Book Review -The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher

Title: The Killing Woods

 Author: Lucy Christopher

Series:  N/A

Published:  October 2013 by Chicken House

Length: 369 pages

Warnings:  sex, alchohol, drugs, pstd

Source: publisher

Other info: Lucy Christopher has also written Stolen.

Summary : Emily’s dad is accused of murdering a teenage girl. Emily is sure he is innocent, but what happened that night in the woods behind their house where she used to play as a child? Determined to find out, she seeks out Damon Hillary, the enigmatic boyfriend of the murdered girl. He also knows these woods. Maybe they could help each other. But he’s got secrets of his own about games that are played in the dark.

Review: Emily’s dad walks in one night with a dying girl. He is then accused of manslaughter. She’s sure he’s innocent, but how can she prove it? To try, she enlists the help of Ashlee’s (the dead girl) boyfriend, Damon, who may know something about how Ashlee died. Together, they unravel the mystery.

 I read this because 1)I got sent it for review and 2) so many people had been talking about how good it is and I had to know how good it was for myself.

The characters, I liked them to start with, but at times they were a bit dreary. I would have liked to know Emily a bit more other than the fact that her father is accused of manslaughter. I liked Damon, even though he is a bit crazy at times. I liked Emily’s father. I really like the fact that Lucy handles PSTD, drugs, and choices in what I think is a good way.  

I loved the Game. I wanted to know what that involved, and all the little hints as to what it was built up well for the reveal.

I started to guess vague details from around two thirds of the way through. I ended up guessing the reasons for Ashlee’s death, but not who had done it.

The pacing was good. I didn’t get bored with the way that the mystery was unravelled at all- I really wanted to know what happened and I read this in one day.

I liked the writing. It moved the story on along really well and really built up the setting of Darkwood really well.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a fast mystery that kept me gripped from the start.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | 

Book Review- The Weight of Souls by Bryony Pearce

Title: The Weight of Souls

 Author: Bryony Pearce

Series:  The Weight of Souls #1

Published:  6 August 2013 by Strange Chemistry

Length: 350 pages

Warnings: N/A

Source: netgalley

Other info: Bryony wrote for me A Ghost By Any Other Name. She has also written Angel’s Fury.

Summary : Sixteen year old Taylor Oh is cursed: if she is touched by the ghost of a murder victim then they pass a mark beneath her skin. She has three weeks to find their murderer and pass the mark to them – letting justice take place and sending them into the Darkness. And if she doesn’t make it in time? The Darkness will come for her…
She spends her life trying to avoid ghosts, make it through school where she’s bullied by popular Justin and his cronies, keep her one remaining friend, and persuade her father that this is real and that she’s not going crazy.
But then Justin is murdered and everything gets a whole lot worse. Justin doesn’t know who killed him, so there’s no obvious person for Taylor to go after. The clues she has lead her to the V Club, a vicious secret society at her school where no one is allowed to leave… and where Justin was dared to do the stunt which led to his death.
Can she find out who was responsible for his murder before the Darkness comes for her? Can she put aside her hatred for her former bully to truly help him?
And what happens if she starts to fall for him?

Review: Taylor Oh sees the dead. As  a result of the agreement that one of her ancestors made with Anubis, she and her family must, if they see a ghost of a murder victim who marks them,  they must transfer the mark to the murderer as soon as possible. Because the Darkness will come for whoever carries the mark, and no one knows what happens  to them then. Taylor has been doing this for five years now. It’s been okish up until now, but then Justin Hargreaves, Taylor’s source of torment, dies and comes back as a ghost. But he doesn’t know who is responsible for his death, and Bryony must discover some of the school’s dark secrets before the darkness comes for her.

I was a little interested in this when I heard about the concept. Then the cover came and the MC is Chinese, which makes me really happy. Then I got the guest post about how these ghosts are different, and I thought: yes, I’m reading this one.

It starts quickly, showing Taylor’s normal job. And the dynamics between her, her friend Hannah AND THE POPULAR GROUP OF Justin, Pete, James, Tamsin and Harley within the first few  chapters. Justin dies about a fifth of the way in, a good pace. The pacing works.

I really liked Taylor. She’s been dealing with the ghosts since she was ten, and as well as having to cope with them. She has to deal with  dissolving friendships and trying to get in with the crowd she hated to find the killers. Justin, likability levels vary as the novel progresses, but by the end, you’ve seen who he really is. I really liked Taylor’s dad, who’s determined to find a way to defeat the curse, and is really supportive of Taylor.

The writing is great especially in places of tension and once Taylor’s picked up on the actual lead. The scene with the wheel and the scene at the tube station are two standout scenes that kept me gripped. The unmasking scene is not what I expected and what follows is definitely unique.

The ending is  really clever, links well to the clues scattered throughout, and leaves room for a sequel. A sequel I can’t wait for.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a superbly written novel.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Cruel Summer by James Dawson

Title: Cruel Summer

 Author:  James Dawson

Series:   N/A

Published:  1 August 2013 by Indigo

Length: 324 pages

Warnings: violence.

Source: bought and publisher

Other info: You can do a quiz to see which Cruel Summer character you are here. You can read my review of James’ other book, Hollow Pike, here.  

Summary : A year after Janey’s suicide, her friends reunite at a remote Spanish villa, desperate to put the past behind them. However, an unwelcome guest arrives claiming to have evidence that Jane was murdered. When she is found floating in the pool, it becomes clear one of them is a killer. Only one thing is for certain, surviving this holiday is going to be murder…

Review: Leavers’ dance night. Janey Bradshaw commits suicide. One year later. Her old group of friends Ryan, Katie, Alisha, Greg, and Ben, with the addition of Greg’s girlfriend Erin  meet for a holiday in Katie’s Spanish villa. Then Roxanne shows  up, with claims that Janey was murdered. Then someone else dies,  it comes out that someone at that villa is a killer, and soon they’re all caught up in mysteries and secrets of both the present day and the past.

Reason why I read this: I loved Hollow Pike and expected it to be just as good. It didn’t disappoint.

Ryan, I think there may be something wrong with him. He sees everything as part of a TV series that he is the star of. It’s good, a quirky character trait, to start with, but it gets weird when someone dies and he’s still stuck in that mindset. He’s a little annoying, but a really nice, funny guy too.  Most of the cast are likeable, and all are intriguing with secrets and exploration and development. I liked Alisha or Katie equally best.  They both develop the most, and they’re both strong girls who are awesome. I like the fact we got to know quite a bit about, and get kind of close to,  Janey too, considering she's dead.  

It plays out very much like a classic teen-slasher film. Everyone fits into classic stereotypes, and it’s self-aware, with genre savvy Ryan and booky girl Katie.

It is written as scenes, each following a certain character. Most of the time it’s Alisha and Ryan, but there’s some flashbacks to fill you in on backstory. Everything gets revealed after hints, and it’s unpredictable, and gripping.

Mostly there’s mystery, and  horror regarding the murders and something else that happens that I don’t think I should say, but there’s also bits of romance and coming of age/figuring out who you are.

The mystery is epic. Everyone is a suspect at some point, with motives and the writing turning on them.  The amount of twists and turns in this is amazing. I read Cruel Summer in about two hours cover to cover in one sitting, and I have never said “I was not expecting this!” so often.

There is one bit at the end, in which I think a Hamlet reference opportunity was sadly missed. The best bit about the ending is finding out why the killer does what they do and it’s so unexpected but then you think about how it was there all along  and it’s clever and you can’t stop thinking about it. And then there’s a big scene which was just. Well. Definitely unexpected, but a fitting ending that I really enjoyed.

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to a mystery that pulls you in from the start and doesn’t let you go. Perfect summer reading.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Book Review- Seduction of the Innocent by Max Allan Collins

Title: Seduction of the Innocent
 Author:  Max Allan Collins

Illustrator: Terry Beatty

Series:  Hard Case Crime

Published:  February 22 2013 by Titan

Length: 260 pages

Source: publisher

Summary : It's 1954, and a rabble-rousing social critic has declared war on comic books - especially the scary, gory, bloody sort published by the bad boys of the industry, EF Comics. But on the way to a Senate hearing on whether these depraved publications should be banned, the would-be censor meets a violent end of his own - leaving his opponents in hot water.  

Review: It’s 1950 America, and renowned psychologist Doctor Werner Frederick is trying to get the country to realise how comic books are corrupting America’s youth. Then, somebody gets murdered. Jack Starr, thr trouble shooter for Starr Syndicate, and this murder is most definitely trouble for the comic business.

It’s really interesting that the murder doesn’t happen until halfway through the whole thing. I like this-it gives you time to meet everyone who might be a suspect, and it means that when the murder does happen, we’re in the same position as Jack and it’s more fun to guess with him.

The murder is clever in that as well as being a general clever method, it also comes from a comic book.

I liked hte characters. All their possible motives were clear, and there were always new things coming to light about them. The authors notes tell you that they are blends of real people and their attitudes (as in, actual, real, specific people)  and they fit the tone of Seduction of the Innocent well.

The author’s notes also tell you that these events are based on real life ones too. So much research must have gone into this, and it definitely paid off. The mood and tone are perfect.

Overall:  Sorry about there not being much to this review. Strength 3 tea to a mystery that wasn’t really complex, but a good read, especially for those who are into the time period.

Links: |  Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Clean by Alex Hughes

Title: Clean

 Author: Alex Hughes

Series:  MindspaceInvestigations #1

Published:  4 September 2012 by Roc

Length: 352 pages

Warnings: drugs, violence, leadup to sex but nothing happens

Source: netgalley

Summary : I used to work for the Telepath’s Guild before they kicked me out for a drug habit that wasn’t entirely my fault. Now I work for the cops, helping Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino put killers behind bars. My ability to get inside the twisted minds of suspects makes me the best interrogator in the department. But the normals keep me on a short leash. When the Tech Wars ripped the world apart, the Guild stepped up to save it. But they had to get scary to do it—real scary. Now the cops don’t trust the telepaths, the Guild doesn’t trust me, a serial killer is stalking the city—and I’m aching for a fix. But I need to solve this case. Fast. I’ve just had a vision of the future: I’m the next to die. 

Review:  The protagonist of this novel (hereafter known as Our Telepath) works for the police, after getting kicked out of the Telepath Guild, with his partner Isabella Cherabino. In a world where the Tech Wars have eliminated the people’s trust in electronics, being a telepath is useful, even if they’re not the most trusted either. Anyway. People start turning up dead, and Our Telepath is called out to help. But then he gets a vision, and it gets personal-because he could be next.

I’m calling our telepath Our Telepath because we only learn his name at the end, ie in the last two sentences Sometimes this technique annoys me, but because it’s such a well written first person book, it’s not really that noticeable. However, it didn’t come with a big plot twist, which makes me wonder why he was kept anonymous.

There’s a lot of depth to Our Telepath. He has a drugs problem, through no fault of his own, and struggles with it quite frequently through and it’s nice having an extra facet to him than just being crime fighting. It's related in a realistic way, and I liked reading about it.  He’s flawed in other ways, as is Cherabino to a lesser extent. More of her depth comes from other personal problems. Alex has done really well at getting into other people’s heads. I'd have liked to feel a bit more connected to all the characters other than Our Telepath.

The world building is good. It’s unconventional sci-fi in that computers are hardly used, but there’s other types of sci-fi devices that don't get explored fully. There's also a different take on telepaths, with different varieties and an organisation keeping them kind of organised.

Our Telepath is plain spoken and good at keeping us interested in the plot.  The murder mystery case takes lots of different directions, and that's what kept me most invested in Clean throughout.

The romantic tension between Our Telepath and Cherabino wasn't really necessary to the plot, but it did work in exposing more of their characters.

In tone, style, and pacing, it's rather similar to Storm Front by Harry Dresden (though I enjoyed this one a bit more).

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a murder mystery thriller with an excellently written main character. Looking forwards to more.

Links: Goodreads | Author website

Book Review- Shattered Dreams by Ellie James

Title: Shattered Dreams

 Author: Ellie James

Series:  Midnight Dragonfly

Published: 5 July by Quercus  

Length: 300 pages

Source: Publishers

Other info: This is Ellie’s debut. The next will be called Broken Illusions then Fragile Darkness.

Summary : Trinity has never known who she really is. Strange dreams haunt her nights, and she has always been able to sense things that others can't. When Jessica, the most popular girl at school, disappears, Trinity realises she will have to draw on her secret abilities to help find her. Soon, Trinity is subject to visions that terrify her and make the police sceptical. As her dreams grow darker and the visions more frightening, Trinity realises she must risk her reputation and her sanity to save a girl who hates her.

Review: It was just a game in a haunted house. Teenagers daring each other to do things in the abandoned house soon takes a darker turn when Jessica goes missing and the investigation soon becomes a murder one. Trinity gets dreams. She doesn’t know why, but she can see things happening. Which then actually happen. while being pulled into the police investigation, Trinity also gets pulled into another-the one looking behind her family.

I didn’t know about this before I got hold of it, so I can’t say I had high(or any) hopes for it. The whole psychic-mystery thing isn’t that new, but I always like reading these kinds of things.

The first half is good.  it’s a quick start, and there’s a lot of intrigue. My favourite bits were the parts in the haunted house. The writing is exceptional in those bits and I felt both a little bit creeped out and really wanting to know more. The visions are also done well.

The missing-girl line is carried on. obviously, Trinity is the only one who can solve it, but she doesn’t know what her visions really properly mean. I really enjoyed the mystery, the guessing, and all that.

The other part is Trinity’s personal life. Romance with Chase, the hot guy developed nicely, but it wasn’t the main thing, so that was good. more emphasis was given to Trinity’s past, about her mother and her psychic powers. These were nice, but weren’t amazing. And then there was something else that I don’t really get...somehting about Pitre and Dylan and so on..I really wasn’t following any of that.

The characters were good. Trinity is very inquisitive, and takes everything in good stride. Chase is a little boring, but I didn’t really care about him when he might have been in danger. Some characters seem to appear randomly, just to clear something up, make something else more complicated and leave, for example that fortune teller girl. I hope she comes back.

The pacing isn’t great and the scenes are a bit random, in a bad way. Something happens and then something completely different happens and it’s hard to understand. The big final scene seems a bit rushed. The guy who took Jessica especially seems to have come out of nowhere and I didn’t really care.

The paranormal bit takes the back seat, which you may or may not like, depending on your preferences. The murder mystery is the main thing. I’d like a bit more of Trinity’s psychic-ness in the next book too.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a thriller that really pulls you in, but also messes with your head. I’ll read the sequel in the hope that it gets better.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Clarity by Kim Harrington

Title:  Clarity

 Author: Kim Harrington

Series:  Clarity #1

Published:  June 2012 by Scholastic UK. March 2011 by Scholastic US

Length:246 pages

Warnings: violence, suggestive situations, 13+

Source: ARC from publisher

Other info: Book two, Perception, should be out in 2013 for us UK people.

Summary : Clarity “Clare” Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It’s a gift. And a curse.
When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare’s ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case—but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare’s brother—who has supernatural gifts of his own—becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Review: Clarity “Clare” Fern comes from a long-ish line of psychics. In relation to her family, she didn’t do too badly-if she touches an object, she might be able to pick up on memories associated with it. Might. Her powers don’t always work. And then a girl turns up murdered, and her brother Perry is the prime suspect-everything leads to his being the killer. Determined that he is innocent, Clarity uses everyhitng she can to try and find the true killer. But it may not be as easy as simply using her sight-she might have to rely on ex-boyfriend Justin and new-guy-in-town Gabriel too.

Murder and psychics-I definitely wouldn’t give this one a miss. The opening chapter is Clare confronting her possible killer. Joy oh joy. Then back to nine days before, setting up the scene. Introducing the family, introducing the characters, and killing Victoria off (who we never actually meet, so it’s not a big plot spoiler or anything) within the first fifty pages. Fun.

There’s something about the majority of the cast that makes them really likeable. I’m not sure what it is, but I found myself seeing the characters as if they were real, and wanting things to go well for them, and generally caring for them.

Clare is quite well rounded, and she handles herself well. She’s a good narrator, adding humour where it’s relavent, and her relationship with her brother is your typical, easy relationship where playfights are common. Throughout the course of the book, she learns a few important lessons, such as using her common sense, and not jumping to conclusions. Perry is ok, somewhat funny even though he’s not really a comic relief character. I couldn’t really get close to Justin-I just didn’t care about him when we first met him, and when he starts becoming important, I had to remember who he was. Gabriel, his attitude was a little annoying. And most guys who the author describes as being hot, I don’t like-Gabriel was one of them. I didn’t hate him, but I also just didn’t care.

It’s amazing how easily a love triangle can kind of kill the awesomeness. Especially if one of the boys involved has already had his chance with the girl. The romance didn’t add anything.

I really liked the whole psychic aspect. Madame Maslov was one of my favourite characters, who wasn’t as bad as we first thought.   Clare’s mother was also really cool, and I thought it was sweet how she wouldn’t give up on the hope that her husband would be coming home.

Plot turns were simple, but well done. Nothing was incredibly complex, but it’s at the enjoyable, not patronising level, There were a few things that were predictable (ie the rising body count), but the climax/reveal of the killer was totally unexpected. To be honest, I couldn’t see who it would be. But it’s nice it ended how it did.

Overall:  Strength 4 tea to a new psychic mystery series. I’d definitely like to read the next book, Perception.

Links: Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review-Buried by Linda Joy Singleton

Title: Buried

 Author: Linda Joy Singleton

Series: Goth Girl Mystery #1 (assumed. When it says A XXX novel/mystery, I guess that there's more some time later)

Published:  8 March 2012 by Flux

Length: 257 pages

Warnings: sex references 13+

Source: Netgalley

Other info: Linda has also written The Seer, Dead Girl, Strange Encounters and Cheer Squad series.

Summary : In a new school and determined to keep her secrets from being discovered, Thorn finds a mysterious locket that leads to a shocking discovery. Surrounded by new friends she barely knows, as well as the school's famous former student, a smoking-hot musician named Phillipe, Thorn must investigate to find out if one of them is a murderer.

Review: Thorn is the new girl in the school, and one of two Goths, she’s also able to find things, a fact she’d rather not share with her new classmates.  So when she finds a locket, she ends up finding with it the grave of a newborn baby. Implicated in the whole mess, Thorn has to clear her name. The only way to do that is to ask around and see if one of her friends is a killer.

Happy thoughts, right? Murder mystery with a goth girl at the heart of it all should be right up my street. I really liked the idea. Didn’t really care about the “smoking hot musician” who also crops up in the summary. Oh well.

Rune and Thorn are your typical Goths, extremely individual and open for adventure. Thorn is resourceful and clever, but sometimes annoying.

My favourite character is the Grin Reaper. I won’t say who it is, but it’s someone you aren’t expecting it to be. The Grin Reaper is the person that goes around exacting revenge on school bullies in such a way that it’ll hit them where it hurts, and leaves a little smiley face at places of work. I was a little disappointed when we were told what it was they did (with a name like that and no description at first, I’d expect a very happy death god), but said person was the best person in this.

The mystery wasn’t creepy in any way, but I suppose, that’s not the point to this novel at all. The person responsible is also not the person that you’d expect it from, and all the people who you think it might be, while having fully legitimate reasons for being implicated, also have their own reasons as to why they also are not responsible.

The characters didn’t really change much throughout the novel, which was a bit disappointing. I also didn’t like Thorn’s reaction to almost anything that wasn’t towards her darker alternative interests. Such as her reaction to the Cotton Candy Cowgirls, a band that seems to be devoted to pink. Yes, I get that she dislikes them. But that kind of reaction is bordering rudeness.

The writing wasn’t stand out, but it’s not terrible either. You get a good sense of what’s happening and Thorn’s thoughts, but not much more than that.

Something I did like  was the mix of characters. Ok, it was essentially the stereotypical American High school full of cliques, but the clichés meant it was easy to keep track of characters

.

Overall:  Strength 2 tea to a short and sweet mystery that didn’t really capture me.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Hollow Pike by James Dawson

Title: Hollow Pike

 Author: James Dawson

Series:  N/A.

Published:  2 February 2012 by Indigo

Length: 312 pages

Warnings: murder, witchcraft, violence, romance 13+

Source: bought

Other info: This is James’ first YA novel.

Summary : Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps.

Review: I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one-I got it on the basis that everyone was saying good things about it, and that witchcraft and murder were involved. But then it was cheap on amazon, so I thought why not?

Lis London moves to Hollow Pike after bullying in Wales made her want to leave. Instantly, she’s the new girl, and gets in with the popular ones. But somehow she’s also drawn to the strange trio of Kitty, Delilah and Jack, the outcasts who repeatedly get insults such as “gay” and “freak” thrown at them. New friends, new start, everything should be ok, shouldn’t it?  But Lis has been getting recurring nightmares-she’s been running and someone’s trying to kill her. And the local legends of witchcraft are just legends, aren’t they? Still, for Lis and her new friends, they’ll learn that Hollow Pike’s history has more to it than maybe they can take.

From the start, we get pulled into Lis’ life. We easily get a sense of what she likes, what she wants from life and so on. Laura and her friends lean a little towards being stereotypical mean girls, but in the school context they work well. From the moment we first met her, I really liked Delilah, and throughout she was my favourite character. Took me a little longer to get used to Kitty, but fell in love with her after standing up for herself very well in a verbal and physical fight against Laura. In the character ranking, she came a very close second. Jack was an interesting character, one that took a bit of time to grow friendly with due to his being quiet and reserved, but still. I think, if they were real, Jack, Kitty and Delilah and I could be great friends.

The romance was nicely worked in, something that you don’t get too often from male authors. Kitty and Delilah make a great couple, and they’re believable too, with a nice backstory and the kind of troubles that most relationships face. Lis and Danny are also a great couple, and it’s nice to see their relationship develop naturally. For the most part. Until the end, where things get a bit nasty. But you can forgive Lis for that. And it all works out for them in the end.   As for Jack, I felt quite bad for him. The girls have each other. Lis is falling for Danny and he likes her back. And Jack’s a loner. I really hope he finds someone to fall in love with some time soon. 

James really captured the atmosphere of the school. I think it may come from him once being a teacher but “his work surrounding bullying and family diversity” (taken from author bio flap) shows-the homophobic insults and the Monroe family really were realistic.

It’s not often you read a mystery where you essentially suspect everyone. Even the three friends that Lis falls in with- Kitty, Delilah and Jack, at times are hard to read and work out whether or not they’re joking about various things. I think at some point, we  have feeling about everyone “Did they do it? Was it them?” Even when you think Lis has found out who it is, there’s still a final twist.  I really couldn’t put this down, and by the end, I really wanted there to be more.

Overall: Strength 5 tea to a richly woven mystery that has a lot of other amazing stuff in it. I’d definitely like to return to Hollow Pike some day.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website |          

Book Review- Ripper by Amy Carol Reeves

Title: Ripper

 Author: Amy Carol Reeves

Series:  N/A

Published:  April 8 2012 by Flux

Length:340 pages

Warnings: violence, kissing, 13+

Source: Netgalley

Other info: This is her debut novel. No sequel is planned.

Summary : In 1888, following her mother's sudden death, 17-year-old Arabella Sharp goes to live with her grandmother in a posh London neighborhood. At her grandmother's request, Abbie volunteers at Whitechapel Hospital, where she discovers a passion for helping the unfortunate women and children there. But within days, female patients begin turning up brutally murdered at the hands of Jack the Ripper.

Review: Abbie Sharp has been sent to live with her grandmother in London. To do something useful, she volunteers at Whitchapel Hospital, working with women and children. This being 1888, and the women being former prostitutes, some of them get murdered. Anyone knowing 1. The kind of stuff I like reading and 2. Their London history and 3. The title of this book will guess that these murders are the work of Jack. And as more and more girls turn up dead, Abbie realises that she can see the girls before they die. As she tries to keep them out of danger, Abbie uncovers secrets being hidden by the esteemed Dr Bartlett that maybe she shouldn’t....

I read quite a lot of takes on Jack the Ripper, such as the Name of the Star, Black Butler and other things. I’ve never read something to do with Jack the Ripper that incoperates  a more psychic aspect to it though, which I think was imaginative and worked well. Maybe not as effective to go with Jack the Ripper (he/she’ll always be a complete maniac wielding a knife to me)  but still fun to read anyway.

Abbie is a good character, with a mind of her own who did what she thought was right. This next part didn’t affect my enjoyment of the general novel, but to me, Abbie looked nothing like the girl on the cover. I never felt that close to Abbie, or any of  the characters. As a result, I didn’t really care about them very much, or what became fo them. Despite this, they were  quite interesting. As always, there was a love triangle, that didn’t do anything (neither good nor bad) to the plot line. When Abbie tries both William and Simon, I didn’t really mind. On the subject of characters, I liked the inclusion of real life figures. I always do, and it worked quite nicely with Christina Rosetti and co.  

The plot is good. It takes quite a lot of turns that are unpredictable, something which I like to see in novels, especially in takes on something familiar.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a well written, interesting  and more romantic take on Jack the Ripper that wasn’t really my kind of book, but still a good read.

Links: Amazon | The Book Depository | Goodreads | Author website | 

Book Review- Godchild vol 1 by Kaori Yuki

Title: Godchild vol 1

 Author: Kaori Yuki

Series: Godchild #1  

Published:  7 March 2006  by Viz Media under Shojo Beat

Length: 208 pages

Warnings: graphic violence and gore

Source: Library

Other info: This is a sequel to another (incredibly hard to find) work, the Earl Cain saga. Other works by Kaori Yuki include Angel Sanctuary and Grand Guignol Orchestra (review here)

Summary : Deep in the heart of 19th century London, a young nobleman named Cain walks the shadowy cobblestone streets of the aristocratic society into which he was born. Forced to become an earl upon the untimely death of his father, Cain assumes the role of head of the Hargreaves, a noble family with a dark past. With Riff, his faithful manservant, and Mary Weather, his 10-year-old half sister, Cain investigates the mysterious crimes that seem to follow him wherever he goes.

Review: Cain Hargreaves is a seventeen year old earl in Victorian London. Murder and destruction seem to surround him. With his ten year old half sister Mary-Weather and his manservant Riff, who turns up more in later volumes, Cain goes and investigates.

For example, someone has been going around chopping off girl’s heads in the style of the Queen of Hearts. Cain investigates this White Rabbit Killer, which ends in the suicide of the murderer and the saving of a would-be murder victim. The other stories in this book fall along this line, such as a crooked house, with the girl living in it wanting to create a living doll out of Mary-Weather, a mystery involving a black sheep and a suit of armour, and another where girls take a potion to look beautiful, then die in pain later as a mysterious man removes and collects their eyeballs. These stories aren’t all random; the last introduces Cain’s half brother, who we’ll see later on in the series.

I like the clever little plots that you see. There’s always a slightly ironic twist to everything, which is hard to explain here but you’ll understand if you read it. I also like the way there’s always a little bit of backstory revealed in the chapter.

Cain is your typical young, tortured hero, with an extremely good reason (his father’s dead and his half-brother wants to kill him). My favourite character is Mary-Weather, who takes being put in a cage above what is basically poison and almost becoming a living doll quite well considering her age and the circumstances. Riff didn’t seem to do much, but I’m glad we’ll see a lot more of him later.

As with all of Kaori Yuki’s work, the art is very detailed, realistic, and atmospheric. There’s a lot of detail in things like costumes, even in the background. The art is also a little bit cleaner than other works such as Angel Sanctuary, so it flows a bit better. It’s also good that all the characters are easy to distinguish.

It’s very historically accurate. You get a very good idea of Victorian London, the darker side of the nobility, and everything. However my favourite Victorian-set manga will still be  Black Butler, probably because I like the supernatural element. This is a very good realistic Victorian manga.

Overall:  strength 5 tea to a manga with a great plot and excellent artwork.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads |

Book Review- Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter

Title: Ghost of a Chance

 Author:  Rhiannon Lassiter

Series:  N/A

Published:  6 January 2011 by OUP Oxford

Length:272 pages

Warnings: ghosts, murders, references to witches and torture,

Other info: Rhiannon Lassiter has also written things like Bad Blood, Hex and other things for children, young adults and adults.

Summary : Eavesdroppers never heard good of themselves. But she'd never expected to hear that she was dead. How did Eva die? The rumours say she killed herself, but Eva knows different. Victim and detective in her own murder, she must solve the mystery. If she doesn't, more will die ...

Review: Eva Chance lives with her grandfather in a mansion. He hosts a dinner party, but for some reason everyone seems to ignore Eva. Then a couple of teenagers discover a torture chamber with the corpse of a witch in it. As you do. Eva also finds this witch, who tells Eva that she died but nobody cared. Eva also makes friends with Maggie, the ghost of a servant girl, Kyle one of the discoverers of the witch and Kyra, his twin sister that gets more likable as we get to know her. The twins start to investigate Eva's disappearence, as do Eva and Maggie, but as  two seperate groups, not as a four. Then other members of the Chance family, such as the grandfather and the aunts, start getting attacked too, resulting in either death or hospitalisation. Kyle, Kyra, Maggie and Eva all investigate these together, and the book ends with the killer/attacker being reveale and closure for all. Bad summary I know, but I'm no good at summarising mysteries...

The concept was very good. A ghost solving her own murder mystery, helped by other ghosts a the living.

I liked the lot of description in it. It gave a real sense of what was happening, which is good since parts of the book is fairly complicated.

It was fairly easy to connect with Eva, to understand her thoughts and reasoning. Kyra and Kyle, I didn't like at first, but they seemed to grow on me as we learnt more about them and whats going on. Maggie was an interesting character with an odd personality.

Ghost of a Chance was quite hard to follow, because there's a lot going on. The murder mystery part was good, complicated with lots of plot twists and red herrings, which meant the revelation of the murderer was a suprise. The storyline following the witch, with the possession and the ghosts was really hard to follow, possibly because remembering everything was hard. The cast was large enough without all the ghosts coming into it. I had trouble remembering who was who, why Eva would be upset when they got attacked,  and so on, and I had to keep going back to when characters were introduced to fully understand it all.

Overall:  Strength 3 tea to a mix of murder mystery and paranormal elements that's done very well but can at times be hard to follow.

Links: Amazon | Goodreads | Author website |

Thanksies to Comacalm who sent me this book! 

Book Review- Death Note: Another Note by NisiOisin

Title: Death Note: Another Note or the LABB murder cases

 Author: NisiOisiN

 Series: N/A

 Published:19 February 2008

 Length:176 pages

 Warnings: Gore, profanity, 12+
Other info:  this is set a few years before the death note manga, a review of which can be found here, you don’t need to read death note to read and enjoy this, but of course, feel free. Read it or Kira will get you! NisiOisin has also written light novels for other manga series such as xxxHolic.

 Summary from Goodreads: There's a serial killer on the loose in Los Angeles and the local authorities need help fast. For some reason the killer has been leaving a string of maddeningly arcane clues at each crime scene. Each of these clues, it seems, is an indecipherable roadmap to the next murder.
Onto the scene comes L, the mysterious super-sleuth. Despite his peculiar working habits - he's never shown his face in public, for example - he's the most decorated detective in the world and has never tackled a cased he hasn't been able to crack.
But this time he needs help.
Enlisting the services of an FBI agent named Naomi Misora, L starts snooping around the City of Angels. It soon becomes apparent that the killing spree is a psychotic riddle designed specifically to engage L in a battle of wits. Stuck in the middle between killer and investigator, it's up to Misora to navigate both the dead bodies and the egos to solve the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.

 Review: [side note: We (Nina and Katy) wrote this together, edited it together etc. That’s what makes it a joint review. Nina and Katy

Death Note: Another Note is a side story to Death Note. It follows detective Naomi Misora, aided slightly by L, solving the case of a series of murders. They are completely unrelated, apart from the fact there are a varying amount of Wara Ningyo (basically Japanese voodoo dolls [I didn’t know there were any Wara Nigyo in Death Note]) left at the scene. With the help of Rue Ryukzaki, strawberry jam eating and sarcastic “unprivate detective”, Naomi follows a set of (seriously) cryptic clues to hunt down and capture killer Beyond Birthday, culminating in a surprise twist. Yes, surprising for some but the only hints I pick up is in mystery stories. I knew, and so did the rest of the world from when the character was first introduced, who the killer was. It is actually pretty easy to work out who the killer is. Read it for yourself and see if you can work it out.

The whole thing was generally very good. Fans of death note will want to read this, as will crime enthusiasts. This however was not written Death Note style but something rather different. Death Note is not predictable; it is does not have stupid names and it has the character depth and intense situations that Death Note: Another Note clearly lacks completely. It was interesting to follow, with long intricate clues. It was very easy to imagine these things happening, as the descriptions were detailed and varied. 

We like the back-stories simmering underneath the main murder case plot. We get a lot of information about life in the Wammy house (the orphanage where geniuses are cultivated), that makes you want to  know a bit more, and makes you wish that NisiOisin had written a few more light novels. He did though, didn’t he? About other stuff. I meant, to tie in with Death Note.

Nina thinks it’s interesting that that the only gore that appears is the descriptions of the corpse photos, yet you’re still able to get the idea of the murder and post-death mutilation that goes on.

Katy thinks it’s thought-provoking narrative style, impatient and all knowing. Despite being a genius, Mello is not all knowing. And why would he care? I think that leaving out the actual murder makes it more realistic; most detectives do not see the victim being killed. Oh and L does look like a frog. That was my initial impression of the proper L (not the one who looks normal and has half his face covered).

Despite loving death note, and this book, there are a few (MANY, MANY,) flaws. The biggest being the narrator. It’s Mello, the chocolate loving, leather wearing genius that looks like a girl. No-one likes him. Well, actually, going round various websites, there are quite a few Mello fan girls. But we are not included. I kind of like him… Compared to Near who doesn’t move and then magically manages to run around in a police outfit… But I wouldn’t say I was a fan girl. We don’t think he was a good choice to narrate this: wouldn’t he be about ten when all this happens, or wouldn’t he be dead? He is dead: he says so early on that he died like a dog or something in the introduction chapter when he out-of-characterly says he is something like the best dresser.

Also, although the clues left behind were very clever, complex etc., at times it was a bit too complex. I.e. 4=1+3=B is a stupid idea. No one would base it one something that goes off on a tangent. 4=2+2=1+1+1+1=2^2.. [You remember?] No detective realistically would ever take the time to go through a book, going through pages, the first letter on a page etc. just to find the name of the next victim-to-be.

Another way this was ruined slightly was the names. Beyond Birthday is all right, considering it’s an alias. But Backyard Bottomslash and Believe Bridesmaid? No-one thirteen years ago would name their child Quarter, with the last name being Queen. And yes, those are their real names. The whole story revolves around that fact. These names are hilarious. Just remember everyone, when you are writing stories and you don’t know what to call them, take a look around you and name them after the things you see. For example I can see a monopoly game so I could call my character “Monopoly Macaroni”. How great is that?!

 Overall: we give this strength 3 tea, because we love the idea and the complexity behind it, yet there are a few major flaws that make it average. Those completely who eat, sleep and breathe Death Note will enjoy this lot though, and not care at all. I enjoyed it a lot… ish…

PS. Death Note: Another Note is often referred to by fans as “the LABB murder cases”. This is fine.  However, should anyone tell you this stands for “the Los Angeles beyond Birthday murder cases”, they are lying. Read the book to find out what it really means.

PPS. Should you read this and decide to share with friends, really really hope that none of them want to role play L or B 24/7. If they do, get away from them. It happened to us and it is so annoying. Hopefully you have normal friends who won’t do this to you though.