Ink of Blood

(I received a free copy of this book from Curiosity Quills Press in exchange for a review).

(This review may contain spoilers).

A world without dogs is quite an interesting concept. I did think this book was entertaining, but it wasn’t quite as good as it could have been.

I wasn’t completely sure at what point in time this was meant to be set. I found the characters interesting and the storyline itself was really interesting. There was quite a bit I was confused about, though.

There were some really disturbing scenes in this book. Certain things made me cringe when I was reading them. The parasite thing was pretty interesting – I could almost hear the things screaming inside my mind.

The science aspects of this book were pretty cool and made a certain kind of sense. The mystery was a bit difficult to get my head around, though. I think a bit too much was happening and it wasn’t always easy to follow. I also couldn’t work out why people were acting the way they did.

The writing was mostly good, with a few mistakes that I noticed. I’d probably read a sequel to this book if there was a bit more explanation.

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I was quite surprised by how much I liked this book and how easy it was to read. When I started it, I didn’t really like any of the characters, but they did grow on me by the end.

There were a lot of POV characters in the book, but although it got a bit confusing with the switching between the different storylines at first, I was quickly able to settle into the storyline. I liked the relationships between the characters and there were some things that surprised me when they were revealed.

There were some really disturbing, horrible scenes in this book. It definitely wasn’t a light read, although it was really well-written.

Del was one of the characters who grew on me throughout the story. Although he was technically a bbad guy, I still liked him and his relationship with Bunny and Star. There were a couple of things that did amuse me, although they probably shouldn’t have. (I guess it’s a good argument for why drugs can make people act stupid, though…)

Although this isn’t the sort of book I would normally pick to read, I did like reading it and found it to be really well-written. I don’t know if I’d read other books by this author, though. I think it would depend on the book.

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I didn’t realise until I started reading this book that I’d read it before. I know the author, but only remembered two of her books that I’d read. This wasn’t either of them.

Although not a concept heavily explored in this book, I found the idea of different paths – always searching for one’s soulmate throughout consecutive lives – quite an intriguing one. It’s something I would have liked to see further explored, but I felt that there was a good build-up to the two characters meeting for the first time.

Adam’s past was something that particularly resonated with me. There was little sense that he regretted what he’d done, even though he was on a journey of redemption. I feel it would have been better if there’d been a good relationship before what had happened. The redemption plot would have come across better then.

The sections written from the POV of the Watcher were suitably creepy. One thing in particular makes me cringe and shudder when I think back on it. The first time I read the book, I had no idea of the identity of the Watcher and it came across as a complete surprise.

When Adam and Justine were together, I felt that there was a little too much summarising going on. When it comes to soulmate-based romances, I think the author needs to work twice as hard to make said romance believable.

There was clearly a lot of research that went into this book. The diving scenes in particular were really well-written and I could picture it all happening inside my mind.

The ending of the book was kind of sad, but sweet at the same time. There was the sense of both the characters reaching the end of their particular journey in this life.

I enjoyed reading this book and the author is definitely one who I would read again – not just because I have one of her other books on my Kindle. I would personally recommend reading at least one of her books.

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I didn’t realise, at first, that this book was the second in a trilogy. I found it fairly easy to understand, even though I was thrown into the action fairly quickly.

Starting the book off with the newspaper articles about the virus was a good way of setting the scene, in my opinion. It made me think of films that do the same thing.

There was something that struck me as a bit strange, though – the fact that only one person from a family ever seemed to survive. If one person had immunity to the virus, it would make sense if others they were related to did as well. (I’ve seen that in other apocalypse storylines that have a virus wipe out the world’s population, too…)

Reaper and Sam were fairly interesting characters and I thought it was interesting how they and their group became the law-keepers. It actually provided some hope that, even with the world in such a state, there were at least some who fought to protect the innocent.

The author didn’t seem to have a problem killing off characters, which I thought was quite good. In war, there are always going to be casualties.

It was interesting to see how different people reacted to the aftermath of the outbreak. I thought the author did a very good job of portraying the different attitudes and morals that had sprung up.

On the whole, I found the book to be really well-written with characters who were true heroes, but still flawed. I would definitely be interested in reading the other two books in the trilogy sometime in the future.

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I did like this book. It reminded me of the mystery books I used to read when I was quite a bit younger and I think it makes a good start for the series.

I did think that there was a bit too much going on that was summarised. I liked the friendships between the characters, but I felt they weren’t explored as well as they could have been. I also noticed there was an awful lot of repetitiveness when it came to smiling or laughing – sometimes when it wouldn’t actually be appropriate.

The mystery was good, in a way, but I felt it was all a bit rushed. I think this book could be much better if the storyline was expanded. I think there was a bit too much switching between POVs.

I did really like the whole school camping idea. I thought it was a cool idea that would probably be really good for schools in reality to use. It might have helped interest me more at school. Then again, my lack of interest was to do with other things.

I did think the book ended a bit too abruptly. It would have been nice to see more of the characters. I’d be interested in reading the next book in this series to see what happens.

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

(This review may contain spoilers).

I do have a few mixed feelings about this book. It was good to be put into the action straight away, but I felt that a lot of things were left unexplained when they could have been – like Breccan’s and Easton’s involvement with the creatures and Calloway.

In some ways, I felt this book was a bit simple to read. For a lot of it, it was basic good and evil. I would have liked to know more about the Hara-Kirs. In a way, it feels like it was all believed just a bit too quickly. That might have been as a result of being thrown straight into the action, but I feel the book would have benefited from a little more explanation.

I did like the characters and how they interacted with each other. It was nice to see that Calloway was a truly good character, who stood up to the bully even knowing it would make his life miserable. That’s the kind of character I can get behind as a hero. I also liked Easton, though I struggled a bit with the name. Where I live, there are areas called Easton and Weston, so at times, it was hard to accept the names.

Although I liked the fact that Calloway was struggling to balance his two separate lives, it did all start falling into place for him. It was just a tiny bit unbelievable, at least in my opinion.

I wasn’t all that keen on Breccan as a character. I think I would have liked to see inside his head a bit, because as it stands, he just comes across as a really ungrateful person. I would have also liked to see a bit more of his relationship with Calloway.

I’d be interested in reading the next book in this series to see what will happen to the characters. I do feel that it could have been edited a bit – I noticed quite a few errors in the writing which could have been picked up.

Still, this book was an entertaining read. I can’t go higher than three stars right now, but if it was edited and a bit more development put in, I think it would be much better.