Ink of Blood

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this collection of short stories to be a really entertaining read. It was interesting to see that all of the short stories were written from the first person perspective, but I didn’t actually get confused with the different POV characters.

There was quite a nice variety of different stories. I liked the fact that all of them were different in some way and there were a few unexpected twists.

I did notice a couple of the stories were vampire-based. Although I do think vampires are really over-used in fiction, they didn’t irritate me so much in these short stories… I think because they weren’t the dark, brooding figures of vampire paranormal romances.

I found the werewolf film to be quite an intriguing story and it was interesting to see that it was linked to one of the later short stories. The one about the bestselling story was quite good as well.

The stories were a bit too short to really get behind the characters, but I still found them really entertaining to read. There were a few original ideas and twists to the stories and I felt they did a good job of holding my attention and keeping me engaged. The author kindly sent me the first book in his fantasy trilogy and I do intend to read that in the next day or so.

(I received a free copy of this book, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers – also some references to self-harm).

This was a plotline I could really get behind. Being an avid reader myself, I’m currently in love with a whole range of fictional characters… and I can definitely understand how frustrated Chloe felt with the ending of her favourite book series.

I felt myself being drawn into this world and the characters involved. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the characters in the world that Chloe ‘fell’ into didn’t immediately start trusting her. I felt that was very realistic and although I hadn’t ‘met’ the other characters in the same way as Chloe had, I found myself believing in their relationships and their sense of family.

There was a nice variety of different types of characters, too. It was good that vampires weren’t the only being in the world.

I do think that Chloe ran the risk of taking over the story a bit too much, but I didn’t mind her as a character. The biggest problem I really had was the fact that Chloe was a cutter. I know that’s a real issue, but the line really resonated badly with me… and I didn’t think that part of her character was explored in the way it really should have been.

I did particularly like Naja as a character. I would have liked to see some of the story written from her POV… actually, a lot of the other characters, too. I felt that some of the women weren’t as well-developed as they could have been, particularly in a scene at the end, where they’re just referred to collectively.

Although there was some insta!love on Lucian’s side, I actually felt that worked for his personality and with his past. It was also interesting how this book didn’t follow the usual criteria for most romances, where the two main characters jump into bed together at the very first opportunity.

I think this is a world I would very much like to see more of in the future. The ending was a bit confusing and I would have liked to know a bit more detail about what was going on with Chloe then. But I did enjoy reading about the world and its characters and I would certainly be interested in checking out other books by this author in the future.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

(As an additional note – I have changed the rating. I originally had it on four stars, but as I wrote the review, I realised my feelings about the book are more on the three-star level).

I was a bit surprised at just how easily I was drawn into this book. When I originally read the blurb, I thought it would be aimed at a much younger audience, but having finished reading it, I feel like it could be enjoyed by a wider age range.

I liked Molly as a character in the book, but I experienced some moments of confusion with quite a few of the other characters for a while. The only ones I could really follow were Danny and Rory. I also found the use of the flashbacks quite confusing. They seemed to occur without any kind of warning/scene break.

While I appreciate that teachers probably have a hard job when it comes to the wellbeing of students, I did feel that many of the teachers didn’t actually seem to care. They did the bare minimum and that was it. I’m possibly quite sensitive to that, given my own past, but when concerns were raised, there was almost an air of nonchalance from a lot of the teachers. And that didn’t really endear many of them to me.

It was fairly obvious that a lot of research had gone into this book, without it feeling much like an info-dump. Many of Molly’s interactions with her students were engaging and, in many ways, quite sweet. It was nice to see the children caring about the environment… and the different animals in nature.

I did feel that one of the strongest points in the book was Deano. As more of his past was revealed, I felt some sympathy towards him. There was a lot that was bad about him, but I felt that, if someone had taken the time to work with him, he could have eventually changed. I was disappointed to see the way everyone washed their hands of him.

The romance aspects in the book weren’t bad, but I did feel that more time could have been spent on Molly’s and Oliver’s relationship. It would have been nice to see more of their feelings developing.

I really wasn’t that keen on the swear words being blotted out. That was really distracting and kept throwing me out of the story.

I would probably read more books by this author in the future. It would be interesting to see where he goes next with the characters.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I felt this book was a particularly intriguing one. When I first read the blurb, I found the idea of humanity trying to survive in the face of utter slaughter of women and children a really interesting one. Also, the book had time travel… and to the Dark Ages, which I feel is an interesting period of our history… perhaps because so little is known about that time.

I got pulled into the plot pretty much straight away. Even though I got a bit confused with some of the characters at times, I still found this really easy to follow. There was a lot I liked about this book.

I was particularly drawn into the plot when the characters went back in time. The differences between the two different times were really obvious and I felt the author did a good job of showing the contrast. I was a little confused about how the computers were able to run, though, when they went back in time.

I also felt the author did a really good job of showing the different characters, both in the men who went back in time and in those people from the past. There were some parts in the past that were brutal… but then again, humanity has always been capable of hideous atrocities.

One of the things I found really intriguing was the ‘Americans’ attitude towards women. The way they treated and looked at them was really quite moving and I felt that made sense, given what they’d experienced before.

There were quite a lot of the characters I liked in this book… and a fair amount that I hated. I did get a bit confused with some of the names at times… there were too many that began with ‘E’.

I really did care about what happened to the characters and I could realistically get behind the romances, even if I felt there was a bit too much ‘pairing off’. At times, there did seem to be a lot of glossing over of various events, but Matt and Ellyn’s relationship was one I could really get behind.

The book itself was really well-written and I was drawn really easily into the world and its characters. If there was a sequel to this book, I would definitely check it out. And I wouldn’t be averse to reading other books by this author in the future.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I felt this book was quite an entertaining read, even though I might have enjoyed it a little more when I was younger. It was a fairly simple mystery story, but I liked the fact that the danger the characters were in seemed real. And even though it was aimed at a younger audience, I felt it was good that the author didn’t shy away from describing the bad things.

I liked the contrasts between the two main characters, Ryan and Cleo, but I felt that there wasn’t enough foreshadowing at times. Some of the things that were revealed were more of the, ‘Why did that happen?’ rather than, ‘Oh, that makes sense!’

It was really interesting to see the different parts of Egypt and I found myself really able to relate to how Ryan and Cleo felt about the priest in Ancient Egypt, who was probably about the same age as them. I’ve often felt a kind of connection… mostly with characters, but there have been some historical figures I’ve felt able to relate to.

There were some really sad moments in this book. It was really easy to emphasise with the characters and although there weren’t really that many twists, I still found it a really enjoyable read. I think this is probably a book series I definitely would have been drawn into as a child.

As it stands, I think my younger brother might get some enjoyment out of reading this. There was clearly a lot of research that went into this book and the characters were interesting and engaging. I don’t know if I’d read this book again, but I would probably read the next book in the series at some point in the future.

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

This book was another one that I struggled a little to get into… but once I settled into the world and the characters, I found it really easy to follow the plotline. Although there were times that the characters irritated me (no, it does not take one day to fall in love with someone), I did find myself liking them… which is partly because I have a soft spot for spaceship crews that come together. (I blame Star Trek and the Knights of the Old Republic games for that).

I liked a lot of the characters on the ship. Gari was a particularly interesting character, especially with his mutation. It was interesting to also get some background on the characters before they all came together as well.

I liked the fact that there were three novellas in this book. I particularly liked the relationship that formed between Kol-ian and Ker-ris, but I did feel that, after it formed, Kol-ian lost a lot of his strength as a character. By the third book, he seemed much weaker personality-wise than he had in the first one and I felt it was a major character change.

The different races in the book were quite interesting as well and I would have liked to see more of some of them, particularly the Felines.

I did appreciate the fact that the author made an attempt to ‘humanise’ the bad guys in the third novella. There were times I felt a bit sorry for them, even though what they were doing was awful. By the time I got to the third book, I’d managed to become fully absorbed in the world and the characters.

I did feel that there was a bit too much pairing up. By the end of the book, there was the strong implication that almost every major character was going to be romantically involved with someone. I like romance, but I don’t think every character needs to be pushed into a relationship.

I particularly liked Ker-ris’ relationship with his son, too. The children were cute and it would be cool to read a book where they’ve grown up.

I did find the book a little bit difficult to read at times. There was mixing of POVs and quite a number of errors. Even so, it was an entertaining read and it’s a world I’d like to revisit at some point in the future. Also, the character ‘interviews’ at the end were pretty cool.