Oracle (Robert Grim #2) by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
14 March 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, fiction, Horror, Oracle, Robert Grim #2, Thomas Olde Heuvelt
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Scary Concept, Little Over Stretched
Oracle is a really interesting idea for a horror story, in fact I can’t recall reading anything quite like it. It got off to a great start with a slowly building sense of unease that really does turn into all-out-horror. For me, I didn’t quite enjoy the last third of the book as much as the earlier chapters, which was something of a surprise given there’s plenty of action and utter chaos at points. I preferred the creepier elements I think to the outright horror, although I would just clarify this isn’t bloodfest slasher horror.
I would mention that this is the second instalment in the Robert Grim series but I can confidently say that this can be read as a standalone.
This story really hits the ground running. We meet Luca and his neighbour/friend/crush, Emma, they’re on their way to school, it’s a foggy morning and visibility is really bad. Then, out of the blue they come across the strangest thing? obstacle? – basically, a 17th century fishing vessel, in excellent condition, has manifested from out of nowhere – literally it’s landed in a field of tulips. Lucas is very wary but Emma is determined to explore and climbs aboard. She enters the hatch, an ominous bell tolls, and she disappears. Within fairly short order a number of people have disappeared into the ship’s hold. Each time, the ominous bell tone rings out and that person isn’t seen again. Luca’s dad, responding to his desperate call also ventures on board, and in spite of taking extra precautions he also goes missing. From this point onwards the whole episode falls under the remit of a secret agency who seem to wield enough power to make the ship and all the missing people seem explainable and mundane.
I won’t go into the plot. There is a lot of cloak and dagger type subterfuge going on, at the same time, the families with missing relatives are trying to rally and desperately hoping for good news – which is in short supply.
I won’t elaborate further on the plot at this point.
What I really like about this.
Well, having read the author a couple of times already I expected there to be some chilling moments and there certainly is. He has such a great way of creating a situation, infusing it with atmosphere, inserting something so insidiously creepy that you’ll have the goosebumps and then creating pandemonium amongst the characters. And, I liked the characters, mostly. Luca is a sensible boy, he makes some good decisions and he was easy to read about – no eye rolling at all. Grim is a character enlisted by the secret agency people because he seems to be the only person who has dealt with an unexplained incident before (aka supernatural). I wasn’t totally enamoured with some of the ‘baddie’ types though They felt a little James Bond OTT villain to me.
I love all the old lore, and some of this really does go back in time and delves into the unknown, powerful deities that have been around longer than you can imagine. There are visions and oracles and fascinating undersea discoveries. This is also mixed in with the strange history of the fishing ship that appeared out of nowhere and started these strange events. The Oracle, as it was/is known, has a dark and disturbing history and it’s sudden appearance foretells certain disaster.
I enjoyed the different settings, I particularly thought the abandoned and structurally unsafe oil rig was brilliant for the grand finale – what more could you possibly want in terms of downright spookiness – oh, a storm you say – you’re covered. Of course there’s a storm with winds so strong that the characters are in danger of being swept overboard into the thrashing waters.
Now, in terms of criticisms. I don’t have anything that spoiled the read for me, but the final chapters felt a little drawn out. Strangely, this isn’t a feeling that I often experience, I’m more likely to conclude a book and feel like it was a bit rushed than the reverse, but in this case, and perhaps it’s because the author really was putting his characters through the wringer, I wanted to get to the crux of the matter and it seemed to drag a little.
Overall though, this was an intriguing story that I enjoyed by an author whose work is always compelling.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3.5 of 5 stars
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
4 March 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, fiction, Katherine Arden, The Bear and the Nightingale, The Warm Hands of Ghosts, The Winternight Trilogy
My Five Word TL:DR Review : This book is absolutely incredible
TWHoGs is one of my most anticipated reads for 2024. I loved The Winternight Trilogy and never miss an opportunity to wax lyrical about it so you may be able to understand how keen I was to see what the author would come up with next. I can’t deny that when I saw the description for TWHoGs I had slightly mixed feelings. It just feels so very different, and I also don’t tend to read a great deal of stories from WW1 and WW2 – perhaps I should after this experience – and so I did feel a little bit worried about how I’d get on – never fear, this story is so good, I’m absolutely 100% certain that I can’t do it justice with this review but I’ll give it a try.
In a nutshell, this is a truly stunning book. It’s a little piece of perfection. Okay, it’s also dark and disturbingly atmospheric. It’s full of pain and heartbreak but at the same time there are snippets of warmth and light, little anecdotes pepper the narrative and on top of that it’s incredibly well plotted dipping back and forth and sometimes taking a new look at an already visited scene but from a new angle. I could envisage every chapter, I quite literally had my own little movie running inside my head – it is that good.
The story is told in two timelines that eventually converge. Freddie Iven, November 1917, trapped under an upturned pillbox discovers he’s not alone. He is accompanied by a German soldier, Hans Winter. Through fear and desperation these two will form a strong bond, determined to help each other survive. Their time in the dark and suffocating space of the pillbox was terrifyingly claustrophobic.
In January 1918 Laura Iven, Freddie’s sister receives a box with his belongings, including his tags. Laura has recently lost both parents in a devastating explosion and has returned home, discharged from her duties as field nurse after being quite badly wounded. Within such a short time Laura seems to have lost everything but then a number of strange occurences start to worry at her mind, causing her to want to look a little harder into Freddie’s death and prompting her to return to work on the front line.
To be honest, I don’t really want to give away too much about the plot. We jump back and forth between the two siblings and a picture gradually forms of what has happened. Now on top of that, there’s a speculative side to the story which predominantly revolves around ghosts and deals with the devil (that’s my take – the actual story involves a character known as the Violinist). Now, both these things are so well incorporated that they feel more like a natural progression of the war. Surrounded by death it’s easy to see why the men fighting on the front saw the ghosts of those they’d known, and a stranger, offering a warm hotel and a comforting glass of wine – well, of course, you’d want to linger by that fire trying to forget all the atrocities you’ve seen. So, whilst there are supernatural elements to this story their inclusion seems almost part and parcel of the dreadful circumstances of the war. Probably not explaining myself very well, I guess what I’m trying to say is the inclusion of these speculative elements felt natural as part of this particular story.
What did I love about this.
The writing. Arden is a gifted storyteller, a wordsmith who can throw you into a scene with deceptive ease. Clearly she has done her homework here and it shows. She brings the battlefield to the page with such clarity that you can feel the fear, taste the noxious atmosphere and hear the cacophony of gunfire, shells and dying men. She doesn’t shy from the brutal truth and in some ways that will make this difficult for some readers but I would say this is one of the most gripping and realistic books involving warfare that I’ve ever read.
The balance. The pacing is good, there is a little bit of set up here but it’s good so don’t be in too desperate a rush to cut to the chase. Everything in this story is of note. In fact it’s relatively short considering the story it delivers. But, what I ultimately mean about the balance is not just in terms of the pacing. There are moments of love, laughter and friendship that give a welcome respite from the bleak brutality of war surrounding the characters.
The characters. I really liked Laura – and I really liked Freddie and Winters. I enjoyed the jump from one story to the other and this is an achievement because sometimes with a dual timeline you find yourself resenting the switch when you don’t enjoy one of the threads. Laura is determined to find out the truth about her younger brother, she doesn’t dare hope but at the same time she is desperately hopeful. Freddie is in absolute despair, without the friendship of the slightly older Hans whose steady reliability and authority are a comforting presence, he would never have got out of the pillbox. Don’t get me wrong, there are other wonderful characters here but I’m not going to highlight them all.
The setting. Well, after a short spell in Laura’s home we eventually find ourselves on the battle front. Laura is a field nurse in the Forbidden Zone and Freddie, out in the war zone, struggling to survive and then finding himself a guest of the Violinist, his personality slowly ebbing as he seeks oblivion in the bottom of a wine bottle. The Violinist could be a simple hotelier, at night, you might be guided by the brief appearance of a light to seek out it’s door and the warmth within, in the grim light of day the place is dilapidated and shabby and seems to be a warren of never ending locked doors.
The plot has more to it than I originally imagined. I won’t give anything away here but one of Laura’s companions, also suffering a terrible loss is gradually spiralling out of control and this feeds really well into the two timelines and the way events play out.
Overall, I can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s the sort of book that makes me love to read. I devoured it and then was disappointed with myself for not savouring it more. I don’t really have anything negative to say, the ending is a mixture of bittersweet and sweet. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out why.
Highly recommended.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 5 of 5 stars
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
29 February 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Review, fiction, Katie Lumsden, Mystery, reading, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, Victorian gothic
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Gothic Victorian Mystery, Modern Style
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden is one of my backlist books from the first half of last year. I’m trying to read at least one book from my unread review books each month, two if I can manage it, so far so good.
This was a very easy read. I liked the writing style and it was easy to sink into.
As the story begins we meet Margaret Lennox, recently widowed she has found herself in dire straits necessitating a return to the governess lifestyle she practiced before marrying. Margaret is on her way to Hartwood Hall, set deep in the English countryside, where she will be responsible for her sole charge, Louis. Lost in the woods the coachman stops at a local village to seek directions and it becomes obvious that the locals have nothing to do with the Manor or it’s mistress which immediately gives you a sense of foreboding.
I won’t give away too much of the story. We learn early on that Margaret’s employer has few servants working at the Hall, she is somewhat suspicious and in fact very protective of Louis making it very clear that Margaret must accompany him fastidiously. On top of this, entry into one of the wings of the Hall is forbidden – well, in the interests of safety as it is in a state of disrepair. The rest of the staff are very close knit and there is an overall feeling of secrecy and close lippedness that eventually makes Margaret somewhat paranoid. The Hall is dark and poorly lit and there are strange noises at night which eventually lead Margaret into jumpiness and an overall feeling of fear of the house in general.
I liked Margaret but I didn’t get along with her totally. She bonded really well with Louis which was a nice element to the story and felt very protective of him. Margaret herself, still in mourning, is carrying a secret of her own that plays on her mind and makes her anxious. Eventually, her story unfolds and it makes it a little more easy to understand the choices she makes. She needs to work. She has no other income and her lack of references for the more recent years plus the fact that she has problems hearing in one of her ears, following a childhood accident, limits her choices a little. Eventually, almost because of her fear of the house Margarent finds solace in the arms of the gardener, a younger man who is very good natured but is also keeping things from Margaret.
Overall, I found this a very easy read. I really enjoyed the writing. There are clearly nods to classic gothic fiction although nothing that feels over referenced. More a general feeling of an enjoyable gothic set in a slightly creepy manor house with a mystery surrounding not just the owner but a few of it’s occupants. That being said, this story, whilst in some ways feeling reminiscent of Victorian novels has a more modern inclination. The characters sometimes resort to more uptodate dialogue and the ending definitely feels more contemporary. On top of that Margaret is a little more reckless with her reputation than you might expect from a story of this period – but, there are very few staff available who might witness her indiscretions – so, hidden silver linings.
My only issue with this book was the ending. In some respects it felt a little rushed, also maybe a little busy particularly in comparison to the rest of the story and ultimately a little disappointing – or perhaps bittersweet might be a fairer description. I think I found it difficult to swallow Margaret’s reasoning come the end but this didn’t stop my enjoyment of the story in general.
In conclusion, this was a compelling read, well written and very atmospheric. I shall definitely read more by this author.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3.5 of 5 stars (rounded to 4)
Top Ten Tuesday : Covers with Things Found in Nature
27 February 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, covers with things found in nature, fiction, That Artsy Reader Girl, Top Ten Tuesday
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme where every Tuesday we look at a particular topic for discussion and use various (or more to the point ten) bookish examples to demonstrate that particular topic. Top Ten Tuesday (created and hosted by The Broke and Bookish) is now being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and future week’s topics can be found here. This week’s topic:
Covers with Things Found in Nature
Ahh, how can I resist the opportunity to display some covers. Take a look at these lovely covers packed with elements of the natural world – links to reviews/details are provided below:
The Tainted Cup/Starling House/The Cloisters/The Ghost Woods/Hollow Kingdom/Emily Wilde’s/The Storm Beneath the World/The Ten Thousand Doors of January/Daisy Darker/The Red Monarch
Empire of the Vampire, Empire of the Damned (sampler) by Jay Kristoff
26 February 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books Reviews, fiction, Jay Kristoff, Vampire of the Damned, Vampire of the Empire
So, today I’m going to post two mini reviews. Basically, the first book was an audio version that I bought myself and read fairly recently. I’ve decided on a mini review in which I discuss my thoughts rather than a full blown description as there are already plenty of descriptions of the plot available. The second mini review is for a sampler for Empire of the Damned and so is understandably short.
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff, audio version.
I must say that just recently I’ve felt the need to read vampire stories once again. I think after certain books became very popular the market was flooded with vampire stories and tbh I simply had enough. Anyway, I discovered that once again I wanted to pick up such tales and so I was super excited for Empire of the Vampire because, well, I ‘ve read this author before and liked his work.
EotV is told in a dual timeline, by the main character, who is relaying the events of his life to his captor. I like this form of storytelling, it’s not particularly new or unique but it’s a style that I like and I feel it works. Also, some of the writing is so good that it’s a pleasure to read (or listen to in this case). But, to be clear, there is a heck of a lot of cursing in this book and that’s not something that as a rule bothers me but here, some of it did feel a bit juvenile and gratuitous. Also, there was a constant (and reasonable) hatred/friction between the main character narrating his story and the chronicler but this seemed to resolve itself into some sort of false bravado or peeing competition. So, the narrator has a mini rebellion, the chronicler says ‘you will tell us your story’ and then the narrator continues with a good deal of cursing but still – lets just get over that. In fairness, I liked the writing, in fact, I loved the writing for the most part, but I became tired of certain parts. Although I think the second half of the book definitely improved and in fact this is when I became invested in the story.
In terms of the story. I liked the overall plot. I have to applaud that we have real vampires in this story, they’re not humanised or made appealing. They truly are the monsters of the piece. The stakes are high here, in fact it really does feel like there’s very little hope and in fact, unlike some vampire tales this truly is epic in scope.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more than the first and so I’m really glad that I continued to read on.
I bought a copy for audio.
My rating 3.5 of 5 stars
Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff kindle version
EofD picks up immediately after the conclusion of EotV. I read only a sampler of this and I’m not sure what percentage of the story is involved.
I enjoyed the story to the point I left off and in fact can say that the promise of what comes next is very appealing – but I won’t give anything away here in that respect.
The writing is once again strong but what I really enjoyed in this was the way the character’s relationships are improved. On top of that there is once again a feeling of overwhelming doom. The chances of humanity surviving feel slim indeed and some of the fight scenes are so crazily over the top that they make for very dramatic reading.
It’s difficult to say too much when I’m yet to complete the read. What I can say is that I enjoyed this book more than the first. The vampires are truly monstrous once again,but, the other characters have the opportunity to shine out more in this story and I look forward to picking up a copy on release to see how book 2 concludes.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 stars (although this could change upon completion)
Books and travelling with Lynn 