Mistletoe by Alison Littlewood #MistletoeBook
10 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #MistletoeBook, @Ali_L, @JoFletcherBooks, Alison Littlewood, Mistletoe
Today I’m taking part in a blog tour for Alison Littlewood’s Mistletoe. I’ve posted below information about the other blogs taking part so try and take the opportunity to visit those and check out their thoughts on this latest gothic ghost story.
Mistletoe is my second book by Alison Littlewood, an author who excels at creating atmosphere and gothic creepiness.
This is a book set in the depth of winter, the countryside is cloaked in white and Christmas approaches. It should be a time of cheer but for Leah Hamilton this is more an escape. Leah has lost both her son and her husband and in a strange twist decides to buy the ‘fixer upper’ that her husband dreamed of acquiring. Like she’s keeping a little piece of him alive by taking on a project that he was keen to undertake even though she wasn’t so enthusiastic at the time. The farmhouse in question is very run down and no longer a going concern. Parcels of land have been sold off over the years to neighbouring properties and the remaining house and buildings seem to be encumbered by a strange past that leaves the place not just neglected but also a little creepy. Of course, a lot of the past history is unknown to Leah when she arrives and so she’s in for a number of surprises.
What I really enjoyed about this was the way the story was split. Leah experiences a number of apparitions that gradually reveal the secrets of the house. There is a dark history here and Leah is slowly sucked into events in a very scary way that threatens her own well-being. She becomes so wrapped up in events that she shuns the neighbours, enclosing herself in a strange cocoon of mystery and darkness, almost becoming so involved that she begins to lose herself.
The writing is very evocative and this is truly the perfect time of year to read this book. You can feel the cold and the weather, the looming clouds, the burgeoning snow and the short days all add to the atmosphere because they are particularly well written. In fact, there are a few ghostly moments contained in these pages that I confess set my pulse racing and I couldn’t help admiring Leah for her steadfastness in the face of such scary goings-on. If that was me, I would have been out of there in a New York minute but Leah felt a compulsion to see things though.
In terms of characters. Well, Leah is the main pov but she shares time with her neighbours as well as inhabitants of the farm from a bygone era. I really enjoyed the flashbacks and the little insights. I think the inclusion of the neighbour’s son was a great addition to the story in fact with the flashbacks from the farm’s past, plus Leah’s memories of her son there are three young characters who help the story to progress in a strangely symmetrical way.
In terms of criticisms. I think one of the characters was a little too easy to read which meant I second guessed what was going on from the storyline from the past – I wouldn’t say this spoiled the read for me but I think it could have been even more gripping with a little more ambiguity to keep me guessing. I would also say that this was slightly different from what I was expecting. It actually feels like a journey for the main character, one that she is maybe reluctantly pushed onto, but still a turning around of sorts. I think going into this I was expecting an out and out ghost story but in fact I think the added element of Leah’s own personal tragedy coupled with the little rays of hope brought something additional to the read.
Overall, this was a very easy book to get along with. It’s a good story and coupled with the excellent writing it makes for a real page turner. Packed with angry ghosts and heartbreak it also manages to achieve a feeling of hope. It gave me Bronte vibes in a way – the remote feeling of the farmhouse, the sweeping landscape, the loneliness of the central character and the brooding (Heathcliff like feel) of one of the ghosts from the past.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Rating 4 out of 5 stars
Author Information:
Can’t Wait Wednesday : The Deep by Alma Katsu
9 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Alma Katsu, Can't wait Wednesday, The Deep
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that was originally created by Breaking the Spine. Unfortunately Breaking the Spine are no longer hosting so I’m now linking my posts up to Wishful Endings Can’t Wait Wednesday. Don’t forget to stop over, link up and check out what books everyone else is waiting for. If you want to take part, basically, every Wednesday, we highlight a book that we’re really looking forward to. This week my book is : The Deep by Alma Katsu. I am so excited for this book – this is an author who has never let me down so I’m bouncing up and down with glee to see this. Take a look and see why:
Someone, or something, is haunting the Titanic.
This is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the passengers of the ship from the moment they set sail: mysterious disappearances, sudden deaths. Now suspended in an eerie, unsettling twilight zone during the four days of the liner’s illustrious maiden voyage, a number of the passengers – including millionaires Madeleine Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, the maid Annie Hebbley and Mark Fletcher – are convinced that something sinister is going on . . . And then, as the world knows, disaster strikes.
Years later and the world is at war. And a survivor of that fateful night, Annie, is working as a nurse on the sixth voyage of the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, now refitted as a hospital ship. Plagued by the demons of her doomed first and near fatal journey across the Atlantic, Annie comes across an unconscious soldier she recognises while doing her rounds. It is the young man Mark. And she is convinced that he did not – could not – have survived the sinking of the Titanic . . .
Brilliantly combining fact and fiction, the historical and the horrific, The Deep reveals a chilling truth in an unputdownable narrative full of unnerving moments and with a growing, inexorable sense of foreboding.
Due for publication: March 2020
#SPFBO Feedback on the Third Batch of Books
7 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Feedback on my third batch of books, SPFBO
So, a little later than planned, again, this is my feedback post for the final three books from Batch No.3. I already gave feedback at the halfway mark which can be found here. I have very little wifi at the moment which is why my blogging is a little behind schedule and so this post will be a little bit shorter as a result. I will be posting my fourth batch of books (hopefully) on Wednesday.
The final three books and my comments on each can be found below. Apologies to those authors/books cut at this stage:
Earthcore by Grace Bridges
As Earthcore got underway we meet Anira who is taking a vacation with her mother and brother at Rotorua in New Zealand. As soon as Anira arrives she starts to experience strange sensations and it soon becomes obvious to her that having drank the local spring?/mineral water she is having a transformation of sorts – or at least she seems to need virtually no sleep and is also experiencing quite amazing mental abilities. Obviously Anira is a little dubious and also wondering whether this is purely a temporary phenomena but she then witnesses a local who seems to also have some unusual capabilities and upon further investigation it seems that there are at least another three such individuals apart from Anira (who quickly decides that they need to meet).
I found the first third of this book very easy to read, I enjoyed the setting and clearly this is going to become a superhero type story or at least a meeting of individuals with special abilities. In terms of criticisms. Well, I’ve not during the 30% read had a real opportunity to become attached to the main character Anira, in a way she feels a little lacking in emotional depth in that she is incredibly accepting of everything, or she lacks surprise. Overall though this was quite a good read and would probably appeal to a YA audience – I foresee maybe a romance between Anira and one of the other characters although it’s early days and I could be wrong on that score.
I thought this was quite good to the point at which I broke off but although the pacing is quite fast I’ve not really got a feel at this stage for exactly where this one is heading in terms of plot.
Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of the Less Valued Knights by Liam Perrin
Sir Thomas the Hesitant is so far really quite a fun read about a young man called Thomas Farmer who has dreams of becoming a knight. I’m quite enjoying this one at the moment so intend to read further therefore will keep feedback on this book to a minimum at the moment and return to it at a later date.
Conclusion: roll forward
Strings of Chance by Jeff Pryor
I think Strings of Chance could be a book that develops well but at the point at which I broke off it really hadn’t had a chance to work it’s charm on me and I think this is in part due to the main protagonist. Edson Pye is a bard who has great confidence in his own abilities, even if he doesn’t seem to be succeeding as the story sets out, that is until he meets a mysterious person who decides to help him reach his goals. Of course, there is always a price for such magic as Edson soon finds out.
Okay, I have to be honest, I really didn’t get on with Edson at all in fact I very nearly put this down much earlier than my 30% cut off point, but, I decided to press on. To be even more honest, Edson was still annoying but the story had opened out a little and was become quite intriguing.
I’m rather hopeful that Edson goes on a voyage of discovery during the rest of this story but unfortunately this is the stage at which I have decided to cut off and at this point Edson hasn’t won me over. Like I say, this could change as the story progresses but I have a cut off point in order to be fair so although I like that this is a small scale type fantasy as oppose to huge battles and epic quests I’m cutting it at this point.
***
To date from my SPFBO books I have one book chosen as a semi finalist and two books that I’ve decided to read further.
Semi finalist: The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King
Two books to read further :
From the Shadows of the Owl Queen’s Court (Yarnsworld #4) by Benedict Patrick
Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights (Less Valued Knights #1) by Liam Perrin
Friday Face Off : “Feed me Seymour”
4 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: 60s horror covers, Books by Proxy, Friday Face off, Ira Levin, Rosemary's Baby
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. This week’s theme is:
4th October – “Feed me Seymour” – A cover that is 60s horror
I think I possibly should have been a bit clearer with this week’s theme – I really meant 60s style, so therefore either literally a cover from the 60s or a more uptodate cover that is in the style of the 60s. Anyway, sorry about that but I’m sure everyone has managed to come up with their own twist on the theme. This week I’ve chosen Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. I had a spell of reading and watching horror films during my early teens. Rosemary’s Baby – to be honest I can recall very little about either the book or film. Perhaps I should have a reread. Anyway, to the covers:
Well, what a lot of strange covers, I’ve only chosen those published in the 60s and to be honest I’m not really loving any of these. I quite like the sinister feel of the first but what is all that chat at the top of the book about. I would maybe have chosen the last which is the movie tie-in – but same problem. I also quite like the cover with the unusual, monster like pram but I don’t like the font being slanted. I think Overall I’d have to go with one of the two below:
Like last week I’ve added a Mr Linky here so that you can leave a link if you wish or please leave me a link in the comments so we can all visit and check out each others covers. Thanks
I’ve updated the list and included themes through to the end of 2019 – I’ve also included events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share that let me know in the comments). I also have a list prepared for 2020 and so will set up a separate page soon for forthcoming themes. As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment.
Next week – a cover featuring an Inn/Hotel
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ or one of your favourite covers)
2019
11th October – ““And, though there should be a world of difference between the smile of a man and the bared fangs of a wolf, with Joss Merlyn they were one and the same.” – a cover featuring an Inn/Hotel
18th October – “It’s your favorite scary movie, remember? He had on the white mask, he stalked the babysitters.” – A cover featuring a scream
25th October – for Halloween – pick any scary cover you like
(I’m hoping that November will once again bring to us SciFiMonth – Twitter @SciFiMonth)
1st November – A cover that is predominantly grey
8th November – “big badda boom” – a cover that features an explosion
15th November – “No thinking thing should be another thing’s property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.” – a cover featuring a robot
22nd November – A cover that is Futuristic
29th November – “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.” – a cover that is 60s sci fi
6th December – Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York” – a cover that puts you in mind of winter
13th December – A cover that features a temple/or religious icon
20th December – Longest Night – a dark and foreboding cover
27th December – the festive season – a cover that is glittery or sparkling
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.
The Black Hawks (Articles of Faith #1) by David Wragg
3 October 2019
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Articles of Faith #1, David Wragg, The Black Hawks
I enjoyed The Black Hawks very much. According to Goodreads this is approx 430 pages and yet those pages were turning so quickly that it couldn’t have taken me more than a couple of days to finish – I was that hooked. I hesitate however to call this ‘fun’ and I’m not sure I’d call it ‘hilarious’ either and the reason why I’m going to the trouble of pointing that out is that some people shy away from books that are funny (or trying to be), humour being a tricky way to please everyone after all. This is very entertaining, it pulled me in fairly quickly, it’s quite action packed, particularly the last third, it has some great characters and there is plenty of snarky banter. It’s also not a shy novel so if you’re a little wary of profanity then keep that in mind – for me, well, I just love all the banter even if it is a little crude here and there so I was happy as a pig who fell into a mud bath and then found a golden truffle.
As the story begins we meet Chel, he’s about to find himself in a spot of bother which by the sounds of it is the usual state of affairs for him. Chel is sworn under oath in the service of his uncle, which seems to involve, mainly, carrying clothes around – yep, that’s Chel, he’s like the newbie sent out for everyone’s coffee and believe me he doesn’t enjoy his role at all, it’s just not what he imagined! Then the City is attacked by the fire wielding Norts and Chel attempts to flee before becoming a fireball himself. This is when he is unwittingly roped into the service of one of the younger princes, Tarfel Merimonsun and their adventure really begins. Chel’s prior obligations are removed when the Prince makes a bargain with him – Chel will become the Prince’s protector, relinquishing the oath to his uncle and upon delivering the Prince to safety Chel will be released. Let’s just say that being a knight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and the chance to go home appeals very much to Chel so the deal is struck.
Unfortunately for Chel it seems that there are other parties interested in the Prince and so it isn’t long before trouble catches up with them.
The Black Hawks are a bunch of mercenaries. All very different characters indeed, they have an easy camaraderie and I have no doubt that readers will find a favourite amongst this crew. I can’t deny that when they entered the scene they stole the show a little. But, I don’t want to be unfair to Chel and Tarfel. Their story is very easy to get on with. Chel is no sword master but what he lacks in technique he makes up for in his own moral code and sheer good luck. Tarfel is completely clueless and a little detached from reality. Far from being concerned about being abducted he simply expects a ransom demand to be presented and things to follow a natural and well established course, which naturally will involve the exchange of much gold and no harm to his princely self. He’s actually very endearing in his gullibility. I have to say the way the relationship between these two develops as the story progresses is one of the winning elements to the book and indeed for that matter their interactions with the mercenaries. Also, regarding the Hawks, all of them are very distinct and the author makes it so easy to envision them. I’m not saying they’re all nice! But they’re just so well drawn and even the more brooding members of the crew will eventually work their magic on you or at least you’ll be relieved when they show up in the middle of a tight spot.
Speaking of magic. This isn’t really the type of fantasy that includes monsters and magic, at least not thus far, more adventures and escapades. Lots of skirmishes and running and a good deal of stabbing. The number of ways that these characters could die just mounts up as the pages turn, wolves, storms, cannibals, other potential abductors trying to steal the already abducted for themselves not to mention members of the cloth throwing their hat into the ring.
The world building was good. We’re given a little of the history of the ruling monarchy but in bite size pieces usually during conversation between different members of the Hawks and Chel or Tarfel. This is a world that has seen its share of war and not everyone can be the winner – there are always those left with the bitter taste of defeat and on top of that and the potential for rebellion, there is also a very strong religious presence that has a feel of the Inquisition with men and women of the cloth becoming objects of fear.
In terms of criticisms. I have very little. I really enjoyed this from start to finish – the only issue I would mention is that the ending is something of a cliffhanger – which doesn’t frustrate me as much as it does some people I know – that being said, when is No.2 coming out please?
I thoroughly enjoyed this. It’s highly entertaining, there are some wicked lines and banter that I really wish I’d highlighted to use for this review and basically I can’t wait to read more. Let me put it like this – if the second instalment was available, right here, right now I would be all over that. That’s all I’m saying.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
4.5 of 5 stars
