chroniclesofabookmum's reviews
680 reviews

“In a House of Ghosts, the Living Await, Their Certain Fate”

As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives. At Blackwater Abbey, a spiritualist gathering is commencing in order to try and contact relatives that are lost in conflict. When a storm descends on the island the guests find themselves trapped. Soon one of their numbers will die.

This is a real “whodunnit” book! It reminded me very much of a murder mystery weekend with an added factor of the afterlife or in between life. It is a real page turner and for the last half of the book I was convinced that I knew who was responsible. How wrong was i?!

I was very lucky to be sent this book from readers first before it was published. It was a real page turner and beautifully written. The detail on the hardcover is wonderful and there is no dust sheet so you can see the beauty of it throughout your read.

“Such is the universal desire for fame that those who achieve it accidentally or unwillingly wait in vain for pity”

Lethal White is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series written by J K Rowling under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. This immediately follows on from the previous book “Career of Evil” responding to many unanswered questions readers had at the end of the previous book. The book then progresses in time by one year whereby Strike and Robin are asked to investigate a blackmailing matter by a current Conservatory MP.

Galbraith manages the character structure phenomenally as usual, introducing new characters with their individual theories in a way that isn’t overwhelming and keeps the reader intrigued throughout. I, for one, could not put this book down. In the background of the mystery being solved the relationship between Strike and Robin is compelling and keeps the reader wanting more. This book definitely increased my love for the two main characters and has left me with a thirst for more. Old characters are not forgotten within this and previous characters will creep in throughout the story reminding you of the previous books that have been published. I would advise that if you are going to get the best out of this book that you read the previous three in order to benefit from the story to the highest degree.

I have no hesitation in saying that I think with each book published the storyline just gets better and better. I would openly admit that Career of Evil was my favourite until I read this book. Whilst I love each and every book in this series, but this is a firm favourite. I can’t wait to see what Galbraith has in store for us next.

“If you go down to the woods today, you better not go alone”

This is the eighth book in the DI Helen Grace series. It depicts a serial killer that is at large in the New Forest, sourcing its victims and brutally murdering them deep within the woodland. Are the victims connected, or are they just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Whilst this investigation is developing we also get an incite into the lives of our regular characters as well as an introduction to a handful of new ones.

I, for one, am a big fan of these stories but I can’t help but feel that they are all becoming very similar. Down to the Woods for me was a typical Helen Grace novel which as an avid reader of the previous books I found a little too predictable. How many serial killers can be in Southampton? Maybe its time for Helen to move to a different force in order for the collection to strengthen and keep me interested. I feel that if you are a first time reader this book would gain 5 stars and be a brilliant read however as somebody who has followed DI Grace from the beginning the most recent book does not keep me as gripped as previous ones have.

This is a very fast paced book and can’t say that I disliked it. In my opinion there were a few flaws within it that made it a little less enjoyable than previous books.

“He thought he’d escaped his past. He was wrong”

When Jesse’s ex-wife is murdered and his daughter Isabelle is abducted his life quickly spirals out of control. Home Sick follows Jesse in his race against time to find out what happened to his ex-wife and daughter. Where is his daughter? Is she still alive? Throughout this journey, Jesse uncovers his shocking past, a past that he has tried so hard to escape.

I was lucky enough to be sent a ARC copy of this book from readers first. This is the first Marc Raabe book that I have read and I do like his writing style. The book is split into chapters regarding the past and the present day which I did enjoy. However, this book just did not keep me gripped. I struggled to form a relationship with any of the characters which meant that I could not invest may interest in the story line. This makes me sad because I did really like the idea of the progressive story and I really wanted to love this book but it just did not draw me in like many other crime thrillers similar do. Also, through finishing the book I have so many unanswered questions that I do not feel were addressed throughout the book.

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“Positivity will breed positivity. If you learn to be adaptable and embrace change instead of running away from it, I believe you can survive anything that life throws at you. You don’t even have to know how to play the game; whatever hand you’re dealt; you’ll always have a straight flush.”⁣
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This book follows a young Vicky Nolan strive to achieve her dreams to becoming a songstress. It shows the good, the bad and the ugly that she has faced throughout her journey all around the world. ⁣
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I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of this from Vicky and I’m so glad I was given the opportunity. I absolutely loved reading this lighthearted, wonderful read. The life of Vicky really drew me in and kept me wanting to read more. I actually read this in an evening I was so intrigued by it. Vicky you are such a strong beautiful lady and you have achieved so much⁣

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Thank you for letting me read your 5/5 book! I recommend this to you all! ⁣

“Wednesdays Child is full of woe”

This book follows the life of siblings Nessie, Marcie and Reuben Carson, a life which is full of constant struggle and woe. They find themselves alone in a short space of time when their mother is murdered and their father abandons the family home. The story shows the hardship Nessie goes through to ensure that her family can stay together, taking on the role of both parents to her siblings Marcie, Reuben and young Joseph. Surely things cannot become any worse for the family? Is happiness going to lighten their lives?

I have not read any Rosie Goodwin books before which I feel now is an absolute disgrace as she is a wonderful writer. She really achieves the difficult task of captivating the reader, her character development is fantastic. I really felt connected to the characters, especially Nessie. I found myself feeling every emotion with her through the book, and felt like she was a friend by the end. It is really well written, in a way that it makes it an easy and enjoyable read. I would 100% recommend this book to everybody considering it, it is such a wonderful emotional rollercoaster of a book.

“Our mother returned to us two days after we spread her ashes over Notley Fern Gorge”
“This kind of thing wasn’t uncommon in our family”

Set in Tasmania, Flames explores the lives of the McAllister family especially the women of the families tendencies to come back to life once they have died, bursting into flames once they have accomplished what they came back to do. The main characters Levi and Charlotte are siblings left behind by their mother and their useless father. Spooked by the reincarnation of the McAllister family Levi begins to source a well-made coffin for when his sister Charlotte dies in order to stop this from happening. Upon finding this out, a perfectly healthy Charlotte runs away, thus the book following her travels. Both siblings are on different adventures. What do they discover?

I have been sat trying to write a review for this for a while now and the only words I can suggest to describe this book is strange and weird. But in a good way. Is that even possible? This book is written like no other and the underlying theme of the book is unique. I actually really enjoyed this book and the way the storyline was developed. I found myself wanting to read more and not being able to put it down. The ending did disappoint me slightly it left me wanting more information. I would however recommend that people read this book. I can guarantee you will not have read anything like it and will never read anything like it in your lifetime.

“It’s only women who can’t, who remain stubbornly closed, damaged, defective”

The Handmaids Tale centres on main character, Offred, a handmaiden in a world within the future. A future whereby women do not have any entitlement and are ruled by men. Offred, in her role, is expected to produce a child for her Commander and his wife. This process is continuous, once she has given birth, she will be passed to the next Commander in order to do the same for them. This only ends once she is infertile, a natural life process for women, a process that in this world does not bare thinking about. However, handmaids have 2 years to produce a child, if she is unable to do so then an awful fate is awaiting.

I have really struggled to write this review, I just don’t know what to say about this book. I did not get on with it at all, the plot bought out my inner feminist, thus making me angry as opposed to any other emotion. I did not get on with the writing style, I cannot describe the style Atwood adopts however it did not feel like I was reading a story, it did not grip me. I also struggled with the fact she moves between writing through the eyes of the narrator and Offred, the lack of distinction between both left me confused. I found myself having to read certain parts of the book several times over just to understand. In certain points in the book I thought the story began to pick up, only to be left feeling left down a few short pages later. I feel like this is going to be a very unpopular opinion as this book came highly recommended but I just did not get on with it.

Unfortunately I will be unhauling this book.

“Rose was lit but the sun, her beautiful face giving nothing away. Even back then, she was a mystery that I wanted to solve.”

In a rural town, the murder of a high school teacher found strangled and floating in a local lake is the something everybody is talking about. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is investigating the case, however the victim, Rosalind Ryan, is an old class mate of hers. As DS Woodstock dives further into Rosalind’s life she uncovers several mysteries and numerous suspects to her murder. Will DS Woodstock be able to find who is responsible? Will her past come back to haunt her?

I did enjoy reading this book however I don’t feel like it kept me gripped like other thrillers I have read. It took me over a week to read this alongside other reads as I was happy to pick it up and put it down. Normally with a thriller I cannot do this and i just want to read it all straight away. The ending I felt was realistic which is a bonus, too many thrillers nowadays pose a far-fetched conclusion which ruins it for me, so this was refreshing. I actually didn’t see the ending coming, but I’m not sure whether that was down to the fact that I wasn’t very invested in the book so I missed key points that held relevance to solving the mystery. All in all I did enjoy the book I’m just not sure it should be classed as a thriller.