All the Books.

"Gretel Fernsby's quiet, peaceful life is threatened when a new family moves into the Flat directly below hers. Ar first everything is civil and she's pleasantly surprised that Henry, the young boy who's moved in is a quiet, polite bookish type. Of course, the peace is quickly shattered when one night she wirtnesses a disturbing scene and is soon forced with a choice. It's a choice that she was faced with before and has struggled with the guilt of those consequences her entire adult life. At its heart, this is a story about guilt, shame and running from your past but it was also a story of growth, courage and finding your voice. It was a deep, intense and rough read but it was well done and I'll be picking up more of Boyne's works, particularly The Boy in the Striped Pajamas  very soon."  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐⭐ Pros : Gretel’s sharp as a tack and rather saucy, I quite liked her/Though she's not a fan of children, she and Henry hit it off well and she's very ...

“Every child hopes to step through the wardrobe into Narnia, to find another world full of magic and adventure. Guinivere and Ennis, the protagonists of the Ninth City series, penned by Edith Sharpe are two such lucky children. Of course, the real Guinivere (Guin) and Ennis' actual childhood was fraught with tension, neglect and an endless wave of debauchery from the revolving cast of hopeful artists that would visit their isolated Vermont farmhouse in hopes of soaking up their mothers genius. It all ended in a catastrophic fire that only Guin and Ennis survived. Decades later, Guin has published a memoir as a way to try and forgive and forget what happened but it's all threatened when Ennis announces his next art Exhibit, simply entitled Mother. Guin fears that whatever he's planning will expose the very real and horrifying truth and so, she sets out to confront her brother and try to stop whatever he has planned. This was a dark, eerie, unsettling but entertaining read an...

"Woodrow (Woody) Wilson Nickel knows it's only a matter of time before the Grim Reaper comes and so he puts pen to paper and decides to tell his story. An amazing adventure of traveling cross country with a gruff but kind-hearted old man and two Giraffes, bound for the San Diego Zoo. This was such a wonderful read. Every character, with their strengths and flaws, found their way into your heart and it was with a genuine, teary eyed smile that I turned the last page and read a beautiful ending to a truly remarkable and memorable book." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros:  Woody was a confused and desperate boy who had been through far too much in such a short time. Though he didn't always make the best decisions he was still a kind-hearted soul who tried to do the right thing/Riley Jones (the old man) was a good hearted if gruff character/The parts that showed the obvious racial tension within the Country and how Jones/Woody handled them only helped cement the fact that they were the goo...

​ “When giant skeletal creatures start rampaging through the land and abducting young people, all of New World is threatened. Ben and Max, Todd and Viola’s sons  try and solve this horrifying mystery and save everyone. It was basically the story of the Pied Piper only on another planet. It was a quick, tense, exciting read and I'm eager to see where the series goes.”  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros: I liked Ben for his logical, rational mind, trying to see all sides of a situation/Max was genuine and tough though full of doubt and uncertainty/Though things have improved, sadly people are still people and will always have their opinions and prejudices. Cons : The whole situation with the Land felt repetitive from the first trilogy but it was to be expected. Different generation, same issues/Burly’s monologue in the Marketplace after the violence with the Land was very poorly timed, like there were far more important things to focus on at that moment/The epilogue was ever so cliche.   ...

“Celie, who is now a Chasseur and engaged to Jean Luc, the Captain, isn’t really a good huntswoman. When bodies of different creatures, Dames Blanche, Loup Garou and Mélusine begin appearing, drained of blood, well, Celie just has to investigate. Of course, Lou et al, haven’t been keeping her informed since they fear it will upset her. When she runs away she’s abducted by a tall, pale, beautiful stranger and whisked away to a magical island and the plot thickens. I had hopes but Celies constant questions, snooping, bickering and overall hysteria were so over the top and annoying that I almost DNFed it even though I was 80% done. I don’t know if I’ll be finishing this duology.”  ⭐⭐ Pros:  It was moderately entertaining for the first few parts/Michal is the quintessential mysterious, beautiful, immortal stranger with a domineering presence but a heart that Celie is inexplicably drawn to, it was cliche but it had its moments, at the beginning.  Cons:  Celie is annoying ...

“Death is personified as a quiet, unassuming man named  Travis. He’s there when people pass over and he’s never cruel or judgmental, just  a steady calming presence. When he befriends the woman across the hall, Dalia and forms a friendship with her and her two daughters he knows it’s foolish but he does it anyway. Though I struggled with the last half of the book, the ending more than made up for it.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Pros:   Some of the deaths were sweet, others crushing. Reeves has a real gift for pulling at the heart strings/Travis was like a genuinely caring person, though he often struggled when faced with difficult emotions/The ending was so well done.  Cons:  It wasn’t told in a linear fashion so much as it seemed to jump around a bit/Dalia and Layla could be rather abrasive at times/I struggled through the last half of the book.  Full Review Travis is death. He finds people and is there when they die. He’s not the catalyst of their death but he’s there to hel...