Review: Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
30 September 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books, Bram Stoker, Dracula, Horror, Kiersten White, Lucy Undying, reviews
My FIve Word TL:DR Review: Started Well, Went Off Track
I was really excited to pick up Lucy Undying for various reasons. I seem to be enjoying the recent resurgence of vampire novels, I love Bram Stoker’s Dracula and I was so looking forward to a retelling from Lucy’s point of view. She’s such an undervalued character, the spoilt rich girl who becomes a victim of Dracula as he attempts to get to Mina.
To be fair this gets off to a really good start. We have a few different POVs. Primarily Iris, a young heiress who is trying to break free from the clutches of her overbearing family and Lucy – who has a number of different storylines. One that is told in journal format and covers the years before she falls victim. One that takes us back to her long haul through history as a vampire. And finally, Lucy in the current modern day world.
Iris has arrived in London, with her family’s approval (although they are still observing her not so surreptitiously), she is visiting on the pretext that she’s going through family property. As such she spends time in a dilapidated mansion where she is putting things in to order – or more to the point searching for anything small and valuable that she can sell for quick cash to help her finally disappear. She requests help from a museum in relation to the valuation of certain items and the next day a young, beautiful and elusive woman turns up on her doorstep.
Anyway, let’s take a look at what did and didn’t work for me.
Firstly, I didn’t mind the different POVs and quickly got into the groove. I enjoyed that we had Lucy’s journal to take a look back at her life prior to becoming one of Dracula’s victims, this is a great reflection of the original novel and was a good way to get an insight into Lucy’s true inner thoughts.
I loved the way the story started and the time spent in the old mansion, this had such great gothic vibes.
The writing was good, it was easy to read and in actual fact I had no problems completing this. I was curious and always keen to get back to the story. BUT.
Well, firstly, as a reimagining White turns a lot of the characters on their heads. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this, I don’t really mind the characters having different and new motivations, just that it all felt very flimsy.
Then, the hidden agenda with Iris’s family and the connections to other elements of the story felt so over the top and convoluted. For me, I was rather hoping that this was a new chance for Lucy, perhaps she’d meet Iris and help her to disappear and it would be this exciting relationship between the two as they forge their own story. As it was, I didn’t feel any chemistry between Iris and Lucy, their instalove was a little cliched and the whole inclusion of trips to haunts from the original work, plus the inclusion of Dracula just felt unnecessary. I wanted the story to become its own ‘entity’ but that never really happened. I never felt fear or dread for the characters and I couldn’t help wondering when did vampires become so dull.
I don’t know, on the face of it this book kept me entertained and it might work really well for others, but, it didn’t quite work its magic on me. I was hoping for more and I thought this was Lucy’s real chance to shine.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinioin.
My rating 3 of 5 fangless stars
Booking Ahead/Weekly Wrap Up
29 September 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Booking Ahead, Books, Caffeinated Book Reviewer, currently-reading, reviews, Sunday Post, Weekly wrap up, writing
Books read this week:
So, I missed last week’s update, things just becoming chaotic, so this week I’ll be recapping two weeks instead of one. To be honest my reading has been pretty dreadful for some reason, I’ve not been getting really absorbed and keep putting books to one side. Hopefully this improves. For example, I put The Haunting of Moscow House by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore to one side for now. I have read Gorse by Sam K Horton which I loved and already reviewed. I also completed The Ravening by Daniel Church – this one didn’t work for me unfortunately. I also just completed The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier which was very well executed and I’ll be reviewing soon..
Next Week’s Reads:
I’ve started reading The Wilding by Ian McDonald and I’d like to pick up one of my October reads. Either The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister or The Coven by Harper L Woods. I have a pretty busy month for October and in fact have some more SPFBO books to read passed over to me by the Critiquing Chemist.
Reviews Posted:
- Smile and Be a Villain by Yves Donlon
- Gorse by Sam K Horton
Outstanding Reviews
- The September House by Carissa Orlando
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Lucy Undying by Kiersten White
- The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier
#SPFBO X: Review: Smile and Be a Villain by Yves Donlon
16 September 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO X, blogging, Books, hamlet, literature, ophelia, Review, reviews, shakespeare, Smile and Be a Villain, Yves Donlon
For those who don’t know about SPFBO (the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) – this is a competition created and run by Mark Lawrence. The competition is now in its tenth year and you can find out more about all the other entrants and judges over on Mark Lawrence’s blog.
I separated my books into three batches which you can find here, here and here. Having read the first 25% (at least) I’ve chosen five books that I intend to read further before choosing potential semi finalists to pass to the Critiquing Chemist to read. Today I am posting my fifth and final SPFBO review for Smile and Be a Villain by Yves Donlon.
SABAV is a reimagining of Hamlet with magic. This is very well written and so lovely to read, I really enjoyed it. I would say that no former knowledge of Hamlet is necessary, I only have the bare basics of the story personally and I didn’t feel that this suffered as a result. I would also mention that this is only the opening gambit that provides a thoughtful backstory and concludes more or less where the play begins. It’s well done and cleverly thought out.
As the story starts Hamlet is being sent to Wittenberg, in shame after being discovered in a compromising situation. Here he is expected to study and before long he’s made friends with two characters who he spends most of his time with, Rosencrantz and Guildendtern. His new friends beguile Hamlet with their knowledge of magic and begin to show him the basics although you can sense that they were rather careful with exactly how much they shared. Meanwhile, back at Helsingør, Ophelia is also suffering, the Queen has cast her off in shame and on top of that she’s really struggling to cope with the Corruption that seems to be overcoming the castle, constantly renewing wards in a bid to overcome the dark tendrils that are encroaching and nipping at everyone’s heels. Added to this there is tension and war is brewing.
What I really enjoyed about this.
I thought the writing, the dialogue and the set up were excellent. I found myself simply enjoying the read just for the joy of reading. I wouldn’t say that there’s an over abundance of description but I had no struggle imagining the set up. Ophelia and Hamlet are the narrators, I enjoyed this aspect of jumping between the two and also it gave us eyes and ears in both locations.
The characters come across well. They have so much more depth here with the time given to explore their inner thoughts and insecurities. Hamlet, for example, comes across as an indecisive teenager whilst Ophelia comes across as strong willed and determined. The two share a close friendship and argue almost like brother and sister.
I really liked the magic. The Corruption in the castle is a byproduct of too much magic use. Mirrors can be used as portals to other magical places and this is an element that I really enjoyed. On top of this there are little asides, such as one of the characters who has a hidden object with an interesting backstory. Hamlet in particular is absorbed by the need to know more about the magic and his heedless rush to find out whatever he can puts him in a predicament that almost sends him crazy.
In terms of criticisms. I think I would have liked to know more about the magic and the Corruption. Helsingør seems to be almost overrun with dark tendrils which makes me wonder just who is using enough magic to create so much byproduct. I would also mention that this is not a short and snappy read. It comes in around 500 pages, but, again, I didn’t have an issue with that personally. I liked the style of writing and was quite immersed.
In conclusion, this was a really good read and I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
I received a copy from the author, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My review for Fortitude’s Prize by Ceril N Domace, The First Assignment by Billy Kramer, River of Crows by NP Thompson and Touched by Magic by Celine Jeanjean can be found here, here, here. and here.
#SPFBO X: Review: Touched by Magic (Razor’s Edge Chronicles #1) by Celine Jeanjean
14 September 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: #SPFBO X, Book Reviews, Books, Celine Jeanjean, Fantasy, Razor's Edge Chronicles #1, reviews, Touched by Magic
For those who don’t know about SPFBO (the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) – this is a competition created and run by Mark Lawrence. The competition is now in its tenth year and you can find out more about all the other entrants and judges over on Mark Lawrence’s blog.
I separated my books into three batches which you can find here, here and here. Having read the first 25% (at least) I’ve chosen five books that I intend to read further before choosing potential semi finalists to pass to the Critiquing Chemist to read. Today I am posting my fourth SPFBO review for Touched by Magic by Celine Jeanjean.
I had such a good time reading Touched by Magic. This is the first in an urban fantasy series, it’s a relatively short instalment and there is, as you would expect for an opening book, a feeling of the stage being set. But, the pacing was good, the storyline was interesting and I liked the characters. I’m always on the lookout for something new and I would definitely like to read more from this world.
We are introduced to the character of Apiya, one of the magic touched. Apiya has very little magic and the little she has is of a very gentle nature. Consequently, she lives a fairly sheltered life under the protection of a much more powerful Mayak. Apiya is a barber to the supernatural but she’s keen to begin seeing more of this world and her wish is granted when she becomes the custodian of a Pari-pari egg, an undertaking that is much more dangerous than it first appeared.
Apiya lives in Panong, an island that provides a home to many supernatural creatures. In this world we have the Mayak – magically powerful that covers a range of different creatures such as the pontianak, kitsune, etc. I loved the Asian influence that comes through easily as the story progresses, not just by references to food and clothing, etc, but also the coming together of different cultures that lead to am impressive and diverse cast and some interesting and new creatures.
The characters are easy to like. Apiya tells the story well, alongside her witty remarks you can see she’s modest and doesn’t overplay her own abilities. If she’s in a sticky situation she knows it and she’s very aware of the shortcomings of her own magic. She has a magic touched friend called Chai, a powerful Mayak boss called Mr Sangong and a trusty dog called Hunter (for the cat lovers out there – never fear, there is a talking cat at the Barber’s shop – because of course there is (and it has a cockney accent being from London). On top of this we have the introduction of a Mayak character, a businessman known as Sarroch who is easy on the eye, although we don’t yet know is true form – but, I must stress, there was no romance here, it has potential to develop in that direction in future instalments but that might not necessarily be the case.
The story is very easy to fall into and the pacing is pretty much consistent. I mean, this is a short book so there isn’t too much time for hanging around or hand holding – although I thought everything was well laid out.
Put simply, I enjoyed this one and I’m keen to read more.
I received a copy from the author, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My review for Fortitude’s Prize by Ceril N Domace, The First Assignment by Billy Kramer and River of Crows by NP Thompson can be found here, here, and here.
Review: This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C Wells
9 September 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Books, Emma C Wells, Fantasy, fiction, reviews, This Girl's a Killer
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Liked Dexter? Check This Out
I enjoyed This GIrl’s a Killer, it’s an entertaining read with suspense and drama, the writing is really good and I certainly never experienced a dull moment. I wouldn’t particularly class this as horror, well, there is of course a female out and about taking justice into her own hands and meting out punishment as she thinks fit – but the story isn’t really focused on the gore or bloodlust and there’s definitely some dark humour.
The killer in question is Cordelia Black. Cordelia has reinvented herself over the years. She’s now a successful pharmaceutical rep with a good reputation. she has her own found family (her best friend Diane and Diane’s daughter Samantha, who also happens to be Cordelia’s goddaughter). By night she’s ridding the streets of monsters, men who prey on the innocent or unsuspecting. She is always in complete control and plans everything with great care – until she doesn’t that is.
As the story starts Cordelia’s life takes a messy turn. Diane has a new boyfriend and Cordelia has a bad feeling about him. He also clearly doesn’t like Cordelia and the two soon find themselves in a competition to out fox each other whilst putting up a friendly front to keep Diane in the dark. On top of this the increased number of missing men is leading the police to suspect they may have a serial killer at large. Then couple this with the fact that Cordelia’s recent blind date was a police officer and things start to become very complicated.
What I liked about this.
I liked the friendship between Cordelia and Diane, they have a long history and Cordelia is clearly motivated to keep her BFF and her daughter safe from harm, there’s a slow reveal of Cordelia’s history in which you can discover how she became Cordelia Black.
The writing is good, very easy to get along with and the author also manages fairly quickly to create a situation that is tension packed. Within short order, this cool, sophisticated and always in control woman is making terrible mistakes and finds herself with more than one dodgy companion sharing her home.
This is almost like (Cor)Delia as opposed to Dexter. Obviously, it’s not the same story but the premise is very similar (in that Cordelia feels she is ridding the streets of dangerous predators and only acts when she’s absolutely certain of the facts), also the focus on dark humour and the fact that Cordelia seems to spend a good deal of the book living on the edge making bad choices and finding herself in an absolute pickle. Clearly, there are some very dark themes here but the majority of Cordelia’s covert operations are carried out with the minimum of sensationalism and the real drama is all the headless chicken style scurrying about that she’s having to do as a result of her impulsive decisions.
I liked the characters but I wouldn’t say at this point that I love them. In some respects I feel like I’m being told that Cordelia and Diane are best friends, there was a lot of repetitive thinking where Cordelia beats herself up about how, if she’s caught, she’s going to ruin their lives, and I totally see where’s she coming from but at the same time she takes some ridiculous risks and frankly behaves far too casually for someone who has so much to lose. Cordelia supposedly plans, meticulously, but there’s little evidence of that here – which again feels a little like I’m being told rather than shown. Everything turns into chaos within fairly short order – that being said though, even whilst this chaos feels frantic at the same time I kind of liked the crazy feel and the escalating tension it provoked.
Overall, I enjoyed this. It’s not a serious thriller or an outright horror but it’s entertaining, easy to get along with and it definitely made me want to shake the MC on more than one occasion as she flipped from one almost catastrophe to the next.
I’m not sure if this is the start of a series but I would certainly be interested in reading more.
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)
Books and travelling with Lynn 