Countdown to 2025: Day 23: Sleigh bells
23 December 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: A series that you want to ring out the praise for, CK McDonnell, Countdown to 2025, Day 23, Sleight Bells, The Stranger Times
Once again I am counting down to the New Year, as with the previous two years I shall be highlighting at least one book per day to fit the prompt on that given day. The main aim for this countdown is to highlight some of my reads during the past year and to shine the spotlight on them once again (although some of the prompts relate to forthcoming reads). Today is day 23 of the countdown to 2025 and a list of prompts can be found here if you wish to join me in counting down to 2025 and casting a spotlight on some of your favourite books (if you join in please leave me a link so I can check out your book choices).
Today’s Prompt : Sleigh bells – a series that you want to ring out the praise for
8 Days Remaining
I love this series – long may it continue!
Tomorrow’s prompt: Christmas Eve – One of your most anticipated books for 2025
Relight my Fire (Stranger Times #4) by CK McDonnell
23 January 2024
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Book Reviews, CK McDonnell, Love will tear us apart, Relight My Fire, Stranger Times #4), The Stranger Times, This Charming Man, Urban Fantasy
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Goes from strength to strength
I am loving this series. I really can’t get enough of it and every time a new book comes out I’m there to devour it in super quick time. So, so good.
To the plot. Well think of It’s Raining Men by the Weather Girls and you might have the first clue of how the story picks up. Literally, Stella is almost hit by a student who seems to have plummeted off one rather tall building – the thing is, shortly before his rapid descent it seemed like he was flying – and so we have the perfect mystery for the staff at the Stranger Times to focus on for their next edition. On top of this, there appears to be a mystery drug that seems to unlock latent magical ability, Banecroft has been set his very own personal mission by a mysterious Pilgrim – this is a mission that he is very keen to succeed in as the punishment for failure is too terrible to contemplate, and, the powers that be are taking a rather keen interest in Stella and her special abilities and beginning to wonder if she’s too dangerous to be allowed to roam freely.
It is possible that this review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series, although I do strive to avoid these where possible. Also, I would suggest you read the other three books in the series. It might seem like a bit of catching up but it’s seriously worthwhile.
As with the other books in series there is plenty going on here, and as with those forerunners the story eventually pulls together in the most satisfactory way.
The staff at the Stranger Times continue to grow and the author is continuously building the world, steadily but surely placing layer upon layer as each book progresses.
What do I really love about this series.
Well, the author seems to pull a new and unusual mystery out of his hat with each story. There always seem to be other things going on around that central theme and with each read we discover just a little more of this strange world.
I love the writing. It’s witty, it makes me laugh out loud quite frequently, so many little bits and pieces tie together, we have people from previous books making repeat appearances and gradually this strange place is starting to firm up into something really special. On top of that the dialogue is excellent. There’s banter. There’s danger. Terrifying cats. Brass gnomes with a mission to ‘dig, dig, dig’, ghouls, a hotel for the supernatural and so much more.
The characters feel like a family. They care for each other. At least three of them now permanently reside at the Stranger Times office and frankly, it may be the safest place to be right now. Strange things are afoot. I really like Banecroft – he’s such a grump but his bark is worse than his bite. Then there’s Hannah who is still suffering embarrassment over the DI Sturgess ‘situation’ (Sturgess is now officially in charge of – and I quote – all the ‘weirdy bollocks’ that goes on in the City – frankly I think he’s going to need a bigger team). Stella is now a part time student doing her best to blend in (right up until the flying body incident) and the rest of the team – well, they’re mad as a box of spiders. I would also say that this instalment brings to us the most unexpected bunch of characters that you can ever hope to meet in a kind of ‘celebrity meets 28 days later’ type zombie thing.
Put simply. I can’t get enough of this series. I love the setting, the titles are all brilliant and fit so well, Manchester is such a great setting, the cast are wonderful. What can I say? Just read it (please) if you love a bit of clever urban fantasy with fantastic imaginings going on. I’ve found the perfect series for myself with this one and I love the way that it’s literally a mad mad mad mad world and yet all the mundanes are simply going about their regular lives without a care in the world and no idea that they’re surrounded by the strangest things imaginable.
I know I’ve probably missed out so much in this review but, I have to leave something for you to discover yourself and also you may hopefully glean from this just how much fun I’m having with each new instalment and be intrigued enough to go and grab a copy of the first in series.
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
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Stranger Times #3) by CK McDonnell
21 October 2022
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: CK McDonnell, Love will tear us apart, The Stranger Times, This Charming Man
When is a review not a review? When it’s a teaser.
I recently finished Love Will Tear Us Apart, the third episode in CK McDonnell’s Stranger Times series and, hand on heart, it was my favourite so far. This is urban fantasy that really delivers. I absolutely love it.
I will be posting a full review closer to the date but for now – this was my initial reaction:
‘Oh my giddy aunt. This is a series that just keeps getting better. I absolutely love it and this is my favourite to date, which bearing in mind Nos. 1 and 2 were also pretty damn fine, is no small thing.
I’m not writing a full review at this point – that will be posted closer to release date – the point of this is to whet your appetite. If you’re looking for a quirky, mystery filled, modern era fantasy series packed with all sorts of supernatural critters, a fantastic ‘found family’ in the form of the Stranger Times publication employees, banter, seriously ‘strange things’, drama, tension and heart in the throat endings, stop looking. Here you go. You’re welcome.
Word to the wise, don’t crash into this series, go back to the first book otherwise you’ll be missing so much goodness.
The ending of this brought tears to my eyes – me! I don’t do crying.
No pressure McDonnell but when is No.4 due?’
All I can say is that this is a series that gives me serious ‘feels’. If you’re looking for your next great hook then I implore you to give this a chance.
The Stranger Times and This Charming Man are the first two books in the series.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
The Stranger Times by CK McDonnell
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Please, I would like more
I had a ridiculously good time reading this book, it made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, I just really enjoyed the humour and was hooked. In fact, I can admit that I turned into that annoying reader who keeps reading snippets out to the other half – even though it’s completely out of context and they’re not amused at your incessant ramblings.
So, in fairness, I’m not going to try and say that The Stranger Times brings anything particularly new to the urban fantasy genre, but, regardless of that it won me over with ease, it had characters that I enjoyed, I really liked the setting with the small office dynamic and the slightly eccentric style of news reporting. Also, I can’t deny that a book being set in Manchester, where I worked for a few years, also appealed greatly and I thought really lent itself to the nature of the story.
As the book begins we meet Hannah Willis. Hannah has recently split from her husband and is slowly discovering that the rich lifestyle she had become accustomed to is now a thing of the past and standing on her own two feet, having spent a number of years honing absolutely no skills whatsoever at all to perfection, means that her employment prospects don’t look too promising and when her first interview turns into a disaster Hannah realises that standing on her own two feet might be easier said than done.
However, against the odds, her second interview – which doesn’t resemble an interview in any shape or form, leaves her as the new assistant editor to the Stranger Times. Now, before you become all flabbergasted at this piece of luck two things must you know. Firstly, Hannah was the only interviewee and secondly, as a result of a very grumpy editor, most new people leave before their colleagues have even had a chance to remember their name. Hence, Hannah becomes known as the ‘new Tina’, the only person to have stayed in post long enough to make an impression.
The plot, is something of a murder mystery. We are immediately made aware that somebody evil is prowling the streets and after a couple of deaths, The Stranger Times employees find themselves drawn into the investigation and actually doing some real journalism. I’m actually not going to say anything more about what takes place because I think it would involve spoilers and I really loved the rather chaotic style of the story and think it best left for readers to discover it all for themselves.
What particularly worked for me was threefold. Firstly, the setting – as I mentioned ‘Manchester’ – but more than that, the humour, the author seems to have really captured the essence of the place in terms of banter, dialogue and sarcasm. Secondly, the characters. This feels like a cast that I could become attached too – on top of this the author has left a lot yet to explore with all of them. Thirdly, the quirky eccentricity of it all combined. A group of misfits working for a publication that writes about the weird and wonderful and pretty soon discover there’s more to all this ‘hocus pocus’ than they ever imagined.
To be honest, it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly why this worked for me at the time I picked it up. Perhaps it’s the nature of the strange times in which we live that makes such escapism a fun distraction but I can say without doubt that I would love to read more from this eclectic bunch of characters. I would love for certain friendships to develop further and I, well, I just want more. Pretty please.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Books and travelling with Lynn 