kellysrambles's Reviews (619)

13. Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gloriously dark and twisty, a real slowburn mystery tackling haunting contemporary issues. 

🪶 Dark academia
🪶 Tackling toxic masculinity
🪶 Strong friendships
🪶 Revenge 

Another stand out novel! 

I adore the Erika Foster books and Lethal Vengeance is a brilliant instalment to the series. 

A disturbing serial killer is on the loose but we see Erika coming up against closed doors as the mystery deepens. 

I always enjoy the easy reading style of these books and find all of our regulars (Erika, Moss, Peterson) extremely likeable. Reading the chapters from the killer’s point of view adds a whole new layer of thrill and there were times in this book where I was truly creeped out! 

The ending did leave me both open-mouthed and really wanting more - I’m kind of hoping the next book will be a continuation of this one! 

Thanks to Raven Street, Robert Bryndza and NetGalley for my early copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

What a brilliant ending to the trilogy! 

Firstly, thank you to Namina Forna for including a series recap at the beginning of the book - super useful before diving straight back into the action! 

This book is SO fast-paced: we jump straight into the action with Deka and friends regrouping and embarking on their biggest adventure yet, to locate Deka’s divinity and bring peace to Otera. Of course, this isn’t as simple as I make it sound and there are plenty of challenges along the way. 

I love the strong message in this trilogy that women can be whoever and whatever they want to be. The overarching theme is completely empowering and kept me rooting for Deka throughout all three books. 

My favourite thing about the books is the characters. Not only do I adore Deka as our protagonist but her loyal friendships are a true reflection of found family. Ixa is the best companion for Deka and I particularly enjoyed learning more about him and his kind. 

Overall a brilliant ending to the trilogy, I couldn’t put it down and loved how it ended! 

Thank you to Usborne, Namina Forna and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

I flew through this book: it is fast-paced, extremely readable and has a host of characters which I mostly loathed (but in a good way?). I was very intrigued by the murder mystery and enjoyed the few twists and turns that the plot took along the way. 

I really like an unreliable narrator and also enjoyed the relatively light-hearted way in which this book is narrated. It made it a breeze to read and had me questioning what exactly was going on. 

It may not have blown my mind in a way I would have liked but it was definitely an enjoyable thriller! 

Thank you to Michael Joseph, Alex Michaelides and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

🌈  The Fights That Make Us by Sarah Hagger-Holt 🌈

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had both rage and joy coursing through my veins. An important read for young people who may never have heard of Section 28 nor be aware of its impact. Eye-opening maybe for those who do not realise that this fight still continues for those of us who identify as LGBTQ+. 

Jesse’s passion for their exhibition is inspiring and the only real downside for me is that I can’t see it for myself! Jesse’s parents are brilliant and their friendship with Simran really warmed my heart. 

I particularly enjoyed how this flirted back and forth between Jesse and Lisa’s timelines which really allowed the reader to draw comparisons and similarities between their stories. 

“Change only happens if you do something to make it happen”

An inspiring, thought-provoking read that I’ll want to throw into the hands of all the young people I teach. 

Thank you to Usborne, Sarah Hagger-Holt and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review. 

33% read and I realised I’m not at all interested in what is going on and I keep putting it down. Not for me at this time. 

15% into the book and I found myself constantly checking how much I’d read - which isn’t a good sign. 

I’m certain this book will be popular but for me there is too much going on and I don’t feel like I know what is happening, where it’s happening or who the characters are. Maybe I’ll return to it one day but for now it’s not for me.