Tag: Adult

Book Review: Fellside

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 13 Comments

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4-star

Title: Fellside

Author: M. R. Carey

Rating: 4/5 stars

Series? No

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Book Depository

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review.

I was positively gleeful when I received my copy of Fellside in the mail, being a huge fan of M. R. Carey’s first book: The Girl With All The Gifts. Comparing the two work is a pointless task, as they’re completely separate entities. Yet, Fellside retains the element I loved most from Girl: an unsettling glimpse into humanity’s psyche – especially at our lowest point.

Fellside Continue reading “Book Review: Fellside” →

Book Review & Tour: Who’s Afraid

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 22 Comments

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3star

Title: Who’s Afraid

Author: Maria Lewis

Series? Yes.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Booktopia

 

WhosAfraid

Disclaimer: I was provided with a review copy of this book by Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review.

TOUR BANNER2

I was excited about Who’s Afraid the moment I read the blurb. It mentioned rural New Zealand (for those who don’t know, I spent my formative years in NZ and have all the love for it), werewolves and promised action. It’s been a while since I’ve read urban fantasy as well, so I was eager to dive back into the genre. For the most part, Who’s Afraid was an engaging read, filled with elements you’ve come to love about paranormal tales, but with enough twists to stand on its own.

Aotearoa – With Werewolves!

For all her life, Tommi’s mother has never been frank about her heritage – hiding her in Scotland with brutal half-truths about her father and his family. With the help of her best friend, Tommi discover he may be a Maori man residing in rural New Zealand. As mentioned above, I was most excited about New Zealand being mentioned in the blurb, and basically could not wait for Tommi to land in Rotorua. From the get go, the setting is fraught with tension – she’s there to find her biological father and alleged rapist of her deceased mum. The truth she finds is even more horrifying, involving a Maori tribe of werewolves (I know! What a premise!) and truths about herself she’s not quite ready to uncover.  Continue reading “Book Review & Tour: Who’s Afraid” →

Mini Review: The Sleeper and The Spindle

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The Sleeper and The Spindle Neil Gaiman Chris Riddell

5star

Title: The Sleeper and The Spindle

Author: Neil Gaiman

Illustrator: Chris Riddell

Series? No.

Rating: 5/5

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The Sleeper and The Spindle was everything I wanted and more. Filled with breathtaking illustrations by Chris Riddell with luxurious gold detailings – along with Neil Gaiman’s masterful and lyrical writing; it’s a definite winner.

At 66 pages, it’s a bit tough for me to review this beauty, so I’ll let you determine whether you should purchase the book based on the questions below. If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind after reading a fairy tale, you need this book!
The Sleeper and The Spindle Neil Gaiman

“A week from today, I shall be married.”

It seemed both unlikely and extremely final. She wondered how she would feel to be a married woman. It would be the end of her life, she decided, if life was a time of choices.

Ever wondered what happened to Snow White after she was woke from her slumber? Was she grateful for the prince, or did she really have no choice in the matter? The Queen that Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell illustrate is filled with misgivings about her upcoming marriage. She’s not content to be bound to a life of domestic servitude (the lady has spent long enough sweeping and cleaning after seven dwarfs, after all) – she’s going to embark on an adventure to save a damsel from distress instead. Continue reading “Mini Review: The Sleeper and The Spindle” →

Book Review: The Girl With All the Gifts

~ aentee @ read at midnight ~ 5 Comments

The Girl with All the Gifts

5star

Title:  The Girl With All the Gifts

Author:  M. R. Carey

Rating:  5/5 stars

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Book Review, Read at Midnight

This is one of the rare instances where I started reading a book I knew next-to-nothing about.  All I knew about the book was: Melanie is a 10 year old girl who’s been locked in a cell for as long as she can remember.  I thought it was going to be a bit like Ender’s Game.  However, what I ended up reading was, dare I say, far better than Ender’s Game.  Here was a dystopia with a familiar premise, but it felt fresh because of how character-centric the writing was.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Girl With All the Gifts” →

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic

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Fantasy, A Darker Shade of Magic, Book Review, V. E. Schwab

5star

Title: A Darker Shade of Magic

Author: V.E.Schwab

Rating: 5/5 stars

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Book Review, Read at Midnight

Thank you V.E.Schwab, this book reminds me why I used to love reading so much! As mentioned in my previous post, I haven’t read much in the past year, especially compared to how I devoured books during my university years. What I did read was limited to authors or series I knew I loved. But I am so glad I started branching out because I found this gem that made my inner book geek all giddy. I stayed up until 1AM last night reading it, I have not done that in a long time, I miss it!

I’m a sucker for the whole ‘strangers meet & saves the world together, discovering one another as well as themselves in the process’ storyline – so it’s little wonder I love ADSoM. I adored Kell, our male protagonist. He had his fair share of angst (forgotten memories! adoptive family! one of the last of his kind!) – but despite all he remains a good-hearted man. Kell was the person connecting all the different worlds together, not least via all of his relationships: with Lila, with Rhy, with Holland. I really enjoyed reading the interactions he had with these characters, and I can certainly understand the fangirl urge to ‘ship everyone’!

“I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”

Continue reading “Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic” →