almost 20 stone, Billy is a rampaging and unmissable presence on the rugby pitch, for both club and country.

Wrecking Ball is his captivating story so far, chronicling his remarkable personal odyssey of 10,000 miles, from the tiny Tongan village of Longo Longo to the imposing vastness of Twickenham.

Join Billy on his journey from the year-round sunshine of Tonga to the bitter cold of a British winter, from his favourite Pontypool kebab shop to finding himself eating broccoli for breakfast, and from carefree childhood games in the middle of the Pacific to the serious business of playing professional rugby in Europe.

Wrecking Ball is a wonderfully eccentric and witty book, written with bags of charm. It captures Billy's colourful family and upbringing, and creates a rounded and fascinating portrait of a young man finding his feet as a modern English rugby player.

Review:

I'm going to have to try and contain myself as I write this review, as some people may know I'm a huge fan of the England Rugby team and well Billy Vunipola is one of the members of the team so when I saw he had a book out about his life and his story so far I just had to grab a copy and ahhhh!!! Okay so I've wanted to read the autobiographies of Jonny Wilkinson, Brian O'Driscoll, Dan Carter and Paul O'Connell whom are some kick ass players but I never actually got my hands on any copies even though I'd see the covers everywhere but I couldn't not pick up Billy's book and I'm sure ill go an pick up copies of the other autobiographies some time.

So Billy plays number 8 for England and Saracens and if you saw him and his older brother Mako you'd probably have a pre judgement on them by their sheer size Billy is past 6ft tall and nearly 20 stone so already with that information you're probably sizing him up and backing away from the guy, but honestly although he makes big hits and can probably make severe dents in opposing teams defence he's actually a great guy.

This book about his upbringing from the moment his father set foot on English soil all the way to the 2017 British and Irish Lions Tour of which he had to miss due to injury, we watch as Billy grows up facing many challenges and a huge amount of running!
Before I even went into this autobiography I knew a few things about Billy, like he was born in Sydney and as he grew up could have played for either Australia, Wales or England professionally, I knew of some injuries he had sustained through his career and how some other very well known rugby players had grown up with him (which is always such a great thing to see) but this book kind of opened the doors wider, it showed us the Tongan culture and way of life that Billy and Mako grew up in as well as all the other issues like his first real fight, his debut at Wasps and more things alike.

Throughout reading this, I've laughed and cried with Billy, realising so many things about such a great player that I didn't know before, feeling every emotion he must have experience through each of his experiences as a kid. I've never really felt so attached to someone in such a way that I now do with billy because although I don't personally know the man nor have I met him, this book he wrote for fans and other alike really allowed us to see that even though he is a professional rugby player who is in the public eye a lot, he is still human who has had to fight to get to where he is and has struggled but fought tooth and nail for all he has.

Its an emotional read but intriguing and very eye opening, I loved getting to know more about Billy and his upbringing as well as his family and the culture of which he grew up in before coming to England. I can give this read and easy 5/5 without question and recommend it to any fans of Rugby to any degree. Now I'm off to binge buy every other rugby player autobiography I can and then binge read and fangirl for days.

How To Stop Time - Matt Haig

Synopsis:

I am old. That is the first thing to tell you. The thing you are least likely to believe. If you saw me you would probably think I was about forty, but you would be very wrong.

Tom Hazard has a dangerous secret.

He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. From Elizabethan England to Jazz Age Paris, from New York to the South Seas, Tom has seen a lot, and now craves an ordinary life. Always changing his identity to stay alive, Tom has the perfect cover - working as a history teacher at a London comprehensive. Here he can teach the kids about wars and witch hunts as if he'd never witnessed them first-hand. He can try and tame the past that is fast catching up with him.

The only thing Tom mustn't do is fall in love.

Review:

Matt Haig is a wonderful writer, i mean most of the bookish community know that right? if not all of it. So when i heard How To Stop Time was coming out and people were so pleased with the book itself I couldn't not grab a copy and i honesty can't even say I regret it.

We follow Tom who is 400+ years old yet he looks 40, we follow him as he tries to get on with life in London as he takes up a job as a History teacher. Being how old he is he has experienced alot of history and you can see how incredible Matt is just by even making this a concept.  We get to see the past of Tom as he journeys through time and history to help us understand his character and it's incredible to see the interactions and pieces of history woven so neatly into a story.

The characters we see and interact with throughout the story seemed to take up a place in my heart, both whether they were particularly nice or not, they still had a part of me.  We see several famous people woven through time in this book, great famous people whom i shall not name in case it may ruin part of the book for you.  To create such a wonderful character such as Tom and those whom he meets in the current time is brilliant and to go as far as to interpret and portray people of the past is amazing.

Matt shows off his incredible writing talent in this book, taking us on a roller coaster ride that is a hell of a lot of fun. Reasons To Stay Alive had me hooked on Matt and to then go on to read The Humans and now How To Stop Time, I don't think I'll be walking away from Matt's writing anytime soon.

How To Stop Time is a tale of belonging, love, loss and so much more. Rich in history and love its surely a book you wont want to put down until the last page has been turned. Its yet again another great book from an amazing Author and i hope that if you haven't picked up a copy.read it yet that you will  I hope you'll fall in love with it as quickly and as easily as I did.  Easily a 5/5 from me without any doubt.

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 14, 2008
Available Editions: Hardback, Paperback, EBook



Book Synopsis:
In a dark vision of the near future, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear on live TV show called the Hunger Games. There is only one rule: Kill or be Killed.
When sixteen- year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sisters place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.

Review

Young Katniss Everdeen a 16 year old from district 12 gets to experience the entertainment of the arena, from within. The rules of the Hunger Games are simple, in punishment for the uprising, each of the 12 districts put forward one boy and one girl, called tributes to participate. The twenty four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold any situation burning desert to frozen wastelands. Over a period of a few weeks the competitors must fight to the death, the last tribute standing, wins. Taking the children from the districts allows them all to be reminded how much they are all at the Capitols mercy.

I remember when my parents bought me the trilogy, the price had been reduced recently so they bought them home for me and I could barely get them out the cardboard pack without being rough, thankfully I didn't damage them in the process of taking them in and out of the packaging. I can remember the new book smell even though it was a while ago.

I love how the future portrayed in the book isn't the weird technology advanced future that most of us want it to be, for me this future seems and feels more realistic. Not only that but I love the way the characters portray their emotions through their actions, volunteering to go into the games to replace your sister for instant, beautiful.

Katniss is a tough girl, she has skills no one else can possess and it's not only that that makes me love her, it's her determination throughout. She takes the mother role in her family ever since her father died and her mother simply couldn't function, she would hunt in the forest that was off bounds just so her sister and mother could eat a decent meal. She is also a character perfectly portrayed, by Jennifer Lawrence. Peeta can impress anyone and everyone and in the capitol it takes a lot to get them on side, he's young and good looking, he's kind in heart and he's a wonderful character perfectly portrayed in the movies by Josh Hutcherson. Haymitch isn't just a district drunk once the games begin, he is a life line for the young district 12 tributes, he knows what it's like to be in the arena and he knows how bad it can become, between the harsh words and periods of being drunk, he's a man who does what's right not what is easy. Effie, coming from the capitol is judged and labelled for that, she may have a very large obsession with Mahogany and large hair and eccentric outfits, but she's a kind woman, she isn't like the capitol people are anymore, the games changed her. All of the characters in the book/s felt real to me and I cringe most of the time where I read about them being in any danger.

With this book being the first of a series your expectations are high and with the films now being something the books are up against you definitely need to read the books and see the films to take a side. When I first got the books, the first film had already been released but I hadn't seen it, only once I had finished the 3 books completely did I allow myself to buy the DVD. Lets say the movies are a great representation of the books. Once I had begun reading the book I was simply unable to stop, quite literally, until I had finished, I managed it within 5 hours. No headache either. The next day I was straight into the 2nd book of the series.

Even though I like the book as a whole there was only one thing I disliked heavily. It had to end. As we know all good things must come to an end, and like that saying, it did.

I have no trouble awarding the book a 5 out of 5 as a rating and I  recommend this book to anyone who likes heavy suspense and has enough free time to read it because I guarantee you wont be able to put it down, of course anyone from the age 13 upwards are a good audience for the book and if you have seen the 2 movies so far and haven't read the books then, I do recommend them to you too. I can see I've haven't read any books like this before and I hope I never will.