Review: The Firemaker

The Firemaker by Peter May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been a fan of Peter May ever since I picked up the first book in his Lewis Trilogy, The Blackhouse, a few years ago. Whilst none of his books have ever reached the same high, I have enjoyed them all.

The Lewis Trilogy will always be my favourite. The first one pulled me in and I was so engaged I went out and brought books two and three instantly. I thoroughly enjoyed them and promised myself I would read more. It took me a while, but I finally got hold of Entry Island. Like books two and three of the Lewis Trilogy, the book was great. It wasn’t The Blackhouse, but I had lots of fun with it. Again, a rather long time period passed before I read my next Peter May book – this time it was the first in his Enzo Files series. Fortunately, I had the five books sitting at my bedside and worked through one after the other. They were my least favourite of his books, but I still had a lot of fun with them. In fact, I’m hoping we’ll get a couple more of them to complete the series. This was followed by a find in the university’s second-hand bookstore. Hidden away, I managed to find one of his older works – Virtually Dead. It was completely different to what I was used to from him, but still enjoyable. At that point, I knew beyond doubt that I wanted to read the China Thrillers; however, I ended up picking up Runaway instead. I have yet to read it as my to-read list got out of hand and I picked up so many books that were parts of series I was part way through, but it is sitting by my bed waiting to be read in the foreseeable future.

Prior to picking up Runaway, I requested Coffin Road on NetGalley. I was disheartened when I did not get a chance to read it. I’ll still pick up the book, but I’d been so eager to give it an early read! Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I jumped at The Firemaker when I saw it on NetGalley. At first, I was confused as to why it was on NetGalley. The book had been out for years – why was it suddenly on NetGalley? I didn’t question it for long – I simply requested the book. I wasn’t going to miss out on the chance of reading it. I was fearful I would not be accepted, that it would be a repeat of Coffin Road, but I was surprised – I quickly found my request accepted. It was at this point in time that I realised why it was on NetGalley. A couple of days after being accepted to read The Firemaker, I walked into a local bookstore and found the book sitting there with a brand new cover. That was why NetGalley had put it up.

My only regret is that it took me so long to read it.

I’ll start by saying that has nothing to do with the book itself – the book was thoroughly enjoyable. The issue was I decided to start reading it at an exceptionally busy time. Trying to read one of your favourite authors during exam period is not the best of plans. Thus, it took me a while to get through it. When I was finally able to sit down and read it, though, I powered through it. I was pulled into the story, left unwilling to put it down until I knew how it ended.

I’ll admit, a bit like his Enzo Files, the first in the China Thriller series was somewhat predictable. I feel as though the Lewis Trilogy will always be his high with surprises – it was filled with such twists and turns. Whilst the same can be said of this book – there are twists and turns throughout – they were not as shocking as in his Lewis Trilogy. You had some expectations of what was to come, as some details were a little bit too obvious. Characters and topics were introduced that did not seem to quite fit in with where the story was going, seeming to appear as mundane conversation, leaving you more than prepared for when they appeared within the deeper story.

Despite this, it was still enjoyable. Even though it is not set in the western world, it is all you would expect from a good crime thriller. Add in the fact that it is set in the east, along with the fact it is written by Peter May, and you suddenly have an extremely rich world coming to live before you. As always, Peter May is more than capable of bringing the setting and characters to life.

As much as I enjoyed the characters and their interaction, I couldn’t help but think the romance aspect was a bit forced. This, however, is partly because the whole ‘adrenaline of the hunt’ induced romance doesn’t really appeal to me. When I care for romances, I prefer them to be slow burners. It was great fun to watch their interaction, to see the way they battled over their different views, but the romance didn’t appeal to me. I’m positive I will come to enjoy it with the rest of the series, yet it seemed like too much for a first book.

Oh, didn’t I mention that? I’m more than happy to carry on. In fact, I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.

All in all, it is safe to say this is another Peter May series that I’m going to find myself addicted to. In regards to where it sits on my favourite lists, it’s up there just behind Entry Island (my fifth favourite of his books, that I have read to date, in other words).

As a final note, I would like to say the biggest thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to enjoy this one.

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Review: The Kept Woman

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had such a massive debate with myself before reading this book. I knew from the get-go that I was going to read it (I’d been counting down, after all), yet I wasn’t sure when. The OCD part of my mind said to wait until it was out in paperback, so that I did not mess up my bookshelf. After all, I’ve finally worked my way around to buying the Grant County series, and I’d told myself I would read those prior to the eighth Will Trent book. The fangirl part of my mind said to request it on NetGalley, as Amazon had messed up my shelf already through sending the prior books in the series in a variety of formats. In the end, the fangirl won out. I wasn’t expecting to be accepted – I was lucky last year, where I got to read Pretty Girls prior to release, and I wasn’t expecting it to happen again – but I was pleasantly surprised. After a week of no response, I got back from work to find a notification saying I had been accepted.

The fangirl in me went wild. The book was started that night.

Like many of Karin Slaughter’s fans, I’ve been holding out for this one. I know quite a few people have had a rant and a rave about waiting so long, but I didn’t mind at all. I loved her Cop Town and Pretty Girl books. In fact, I have my fingers crossed that she will one day turn Cop Town into the first of another wonderful series and give us more of those amazing characters. Remember, a girl can always hope. That’s a slight tangent, though. What I was actually aiming for is a few wise words. The wait was more than worth it. Karin Slaughter has come up with something wonderful with this one. You’ll soon forget that you were waiting for the release, as you’ll be pulled right in from the start.

Honestly, the book does pull you in from the get-go. In typical Slaughter fashion, the action begins instantly along with the mystery slowly building. I’ll admit that I worked out one of the main plot points. I know the woman can be cruel, but she was having too much fun to go through with what she was pointing towards. Plus, I would have been quite mad if she had. Then again, maybe not, the woman writes everything so wonderfully that I would have loved the story no matter what direction she took it in. I know I’m being vague with this, but I cannot help it. There were so many important points and I do not wish to spoil things for anyone. Honestly, it’s brilliant – one of my favourites in the Will Trent series.

Mostly, I loved how we got to find out more about Angie. I love the woman. She is brilliant in so many ways. Evil, yes, but brilliant. Slaughter writes such wonderful cruel characters. For so long the information we’ve been given about Angie has been snippets here and there, only really coming to light when it reflects upon Will. With this one, though, we get so much more. I’m not sure what the ending alludes to – but my fingers are crossed for certain things. Again, I’m inching far too close to spoiler territory. I cannot begin to explain how difficult Slaughter has made it for me to review this one. It’s one of those ones where all I can do is gush, for giving specifics is dangerous.

I can tell you there is a lot of development of Will, though. That is something I can safely say. We’ve been watching him grow throughout the series, yet I think this is the one that really shows how far he has come from the first book. As our eyes are opened to things, so too are Will’s eyes. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the whole Will and Sara relationship throughout the book – I wasn’t shipping it as much as I was in Unseen – but I was content enough with it. That’s just me, though. I’ve been having a real shipping problem as of late. Basically, that aspect was good but it didn’t leave me with as many feels as prior books.

I really do want to say more, but I will ruin things. Just know it is great and you will not be disappointed. There are so many twists and turns throughout, so much information comes to light. My biggest problem wasn’t even related to the story. For some strange reason, the copy sent to my Kindle had some kind of fault in it. Whenever the letter ‘f’ was used, I would suddenly start losing the surrounding letters. Trust me, it’s more difficult to work out words than you would think, at times. Plus, I lost all the text messages and written information. I think it was just a glitch in my copy, but it saddened me. I guess my OCD will be content to know I’ll have to go out and buy a paperback copy anyway, just so I can work out what those missing pieces of information were. Still, even with those bits missing it was a wonderful read.

If you have read the other Will Trent books, you have to read this one.

As a final note, I would like to say a massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for once again allowing me to read one of my favourite authors. You cannot begin to understand how happy it makes me.

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Review: UnCommon Origins: A Collection of Gods, Monsters, Nature, and Science

UnCommon Origins: A Collection of Gods, Monsters, Nature, and Science by P.K. Tyler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

UnCommon Origins is the second UnCommon Anthology. Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to read one to understand the other. Both tell tales based upon different topics. With UnCommon Origins we’re given a collection of stories about deities, monsters, nature and science. You get a bit of everything, really.

Before I go any farther, though, I’d like to say a massive thank you to P.K. Tyler for sending me an advance read in exchange for an honest review. It was much appreciated – I had fun with these.

I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of anthologies. I have such trouble when it comes to rating them, as nine times out of ten I feel as though the collection is a mixed bag. Such was the case here. Some of the stories I really enjoyed, whereas others I felt very little about. Hence the three star rating. So, keep in mind that the rating is the collective rather than the individual. If I were rating the stories individually, we would have all kinds of ratings being handed out.

All of the stories are well written, the authors having their own style of writing and storytelling. As with many anthologies, I have found a couple of authors I’ll be looking into. Such a thing is always wonderful. However, for me, some of the stories were more engaging than others. Some of them I was pulled into from the start whereas others I felt dragged on some. Some were so interesting that I wanted full-length novels whereas others failed to hold me for the handful of pages. This is just a personal thing, though. Each story was wonderfully unique and brought something more to the table.

If you’re a fan of anthologies, you’re sure to enjoy this one. As I said, though, anthologies aren’t all my thing.

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Review: An Education in Royalty

An Education in Royalty by Heather C. Myers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit that there were moments in this read where I considered giving three stars – but, in the end, such a thing would have been an injustice. I was addicted, pulled in to the point where I finished it in one sitting.

I admit the book has some of the clichés you will have seen before. The vampire-human romance, based upon initial dislike. The assassin and target falling in love. These are oldies, but they are goodies when they’re done right. Tempting the Flesh (also known as 'An Education in Royalty') does it right. You’re pulled into the story, and despite knowing how it will all play out you find yourself worried that a twist of fate will prevent the ending you want. Thus, you’re stuck with crossed fingers as you work through the story.

Honestly, if you enjoy a good paranormal romance this book is for you. It’s a short read and has everything you want.

You have action. You have romance. You have characters you want to know more about. If the truth is to be known, I’m disappointed it was such a short read. I could imagine this being turned into something much longer, with an entire series coming from these characters. Hell, it’s still a possibility. It would be a different kind of story, but I would love to see it. I found myself more attached to the characters than I imagined I would. In the past, I’ve found such a thing is often missed when books are of this length – somethings the author fails to make them real enough, they fail to leave me rooting for them – yet there is no such issue here.

I liked and disliked characters in equal measures. I found myself annoyed at the main character at times, but such a thing only worked to make her more real (even if it was through me wanting to bang her head off a wall for her actions).

Honestly, I could say so much. Unfortunately, I find such a thing difficult with stories of this length. I always find myself to close to spoilers. In fact, such happens no matter the length of a book when I’m surprised. And this one certainly surprised me. I went in not expecting much – freebies on Amazon are so often a hit and miss – only to be given something I thoroughly enjoyed.

There’s no doubt that I will be looking into the author’s other work.

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Review: The Grass Cutter Sword

The Grass Cutter Sword by C.J. Anaya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I need the final book in the series, and I need it now.

Honestly, I cannot begin to explain all the feels I currently have. I thought it was bad after book two, but at least I had book three siting on my Kindle ready to read. Having finished this book, I now need to wait until the end of the year to get my hands on the final book in a series I have become more than a little bit addicted to. Seriously, I cannot begin to explain the love I have for this series.

I came across C.J. Anaya through a Goodreads giveaway for this series. Unfortunately, I did not win the series, but I did sign up for her newsletter. Through doing so, I received the first book and a short story. I had intended to read it for quite some time – but my to-read list is ridiculously long. Despite having not read any of her work, though, I signed up to join her advance read team when I saw she was looking for people to join. This meant I got to read her Marry Your Billionaire at the start of the year – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew right then that I would be reading more of her work. Still, I didn’t pick this up right away. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest, rather I had so many advance reads to get through and there were so many new books I’d been waiting on, it just sort of feel to the bottom of my list. Not too long back, however, I noticed that C.J. Anaya was looking for people to review the series for her. Thus, I contacted her. I explained that I had the first book and would love to read the rest of the series. She was lovely enjoy to send me books two and three.

Then came the dreaded exam period that puts a dampener on bibliophiles. Despite wanting to read a book a day, such a thing isn’t really advised. Thus, it was put aside for a while.

Finally, however, I have got to work on the series. After finishing book one I knew I wanted more. However, what I did not expect was for me to find myself so crazy addicted to the second book. As soon as I was done reading it, I knew I needed to start book three. It didn’t matter than I was part way through three other books – I needed to see where things were going.

It is safe to say I was not disappointed.

I gave the first book four stars, yet there were points in which I wasn’t overly addicted to the book. I enjoyed it, but at times I felt as though I was rounding up to a four stars. In short, book one was enough to pull me into the series but it was a low rate four stars. Book two changed that completely. With book two, I was tempted to give a five star rating. In all honesty, I’m tempted to go back and change it to the five stars. Whilst I adored book three, book two is easily my favourite of the series. Don’t worry, though, book three is almost as strong. There is so much in this book – so many things come to light, so much information is given, and you’re well and truly put on the path towards a conclusion. Not enough to leave you positive of all the details, but enough to leave you curious to how it will turn out.

The third book in the series follows on from book two, but not instantly. I expected it to continue on exactly where book two ended, yet we move forward in time a bit. Events have progressed, but they’re only just reaching the drastic aspects that we want the information for. Basically, plotting and scheming had occurred between books two and three, and whilst we’re told of these things we don’t need to know all of the specifics. It’s important to accept that time has moved on, and whilst we may want to read through every emotional moment, we don’t need to know every interaction. At first, I was saddened by this, yet I quickly came to accepted it. You find out in no time at all that so much is happening in the moment. You don’t care that time has moved on, not with the plot twists that are thrown in.

I’ll be the first to admit that I saw a few things coming. In fact, there were some twist that I came to accept part way through book two, yet they have only just come to light. This isn’t a bad thing, though, as we’re not one hundred percent sure how certain aspects will end. Oh, there are plenty of suggestions, but my fingers are crossed that a wrench will be thrown into the works. Nevertheless, despite the slight predictability when it came to where some stories were heading, there were plenty of twists and turns thrown in. I really cannot begin to explain all the things that came about in this book. There was so much more than I was expecting. There were so many different things happening. To say anything at all will be to give spoilers – just know this is no filler book. This book builds up so much for the next book – in terms of romance, action, and general information.

So much happens.

I cannot reiterate that enough. There really is so much build-up. It’s not only build-up, but it also works to fill in the last pieces of our knowledge. As the second book set in the past, it fills in everything we need. I really will miss the cast of characters. I came to enjoy them more than I enjoyed the cast from the first book. I could read about these characters forever, they’re just so wonderful. Alas, I know it was necessary to move on. There is something big coming – the end guarantees that.

I really cannot wait to see what it is that comes next.

I really do need the next book sooner rather than later, as I stated at the start of this review. It’s a wonderful cliff-hanger of an ending, leaving you more than amped up about what is to come.

Bring on the final book! Whilst it will pain me to see the series end, I know something truly beautiful is in sight.

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Review: The Black Blossom

The Black Blossom by C.J. Anaya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So much yes.

I came across C.J. Anaya through a Goodreads giveaway for this series. Unfortunately, I did not win the series, but I did sign up for her newsletter. Through doing so, I received the first book and a short story. I had intended to read it for quite some time – but my to-read list is ridiculously long. Despite having not read any of her work, though, I signed up to join her advance read team when I saw she was looking for people to join. This meant I got to read her Marry Your Billionaire at the start of the year – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew right then that I would be reading more of her work. Still, I didn’t pick this up right away. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest, rather I had so many advance reads to get through and there were so many new books I’d been waiting on, it just sort of feel to the bottom of my list. Not too long back, however, I noticed that C.J. Anaya was looking for people to review the series for her. Thus, I contacted her. I explained that I had the first book and would love to read the rest of the series. She was lovely enjoy to send me books two and three.

Then came the dreaded exam period that puts a dampener on bibliophiles. Despite wanting to read a book a day, such a thing isn’t really advised. Thus, it was put aside for a while.

Finally, however, I have got to work on the series. After finishing book one I knew I wanted more. However, what I did not expect was for me to find myself so crazy addicted to the second story. Yes, I gave the first book four stars, yet compared to the second book it is an exceptionally weak four stars. The Healer was a flickering around the four stars read, whereby I couldn’t give it anything less because it would have been an injustice. The Black Blossom, on the other hand, threatened to be a five star read for quite a lot of the book. However, as I’m exceptionally cruel when it comes to my five stars I held back with this one. It wasn’t quite there when I compare it to the selection of books I have given five stars. Oh, it’s close, but not quite enough – if nothing else, I need to hold out hope that the next one will shine even brighter.

With book one, I found it took me a while to get into the story. With the second book, I was pulled in from the get go. As always, her writing style is very much her own, with the characters being brought to life so easily. I didn’t find the cast as amusing in this one, but I loved them just as much. In fact, I loved them more in many different ways. There are so many interesting characters, with so much going on, that I found myself unable to put the book down, as I needed to know what happened to each of the characters.

Moreover, whilst my love triangle issue is still very much around, it wasn’t as in your face with this story. We focus upon getting the backstory, with the history building up. There is still romance to be dealt with, but it is nowhere near as in your face as it was in the first book. It is simmering just below the surface, making itself known every so often, yet most of the book is focused upon the development of the characters and the stories.

A story we had some glimpses of in the first book – but trust me when I tell you those glimpses give away very little. Honestly, the entire backstory is coming to light and there is so little that we know. We know where things are heading, but as the specifics come to light I’m finding myself more and more addicted and interested in where everything is going to end.

Speaking of endings – I need to start the next one instantly. Whilst it made sense to end the story at that specific moment, I felt as though it was a little bit on the abrupt side. I know that books three will continue it on, giving more of the details, but I felt as though it was a bit of a Game of Thrones ending. You know what I mean, whereby the ending cuts off at one of the good points and leaves you wanting more. I both love and hate such endings all at one. At least with this one I have book three on my Kindle ready and waiting.

In case you have not guessed by now, I’m planning to start book three instantly. I need to know what comes next.

Without a doubt, this is a brilliant second book, leaving me more than just a little bit addicted.

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Review: The Healer

The Healer by C.J. Anaya
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I came across C.J. Anaya through a Goodreads giveaway for this series. Unfortunately, I did not win the series, but I did sign up for her newsletter. Through doing so, I received the first book and a short story. I had intended to read it for quite some time – but my to-read list is ridiculously long. Despite having not read any of her work, though, I signed up to join her advance read team when I saw she was looking for people to join. This meant I got to read her Marry Your Billionaire at the start of the year – and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I knew right then that I would be reading more of her work. Still, I didn’t pick this up right away. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest, rather I had so many advance reads to get through and there were so many new books I’d been waiting on, it just sort of feel to the bottom of my list. Not too long back, however, I noticed that C.J. Anaya was looking for people to review the series for her. Thus, I contacted her. I explained that I had the first book and would love to read the rest of the series. She was lovely enjoy to send me books two and three.

Then came the dreaded exam period that puts a dampener on bibliophiles. Despite wanting to read a book a day, such a thing isn’t really advised. Thus, it was put aside for a while.

Finally, however, I have got to work on the series – and it is safe to say, I’m enjoying it!

I know, I know, I’ve only read the first book. What I mean is that I enjoyed the introduction and I’m more than happy to continue on. In fact, with the way it ended I need to carry on straight away. I need to know what comes next – I’ve been pulled in, and I’m in dire need of answers to so many things.

Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t feel like this for the whole book. It did take me a while to get into the story, and I feared at first it would be a three star read. As I’ve come to expect through reading Marry Your Billionaire and her short stories, C.J. Anaya is a wonderful author. She had a writing style that is very much her own, and she easily brings the characters to life (seriously, the cast in this story is wonderful). But, it was a bit too much on the young adult side of things for me when the story first started. We had details of the high school life and the drama surrounding it – and such a thing never really pulls me it. It doesn’t matter how good the story is, these things will never entertain me. I hated high school far too much to ever get enjoyment from this kind of thing. However, if you enjoy such a thing, then I know you’ll love that aspect of the story. It builds so much for the later story, and it is much better done than a lot of stories out there. It’s a lot more realistic, despite the fantasy aspect of the story.

And oh my, what a great fantasy aspect it is. It reminds me some of other stories, but that is just in the under arching story. The specific details are unique and wonderful. It’s such a great story, with such interesting aspects. I really do fear saying too much. Honestly, there is so much I want to say and yet each time I start to type a sentence my brain screams out with a warning of how I’m inching towards spoilers.

You know a book is good when every tiny detail you can offer up hints towards spoilers. It means it is well thought out, with the story being wonderfully interconnected.

Honestly, there are so many good things about this.

However, I did find myself somewhat annoyed by the romance aspect. Specifically, I found myself annoyed by the instalove and love triangle. I know this links in with so many aspects of the story – yet I found myself unable to truly enjoy the romance aspect as it all seemed too much too soon. This is, in part, is due to the fact that I’m very picky when it comes to romances – but still. Even if I wasn’t so fickle, I fear I would have labelled it too much too soon.

Overall, it was a great introduction to the series and I’m more than intrigued to see where everything goes from here.

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