Happy Easter

Easter is just around the corner and I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very happy Easter and may it be filled with candy and books!  What are some Easter related books you might be reading this year?

The Children's Home

Title: The Children's Home
Author: Charles Lambert
Genre: Fantasy
Source Hardback
Rating: 1 out of 5 paws


Morgan lives in his estate home with only a care taker.  When children start to mysteriously appear on his doorstep, Morgan begins to wonder not only where they come from, but what purpose do they serve.  Every child that arrives, he takes in and slowly some strange things begin to happen and it seems as though the children randomly disappear and appear in thin air.  These children, the oldest David mainly, have an odd understanding of Morgan's past.  Together with a live in doctor, Dr. Crane.  The children begin to discover oddities within the attic and other rooms of the house.  Dr. Crane and Morgan begin to wonder what is really behind the motives of these children, and what is hidden within this estate.

I found this book on the shelf at my local library and decided to give it a try.  It sound interesting and being compared to Narnia and Golden Compass, I was more than intrigued.  But then I started reading the book and became more and more disappointed.  The more I tried to read it the more disappointed I got as it got harder to understand what exactly was going on in the book.  After finishing it, I still cannot tell you what happened or why something happened.  It was beyond confusing.  I tried to explain this book to my friend and was unable to even give him an idea of what the book was about.


The chapters had subtitles which told you what was going to happen in that chapter.  While I know other novels that have done this and it worked well, it did not work with this novel.  The chapters were rather short so a brief one line summary told you basically everything you needed to know about the chapter.  This also made me want to skip a chapter or two because it didn't seem like it would fit in with what the story was about or that it would add any depth to the story or even answer of the questions I had lingering.  I still have questions lingering.


I kept asking myself "wait, what?"  I was hoping for a dark fairy tale that was a cross between Narnia and Golden Compass as it was marketed on the book jacket but it had elements from neither story, nor would I even consider this a fairy-tale.  I would not recommend this book at all.  It felt like a wasted day.

Fearful Symmetry

Title: Fearful Symmetry
Author: Chris Pisano & Brian Koscienski
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Paperback
Rating 4 out of 5 paws


Eighteen months ago Michael woke up with an incredible power, that he has no idea where it came from.  So he embarked on a journey to discover what happened and to see if there were others like him, there are.  Once Michael got his answers he decided to try and live life as normal as possible.  That is until a picture in a tabloid threatened to expose him and through a series of events Michael begins to think his wife may have gained some power as well.  Meanwhile; Thelma Carver wants to leave her snake of a husband, but his control over her and others is uncanny, and unbreakable.  While out running an errand for him, Thelma discovers a way to escape him.  She tries to get help from other people with special powers to eliminate Marvin, including Michael.  All he wants is a normal life, but now Michael is being drawn back into the fight and it might cause him his marriage.

It is no secret that Brian and Chris are my favorite writing duo, and they are two amazing friends of mine.  Fearful Symmetry is the sequel to their previous novel Shattered Visage Lies which I also loved.  The idea of having powers one day is an interesting one and I think this team pulls it off well.  Different chapters look at different characters until their paths begin to merge.  The way the two write is seamless you cannot tell when Brian leaves off and Chris begins which is definitely what you want from a writing team like this.  I love the diversity in super powers in the novel as well as the diversity away from powers we have already seen in other novels and comics.


In Fearful Symmetry we see some of the characters we met in Shattered Visage Lies as well as some new characters.  You are quickly brought back into the twisted world of those with powers and those without.  It easily becomes a ethical question on how should these powers be used or if they should be used.  There is a huge contrast between Michael who just wants to live a normal life with his wife Claire and Marvin who wants to rule over life and almost make people into his slaves.  It's a question of where does one cross the line into the realm of ethical ambiguity when it comes to having powers.


It is a well thought out plot and shows that the authors worked hard to provide their audience with a novel that will not disappoint.  They succeeded.  There are endless plot twists that will keep you guessing until the very end of the novel, and still leaves you wanting more from not only this series but this writing team.  They are the type of writers that no matter what book you pick up from them, you never know what you are going to get.  I love that about them.  I love the feel of the novel, that the characters are your everyday average Joe type of people who have to face the decision of what to do when they wake up with super powers. 


If you like science fiction or something that is a little bit outside the normal then this would be the book for you.  I suggest reading Shattered Visage Lies first as it explains a lot and sets the stage for what happens in Fearful Symmetry.  Get yourself a copy of both and read them back to back! 


What would you do if you woke up one day and discovered you had powers or were turned into a giant rabbit man?

Once Gone

Title: Once Gone
Author: Blake Pierce
Genre: Mystery, thriller, suspense
Source: Kindle Ebook
Rating: 4 out of 5 paws


Throughout the forests and other rural lands women are turning up murdered and posed in chilling poses.  FBI Agent Bill knows exactly who he needs/wants on the case, his former partner Riley Paige.  The question is is she ready to return to work after her own ordeal?  Riley is the best FBI Agent, she sees and thinks of things differently than the other agents.  She is determined to figure out the motive for these killings and find the latest victim before it is too late.  But is she confusing this monster with the one who haunts her dreams?  Can Riley look past her past and face the case in front of her or will her trauma cause her to fail the women and potentially lose her job?  It becomes a race against time as Riley fights the bureau and herself to discover who the killer is in time.

This was one of those novels that sat on my kindle for a while now and I haven't gotten the chance to read it until now.  I am happy I picked it on a whim the other day.  It is a chilling tale from the beginning to the end.  There are elements about the way the bodies are posed that give it a unique chill.  You will find yourself trying to figure out what dolls have to do with the murders and why the killer poses the women as dolls.  I found myself unable to put the novel down even when someone was speaking to me.  This is one of those stories that drags you into the depths of the tale and holds you captive until the very end.  Once Gone is a book that will have you dreaming about the story once you close the book....if you can close the book.


I absolutely love the character of Riley, she is flawfully strong.  What I mean is she is a powerful character with a ton of strengths, but also completely flawed and doesn't fully think before she acts.  I found myself yelling at her for doing something stupid only to remind myself that I would probably have done something equally stupid.  I love how Pierce shows her struggling with things in her personal life as much as her professional life and what happens when she muddles the two.  I love how her brokenness is portrayed and you can feel the emotions coming of the page, the fear, frustration, anger she feels throughout the book is palpable.  It is bone chilling at how well Pierce is able to draw out emotions from the readers.  It is something that will stick with you once you finish the book, nagging at you until you pick up the next book in the series.  I know I am dying to pick up Once Taken.



It is somewhat predictable, but also unpredictable at the same time.  You can almost predict what Riley is going to do based on her actions throughout the novel, which is not a bad thing because that means the reader completely grows to understand Riley.  But then you can't predict how things will turn out or what direction Pierce is taking things.  I love it.  I couldn't be more excited about randomly picking a book from my Kindle library.  I am honestly surprised not more people are talking about how amazing this book and author is.

I wonder to myself why it took me so long to really dig into this book because it is fantastic.  I am recommending it to anyone who is looking for a good compelling mystery novel.  I know I will never look at a doll the same again.  Blake Pierce really set the stage for this series and I am excited to see what is in store for Riley and readers.

Literary Quote

Sometimes a quote from an author or a book is all you need for the day to say what you are thinking.  People ask why do I love reading so much, many times it's because authors can say the things that I wish I was able to say, maybe not specifically what Vonnegut says here, but in general.  Through characters and story authors can say a multitude of things.  This goes with the idea that literature is a reflection of life in some form or another, and I love the way he says it.

What are some of your favorite quotes from literature, authors, or in general?  Let me know in the comments.

Happy Reading!

Throne For Sisters

Title: A Throne For Sisters
Author: Morgan Rice
Genre:
Source: Kindle E book
Rating:3 out of 5


Sophia is 17 and her sister Kate is 15, both have lived in the orphanage since the untimely death of their parents.  The girls have an uncanny gift of not only being able to hear each other's thoughts but the thoughts of those around them.  One dreary day they manage to escape the clutches of the nuns running the orphanage.  In order to stay alive they decide to split up, Sophia plans to slip into the realm of the court and hopes to go un-noticed until she is spotted at the ball by the handsome prince, whom she falls in love with.  Kate on the other hand finds herself the apprentice to a blacksmith and enters the ranks of a militia.  Both are now on opposite sides of the society hoping to keep it a secret that they are meant to be slaves.  Each sister struggles with each choice she must make because it could either bring her more power or plunge her back into the depths of the poverty.

I am kind of on the fence about this one.  There were points of the story that really had me interested and clinging to the story, but other times I was so bored I wanted skip through them. One of the things I think I had a problem with was there was mention of the girls having a telekinetic powers but it's not used very often throughout the book. I thought it would be a bigger aspect of the story which it wasn't and that led to me feeling let down as far as the story went.

I didn't really care about the characters the seems one-dimensional and flat. For a little while the one sister who's trying to be in the Royal Court was interesting as she was trying to learn the ways and how to act this lady of the Court but then that slowly started to get boring as well now.  

Now the ending was a little interesting and set the stage for another book and it is because of the ending that makes me want to read the next book in the series. I think this novel spent a lot of time trying to build up something bigger for the next novel. It leaves some questions unanswered and introduces something that is rather interesting and I'm intrigued by where the story is going to go next for the two sisters.

Would I recommend the novel probably there were a lot of aspects of the story that was interesting and did hold my attention until the end. There were just some things that seem to have fallen flat for me while I was reading it. So pick it up give it a chance and see how you feel about it and let me know.

Dead Fish

Title: Dead Fish
Author: Ruth Carrington
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Source; Ebook via Netgalley
Rating: 2 out of 5 paws




Upon arriving home, Geoffrey Quinn is immediately arrested on the murder of his wife and children  His wife was found burned in the boiler, the children remain missing.  Alison Hope is a young defender assigned to the case, she is skeptical about his innocence as the evidence is compelling.  As she continues to investigate the crime, she discovers a darker world within the wealthy in the community.  Time is running out fast and Alison must unravel the mystery before it is too late and Quinn is convicted of a crime he didn't commit.

I had such high hopes for this novel, and sadly was disappointed.  Not only does the story come off as cliché, it isn't compelling enough to keep me engaged.  I found it difficult to finish the novel and almost didn't on several occasions.  There are some interesting ideas throughout the novel, but they were not portrayed in a good manner.


The flow of the story was rather choppy, it would be fast paced and exciting one minute then sluggish and slow the next.  I struggled to stay interested in the characters as they seem too ordinary, there was nothing that made me relate to them or feel any emotion towards them.  I think if Carrington went back through and added more depth to the characters this would be a different story.  It honestly does start off well, but then slowly drops off and declines.  There was a lot of different vices used throughout such as alcohol, drugs, sex etc, I understand that was the point, but it came to feel like it was a bit too much, too difficult to keep track and interested.  There were WAAY to many red herrings, and I began to wonder when we were going to get to the point of the tale.


Overall it was an interesting idea, granted one done before but I had hoped Carrington would do it differently, add a unique twist to it that made me go "WOW" unfortunately that did not happen.  While I think there are people who would enjoy this novel and would recommend other readers to give it a shot and see it fairs with them.  It just was not my cup of tea.




** I received this book from Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review**

Behind Closed Doors

Title: Behind Closed Doors
Author: B.A. Paris
Genre: Thriller
Source: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 paws


On the surface, Grace and Jack seem to have the perfect marriage and are completely devoted to one another.  Jack is a successful lawyer protecting battered women, while Grace is the perfect little housewife with the green thumb and cooking skills that rival Gordon Ramsey.  But behind closed doors things are not always as they appear.  Grace and Jack are suspiciously never apart and it seems Jack always has his hand on her elbow or back, one might see this as a sign of affection, but could it be more?  Why doesn't Grace's friend ever see her without Jack.  What secrets could this couple be hiding behind closed doors?

I kept seeing this book in the stores, on Goodreads, and being recommended by friends in my book club.  I finally picked it up and snuggled into bed with the literary cats and devoured this book.  Everything else faded, I barely heard text messages or even the music I had playing.  I got lost in this story I could not get enough.  Everything I read online had me intrigued to begin with and then once I started in on it exceeded my expectations.


I was a little weary about reading it because I was unsure if there would be actual abuse which is something sometimes I have a hard time handling, but with all the raving reviews, I decided to see how dark this book actually got.  I can honestly say there is no outright physical abuse, it is all psychological. Jack feeds off fear and the anticipation of what will happen next, and the thrill of attempted escapes and pretending to be the perfect husband to the perfect wife knowing what is hidden within his perfect home. 


Paris' writing is fantastic and there are so many quotes and moments that make the reader kind of snicker even though this is a rather serious novel such as Millie's claims of not liking "Jorj Kooney" (George Clooney)  here are a few samples of Paris's writing from the book:


“We go downstairs and in the hall, he takes my coat from the cupboard and holds it open while I slip my arms into it. In the drive outside, he holds the car door for me and waits until I’m in. As he closes it behind me, I can’t help thinking it’s a shame he’s such a sadistic bastard, because he has wonderful manners.”


“And afterwards, as he drank in the sound of her fear and breathed in the smell of it, he wished he could keep her there for eternity"


Paris has an excellent way with using her words to describe every emotion, every sense, every interaction and minute detail.  She spared nothing with this novel and nothing is filler information.  It goes back and forth between present and past, but it doesn't mess up with the continuity of the novel and it is easy to follow along and keep up with what is happening and when.  I love the intelligence of not only Grace, but also Millie.  I loved seeing a character with a major disability like Down Syndrome be portrayed as highly intelligent and capable of many things.  I think this is something we need to see more often to help bring awareness to the awful stereotypes.  And the ending oh my gosh, it really makes the book.


So far this is probably the best book I have read this year, and I highly recommend it to everyone who is looking for that one great book to read.  I cannot wait to get my hands on another one of her books.