Spoiler-Free Review: Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey Date Started - 3/1/2018 Date Finished - 27/1/2018 Genre(s) - Contemporary, Mystery Synopsis: A mystery, an unsolved crime and one of the most unforgettable characters since Mark Haddon's Christopher. Meet Maud ... 'Elizabeth is missing' reads the note in Maud's pocket in her own handwriting, and the one on the wall. Maud's been getting forgetful.= She keeps buying peach slices when she has a cupboard full, forgets to drink the cups of tea she's made and writes notes to remind herself of things. But Maud is determined to discover what has happened to her friend, Elizabeth, and what it has to do with the unsolved disappearance of her sister Sukey, years back, just after the war. A fast-paced mystery, an unforgettable voice: you will laugh and cry but you'll never forget Maud. I brought this book back in 2015 and it's been sat on my TBR shelf ever since. There's been a couple of times where I thought about picking it up, but there was always something else that was more appealing. I never tend to read adult fiction, let alone mysteries, so this was something quite different for me and I think that's why I put it off for so long. With a new year just starting, I decided to bite the bullet and finally start it.
In Elizabeth Is Missing, Maud the main character had dementia and I have never read about a character with this before, so I was quite interested to see how tis would work out. I think the condition was explored well in the book and you really got to see the effects it had on Maud's life as well as her families'. There was confusion and repetition in the story to show her condition, but I feel it was taken too far at times and it effected the pace of the story. It felt that the story was going nowhere and it was getting too repetitive that I ended up struggling and sorting of forcing myself to read it, chapter by chapter. I enjoyed the mix of the two mysteries, Sukey and Elizabeth and the past and present changes as Maud remembered or reflected on different memories. The inclusion of Maud's family in the story was quite important and I thought that the way Emma showed the different characters and their feelings worked really well. For example, Maud's daughter Helen showed her frustration at Maud's confusing, but it also showed a caring side as she tried to sympathise with her mothers' condition. As I finished the books, I felt that there were so many characters and side-stories that we never got to get an ending to. In some ways this worked well, but then there were pages wasted talking about someone or something that didn't matter in the final outcome. I found that after finishing, I was left confused as to what had happened. I understand the ending is meant to be left slightly open as Maud herself would see it, but I think it was rushed a bit and parts just weren't clear enough. I felt that I wasted so much time pushing through the main portion of the book to have the ending rushed. I loved the idea of the story and went in with quite high expectations, but found it just sort of fell and disappointed me. I am glad I gave it a go as it did highlight dementia and its importance. I think it had a lot of potential within the storyline, but I just found it quite difficult to get into and for the story to start moving. Overall, I'm glad I gave it a go and it's encouraged me to go out and read some more mysteries. Rate - 2.5/5 If you've read Elizabeth Is Missing, let me know your thoughts in the comments as I'd be interested to see what some other readers thought. Also, make sure to leave any mystery or thriller suggestions in the comments as well, so I can try some out. BYE! GR - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24179216-elizabeth-is-missing BD - https://www.bookdepository.com/Elizabeth-is-Missing/9780241968185
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Spoiler-Free Review: Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence Orangeboy by Patrice Lawrence Date Started - 25/7/2019 Date Finished - 27/7/2019 Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Marlon has promised his widowed mum that he'll be good, and nothing like his gang-leader brother Andre. It's easy when you keep yourself to yourself, listening to your dead dad's Earth, Wind and Fire albums and watching sci-fi. But everything changes when Marlon's first date with the beautiful Sonya ends in tragedy; he becomes a hunted man and he has no idea why. With his dad dead and his brother helpless, Marlon has little choice but to enter Andre's old world of guns, knives and drug runs in order to uncover the truth and protect those close to him. It's time to fight to be the last man standing. Review: Do you have those books on your TBR that you picked up because you heard amazing things, but put off reading cause you're kinda worried you're gonna be that person that just doesn't like it? Orangeboy was one of those books for me. I've had it sitting on my shelf for quite a long time and I finally decided to bite the bullet and give it a read during the Reading Rush. And I really enjoyed it. It was super easy to get into and this was something I needed in a book following a major reading slump. The pacing of the book was spot on and things began to happen quite fast and it all started building up, but this reflected the high emotions that the main character Marlon was feeling. It made it seem like he was sharing that sense of panic and loss of control with you and it made the book hit me on a different level. I really felt for Marlon and the situation he was placed in. The book definitely deals with some heavy topics - drugs, death, violence, gang violence, weapons, but I'm glad Lawrence didn't shy away from these topics and instead made them the focus of the story. Along with these topics, there's a big focus on family and how easily families can be torn apart (or brought back together later) due to these issues. They are sensitive topics but I think they were dealt with incredibly well and a story like this is so prominent in society today and it's definitely one of those reads that I think everyone should give a go. Anyone who reads this will respect how important the story is, regardless of background. I loved Lawrence's writing style and the portrayal of the characters and it's definitely made me keen to give her other work a read as well as keep an eye out for the future. This book really opened my eyes to some topics and I'm glad I finally gave it a chance. Rate - 4/5 GR - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25699515-orangeboy?from_search=true BD - https://www.bookdepository.com/Orangeboy/9781444927207 pReview: Hiding Till Dawn by E.M. Rinaldi Hiding Till Dawn (Cross Chronicles #2) by E.M. Rinaldi Synopsis: Destiny is unrelenting. It will come for you, and when it does there is no escaping it; something Casey knows firsthand. On the run from the dean and his ever loyal Imperial Guardians; Casey, Cedric, and Falon must put their trust in the most unlikely of allies. Their search for help will lead them across the country, into enemy territories and mystical kingdoms alike. With a prophecy over her head, it is ultimately up to Casey to bring her world back to order. But for that to happen, the corrupted officials who govern her world must be stopped. New friends and old will align to bring back the peace, by force if necessary. And first on their list? The dean. Casey hasn’t forgotten the torment she suffered at his hand, and the nightmares are far from over. Can she eradicate this threat and help save her world? Or will she fall to the pressure of her fate? Review
After reading the first book in this series, Evading The Dark (review linked below), I was beyond excited to carry on with the story and find out what would be in store for Casey. This books follows straight on from that cliffhanger ending and throws you straight back into Casey's crazy life. Along with a change in story, this book brought a new array of characters, some bringing good to the situation and others working against Casey and her friends to ultimately make it a lot worse. I enjoyed getting to see how Rinaldi integrated these characters into the story and how the interactions would work, especially with the Vampires due to past stereotypes/views. I honestly thoroughly enjoyed the vampires and the dynamic they brought. It helped show progression in Casey's character as she was forced into a situation in which she needed to trust. I did find that I struggled a bit more with the pacing of this book as compared with the first one as I found it slowed a bit around the middle point, though I think this was a personal problem as I kept having to stop reading and would then struggle to get back into it. However, once I was back into the story and the action picked up again, I was loving it. A theme that becomes important to this story is family and relationships. Casey is a difficult character to understand at first as she has built up a wall between herself and others, not really letting anyone close to her, which led to significant consequences in the first book. However, in this one we see her fight to protect those close to her including Eli, Falon and Cedric and to do this means she has to trust others such as the Vampires. At this same time, she also has a blossoming relationship with Cedric that I enjoyed reading about as it introduced two new sides to both characters specifically that Casey let herself be vulnerable. This is also similar as she begins to discover new information about her family as well as bonds she grows with others, that although not related, create a safer space for her. One of my favourite things about E.M. Rinaldi's writing is how it makes the story become so immersive and you are easily swept up in the lives of her characters. You feel like you are apart of Casey's team as you become so caught up in wanting them to achieve their goal. I sometimes find that I quite dislike the main characters, but I love Casey from her sarcastic comments and just overall attitude. She is such a strong female character and gives off a sense of empowerment, though I wish sometimes she would rely on her friends round her to relieve some of the danger, which she begins to do in this book. All the characters from the first book have grown and developed as they are faced with more they could imagine and it'll be interesting to see how this will continue into book 3. There were definitely some surprise twists along the way and some important but sad events towards the end. I found myself rooting for Casey and her gang, but unfortunately it seems things are going to get worse with the setup for the third book. It'll be interesting to see what Rinaldi will bring next to this series. To conclude, I'm really enjoying getting into this new series and would definitely recommend to give it a go if you're looking for a magical adventure following the drama being experienced by teenage kickass character. Rating - 4/5 Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34708329-hiding-till-dawn?ac=1&from_search=true BookDepository - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hiding-Till-Dawn-Cross-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B07D9P8ZXG Review of Evading The Dark - https://bookswithbeth.weebly.com/blog/spoiler-free-review-evading-the-dark-by-em-rinaldi Spoiler-Free Review: Evading The Dark by E.M. Rinaldi Evading The Dark (The Cross Chronicles #1) by E.M. Rinaldi Genre(s) - YA Paranormal, Fantasy Synopsis: High school sucks. It doesn’t matter who you ask; jock, cheerleader, computer nerd, or band geek, they will all say the same thing: It’s a nightmare. But Casey is still wondering how she got the short end of the stick. Just a Sophomore at the prestigious Luthos Academy for Magical Beings, Casey already knows more about heartache and fear than any almost-sixteen-year-old should. Orphaned and left to be raised by the Academy, she spends her days training to become a Guardian, but that dream is looking dimmer with every day that passes. Unlike the wand-waving heroines in all her favorite books, Witches in her world don’t cast spells, they are born wielding the power of nature: water, fire, earth, or air; powers Casey never developed. She’ll be lucky if they even allow her to take her final exams. She is top of her training class, but that doesn’t keep her from being looked down upon by every other being at her school. All Casey wants is to be given a chance, instead she finds the only life she’s ever known targeted by an unfathomable evil. Thrust into the center of an age-old prophecy, a war is coming with Casey at the reins. Will relying on her hard earned training be enough for her to make it out alive? *I was sent a copy of this book in trade of an honest review. All opinions are honest and my own* Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy! I was hesitant about reviewing this book. I've always leaned more towards Contemporaries as I have a kind of hit or miss relationship with paranormal and fantasy books/series. I decided to bite the bullet and agree to reading and reviewing this one though and I'm so glad I did. Straight away you're thrown into the story, following Casey, who has ended up at the Luthos Academy, despite her lack of powers. You see a key moment of her childhood, before the academy, and then it switches to her as a teenager. I was surprised about how quickly you begin to pick up information and learn about Casey in the story, but it was a good thing as it makes the story so much easier to get into. I knew from the start I was going to like Casey. She's kind of a misfit at the academy. Due to her not yet discovering her powers or talent, her fellow students exclude her and she goes through some terrible bullying from one student in particular. Despite all this, she has her best friend Cedric beside her and her teacher and I guess carer, Eli to look over her. She's getting through the best she can but nothing ever seems to go that great for her. Across the country, other academies are faced with an emergency when students begin to disappear, creating fear in the Luthos academy. This is where Casey's story starts, I guess. I said above, but with Evading The Dark, you're pretty much thrown straight into the story and I loved this. Within those first couple of pages you get a glimpse of who Casey is and get a real grasp for the story. From that point I couldn't stop reading. With previous fantasy/paranormal books that I've read, I normally struggle to get into the story. mainly due to the writing style. It was the exact opposite for me with Evading the Dark. Rinaldi's writing reads so easily and you get swept along and only realise how much time has passed when you manage to break yourself away from Casey and the Academy, which I'm warning you now is quite difficult to do once you really get into the story. Just like with some other popular fantasy series, it does feature a magic school/academy and I was expecting it to stick to some of the tropes and ideas that go along with this, but the Academy is pretty different. It's so much easier to understand and relate to I guess. It's like a normal high school with the way the students communicate with each other and the relationships etc. I'm glad Rinaldi included Casey and her being bullied into the story because not only does it show a vulnerable side to Casey, but it's also relatable for so many young teens. Evading The Dark is also completely full of twists and turns. When I started the story, I could never predict the way it would end. Once I was into the story, it was so easy to be swept along and I loved being so wrapped up in what was happening that I kind of forgot about the real world around me. I haven't had that from a book in quite a while and loved getting the escapism that I needed. I did find one or two scenes a bit cringy, surrounding a relationship that develops in the story, but other than that I can't really fault it. I loved the characters (especially Falon and Casey), the pacing, the story, the writing, so basically everything about the book. Overall, I loved Evading The Dark and definitely need to get my hands on the sequel to satisfy my need for more of this world, especially after that cliffhanger. It's definitely opened my eyes to maybe trying more paranormal and fantasy in the future (leave recommendations below). I'd definitely recommend giving this series a go. It'd especially be good if you're reading paranormal or fantasy for the first time as it is really easy to get into. Rate - 4.5/5 GR - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26781995-evading-the-dark?ac=1&from_search=true BD - https://www.bookdepository.com/Evading-Dark-E-M-Rinaldi/9781987699999?ref=grid-view&qid=1533760877099&sr=1-1 BYE! |
AuthorHello and welcome to Books With Beth! I'm Beth and on this blog I share a mix of all my bookish thoughts through reviews, book tours and hauls. Have fun! Categories
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