Review: Ragwort by Sam K Horton
22 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Gorse, Ragwort, Review, Sam K Horton
My Five word TL:DR Review: Like Gorse, Beautiful and Atmospheric
Ragwort is the second book by Sam K Horton that takes place in Mirecoombe, Cornwall during the 1700s. Once again the story has a mystery at its core combined with a world at strife, the church vying for control and the superstitious villagers still holding firm beliefs about the ‘others’.
If you haven’t read Gorse then I would encourage you to do so first. Gorse is such a beautiful story to read and I think you would miss seeing Nancy before she is thrust into the role of keeper. Also, be aware that spoilers for the first book (like Spriggans) may be lurking in this review.
Nancy is struggling with the loss of her father, Lord Pelagius Hunt, and the additional burdens this has placed at her door in the form of becoming the new Keeper (before she was ready). On top of this there are whisperings of the return of ‘Mother’. Concerning rumours that see Nancy travelling abroad across the Cornish moors in search of her grandmother.
What I love about this series. The writing. Its beautiful and evocative. A fantastic combination of atmosphere and folklore. The setting is wild, a little harsh and yet beautiful. I mean, as with the first story there is a mystery unfolding here and Lord Pelagius Hunt is still stirring the pot (in spite of his demise) and yet I think I could read these books just for the sheer beauty of the prose and the way they make me feel. Cornwall, and its rugged beauty springs off the pages and it’s quite simply lush.
Which isn’t to say that the story isn’t intriguing, it just took second fiddle to the writing for me personally.
Getting to the story, this one felt a little more convoluted than the first book and it took me some time to get on board with what was going on, but, enjoyable nonetheless and certainly a demonstration of the fact that people are not always as ‘dead’ as they may at first appear.
Nancy played her part very well. She’s a little unsure of herself in this instalment which was no surprise given her hasty advancement into the role of Keeper. She also takes herself out of her comfort zone, trekking across the Cornish wilds in search of answers and at last coming to the seaside. I loved the inclusion of this coastal visit. Once again Horton’s writing excels and brings the place to life.
In conclusion, this was a great instalment in the series, hopefully there are more stories to come from this fascinating and beautiful world.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 4 of 5 stars
Review: The Blackfire Blade (The Last Legacy #2) by James Logan
11 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Fantasy, James Logan, reading, Review, The Blackfire Blade, The Last Legacy #2
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Mixed Feelings For This One
The Blackfire Blade was without doubt one of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and so I admit that I’ve probably ramped this up a little too much in my own head which inevitably rarely concludes well. Which isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy this, because I did, I like the way Logan writes, but, I did find the characters frustrating this time around and it felt like the plot lost focus.
I will say that I loved that we have a recap of book 1 before the story even begins. It would be so good to have something similar in all books that are part of a series. Also, be aware that this review may contain spoilers for those of you who haven’t read book 1 yet so tread carefully.
The Blackfire Blade begins with our characters arriving in the dark and frosty city of Korslakov in search of answers. I loved the setting and of course I do enjoy these characters, but, I will say that this instalment felt a little like a side quest, which isn’t so much a problem in itself except it wasn’t quite what I was anticipating and I did feel that the first 40/50% of the book dragged its feet a little.
So, Lukan, Ashra and Flea arrive after a rather frustrating journey across the seas (by all accounts a journey that tested the patience of all three). Unfortunately, and almost immediately after arrival, Lukan falls prey to a notorious thief and this sets our characters off on a different path than that expected ultimately turning them into the playthings of the nobles.
What I really enjoyed about this. I do like the writing very much. I enjoyed the new city and the intrigue. In fact I enjoyed the side quests to be honest and I do acknowledge that some of my frustration is probably self inflicted as I think in my own head I was expecting something different. Korslakov is a fascinating place and there are plenty of past events that demonstrate how ruthless its leading nobles really are.
I thought the second half of the book really picks up the pace and the odds and I really enjoyed the quest to find a long lost formula. The visit to the plague island was really gripping and the inclusion of an automaton called Clank was great.
I also really enjoyed the inclusion of a character we met in book 1 – the General who has fallen on hard times and who takes the three under his wing.
Personally, I felt like this instalment suffered a little from some very questionable behaviour which irritated me. Lukan, well, he acts like an idiot at times and his behaviour on the first evening in a new city is highly questionable. His poor choices feel a little too convenient at times as a means to push the plot in a different direction. Ashra behaved a little petulantly giving Lukan the ‘silent’ treatment and Flea, well, she acted like a child – which she is – so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The thing is. I like all three characters. I liked them in the first book and I liked them here but I found their actions frustrating overall.
And, I found myself with more questions than answers at times which I don’t want to go into as it will involve spoilers for other readers.
In conclusion, I didn’t love this instalment as much as the first but I take ownership of the fact that part of this is down to my own expectations. I thought there was a good deal of convenient idiocy which maybe I should have expected, but didn’t. And, although I did really enjoy the second half of the book it didn’t quite bring this up to the level of book 1.
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)
Review: Too Old for This by Samantha Downing
8 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, fiction, reading, Review, Samantha Downing, Too Old For This
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Morally Grey and Darkly Humourous
I must say that I enjoyed Too Old for This much more than I thought I should! I mean this is a story about a serial killer after all and it feels like you really shouldn’t like the main character, and yet, here I was rooting for her and liking her almost instantly!
Lottie has retired from her days of murdering. She’s moved and started a new life in a different part of the country. She has a house that is too big and old age is really catching up with her giving her good and bad days. But, she’s quite content in her retirement, she plays bingo at the church and has a couple of close friends. Her son is about to remarry and she has a third grandchild on the way. Lottie expects to live the rest of her life peacefully and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t until an investigative reporter called Plum arrives unannounced on her doorstep. Plum plans on dredging Lottie’s past back up for content on her podcast – obviously to showcase how innocent Lottie is – but Lottie has no intention of going through the horrors of infamy again and so it’s back to business.
From here onwards, and although Lottie really shows just how cold and clinical she can be, things really do start to spiral in the most wonderfully chaotic and over the top fashion.
I will say that I haven’t read this author before but on the strength of this I would like to take a look at her backlist for sure.
What I really liked about this.
Well, it’s a conundrum because the author really does suck you into Lottie’s life from the outset and you find yourself, dare I say, rooting for her. I love the way her backstory unfolds and the way her mind works. It does make me think to myself be careful who you’re being rude to! Lottie certainly has a temper and isn’t afraid to act on it.
The writing is great and the humour is absolutely spot on not to mention the tension. It’s one of those slow build stories where you’re getting more and more hyped up as things begin to descend into chaos. At first you think Lottie has a handle on everything, and she’s staying in control, then she starts to make mistakes.
Lets have a look at Lottie. You have to hand it to Downing for coming up with such a compelling character. She’s intelligent and cunning and I loved her narration. She’s not above really hamming it up when it comes to hoodwinking others using her age shamelessly and hobbling around but then at other times she really isn’t acting, her age really has become an encumbrance. One minute she’s figuring out gifts for her grandchildren and looking at retirement homes and the next she’s disposing of bodies and breaking into people’s houses.
I really enjoyed the almost comedic feel to the story – which the out of control tension feeds into. It reaches a point where you can’t imagine how things will ever work out and yet the author pulls you on relentlessly in Lottie’s wake.
In conclusion, I had an unexpectedly good time with this story and can’t wait to 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 4.5 of 5 stars
Review: The Naked Light by Bridget Collins
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Didn’t Quite Work For Me
A gothic tale that combines ancient folklore and superstition with the stories of three women post WW1.
On the face of it this book was perfect for me. Elements of old horror, a gothic tale with an old cottage perched above a village, windswept and lonely, a dark menace that is no longer being held at bay and the unsettling atmosphere of a village trying to pull itself together post war. And, this is atmospheric. The writing is beautiful. I could picture the hills and the village, the stifling confines of the vicarage and the petty mindedness of some of the villagers and I genuinely didn’t struggle to read this (because the writing is so good) but, I didn’t really get along with the characters for the most part, it was a very slow burn and the magical realism elements were a little bit thin on the ground.
Set in the fiction village of Haltington, on the Sussex coast, this is a tale of three women.
In the hillside, etched into the grass, is a chalk face, rumour would have you believe that this face protects the village from an ancient menace and the residents of Bone Cottage look after the ‘face’, keeping it visible to the village below. Unfortunately war kills off most of the Bone cottage family and the remaining member dies whilst trying to fulfil her duties. The face eventually begins to disappear, grass and weeds encroaching and taking back their rightful place, the villagers begin to forget about the rumours until an artist called Kit takes up residence in the cottage causing unrest with her alternative style.
Kit wants to be left alone. Traumatised by her work during WW1 she’s running away from everything and everyone she knows, unfortunately the villagers hold a strange fascination for her and two members of the community in particular are intrigued. Florence, a lonely spinster who has come to live with her brother-in-law (the vicar) following the death of his wife, and Florence’s niece Phoebe. The pair develop a fascination for Kit. Florence becomes attracted to her and in fact she and Kit become romantically involved, and Phoebe, out of some sort of jealous instinct spies on the pair often becoming vindictive or malicious. Meanwhile dark forces are gathering strength, unnoticed.
What really worked for me.
As I mentioned above the writing is absolutely wonderful in fact it kept me reading even though the story itself wasn’t particularly working it’s magic. This is such an atmospheric piece. It’s wonderfully gothic and really quite creepy. In fact the folklore elements are deliciously creepy although they’re a little late to make an appearance and quite under explored overall.
What didn’t work for me.
The characters. I don’t know why but I really struggled to connect to any of them and that remained constant throughout the story. So, although I did complete this I didn’t come away loving it.
I thought the magical realism elements were really well done, quite gripping and very creepy when they made an appearance – but by that point they felt a little too little too late.
Overall, I had no problem reading this and I certainly wouldn’t want to put off other readers from picking this up – it just didn’t work it’s magic for me (in spite of the writing and creep factor).
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
Review: The Place Where They Buried Your Heart by Christina Henry
2 December 2025
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, Books, Christina Henry, Horror, Review, reviews, The Place Where They Buried Your Heart
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Haunted House, Character-led Horror
I loved The Place Where They Buried Your Heart and in fact would say it’s my favourite by the author. Henry manages to really capture the essence of the spooky, abandoned house where something terrible happens. The story put me in mind of old school King, the writing was excellent and I really liked the characters. The whole story is absolutely gripping. The House is terrifying and the author manages to deliver a coming of age story with depth and emotional impact.
The story is told by Jesse, who years ago ‘dared’ her younger brother Paul to go inside the creepy house on the street. Of course, Paul doesn’t want to go, especially alone, but he also doesn’t want to back down so he talks his two friends into going with him. The result, is that one of the friends is very badly injured, the other is traumatised and Paul – well, he’s never seen again.
As you might imagine, Jesse lives with massive guilt, made much worse by the further tragedies that eventually play out that I won’t go into here. She remains defiantly on the street, although other neighbours come and go, always in the hope that one day her brother will return.
Now, there’s much more to the story than the very brief outline sketched above but I prefer to focus on what really worked for me.
Well, the story really is gripping. It hooked me within a few pages and quite literally didn’t let up. The writing is so easy to get along with and the story just had me on the edge of my seat. I could barely put this book down in order to carry out basic day to day necessities.
I don’t read a lot of horror and tend to be a bit picky as some really don’t work well for me – but this simply fit the bill. It’s massively creepy, the way Henry writes about the house gives you a real feeling of fear to the extent that I didn’t want the characters to step inside because I was scared for them. And, of course, there’s no shortage of horror in the backstory. And yet this is all balanced by the whole emotional feel that the author delivers. I loved all the family related issues and the found family that Jesse eventually finds herself surrounded by. Not to mention that Jesse eventually becomes a mom herself and struggles with wanting to upsticks and run as far as she can with her new son and wanting to do the write thing, protect the neighbourhood, help her friends and keep others from falling into harm’s way.
As I mentioned, I enjoyed the characters, and in this story the House is a character itself. It’s a place of evil. The door will stand open, enticing people within, usually people who have already become obsessed with the place, and very few come back out. Attempts were made over the years to burn the place down, or to demolish it, and yet the house still stands, impervious to such weak attempts. And now, it’s power seems to be growing, putting out feelers in the neighbourhood and seeking new victims. Jesse and a few of her stalwart neighbours do their best to guard the property and keep people away, but their attempts don’t always work.
There’s so much to enjoy in this book. I really, thoroughly enjoyed it. I think the only very small issue I had was the ending felt a little rushed. That being said, and because I like to argue with myself, I also don’t think I would have liked a longer ending – go figure.
In conclusion – 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 creepy stars
Books and travelling with Lynn 