bookphenomena_micky's reviews
4705 reviews

Headlines:
Probing a new world
Strange creatures
Fighting back and together

Shroud was an unusual sci-fi, set in a world without light that was being explored for what it could offer, one where humans found more than they bargained for. The characters of this story were commodities to 'higher ups', worked to the bone, existing on stimulants and sleeping pills to be productive. It was a dull existence until Shroud made life interesting for them.

The MC Juna was the glue that kept the crew together and also one of the few that had some integrity. The main supporting character was Mai, a bit of a genius and a lot of a workaholic.

Shroud itself was home to 'things' of all kinds of descriptions. The stranger, the escort and the shrouded were all interesting but they felt creepy as well. It was hard to paint a mental picture of what these things were like but I came to feel mostly interested in them and not scared of them.

Needless to say, humans cannot be trusted in a first contact situation and so there was an unravelling of the exploitation of this world but it came back to bite them.

While this was an interesting story, it was a rather pacey read with a slow middle to three quarters and a romp to the end. Because the world was dark, dull and hard to sketch, the characters also felt less engaging at times. This wasn't my favourite Tchaikovsky book but I always know I'm going to get something unique and intelligent to grapple with.

Thank you to Tor for the review copy. 

Headlines:
Returning to a fav couple
Knowing your partner
Dark magic

The Wraith Kings series was around on the romantasy scene before that word was even conceived and the joy of returning to an absolute favourite couple from the first two books was like coming home. Brishen and Ildiko eminate a solid and realistic coupling and seeing them face significant peril in a more settled life was both hard and gripping to read.

This is quite a hard book to review because it's so important not to share spoilers, the blurb is selective for this reason. Suffice it to say that apart, these two were strong and together, they were a force. I long to know more about their life with the young queen.

There is definitely more to unravel about the Kai loss of magic in future books and I look forward to being immersed in the fourth book at some point (soon I hope). 

Well, well, well...you didn't do so well guessing this one, Micky. It's been a while since I've felt so needy for answers and so unsure what was really going on in a thriller. I enjoyed the ride immensely.

This thriller had two unreliable narrators and they're the only narrators we had (laughs maniacally). The story centred around a missing wife, presumed dead and the grieving author husband who is offered a quiet writing spot on a highland island. This island was creepy, cliquey with a very evasive and close-knit community. It felt immediately like once Grady (the husband) arrived, he would never be able to get off the island. No one would share the ferry timetable, the phones weren't working, no internet and no transport.

Columbo the dog was Grady's loyal companion and a bright spot of joy. Grady then spent time writing a book (there's a lot to that element that was intriguing) and once he finished his book, things got even more weird. I'll say no more to the plot but it was wild and gripping.

The occasional POV from the missing wife in a timeline before her disappearance added massively to the intrigue but the answers always felt behind a foggy window and just out of grasp. The ending was satisfying, I didn't see the later twists coming and it stayed ominous and somewhat creepy.

I have to mention a gripe I had about an inconsistency in this book (or lack of research) in relation to the geographical setting. It's a small thing but it really bugged me. This highland island was called Amberley. If you take the time to look at a map of the the west coast of Scotland, you will see not one island that has an Anglicised name. Not. One. Amberley sounds like something of the south coast of England or in the Channel Islands. Just rather irritating.

Overall, a hugely enjoyable thriller that I really recommend.

Thank you PanMacmillan and Bookbreak UK for the review copy. 

Headlines:
Historical patriarchy
Icy mysteriousness
Sisters(hood)

The Swell was a sweeping read that captured my imagination totally as a frequent visitor to Iceland over the years. The description of a historical Iceland was somewhat barren in terms of finances for Freyja and Gudrun but rich in love and connection. However, the patriarchal society of a small village/town was disempowering for women but Gudrun especially was a headstrong women.

The story was told on two timelines, 1910 and 1975 with a body found in the ice linking the two. I felt most connected to the timeline in 1910 but Sigga's story (1975) and that of her Amma's drew me in more and more. I puzzled with a few different theories about the body and the reality of it was cleverly completed. The mystery of this story was elusive and wrapped in cold, rugged feelings.

The men in this story had balance. There were some awful men (I'm looking at that priest and an other) and some good men like Sigga's father and Tomas. These differing types of men helped bring the feminist slant to this tale and that element was well written especially.

The afterword to this story was interesting and I felt a real nod to the author at the mention of Nan Shepherd's work. Gordon's description of the land, lava fields and weather was good.

Thank you to Manilla Press for the review copy. I would highly recommend this for an unputdownable read.

 

Angsty, predictable but I overall enjoyed the journey. There's no doubt it's emotive, with a gut punch of a start. Lots of push and pull and some really obvious plot directions that I guess were meant to be big reveals *shrugs*

Will give the next one a go and see if the series continues to be for me (connected characters). 

This was a fun YA contemporary read based on Ferris Bueler's day off and I could see those vibes pretty strongly but with it's own slant. This small crew of friends, close and estranged, coupled with some siblings made for complexities galore. These friends were all pretty committed students so seeing them do a '180' and take off on a road trip was funny, especially some of the anxiety around that.

There was enough plot and sense of adventure to keep this story going and my interest piqued. However, this definitely felt like the kind of YA contemporary that will appeal most to that age range with some limitations for adult readers. Many YA books appeal broadly across the ages, but this one showed the immaturity of those ages realistically and therefore wasn't quite as engaging for me.

Audio narration wise, this was very well narrated with multiple narrators taking on the main four cast members.

Thank you Electric Monkey for the review copy.