Book Review: Death Sentence by Mikkel Birkegaard

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars..... I think.

Synopsis
A murder committed on paper, safely within the confines of a novel, is one thing. To see that one crime in the real world, is something else entirely...
Frank Fons is a successful crime writer. His novels, famed for their visceral description of violent death, have made him a household name. but now someone is copying his crimes. For Frank what once served a clever, intriguing plot twist has suddenly become a terrifying, blood splattered reality.

Frank unwittingly swaps a role of writer for detective. He must find out who is using his fiction to destroy his life, and why. What had once been a game is now a matter of life and death.

In fiction the bad guy always get caught, but in real life there is no such guarantee. And as frank knows, no one is promising him a happy ending...

My Review.
This book was given to me from Transworld Books. 

This is an incredibly hard book to review and I have been sat at my computer wondering what I want to say and how I can truly convey what I am thinking right now. 

You know the phrase 'It does exactly what it says on the Tin (Blurb)'? Well this book doesn't. By that I don't mean that it doesn't have a serial killer. It does. I don't mean that there aren't some truly grisly tails of murder, torture and death. There are. What I mean is that the story layout and it's main stance on this type of genre is totally different to what I expected and I am still unsure whether or not I liked it. I would say however that I devoured the book in a rate like I had never experienced a crime book before. I found that I was totally involved in all the emotions that Frank felt and all the experiences and problems that he put himself in. I felt hatred and repulsion for the man and then at other times I kind of empathised with him, and for that I would like to applaud Birkegaard. Unlike other people I found the book to be fast passed with short chapters. This like other books I have read lately, including another Transworld Book; Crippen, they had two narratives. One where you saw the life of Frank; From the beginning of his love of reading and writing, to falling in love, being a dad, to finding the demons that fame, fortune and power can bring and how those demons can change you and bring the life that you once had down.  I found this storyline good, the characters were well executed and all rather memorable. 
The other part of this was the storyline that you expected after reading the blurb. Frank who now lives alone gets a telephone call to say that a murder has been committed and that it looks like something out of one one his books. Frank goes to investigate and soon becomes aware that the murder is closer to home than what he first thought.  This then starts what becomes a race against time for Frank to find the killer... This part of the book let it down for me. I had read other reviews that said that this book was incredibly gory and just too much. I hadn't found this to be true until the last 20 pages. I have read a lot of crime novels and those pages will forever be etched in my mind. Maybe I have a high tolerance to scenes that were described in the book but it didn't put me off at all. What did put me off was the way I felt the author rushed through the later part of the book. I felt that many loose ends were not dealt with and that the last 50 pages were just wrote to finish the book quickly. The ending was an utter disappointment and I wish so much I could explain why I thought this way but because of the risk of a spoiler I cannot say more, but it was a major let down. I can understand why the ending was the way it was but for me as a crime reader I read crime for a reason, and the ending was an utter anti climax! I would love to hear from other people who have read this book and see what they thought.

This is why my review is quite a strange one and part of me still doesn't know what to give the book star wise, as I utterly love some elements but despised others.

Would I read another book by the author? Yes, yes I think I would.

Do I think that he is the cream of the crop when it comes to Scandinavian authors? No, I do not understand why some reviews have said that he is like Larsson (The Girl with the dragon tattoo) There are no similarities between the two. If he is is to be compared by any other author from Scandinavia I would say that it would be more like a Camilla Lackberg. I haven't got round to reading my Jo Nesbo book to compare that yet.

Book Review: Crippen by John Boyne

Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
July 1910, the grisly remains of Cora Crippen, music hall singer and wife of Dr Hawley Crippen are discovered in the cellar of 39 Hilldrop Cresent Camden. But the doctor and his mistress, Ethel Le Neve have vanished., much to the frustration of Scotland Yard and the outrage of a horrified London.

Across the channel in Antwerp, the SS Montrose sets sail on it's two week voyage to Canada. Amongst it's passengers are the overbearing Antonia Drake and her daughter Victoria, who is hell-bent on romance, the enigmatic Zela and the modest Martha Hayes. Also on board are the unassuming Mr John Robinson and his seventeen year old son Edmund. But all is not as it seems...

My review:
This review is for the Transworld book group reading challenge. 

First off I would like to say that if you are in an airport and decide to get an easy read for the plane or for when you are on the beach this would be a fantastic choice! I don't think I have read a book this easy to read in a long long time.  

But... I am kinda in a dilemma writing this review. On one hand like I said it was easy to read. I was able to put the book down to work and be a Mum and then be able to pick it straight back up and get back into the story without a problem. However stereotypical the characters on the SS Montrose were I found them to have faces, shadows and become part of my image of the story... The characters came alive. 
The layout of the book reminds me of a book called 'A Brutal Art' by Jesse Kellerman. Where you would go back and forth in time to show the story of a character. I had no trouble with this in Crippen and found that this was a great idea. Unlike other people who have read the book I found no issue with the focus of Crippen's early years. I just found this part of the build up.

Now my issue. There are quite a few things, details are are just historically wrong which really put me off giving this book any higher a rating. 

In a nutshell, if you want a light read and are not bothered with whether a book has more fact than fiction then this well could be the book for you. If you are bothered with factual content then I think that the historical bloopers in this book will put you off.

Book Review: Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Rating
3.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis
For the first time in his life, Jacob Reckless is afraid. For years he's stolen across to another world. A dark enchanted place he's loved for its treasure, secrets and dangers. Until now. Will, his younger brother, has followed him with terrible consequences: the boy will turn to beast; the girl he loves will break her heart and chaos will rule forever, unless Jacob can spin a fairytale to save them..

My Review:
I have never read Funke's previous books, even though they have have always been books that I have wanted to read. This book is not in the 'Inkheart' series and can be read without reading the others.

The front cover is beautiful and very gripping and makes you want to pick the book up. There are also some lovely illustrations throughout with the book.

The story centres around Jacob whom is trying to find a way to save his brother Will from turning into a Goyl, with the help of Will's Girlfriend and Fox. They go on an action packed adventure.

This is like a classic fairytale with many modern day twists. Funke has taken many influences from authors and other fairytales( Snow white and Sleepy Beauty are mentioned) while not taking away the originality of her own tale. She does use them to help you understand the world that you are follwing and tries to help you plant the imagination seed in your head.

The lead characters are good and I found them to be memorable. I do agree with some other people who have wrote reviews that there are parts of the story where the lack of description in certain parts of the book did become an issue for me, and I found becuase of this, some parts of the story did not flow as well, and I was unable to put myself with the magical world that Funke was trying to portray, and because of this I had to give the book less stars.

Overall a lovely pleasant book, that I am sure will satisfy many people who love the fairytale, fantasy genre.

Book Review: The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver

Rating 
5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis
New York City is thrown into chaos by the assaults of the Bone Collector, a serial kidnapper and killer who gives the police a chance to save his victims from dea
th by leaving obscure clues. The cops go to Lincoln Rhyme, an ex-NYPD forensics expert left paralysed after an accident on the job. Rhyme reluctantly postpones his ambitions towards suicide and puts together a forensic investigation team, enlisting as his eyes and ears young police officer Amelia Sachs. Rhyme digs deep into the only world he has left - his astonishing mind - and slowly begins to narrow the noose around the Bone Collector. But the kidnapper is narrowing his own noose - around Lincoln Rhyme.

My Review:
I remembered that I had read this book years and years ago and had totally forgot most of the plot. I fell in love with the characters all over again. WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG TO RED THIS BOOK AGAIN??!!

I find that with Deaver he has all the right qualities to make a good crime novel. He has likable and memorable characters. He has some amazing and imaginative crimes. He also has more twists and turns that a Grand Prix race at Monaco. But yet has enough detail to make you think, god damn this writer knows his stuff and really has put some research, time and effort into it. I had struggled with the last few crime novels that I had read. Including Patterson, McDermid (Who normally never lets me down) and Lackberg. The Bone Collector was EVERYTHING these authors wanted to write. The ending was fantastic, and was just spellbinding write up to the very last page, even the last sentance!

For me he is one of the masters of Crime and I can't believe I left re-reading and carrying on with the series, for so long!! I will not wait so long to read the next one. I know this will not be my last Deaver book of the year.

Book Review: Tempted by P.C. & Kristin Cast

Rating
3.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis
Zoey needs a break after some serious excitement. Sadly, the House of Night school for vampyres doesn't feature breaks on its curriculum - even for a High Priestess in training and her gang. Plus juggling three guys is no stress reliever, especially when one is a sexy Warrior so into protecting Zoey that he's sensing her emotions. Wider stresses lurk too, and the dark force in Tulsa's tunnels is spreading. Could Stevie Rae be responsible for more than a group of misfit fledglings? And Aphrodite's visions warn Zoey to stay away from the immortal Kalona and his dark allure - but they also show that only Zoey can stop him. She's not exactly keen to meet up, but if Zoey don't go to Kalona he'll exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. She just has to find the courage to do what's necessary, or everything that's important to her will be destroyed.

My Review:
I have started to really like series and found them to be real easy reads and I always seem to get my mojo back if it is missing. I hope this book would not let me down as I have had a rather slow mojo for a while. The lay out of the book had been layed out slightly differntly. The chapters are each made into one of themain characters view point. I really liked this.

Aphrodite is for me still y far the best character, I love her, I love how the character has progressed throughout the series. I also love the relationship between her and Darius.

Some of the Teenage language is still annoying me, but I feel that I am getting used to it, and also maybe there is slightly less of it, as Zoey is growing up.

The book rolled along, and was Ok. I was not engrossed in it and I was able to put the down easily. But the ending was, amazing. I did not see that coming... At, all! BLIMEY!!! :o Becuase of this I reserved the next installment and I think the lastest straight away from my library I hope it comes soon!!!

It was hard to give a mark out of ten because for most of the book it was Ok and would have gavee it a 7/10. But the ending was so unexpected (and I cried :blush:) I gave that a 9/10

Book Review: Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis
Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). Oh yeah. And dead. Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's! well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out! "So you won't keep anything from me again?" He put his hand to his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die." "Okay then. Though you don't actually have a heart," she said. "I know." "And technically, you've already died." "I know that too." "Just so we're clear." Stephanie's uncle Gordon is a writer of horror fiction. But when he dies and leaves her his estate, Stephanie learns that while he may have written horror, it certainly wasn't fiction. Pursued by evil forces intent on recovering a mysterious key, Stephanie finds help from an unusual source -- the wisecracking skeleton of a dead wizard. When all hell breaks loose, it's lucky for Skulduggery that he's already dead. Though he's about to discover that being a skeleton doesn't stop you from being tortured, if the torturer is determined enough. And if there's anything Skulduggery hates, it's torture! Will evil win the day? Will Stephanie and Skulduggery stop bickering long enough to stop it? One thing's for sure: evil won't know what's hit it.

My Review:
Ok so I really liked this book, my son wanted to read this, so I decided to read it before hand. I found it such a different type of idea. It starts of with the lead character Stephanie finding out that her beloved Uncle has died. I found the chapter about the reading of the will was hillarious. It then is a non stop rollercoaster, with fantastic characters and oneliners.

The style of writing reminds me of Percy jackson and the lightening thief, with the same tempo and the same feel of the unbelieveable being the believable.

Stephanie is a thoroughly mordern heroine. A 12 year old with an independant streak yet with compassion and empathy.

I don't know why but in my mind I always felt like it was set in the like it was a scene in dick tracy, haha. Maybe because of Skullduggery's hat.

Book Review: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Rating 
4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis
You can't tell by looking at me that my dad is Poseidon, God of the Sea. It's not easy being a half-blood these days. You mortals can't even see the monsters we have to fight all the time. So when a game of dodgeball turned into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, I couldn't exactly ask my gym teacher for help. And that was just for starters. This is the one where Camp Half Blood is under attack, and unless I get my hands on the Golden Fleece, the whole camp will be invaded by monsters. Big ones. Can Percy survive the treacherous Sea of Monsters and restore order to Half-Blood Hill?

My Review:
Ok so this is the secons in the Percy Jackson series, and continues from where we left off in the first book. Percy has spent the summer trying to live a'normal' life until he goes back to Camp Half-Blood. I settle right back into the series, I really did enjoy it. You have the same characters, along with some new one. One new character I utterly adored and I hope he is able to come back for the next book.

These is great for kids, and I have been reading them along with my son, after reading them myself. We love them so much that we have bought the first three of the collection and are looking to get the rest.

Book Review: The Colour Of Death by Michael Cordy

Rating
4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis
In a quiet, residential neighbourhood of Portland, Oregon, an unknown young woman uncovers a shocking crime scene by inexplicably sensing the evil within its walls. To the police, she herself is a mystery. She appears on no government records, has no past and can’t even tell the police her own name.

Christened Jane Doe and suffering terrifying hallucinations, she is assigned to Nathan Fox, a forensic psychiatrist struggling with his own demons after witnessing his parents’ murder as a child. Together they must piece together the jigsaw that is Jane’s identity.

Then a sequence of brutal killings terrorise the city and Fox learns Jane is the only cryptic link between the unrelated victims. To solve the murders, discover who she is and diagnose her condition, Fox must discard his black and white preconceptions, look beyond the spectrum of normal human experience and confront the dark truth of her past…and his own.

My Review:
I received this book as I am participating in the Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge. This is the sort of book that I would normally read. This is a first a thriller yet has a supernatural twist that gives this book an edge on other books in a genre that of late has been rather stagnant.

The book starts off nineteen years earlier where a family get caught in a cross fire in a gas station and the little boy is the only survivor. We later find out that he is one of the main characters, Nathan Fox. The book then then moves on to the present day to a woman who single handed brings down a Russian Slave Trade and saves the slave girls. But afterwards looses her memory. Why did she save the girls? What is her name? And who is the baby in the picture in the locket she is wearing? She hopes to find out these answers by talking to Nathan Fox, who uses different methods to try and help her. You find out that she has a neurological condition called synathesia. Could this condition be the key in unlocking Jane Doe's past...?


The book really was a page turner. From ten pages in I was hooked and couldn't put it down. The characters were believeable and loveable, really three dimensional.


A book I really would recommend and an author I will most definately be looking in to invest in the rest of his works!

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Prisioner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Rating:
5 out of 5 Stars


Synopsis
Harry Potter, along with his friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the Summer Holidays, who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys? But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There is an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school....

My Review:
Like the previous books, we begin the book with Harry with his horrid family the Dursleys. Because of the views the Dursleys have on magic, Harry to has to hide all things magic and not talk about his fantastic 'other' life. This is highlighted at the beginning of the book when his Uncle Vernon tells him that Aunt Marge is coming to stay and that Uncle Vernon has made this story up to hide the fact that Harry was a wizard. This makes Harry mad and does something that no wizards should do in front of Muggles. Harry tells Uncle Vernon that he has had enough grabs his things and walks out. He thinks that because of what he has done. He is going to be expelled from Hogwarts and will have nowhere to go. Like most of us at some point, Harry comes up with all the ways to live and make money while being on his own. Until all of a sudden a bus pulls up; how very British! This is where the book really begins... On the bus we hear all about Sirius Black. The mass murderer who is the first ever man to escape the Azkaban Prison. In book two we read a little about Azkaban prison and how horrible it is. In book three you read about all the details about Azkaban and why it is such a shock that Black was able to escape...


So did I like it? HELL YES I DID!! Finally I get it. I loved this book so much. It made me think, it made me gasp, it made me sad, and happy and well made my inner child scream for joy! With this book I found it finally made that cross over. This book is primarily a kids book make no mistake, and if you are a book snob then you probably aren't gonna try and read this. But if you are open minded, you will love this book. The language and style of writing is easy to read. But not too simple for adults to enjoy. The book has twists and turns enough to grip the older reader, yet simple enough for younger readers to understand and keep reading  the book. I am starting to love the three kids just like they were my own. I was reading the book and saying out loud "Harry! You really shouldn't do that. You are sooo gonna get caught!" Yet at the same time the more I read of the series the more I seem to find parts of me in each of the characters.


I unfortunately have to have a break from reading Potter right now as I have a pile of books to read and review and because of this I feel kinda sad. I see book four on my book shelf and I just wanna read it! My friends are there, Snape is there, my inner child is there.


Fantastic reads for the whole family during bank holiday weekend.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Rating:
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
Harry Potter is a wizard. He is in his second year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Little does he know that this year will be just as eventful as the last...


My Review:
The Book begins where the last book finished. Harry is back with the horrid Dursley's. They still don't like Harry and still see him as an inconvenience. After an incident at the house, Harry is condemned to his room where he is locked in. Down beat and without any letters from his friends, Harry thinks this is the end of his time as a pupil at Hogwarts. But Ron along with his brothers help Harry to escape and once they arrive at Hogwarts a mystery starts to unravel. People have been attacked within the walls of Hogwarts. Rumours are flying, but who or what is causing these attacks.... And why?

The thing with the world of Potter is that there is always someone in your life who is obsessed with it. Two of my best friends are and so is my son. Because of this I have decided to give them a go. After the first one, which didn't quite hit the spot for me, I was hoping that this one would kick start my love for all things Potter and I would soon start to instantly recognise that Hufflepuff was a Hogwart's house name and not some form of Pokemon. Which by the way I now know all the house names!

Other than that I don't know where to start and what to put in this review other than ' I read it'. It was okay. It was readable. It...was pleasant. I am starting to feel that I am not falling in love with Potter the way I should. Is there something wrong with me? Do I need to see a shrink?  There is nothing wrong with Potter. If I were a child I would LOVE these books. Be obsessed with them like I am with Lord of the Rings. But I am just not grabbed. I could easily pick up the book and carry on from where I left off. But with that I could easily put the book down. There are some positives. I really am getting quite fond of the characters. Ron is my favourite, yet I find that I have a lot of the same traits as Hermione. The plot has quite a few twists and turns, some that I did not expect. It was for me the ending that let it down. A couple of odd sub plots that just I felt had no reason to be put in the book, even though I have been informed that some of these 'sub plots' make sense further on in the books. All in all it was average, that's all I can really say.

I will be reading the next one after a little break. I hope that book three will start the love.

Book Review: The Devil’s Plague by Mark Beynon

 

Rating:
3 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:
It is England, in 1651 – The Battle of Worcester. To help him attain a victory over the Royalists, Oliver Cromwell has made a pact with the Devil. In return for his soul, he has been given a fearsome army of the dead – a blood-thirsty platoon of ancient evil…the Kryfangan! With Charles Stuart, the rightful heir to the English throne seemingly killed in battle and his Scottish army slaughtered by the Kryfangan, Cromwell now has control of Parliament. However, by the time the Kryfangan’s real identity is revealed to Cromwell, it is too late to stop their relentless killing spree. And when the true nature of the great plague is exposed, London soon becomes a city overrun by zombie hordes. The English must put aside their religious, social and political differences as they find themselves caught between two armies of the dead waging war with one another.

My review:
It starts off in 1204 with Genghis Khan who has sold his soul with the Devil and the consequences of that. It then moves on to Cromwell and 1651, whom makes the same mistake as Khan and sells his soul to the devil in return for the demonic army called the Kryfangan. There is however a teeny tiny problem. The people who are killed by the army seem to have this rather annoying trait. They don’t stay dead for long….and they are starting to cause havoc in the fair town called London!!!!! Only a King in exile and a troupe of actors stand any chance of stopping them… But can they? and at what cost?

I got this book from my local library and was instantly drawn to it. I haven’t read any of the other books in the Tomes of the Dead series, so unfortunately I have nothing to compare it too. This isn’t your normal run of the mill ‘Zombies, walk, Braaaaaiiiiins, guns, kill, splatter, gore.’ book though, so if thats what you are looking for then this isn’t going to be the book for you. I loved how the author intertwined the historical facts and content with the zombie storyline. It flowed well and worked together. The characters in the story can be quite one dimensional and I found I forgot a couple of the main troupe of people. My only little issue was that for me, a zombie crazed reader, I wanted more zombie killing, more blood, more brains, more gore. I had been reading for a long time waiting for a zombie scene yet when I got it it only lasted a few pages. I would have loved some epic zombie battle scene and I think this would have made my review a lot better. Overall a great little quick read, perfect for a commute or beside the pool.