This is a dark and deeply psychological thriller. Detective Ryan and his partner, Cassie, are tasked with solving the murder of a 12 year old girl after her body is found dumped at an archaeological site. Little does Ryan know how this case is going to drag up his own dark history as the only remaining survivor of the mysterious disappearance of his friends in the same town.

The investigation takes a lot of twists and turns and I really enjoyed every second of it. I had a few ideas on who I thought was the murderer, but even that was twisted into something I hadn't expected in the final reveal at the end. I would have liked to learn more about Ryan's own childhood and got some more clarification on that, but I don't know if that is being saved for future books in the series.

My absolute favourite thing about this book is the depth of the characters. Each and every character in this book has a complex and intricately built personality, they each have their flaws and they just feel SO real. I cared very deeply about the characters. Cassie was my favourite. I loved how strong and independent she was and I adored her friendship with Ryan. These two made me laugh, sympathise, feel jealous and then they made me awfully sad. I just loved their interactions and how carefully their friendship was written, it was so important to this novel and the investigation.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It is, at times, a little too wordy but on the whole I thought the writing was detailed and intricate, leaving me feeling full of suspense and wanting to read on. There is no doubt in my mind that Tara French is a fantastic author and I will definitely be trying out the next book in this series at some point.

This is a tough review to write. I went into this novel just after reading Mary Kubica's most recent release [b:Don't You Cry|27821486|Don't You Cry|Mary Kubica|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1459917062s/27821486.jpg|47801652]. I absolutely loved that novel and did not hesitate to give it 5*s. I went into this book with very high expectations after really loving Kubica's writing style and characterisation. This book didn't quite live up to my expectations, but I did still like it.

The Good Girl follows the disappearance of Mia Dennett and we explore her disappearance and life after through a series of different viewpoints. The chapters don't follow a strict timeline but once I got used to this it wasn't too confusing. I thought this was an effective way to tell the story as I enjoyed reading Colin's chapters and discovering what had happened to Mia; especially as she could not remember.

I felt that the pace of this book was quite slow and as a result it took me longer to read than I anticipated. I didn't find it to be particularly thrilling and I didn't really feel the tension that I usually like to have when reading a mystery/thriller. It was a good storyline and the plot was worked out well. I liked the twist at the end of the book but I would be lying if I said I was gobsmacked. I thought it fit in nicely and I hadn't previously thought about that particular outcome, I definitely had somebody else in mind!

I didn't feel as much of a connection with the characters in this book as I would have liked and this always has a big impact on my relationship with a book and my final rating. I liked this book and I'm glad I read it but it's definitely not on par with Kubica's most recent release. I will still try out Pretty Baby as I've heard it is better than this one.

I don't think the comparisons to Gone Girl helped at all as I really enjoyed Gone Girl and the many comparisons boosted my expectations even higher. There are vague similarities in the structure of the book, but that was about it for me. A good read with a nice twist.

3.5 stars

This is only my second Stephen King novel and I am absolutely determined to keep reading his works. I enjoyed this novel and really thought the mix of characters and story line were great.

The opening of this book left me feeling angry and wanting to know more about what had happened. What ensued was a long investigation by retired Detective Bill Hodges into the Mercedes Killer. Accompanied by teenage sidekick Jerome and the later addition of the mentally fragile Holly, this book had lots of twists and turns that I wasn't expecting.

I liked that the chapters were fairly short as they kept me wanting to read on. I enjoyed the way in which King took us between the Bill and Brady's points of view. This really helped to build up the suspense for me. One minute I was on the trail of the Mercedes Killer, the next I was reading about what his next plans were. As I got closer to the end of the book, I was quite frantically willing on Bill, Jerome and Holly as I knew what the consequences would be if they didn't get him.

Brady creeped me out. The idea of him being the ice-cream man was very real, almost too real for my liking. It really brought back those feelings of realising that psychopaths and murderers really can be anyone. Brady's relationship with his mother made me feel a bit queasy at times but I liked how King used this to show another edge to Brady's unstable nature.

This book was really well written and I loved the fact that I could so easily visualise what was happening. I had my own mental movie going on throughout the time I was reading this. There were some scenes that did make me feel physically quite sick, but this is down to the intimate writing style of King.

Overall I thought this was a great read. I really liked the characters and the team that King has created. I definitely enjoyed it enough to want to read the next in the trilogy and see what happens next.

Simply put, George is a wonderful book.

It tells the story of George, a young girl who has been born in the wrong body: biologically she is a boy. This story explores George's own feelings as well as the way in which those around her react. Her best friend, Kelly, turns out to be wonderfully supportive; her brother is surprisingly accepting; her mother goes on a roller coaster of emotions and she is on the receiving end of taunts from the class bully. I strongly felt that the reactions shown to George in this book are quite close to those of today's society and it made it feel very real.

I loved the raw emotions in this book. It is so honest and I love that this book is written in a simple way and easily accessible to children. This is such an important novel and, as someone who works with young children, it was also an eye opener. I think this is a book which needs to be more widely shared as it deals so effectively with such an important issue. This is the kind of book that leaves an impact on the reader for a long time after, and I only finished it a few hours ago.

I really liked the fact this book was written in the third person and that the female pronouns were used throughout when talking about George. I thought it beautifully reflected the fact that, yes, George is biologically a boy, but inside she truly is a young girl.

I would love to see more and more books like this. Not only is the message important, it is told in a realistic and sensitive manner. The author isn't intentionally trying to push certain emotions onto the reader, but the simplistic writing and raw emotion makes this a very emotional read. Fantastic.

4.5 stars!

Wow! This book is full of darkness, twists, highly developed technology, cults, villains, brain manipulation and death. This is fantastic!

Taema and Tila lived the first 16 years of their lives as conjoined twins, growing up in a cult on the outskirts of a highly modernised San Francisco: until the day they escape. On their escape from the cult, Taema and Tila undergo life saving surgery and begin their lives as individuals. The sisters know everything about each other, at least that's what Taema thought until the day Tila runs into her apartment covered in blood and is arrested minutes later for murder. Here begins a dark story of the hidden world of the Ratel, San Francisco's most dangerous criminals. Taking on her sister's identity, Taema is forced into a world of brain manipulation, implants, murder and darkness.

I really liked the way this story was told with alternating chapters between Taema and Tila. In Taema's chapters, we learn all about her new undercover life and just how far Tila had infiltrated the Ratel. She unearths secrets even she didn't imagine could be true and comes closer and closer to revealing the connection between the cult and the criminal underworld. Tila's chapters give us an insight into their earlier life in Mana-ma's cult and I really thought her chapters were fascinating. They were the breather I needed from some of the really intensely action-packed chapters we get from Taema.

The world-building in this book is fantastic. I loved so much about the highly advanced San Francisco where people could make themselves into the person they truly wanted to be. At the same time, it terrified me. The sheer amount of brain manipulation described in this book terrified me but it was so amazingly described.

The characters were amazing and SO diverse which I really loved. I really loved seeing how Taema struggled with some of her moral beliefs as she played her part as Tila. It really showed that no matter how much you think you know a person, you can never truly know what they are capable of. Seeing her internal struggle made her so real and she was by far my favourite character.

This is a great sci-fi novel and I can totally see why comparisons have been drawn to Orphan Black. Although it is very different, it definitely has that vibe about it. I would love to see this as a movie actually, it would make the dreams and brain manipulations so fantastic if we could truly visualise them. A fantastic read if you like a dystopian society, a dark plot full of twists and great characters.

I really enjoyed this quirky and quick read. I've not read the series before but I've always really liked the movie and after reading this I think the move adaptation is very good!

What on the face can seem like a negative or dreary book is actually an endearing and quirky story about the strong relationship between the Baudelaire orphans. This book is full of misfortune and Count Olaf is creepy but it is written in such a fantastic way.

My personal favourite thing about this book is how it explains to the reader (target audience of children) what certain new words mean. I love how it is incorporated in such a seamless manner and truly feels like the story is being read to you by Lemony Snicket. I think I will continue with this series at some point! Great read!

Wild is a very honest memoir of Cheryl Strayed's life and the journey she took through the PCT to rediscover herself.

I don't know why it took me so long to finally read this. I'd owned a paperback for months before finally downloading the audiobook and taking the plunge last week. I'm glad that I decided on the audiobook actually as I generally have found this year that this is my preferred platform for most memoirs. They seem a lot more personal when you are listening to them and I thought the narrator did a great job on this one.

From learning about Cheryl's struggles with her father, her own lovers and the painful loss of her mother, this book doesn't really live much to doubt about why she decided to embark on her own journey. From beginning to end, this book is full of emotionally charged moments: both laugh out loud moments and cry into a pillow moments. I really enjoyed the way in which this flickered back between Cheryl's life experiences and her trek on the PCT. I thought writing the book this way kept it more interesting as I never got bored of hearing about either one too often. Some of her experiences on the trail did leave me feeling a little nauseous (queue the losing of toe nails!!) but she definitely left me feeling inspired. Sometimes it takes a really bad life experience like losing a loved on to realise how important life is and sometimes to be truly happy you've got to give yourself the chance to experience life. I learnt a lot from Cheryl's outlook on life whilst listening to this and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs.

Touching, beautifully written and emotional, this book will leave you feeling inspired and content.

THIS BOOK IS SO, SO GOOD!!!!

If you read my review of A Darker Shade of Magic then you will know that I absolutely fell in love with Lila, Kell and Rhy. I loved the mystical world that Schwab had created with the four different London's and I thoroughly enjoyed the balance of magic, character development and action. But let me tell you that A Gathering of Shadows was even more addictive!

The book opens with Lila Bard. She is by far my favourite character in this series. I absolutely adore her confidence, her independence and most of all her outright sassy personality. Lila is part of the crew on the Dark Spire but as always is up to her usual tricks. Kell is in Red London coming to terms (quite badly) with the huge sacrifice he made to save Rhy's life at the end of instalment number one. (If you're reading this then I'm assuming you've read book 1!) Kell is feeling more and more like a prisoner whilst Rhy is embracing his life and getting them both into trouble. Meanwhile, over in White London we get glimpses of a terrifying future about to unfold at the hands of an old friend...

Plot-wise not a huge amount happens in this book but I really loved the idea behind the games. In an almost Triwizard Tournament style competition, competitors from the three main realms(?) compete in a number of rounds fighting element against element. I really loved hearing about the people from outside of Ames, I was easily able to visualise their appearances for myself and it was interesting reading about the different duelling styles and use of the elements. Schwab really out did herself with the imagery she created and it made me fall even more in love with her writing style.

My favourite thing about this book: the character development is phenomenal. All of the characters make huge leaps in their development here, including the new addition of Alucard Emery. I love, love, loved learning more about Lila and seeing how powerful she is. I still don't think we have seen her full potential and I really hope that she turns out to be even more than I'm anticipating. I love how stubborn she is and I really liked the personal developments she made with her relationships with others such as Kell and Calla. I cannot wait to see where she will go in the next book! Kell makes a series of questionable choices (especially at the end) but he also makes more huge sacrifices and we can easily see the effect this is having on him. His relationship with Rhy is strained due to the sacrifice that he made, something which I thought was dealt with really well in this story. It is only natural that there would be some resentment between the two and I was glad to see that woven into the story.

Once again I found myself completely and utterly drawn into the world that Schwab has created. Her writing style is simplistic yet incredibly detailed. I felt like I could imagine every scene and detail for myself and it was easy to sit and read 100 pages without realising. Although, CLIFFHANGER ALERT!!!! Throughout the story we get little glimpses into the sheer evil that is unfolding in White London and just when you think you're going to get to know more about it, BOOM, end of book! All I can say is that I cannot wait for A Conjuring of Light, I think we are in for one hell of a book!!

Incredible!

The most magical thing about this wonderful new story was the way in which it transported me back in time to when I would spend the whole day devouring each new Harry Potter book on its release day without looking up from the page. This is exactly how I spent this morning. Once I started I was unable to put this down. I had such an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia once I finished this that it's taken a few hours to get myself back together to write this review.

Is this as good as the original 7 books? No. Is it as magical as the original 7 books? Not quite. Is the plot as incredible as the original 7 books? Not really. BUT and it's a big BUT. This story is so much more in other ways. It focuses so heavily on the characters and I loved that aspect of it. It was such a treat to catch up with Harry, Hermione, Ron and a host of other original characters (even some surprise appearances) and it was great to learn more of Albus and Scorpius.

Of course I missed the gorgeous, detailed narrative that J K Rowling provided in the original 7 but this is a PLAY. It's not supposed to have all of the narrative we fell in love with all those years ago. It is supposed to be a dialogue with a few written stage directions. I think it is really important that people keep this in mind because I've seen a few people saying it disappointed them. I think the reality is that a lot of people expected another full Potter adventure and they would be right in saying that Cursed Child doesn't deliver that. What it does deliver is a magical stage play with intricate and effective dialogue and plenty of character development. I know that I personally cannot wait to get my hands on some tickets to see this and fully bring the story to life!

I'm going to talk more about the plot and characters now so if you've not read this and don't want spoilers, please don't read on!! If you're in this for the full blown experience, read below the cut!

The story has plenty going on. It starts straight back where we left off: on platform 9 3/4's as Albus embarks on his first journey on the Hogwarts Express. We see him sorted into a different house to the rest of his family and a wonderful friendship blossoms between Albus and Scorpius Malfoy. I have to admit that I absolutely loved Scorpius as a character. He was like the anti-Malfoy. Emotional, geeky, loving, emotional and oh so compassionate. In a Triwizard style adventure, we see the true consequences of meddling with time and along the way character relationships break down and then go from strength to strength. I loved the idea of the Time Turners being used again especially as the danger of them was toyed with back in Prisoner of Azkaban. The alternate reality that Scorpius visits is terrifying. Seeing how the magical world could have been so different had Voldemort won the Battle of Hogwarts was chilling. Complete with Umbridge and dementors, this was a creepy little segment.

My absolute favourite part of the play was towards the ending when the team travelled to Godric's Hollow. It absolutely broke my heart to know that Harry was hearing his parents' murder in real-time and not just in his nightmares. I really liked the fact that this story gave us a glimpse into scenes that had not been explored in the original 7 novels.

It felt oh so good to be back in a story with some of my all time favourite characters. Hermione Granger as THE MINISTER FOR MAGIC!! So much YES for this idea! Hermione is possibly my favourite fictional character of all time and to see her in such a position of power was so empowering to me. I loved the little glimpses of her and Ron's relationship and the interactions between the original three were still amazing. I loved that McGonagall made frequent appearances and that she still scolded Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco. There was something very real about the way she did that.

During the play, I wasn't sure how I felt about Draco's involvement and the relationship with Harry but by the end of the book I realised how true this is. So many people put aside their differences for the happiness of their children and I quite liked that this had been done. What I really liked is that this was not done over one or two pages, it was a journey for both Harry and Draco throughout the play and it felt right.

Also, can we talk about the fact that SNAPE was in this??!! I hadn't been expecting that at all and my heart just couldn't take it. I did shed a few tears when Scorpius had to regretfully tell Snape that in the true future he didn't play a part. It just reinforced to me how much of a true hero Snape was all along. He had the perfect opportunity to keep a reality where he survived but he didn't. *SOB*

On the whole I actually really liked the plot. Although I had hoped for a bit more of a glimpse into Hogwarts and there were some characters missing who I would have loved to see more from, I thought the ideas behind this were great. There was plenty going on and a glimpse into unseen scenes from the previous Potter books. It might not be quite in the same league as the original 7, but I'll be damned if this wonderful, nostalgia inducing, magical trip back to my childhood won't receive 5 stars from me.

This was such a treat and I can't wait to see the stage production bringing this to life!