Suzi

As with most Ruth Ware books, they're a little predictable at times but so hard to stop once you get into them.

This was no different, I think the first 30% was perhaps a little drawn out with the reality show setup but after that it flew by. I really enjoyed the twists and how it ended too.

The narration by Imogen Church was so good so definitely recommend the audio for this one.

Congrats to Deathless for being the winner of The Most Abrupt Ending of the Year! 😂

My Kindle said I had 31mins left and then it ended! I was so shocked for it to end on that specific point. Obviously major segue to the next book but it was still jarring.

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Demon, it was a totally different setup and vibe but I did like way this one did. It was much more political and I really loved the characters.

As with Demon, I'm really looking forward to how this continues in book 2.

This started off strong - I initially liked the back and forth interview sort of setup between the detectives and Inara, it was like an episode of Law & Order SVU (which I love!).

This started to get a bit samey around the mid-point though and although it was quick enough to get through I just felt a little bored and flat after that.

This was my second attempt at this book and I found the audiobook was definitely the way to go for me. Steven Pacey's narration was next level and the huge range of voices/accents he was able to add for the many characters was just so good to listen to, I especially liked his voice for Glokta!

Most people I've heard review this book comment on the character work and I have to agree. The plot itself is quite slow and long, however the thing which really kept me invested was the characters.

I'm really not sure where this series is going to go, amazingly I've avoided spoilers, but I'm looking forward to continuing soon.

Rosie was like a side character in this- she was fine but a bit bratty at times.

I was really here for Ford and Cora 🩷

(And West)

(And the parents)

This has quickly become one of my favourite crime thriller series, it reminds me of the DI Robert Hunter series from Chris Carter which I love.

The epilogue of this one had me shocked and eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Oh my god! I absolutely inhaled this. Yes, granted, it's only 200 pages, but still!

This is super dark, grim and brutal. It has torture, abuse, forced cannibalism, it is horrific, but it's so good. The determination and drive Dien has to escape is amazing character, and what Rob J Hayes can do in just a few chapters is also amazing.

I NEED to get Dein's next book please 🙏

I'm really not sure how I felt about this one - on the one hand it was utterly grim and despressing, which perfectly captures what these women went through as they were captured, raped, abused, and passed around like objects. On the other hand, even though I can appreciate what it's trying to do, I don't think I enjoyed it as a story. Achilles was portrayed so strangely and his story, conflicts and relationships took over the story of the women. I've never read The Iliad or Song of Achilles so can't really compare them as other reviewers had, but I still found this a bit disappointing.

This was a good little novella giving us more backstory on Thea's introduction to Seb Barlowe, her relationship with Evander and how she acquired Malik's blade.

A very good ending a solid series, at least the first arc of it.

I've struggled a little with the pacing throughout this series, but the end of this one really got me emotional and I teared up at the epilogue. 😥

I'll definitely be continuing with the next arc of the series, but I worry it won't be the same without certain characters around anymore. 💔

Soft DNF @ 72%

I am shocked that I'm DNFing this one, at least for now. Part of Your World and Yours Truly were so good, I flew through them in a couple of days each and were instant 5 stars, however this one just felt completely different and I can't force myself to carry on reading it at the moment.

For one thing, so much of the plot just seems so implausible - two travel nurses decide to stay in a cottage on an island in a lake with no access apart from a tiny row boat? In what world would people who have to go to work daily choose this? And the mysterious owner of said cottage just happens to be their boss, how would they not know this? And then her largely absent mother just happens to show up after 2 years to that exact cottage? ON A YACHT? I mean it's just absurd.

I've seen other reviews mentioning that a lot of things seem to have been lifted from TikTok, but I actively avoid TikTok like the plague so I'm not aware of those, but I will say that there was a lot of repetitive things (the Toilet King?), brand names mentioned over and over, cringey moments, etc.

I also really didn't get on with Emma, I get that she's been through trauma and that has changed how she approaches relationships but her attitude was just so selfish, her expectation that Justin should be happy with casual sex and form no attachments, whereas Justin thought he was being selfish in wanting more from Emma but he was not! He was totally valid in feeling that, especially in all the things he had going on in his life.

I don't know if I'll return to this at some point, or I'll just enjoy the first 2 books as they are and forget this one.

I think I've consumed my annual quota of smut in this one book alone.

After really enjoying book 1, this was definitely a step down. I still enjoyed the characters and the world, but there was SO much smut and so little plot that it felt like an unnecessary filler book.

I will say I didn't expect the twist at the end, I had a feeling there was going to be a betrayal like that, but I didn't expect it to be that person.

I'll be continuing in the series, but I hope we get more actual plot and progress in the next book.

So short it barely needs a rating but it's a nice little addition to the Mistborn series, with a glimpse at Kelsier's training with Gemmell.

Is it necessary reading for the series? No.

Did I still enjoy being back in this world? Yes!

I had an urge to continue my Cosmere journey recently (likely due to the excitement amping up due to Wind and Truth being released) so this was next and then onto Elantris.

Ooh this was so good!

I had a few issues with the writing and pacing, there were some overly used phrases (did you know her eyes are celadon?!) which became grating and needed editing out but there was so much I really liked about this.

I thought this was going to be the usual generic fantasy romance and hit all the same plot point but it did not!

Thea was so refreshing - she didn't want to just go off and save the world by herself, she trained hard and worked together with her team in the battles. She had a good attitude and actually admitted needing help. Unheard of!

I also found Wilder a nice change from the usual love interest - it wasn't insta lust and he wasn't an arrogant prick like usual. He actually supported Thea and has his own issues to work on.

Cal and Kip are great as the friend group, I was on edge for them during the initiation trial but I'm so glad they all made it through together. I'm waiting for the revenge on Seb, I hope it's brutal.

The ending was another big win for me and I'm diving straight into book 2!

DNF @ 32%

I loved The Push but I really didn't get on with this one.

I expected a tense, twisty domestic thriller but instead got a bland story about dysfunctional families and spouses cheating on each other. It was weirdly sexual to the point of being vulgar and distasteful. The whole scene with someone sneaking into her neighbours house and smelling her vibrator 🤢 was the final straw, I tried to look past it but couldn't do it.

For this apparently being "the worst Cosmere" novel, I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Granted I've only read Mistborn Era 1 so far but I'm looking forward to getting to the later books if this is the level of his debut novel.

At first I really only wanted to read Raoden and Sarene's POVS, as Hrathen's didn't do much for me, but when everything came together later on you really see why his POV was so important from the start.

This is very much focused on politics and religion, with the magic system taking a back seat, so for that reason it's not an instant 5 stars, as I would have liked more on the magic. It was unique and interesting, just as the Mistborn magic system is, and I found the sections in Elantris and when they were discovering more about the magic were so good.

All in all, I really liked a lot about this and look forward to continuing my Cosmere journey.

I think I can agree with most other reviews with the following summary:

1 - I'm glad this is EVENTUALLY over.

2 - After how long this has been dragged out, the ending was not as satisfying as it should have been.

3 - Lionel's death was massively underwhelming.

4 - Book 8 should just basically not exist.

5 - The books and series overall is just too long (and again dragged out unnecessarily).

6 - I'm really disappointed how much the series went downhill after book 7.

I listened to books 8 and 9 on audio (I honestly don't think I would have finished them if I hadn't) and I have to say how amazing the narrators (Bridget and Jake Bordeaux) are. To have a different voice for all of the many POVs in these books was amazing, although Geraldine's was a bit much at times.

It's clear this is incredibly well researched, and a lot of this was interesting, but it was SO detailed (about the fair and its construction) it became dry and tedious by the end.

There was far less about Holmes, which was the more interesting side of the book, but I imagine there is less known factually about him and his deeds.

I was a bit confused about why these 2 threads were even in the same book, there's no link between Holmes' killings and the World Fair apart from being in the same city at the same time.

From the amount of good things I've heard about this I expected more, but it was overly long and a bit dry for my liking.

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Those are happy tears. I promise.

Honestly this was a 4 star for the vast majority then the last 30 pages and the journal just made my heart full. I just loved this.

This was great!! A funny, quick and quirky account of England's monarchs.

David Mitchell narrates it himself which is even better!

With how much people rave about this author's books, I honestly expected more.

This felt like watching a movie where you started it half an hour in - there was so little setup I felt like I'd missed something and felt completely detached from the characters.

It was easy enough to get through but felt a bit flat and predictable. I also felt like the end was weird and like it was stuck on to try and appease people who sympathise with terrorists, it just felt odd and out of place.

Also, must there be a grown man called 'Big Daddy'? No.

It's very rare I physically read non-fiction but I couldn't find this on audio anywhere and was so interested in the case I just had to buy it.

The murder-suicide case of the two white mothers and their 6 adopted Black and bi-racial children is obviously the big pull of this book, it's unfathomable as a parent that people would actually go through the process of adopting children and then kill them and themselves.

That said, the case takes up less than half of the book with the rest being focused on the failings of the US CPS and foster system for these children and others.

This is very readable and, whilst I can't really comment on a legal system I don't have any experience of, it was still an interesting read overall.

I see there are reviews from people much more familiar with the CPS and foster system so worth checking their reviews out.

Not my favourite from Sarah Morgan - something about some members of the family irritated me until they had their heartwarming/redeeming moment at the end. The main characters were a delight though, I wish I had a Cecelia grandma in my life.

The whole 'mystery' with the painting was perhaps the weakest part of this, it was clear from the second it was mentioned what the 'twist' was, and because of this it felt really dragged out and underwhelming when it was revealed.

I loved the first book in this series for how quirky the characters were and how cosy the mystery seemed.

Books 2 and 3 were definitely less cosy so I've just enjoyed them so much less. 😕

I think I'm okay just loving book 1 and leaving the series at that.

So good but so heartbreaking 💔

I loved A.J. Cook in Criminal Minds and her acting really made the narration stand out here.