Gen

I can't help but feel a little... Disappointed!! The storyline jumps around far too often, is messy and her investigation seems sluggish and somewhat unlikely, she brings in intriguing ideas then doesn't follow them up and in parts is formulaic or a tad 'surprising'. Nadel' characters were dull/flat or contradictory, which was irritating. I wonder how a long time fan would have felt reading this? Maybe I really do need to read the 8 previous books in the series... BUT won't be after attempting this one book! Moving on... ..read more

OK, so Long Reach is a book that is aimed at the slightly older teen market of about 14+ and.. mostly at boys... BUT if you are like me, a girl that craves books that are dark, adventurous, gritty and a little bit squirmy to read, then you'll love this.

Quicksilver is a book, brought to us by Sam Osman, about three kids from around the world that have somehow come together in a (made up) run down London 'burb! Apparently this town is very close to Crystal Palace and Dulwich... but that's by the by! Wolfie who is native to the London 'burb, Tala and Zi'ib who hail from continents far and wide, are drawn to the town of Thornham by mysterious magical forces to begin an adventure that will fulfil an ancient prophecy...... Oooh.. Sounds exciting???

If you've not read the previous 'Merry Gentry' books in this series, you'll probably feel very lost with Swallowing Darkness. Previous story arcs run riot through the new book, especially as it starts off with Merry in hospital after being raped by her Uncle. L. K. Hamilton glosses over the rape very quickly as Merry seems to have/show no trauma, which seems.... Odd!! But anywho... The plot is simple, Merry's guards are being plotted against.. the 'let's kill them' kind of plot and inbetween the sexual exploits and seelie/unseelie/goblin hit-men, there really is little to go on, oh.. ..read more

The Aviary Gate seems like a novel that could be a bit like Marmite! Love it or Hate it! I'm not one for historical novels but went along with this one, with an open mind. I'm glad I did! I felt very Marmite-ish about it, too. As in there were parts I thought brilliant and parts that just... weren't! Hickman has written a book that lusciously describes Constantinople in 1599, with the silks, perfumed gardens, jewels etc... You can almost feel and see the world she was trying to create, it's stunning and utterly involving. ..read more

Apparently this is a follow up book to 'Kitty and the Midnight Hour', but having not read it, I feel like I'm missing out on something! So, I would suggest that if you have haven't read the first book, that you do so before going onto 'Kitty Goes To Washington'.

I must say the title of this book is rather off putting, as it reminded me of the graded books we read as kids at school, Timmy Loses a Tooth or Emma Visits The Hospital, very childish!

As with Carrie Vaughn' previous books, she has kept the tone fairly light but with the exception of a couple 'serious' situ's.

The main antagonist, Kitty, almost takes a step back from the action, and you see her more as a woman than a girl.The character development has also come along a little too. Vaughn explores the back stories of her characters, so you gain a better insight into them and their currant positions/situations.

For many people who are already fans of the Anita Blake series, written by Laurell K. Hamilton, this will feel like a bit of a cop out, as it is a greatly edited/abridged versions of many of her previous books. You feel as though you are getting mere snippets of stories you have already read, re hashed into a few short pages and sold as a NEW story!!! This is a weeny bit upsetting for many fans.... BUT on the flip side, if you have never read any of these books, and you want to see what all the fuss is about, then this is a pretty good jumping off point. ..read more

Laurell K. Hamilton seems to have an easy writing style which is very easy to read, gives rich colour and depth to the characters she has created, the worlds they live in and the laws they abide by, without going OTT on the details. BUT, and this is a big BUT, she does get rather creatively lavish with her many, many, many, MANY insatiable sexual romps! Now this is tiresome! Distracts from the story line and to be honest, maybe a little smutty! ..read more

Initially when I first saw this book, I was put off by the fact that it was a trilogy, it seemed rather heavy and voluminous, despite that it had essentially ticked all the right boxes. I needn't have worried. Celia Friedman is a master at weaving great plot lines, building nicely rounded out characters and creating a well padded out backdrop, with only sometimes being stuck in the details. She paces the story well, taking her time in places to build upon angst and tensions, then rushing you into the thick of action and adventure.