A Perilous Question Review

A Perilous Question by Barry Finlay

Paperback: 260 pages

Publisher: Keep On Climbing Publishing (19 Mar. 2016)

Language: English

Goodreads Rating:   

My Rating: 

Synopsis:

Strong, independent and divorced Marcie Kane is on a much needed vacation in Tanzania, Africa when her enjoyment of everything the country has to offer is shattered by one simple question posed by a teenage girl: “When are you taking me to America?” Harmless as it may seem, Marcie realizes that this question posed to the wrong person could spell disaster for the girl and her friend. Her fears prove to be well founded. When she inadvertently discovers the girls are victims of an international human trafficking ring in, of all places, her home state of Florida, her attempts to help quickly spiral out of control with terrifying consequences. Will any of them make it out alive?

Review:

I haven’t read a crime thriller in such a long time until I read this book! Barry Finlay has made me remember why I love these types of books, because this is a fantastic crime thriller book!

This book had such a suspenseful beginning and kept me on edge the entire read. Two girls from Tanzania, Africa ask the main character, Marcie Kane when she will take them to America, setting Marcie on edge and me too, especially when someone agrees to take them! I was completely engrossed in this book and flew through it because I needed to know what happened to the two girls from the start of the story. Marcie became wrapped up in finding the two girls, discovering a human trafficking ring in her home town and got herself into some difficult situations. The story had a great twist and even had a bit of romance thrown in. All in all this book was a great read and it was easy to tell from the writing that Finlay had done his research on this topic. This book really makes you think, because human trafficking can happen anywhere, even in your own home town, just as it did in Marcie Kane’s.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers!

Adieu! Take care of yourselves; And I entreat you, read!

Seashell! x

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and all opinions and thoughts are my own

July Wrap Up and August TBR

I’ve seen others do their July Wrap Up blogs and vlogs and I’m rather disappointed that this month I only made it through two books! Admittedly I have been busier than I should have been for the first month of the summer holidays, but at the same time I know I could have read more than I did! I think I spent more time searching for and buying new books than reading books! Having a serious case of readers guilt about this months reading! But needless to say I have enjoyed my reading in July and can always read more in August!

But anywhoo! The two books I’ve read this month are from two of my favourite book series EVER!

The first book I read this month was Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas honestly left me with such a book hangover! I devoured this book! It was my favourite of this series, so far! I have high hopes the final installment will be just as addictive, if not more so! It took me a few days before I could start my next reading endeavour, so I wrote a review of Throne of Glass to help me get over this series! I love this series and cannot wait for Empire of Storms in September!

Rating: 

I read and reviewed The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett for the third time this month, this is a book I could read a million times and never be bored of! I’m now around halfway through the second book in this series The Desert Spear and I love the continuation of The Demon Cycle, with more characters added to the wonderful world in which demons rule the night and most humans are forced to hide behind their wards….. A new point of view is added, Ahmann Jardir, who Arlen met in Krasia. This character allows us to learn more about Krasia and it’s traditions and see that not all cower behind their wards at night, the Krasians fight!

Rating: 

 

And finally! My TBR books for August are…

 

 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett

The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett

 

 

 

Adieu! Take care of yourselves; And I entreat you, read!

Seashell x

 

July Book Haul!

This is a huge book haul, I would very rarely buy this many books in one month. BUT! It was my birthday this month and I went a bit crazy, as you will clearly see…..

 

 

I got my third edition of Harry Potter this month, I fell in love with these covers and had to have them! (I love collecting different cover editions of books)

 

 

 

 

I bought a lot of books I have heard good things about, and these should keep me occupied for quite a while, especially considering the amount of TBR books on my shelves already!

 

 

After reading the Throne of Glass series, I HAD to have A Court of Thorns and Roses, which meant I also had to buy A Court of Mist and Fury, I cannot wait to read these books! They were recommended to me by a friend who recommended A Throne of Glass which I loved so much, I couldn’t ignore her next recommendation!

 

 

 

I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time when I was in school and every time I have seen it, I’ve never had the money to buy it or I’ve been out to specifically buy
another book and always bypassed it. But not this time! Loved this book back then, and I really hope I still do!

 

 

 

 

Rebel of the Sands is another book I’ve seen everywhere and I just had to have it to read it! And it has djinni! What more could you want?

Our Endless Numbered Days fascinated me! A young girl taken from her home to live and survive in a remote hut in the woods with her father who has told her the world has been destroyed…. Love me some post-apocalyptic stories!

The Sin Eaters Daughter fascinated me enough to buy it and give it a try and on my binge buy, I bought the second book too! (Because that’s what I always do!) I’m optimistic about reading these, though I admit seeing Sin Eater, made me think of the TV show Grimm and I think that added to my desire to read these books.  The Sin Eater’s Daughter is about a girl who  is the royal executioner, because she can kill with a single touch….

 

 

 

 

I’ve seen Red Queen EVERYWHERE! And I mean everywhere! So when I seen it on offer in Waterstones, I knew I wouldn’t leave the store without it, and the second, and the novella (Because as I said, that’s what I do!)

 

 

 

I’ll hopefully get around to reviewing these books as I read them, and I really hope I like them and much as I think I will! Otherwise I’ll have to find a kind soul to give them to, or donate them to charity (which I really don’t want to do!!)

Seashell x

The Painted Man Review

So I just finished reading this book for the third time! I first read this book back in 2010 and I absolutely love this series by Peter V. Brett! I’m ashamed to say I haven’t finished The Skull Throne and it’s been so long since I’ve read anything, thanks to a major reading slump I couldn’t get out of, that I felt the need to reread The Painted Man and the rest of the demon cycle so far (no complaints about that!).

It kind of bothers me that my copy of the painted man doesn’t match the rest! Need to get it in hard back!

In Peter V. Brett’s world, demons arise each night with the setting sun and mankind hide away in fear behind their magical wards of protection, well the majority of mankind anyway, as no man-made weapon can kill a demon, and why fight what cannot be killed…

This book follows the story of Arlen Bales, a young boy from the small village of Tibbet’s Brook, Leesha Paper from Cutter’s Hollow and Rojer from Riverbridge who all experience great hardships including loss at the hands of demons

Arlen, feeling trapped behind the wards of protection, ultimately runs away from home on his journey to become a messenger and feel free, while visiting different cities in the world. Isn’t that what we all want, to not feel trapped in our lives! Arlen is definitely one of my all time favourite characters! There’s just something about him, his morals and the fight in him, especially from such a young age, that I adore.

Leesha finds her escape becoming a Gatherer, a healer in this world. She is a strong character who doesn’t realise it a lot of the time, making her one of my favourite female characters in this series!

And Rojer, a young jongleur, the youngest of the three, with an almighty talent, not even the Painted Man himself has….

Brett manages to link the lives of these of these three very different, yet somehow similar people perfectly! Telling their stories wonderfully, and leaving me, as a reader, constantly hungry for more.

I love losing myself in this world, it’s a world I think I’d quite like to experience, but definitely from within the safety of the wards!

Seashell x

Organising Books…..

These are my bookcases! All sorted after moving house! It took quite some time to do!! I always organise my books alphabetically, it makes me happy. And I find it easier to find a book when I organise them this way. Because they’re newly organised, I left spaces to complete some of my incomplete series to save myself having to move all the books along when I do get the next in the series!! I have my manga together and cookbooks and larger books on a shelf together. I also have a separate, mini bookcase for all the children’s books I own (necessity for an early years worker!). The little bookcase on the end is for my other half’s Warhammer novels, codex’s and magazines. He likes to keep them separate from the rest for his convenience, his hobby station is just out of view and he can grab the books easily.

I’d like to know how others organise their books! Do you sort by colour? SIZE? Or the same as me?

Seashell x

Rainbow Spine Tag!

I decided to do the Rainbow Spine Book Tag (I really don’t own any pink books! So a pink spined book had to suffice). I chose 7 different coloured books that I have read and own to do so. It was difficult to choose some of these, who knew I had so many red and yellow books! Not me!!

RED

Grass for his pillow by Lian Hearn

Set in medieval Japan, this book follows the main character Takeo’s struggle between his rescue and adoption by the leader of the Otori clan, Lord Otori Shigeru, leaving him the heir to the clan and The Tribe, a sinister organisation who want Takeo for their own because of his amazing magical powers that could make him a powerful assassin. This is the second book in Hearn’s Tales of the Otori Trilogy and I absolutely love this series! It has everything, love, magic and revenge and Takeo’s struggles between his two futures makes this a great read.

ORANGE

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

The final instalment in His Dark Materials Trilogy, The Amber Spyglass ends Lyra’s journey through the different worlds with Will and Pantalaimon her daemon. I am a huge fan of this trilogy, Lyra has always been a big favourite of mine and I always imagined what it would be like to have a daemon much like those from her world, which is so very like our own.

YELLOW

Dracula by Bram Stoker

A story known by almost all, this book is fantastic and speaks for itself as to why it’s one of my favourites.

GREEN

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

The final book in the Inheritance Cycle, Inheritance ends the epic story of Eragon and Saphira his beautiful blue dragon, hatched from one of the last three dragon eggs in existence. Eragon’s Dragon Rider training has led him to this moment, can he overthrow the evil ruler Galbatorix? I love this series, but would like more! Paolini apparently has plans for more books in the world, but there has been no mention of releases yet!

BLUE

The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle is quite possibly my all time favourite series ever! The Daylight War is the third book in a series of 5. The books are set in a world where demons arise from the earth when the sun sets and cities, towns and homes are ‘warded’ against the demons for protection using old magic. The series is not complete yet and it is killing me not knowing how it ends! But I also don’t want it to end!

PINK

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Only book I own with pink! But Harry Potter has been in my life for many many years and I will no doubt read the books until my dying day. Of course Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s stone is the first book in the series and the book in which the famous trio become friends after the troll attack…

PURPLE

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent continues the story began in Divergent of Tris, who does not fit into any 1 of the 5 factions as is expected of everyone in this dystopian world. I did enjoy this book, but not as much as others I have read.

Throne of Glass review

 

I have not long finished the fourth book in Sarah J Maas’ series and I honestly don’t know how I will survive until September without the final instalment of this series! It has left me feeling lost and hollow. I’m finding it difficult to choose another book to read because I’m still so wrapped up in the world of assassins and dark secrets.  These books captivated me the entire time I was reading them and made me feel so many different emotions too!

Celaena Sardothian, a young assassin who is betrayed and enslaved is the main character of this series. It’s not often you find a fantasy book with a strong female lead, especially as strong as Celaena! The captain of the guard ‘rescues’ her. For a price. Represent the crown prince and compete in a competition to become the King’s Champion to win back her freedom… The King’s Champion must kill for the King to earn their freedom. This unravels a rebel plan to find the lost Queen and have her take back her throne.

Who is this young woman and how was she, the world’s best assassin captured and enslaved? Who betrayed Celaena? Will she ever win back her freedom?

Of course as the story progresses all of these are answered, but more and more questions arise! Why has magic been banned in Adarlan and what did the King do for it to just disappear? More characters are introduced, including witches, valg and fae making the world more intricate and adding to the awesomeness that is the world Throne of Glass series.

Mourning for love lost, finding new love and moving on and accepting your own identity play a big part in this series as characters develop and their history is unveiled. This helps to make the series gripping and I honestly could not put the books down. I was counting down the minutes until I could lose myself in the world of Throne of Glass and I feel as if I am still lost in that world, making choosing a new book so difficult to do! I am not so patiently awaiting the delivery of a copy of The Assassin’s Blade, for some more of Celaena and her world. I cannot wait until the new book is released and I am sure I will love it just as much as the first four, to whatever end Sarah J Maas has in store….

Seashell x

Hardback copies, wish I had these!

Readers guilt….

Let’s face it we all suffer from this! We either get so wrapped up in one world that when we finish the book or series, we can’t lose ourselves in another. It’s too hard to do! Then you start to feel guilty for not reading when you really want to.

And my biggest problem!

Starting to read a new book while reading another and stopping part way through the first book. I honestly don’t know just how many books I have on the bookshelf with bookmarks at random points or how long they’ve been that way as I’ve moved from book to book trying to find a world I want to delve into. But all that leads to is an even longer list of books to read! And no one wants to fall behind on their reading list, which is always growing without adding books again after you’ve already started them.

I find that I also feel guilty when I’ve had a lot on in a day and don’t read. Especially when I’m really into a book! I see it on the bedside table, on the coffee table almost judging me, calling me to just take some time and read at least one chapter to rid myself of that guilt and move that little bookmark further into the book!

First Blog Post!!

This blog will be a place where I will talk about the books I am reading in an attempt to push myself to read more books and stay out of the major reading slump I have just pulled myself out of.  For the past year or so, I just had no motivation to read (not that it stopped me buying a lot of books), that is, until a friend recommended a series of books new to me (she knows who she is) and I flew through the first two books, until uni life took over with all the assignments and exam stress that comes with it!  But now!  Summer is here and I am free to read as much as I want!

Hooray!!

(P.S. Recommendations are highly sought after! I read a lot of fiction books, mainly fantasy books, but I am always willing to read new books)