Review: The Crossing Places

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For a long time I debated whether or not to pick up the Ruth Galloway books. They seemed interesting, and yet I wasn’t compelled to read it in the way I have been by other books in the genre. It was one of those ‘maybe I will get around to it someday’ books. I would probably read it, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get my hands on it. Due to this, it wasn’t until I found a copy shoved at the back of a shelf in Poundland that I decided to grab it. After all, who says no to a book in Poundland, especially when said book holds some interest to you?

Being a short read, it was bumped up my to-read list. I needed something quick to fit between other books, something that did not require much time or attention. The Crossing Places, therefore, fit perfectly. It was quick and easy, it did not require much by way of brainpower, and for the most part it was an okay read.

To begin with, I found it difficult to get into the book. I cannot say for sure why this was, but it changed pretty quickly. Once the story was moving, I was turning page after page to see where things would be going. It was an addictive read, one where you wanted to see how it all played out, but it was far from perfect.

My biggest issue, I believe, relates to the main character. Specifically, I had an issue with her self-view. I understand being self-conscious and having a far from perfect main character. In fact, I love characters with flaws. Yet the constant talk of how she was fat really bugged me. It doesn’t help that it made me feeling bad by proxy. The weight of the main character was less than some people I know who are of an average body size. The clothing size, however, was much higher than people of her weight would be wearing. It just bugged me, as though the author decided being slightly above the recommend body mass index results in a person being huge. As someone who is not skinny, I found myself constantly annoyed by the endless references to weight and unattractiveness through size. Without this focus, I would have enjoyed the main character a lot more. She had the potential to be interesting, yet I found myself disliking her because I was constantly fearing weight comments that would leave me feeling as though I’m unlovable because I’m not a size zero model.

When this kind of thing was not happening, the story itself was a lot of fun. There was a lot of predictability in terms of who was to blame for what, yet it was fun to watch things unfold. There was a simplicity to the story that I could appreciate, with just enough action to stop the story from being boring. It kept you engaged, slowly feeding you the specific information, ensuring you wanted to carry on reading to know exactly how things played out in the end.

Overall, it wasn’t what I had expected. I had wanted something more from this, yet it was still a decent enough read. The more I read, the more I enjoyed it, but it never reached the high I had hoped for. At present, I’m unsure as to whether I will carry on with the series. I will not go out of my way to read the other books, but should I stumble across them cheap or should I find them on a friend’s bookshelf I’ll give them a go.

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Review: Keeper of the Bride

Keeper of the Bride by Tess Gerritsen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I adore Tess Gerritsen’s work, and I’m trying my hardest to get my hand onto everything she has written. I accept, however, that not everyone shares this view. I’ll gladly admit that her more recent work is her best, but her older stuff is also fun. However, when it comes to her older stuff you need to enter with an open mind. There is no question that her recent work falls into the mystery and thriller category, whereas her older work falls into the romance. Romantic suspense, even. Due to this, I know a lot of her more recent fans do not enjoy her older work.

Now I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest lover of romance, but I am coming to enjoy it more and more. With Tess Gerritsen, I find myself enjoying her older books – those that fall more into the romantic category than anything else – a lot more than I ever expected. Due to this, I find myself easily giving four stars. When compared to her more recent work – such as her Rizzoli and Isles – they’re a different kind of four stars. Her mystery stories are four stars because of the countless layers she adds, whereas her romantic stories are four stars because they’re easy and enjoyable. The plot is straightforward, the story telling to the point, and they’re generally easy reads.

As cheesy as this one is, Keeper of the Bride is one of my favourite early Tess Gerritsen books. I cannot really explain what in particular has left me with such an opinion, yet such is the case. I believe her bridge book – Girl Missing – will always have the title of my favourite romantic Gerritsen book, yet this one certainly had me hooked from the get-go.

It starts off with a left at the altar scene, and quickly develops into a bombing mystery. Who is to blame? Why does Nina appear to be a target? What bigger player is involved in the game? It is very far from Gerritsen’s modern day mysteries, but you can see the start of them developing here. This book is still more romance than anything else, but it is possible to see how Gerritsen is starting to develop into the author we know and love today.

Overall, another fun read. Even though I love some more than others, this one highlights how I’m never disappointed by Gerritsen’s work.

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Review: The Enemy

The Enemy by Lee Child
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I say this every time, but Lee Child is more of a guilty pleasure read than anything else. I enjoy the Jack Reacher stories yet I’m less sure about the story telling. Nevertheless, I mostly enjoy the books – some more than others.

As always, the writing left me feeling somewhat iffy. Whenever I have time away from the Jack Reacher books, it takes me a while to get back into Lee Child’s way of writing. Fortunately, this story was an interesting one meaning it did not take long before I was entertained enough to overlook the issues I have. In fact, I found this story to be super fun. It isn’t my favourite Reacher story, but the notion of the story pulled me right in.

With this one, we go back in time. We go back to when Reacher was in the service, showing the male in his role of a military police officer. Of course, when I heard this, I was pulled right in. Throughout the prior books, I have been hoping to find out more about Reacher’s time in uniform. This one didn’t disappoint: it had all the action of the prior books, added in with the military workings. When you put the two aspects together, you have another gripping Jack Reacher read.

Despite this, it failed to make it into my favourite Reacher reads list. It was an average read, even though the setting and story had such promise. It just missed out on those things that made some of the other books go the extra mile. It was fun, but it wasn’t enough to leave me crazy excited at the end of every chapter.

Overall, another fun addition to the series, yet it is not my favourite.

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Review: The Missing Hours

The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Missing Hours was my first Emma Kavanagh read, and I’m not entirely sure what I think. For me, it was a case of up and down. I never really got into the story as much as I’d hoped to, yet at the same time I found it to be a decent read.

The story is made up of two mysteries: a missing person who returns quickly and a murder. From the get-go it is obvious that the two crimes are related in some way, yet you are not sure how. Whilst I love interconnected crimes, I prefer it when it is less obvious that one event is so directly related to another. It meant I was constantly looking for the how, when I prefer the sudden heart stopping moment of a revelation.

Despite the obvious link between the two, it was fun to see how the crime unfolded. Following two police officers, the focus flickers from the one mystery to the other. Between these chapters, we’re also given information pertaining to the lives of some of the characters, seeing aspects of their job, leaving us with more questions about what was going on.

Whilst it was a lot of fun to watch these things come together, I found it exceptionally difficult to get into. I’m not entirely sure why this was, but it took me much longer to reach the point of enjoyment than it usually does. Partly, I think this is because of the speed. For me, things were rather slow. Moreover, whilst there was a mystery to uncover there wasn’t much by the way of action. Things happened, but nothing stopped the heart.

Overall, it was an okay read yet I wasn’t crazy about it.

As a final note, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this.

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Review: The Fourth Sacrifice

The Fourth Sacrifice by Peter May
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Fourth Sacrifice is the second of Peter May’s China Thrillers. Upon finishing The Firemaker, the first, I concluded it was another series I would need to follow. After finishing this one, I’m more than a little bit excited to get my hands on the rest of the series. I’m well and truly addicted, pulled into the series and desperate to see where things will go.

You see, Peter May has been a favourite author since I picked up his Lewis trilogy. The Lewis trilogy will always be my favourite of his books, I have yet to find another that reaches the high of The Blackhouse, but they have all been consistently great reads. He is one of those authors I will always pick up, as I know I’m going to get something good. The same is true of this one: The Fourth Sacrifice is a great read.

As with the first book, we’re offered up a great mystery set in China. It is your classic detective story, only difference being the setting. Rather than dealing with the west, we are based in the east. Anyone who has picked up a Peter May book will know that he is more than capable of bring any place alive. He is great when it comes to the description of a location, even if you have never been there you can easily imagine it through his words. In this one, the end of the century China is easily brought to life, allowing us to imagine what it was like.

Truthfully, I think I enjoyed this one a little bit more than the first.

As with the first book, certain things were predictable. I feel as though this is merely an aspect of Peter May’s early work, before he reached the high he gave us with the Lewis trilogy. This isn’t a bad thing; it simply means there isn’t a massive shock when the bad guy is revealed. You still have the twists and turns, the subterfuge and red herrings, but if you read a lot of crime thrillers you’re going to work things out. There are some specifics that guess work will fail to give, but certain aspects will be clear. Nevertheless, the story is still a great one. There are plenty of connections that you are trying to make, your mind constantly working to unravel every aspect of the story.

Moreover, I came to enjoy the characters more in this one. I enjoyed them in the first, but I couldn’t help but feel as though certain aspects seemed a little bit on the forced side. With this one, we delve even deeper in the personal lives of the two main characters, watching the events unfold, seeing how their interaction differs to the first book. For me, I found it to be a lot more fun that the first one. There was more of the battling of views that I enjoyed so much in the first one, along with a fun mix of emotions brought on from the events of the first book. All in all, it worked to ensure I enjoyed the characters even more – and whilst I have an idea of where things will go, I cannot wait to watch the specifics play out in future books.

As I’ve already mentioned, I’m so ready to carry on with this series. It’s proving to be a lot of fun, and I cannot wait to see where everything goes. I doubt it will knock the Lewis trilogy off the spot of my favourite Peter May work, but the series is certainly crawling slowly up my list of favourite Peter May books.

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: Avendui 5ive

Avendui 5ive by P.K. Tyler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Avendui 5ive is a short story giving us an insight into the Jakkattu series that is to come soon.

I’m so glad I was able to advance read this. Excuse me whilst I brag, but I managed to get my hands on this and the first Jakkattu book well in advance of release, and I can assure you I’m more than excited for both of them. There is such promise, so much on offer. If you’re a science fiction fan, then you need to keep your eyes on this series – it looks to be going places.

As a teaser, Avendui 5ive is wonderful. It gives you some information about the world without giving away too much. You get a general grasp of what to expect from the world, and yet so much is left unknown. Specifically, the details in this book offer up information pertaining to biomechanically enhanced humans. We get a general idea of how their world works, and what happens to them when things do not play out as they are ordained.

Honestly, I could say so much, but I fear I will give spoilers. It’s such a short story and yet it manages to give so much. Whilst it wasn’t quite a full four stars – I wanted a bit more about the world outside of biomechanically enhanced humans, if I’m honest, but that’s just me wanting it all and I’m sure that will change once I start the first Jakkattu book – it was so close that to give it a three stars would have been an injustice. It really is a brilliant snippet into the world, something you can complete in no time at all, and it is more than capable of leaving you excited of what the series has to offer.

I cannot wait to see where the Jakkattu series takes us.

As a final note, I would like to thank P.K. Tyler for guaranteeing further excitement about the upcoming series through allowing me to advance read this short story.

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Review: The Legend of the Blue Eyes

The Legend of the Blue Eyes by B. Kristin McMichael
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Amazon freebies are so often a case of hit or miss. I have found quite a few that have really shocked me, often for different reasons. Some shock me because I cannot contemplate why the book is free, as it deserves to be something everyone is reading; some shock me because I cannot contemplate why they have such high ratings and followings.

The Legend of Blue Eyes was supposed to be the first. It had such promise. I’d read a number of decent reviews. Unfortunately, it turned out the book was not to be one of those surprising gems.

Personally, I had expected so much more. The concept is wonderful, and had it been done correctly it would have been a wonderful book. There was such promise, I had such high hopes, only to be let down exceptionally quickly.

From the start, I found it difficult to get into this book. I kept telling myself it would get better, but by the time I’d reached the halfway point I found myself unable to carry on. I hate it when I’m unable to finish books, I try so hard to finish them, but every so often it happens. Such is what happened here: I kept pushing myself, but in the end my interest had dissipated completely and my ability to force myself to continue caved in.

Part of it was the writing. Things seemed far too chunky. Things were repetitive. This repetitiveness is in terms of both interactions and information. Every other chapter things seemed to be highlighted again, pointlessly. I found myself sighing when things were repeated, and yet I wasn’t finding out what I wanted to know. In fact, part of the reason why I carried on for so long was because I was hoping to receive the information I was waiting for, but even that didn’t hold out for long – I was no longer interested because I’d given up with the characters.

That’s the second part of the issue: the characters. I just couldn’t bring myself to like anyone. Everyone seemed overly flat. The main character annoyed me. All the males seemed far too happy to do everything and anything for her, bending over backwards for the littlest of things. She was a special snowflake and everyone wanted to do something for her, meaning she did nothing of interest at all.

I just couldn’t deal with it and because of this I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I kept telling myself I'd read more in the hope it would get better, but it didn't...

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