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leighsnerdlife
Happy book birthday to A Deceptive Devotion, and thank you Touchwood Editions for the advance copy!
This is book 6 in the Lane Winslow cozy mystery series, and Kings Cove is once again host to a murder. Lane and Darling are trying to balance wedding planning with a criminal investigation, the resurgence of Lane’s British Intelligence secrets and a surprise Russian house guest.
This latest story ties back to the previous books quite nicely, with the return of a few familiar faces. Like the other books, Whishaw’s character development is fantastic - they are all wonderfully real and complex. Lane and Darling’s banter is back full force - you can practically see the sparks come off the page. The path they follow is a bit bumpy, but the journey brings up some very thought provoking points about having secrets in a relationship and how marriage can change a person. It was a great touch - I love how these books balance the latest mystery with their ongoing relationship development.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again - I would love to live in Kings Cove, even with the occasional murder! And I’m totally envious of Lane’s cottage - a bit odd I’ll admit, seeing as it doesn’t exist. Just consider it a testament to Whishaw’s world-building talent!
This book feels like an ending. And it’s perfect if it is, but I’m really hoping there’s another book coming along. I’m not ready for Lane’s story to end!
This is book 6 in the Lane Winslow cozy mystery series, and Kings Cove is once again host to a murder. Lane and Darling are trying to balance wedding planning with a criminal investigation, the resurgence of Lane’s British Intelligence secrets and a surprise Russian house guest.
This latest story ties back to the previous books quite nicely, with the return of a few familiar faces. Like the other books, Whishaw’s character development is fantastic - they are all wonderfully real and complex. Lane and Darling’s banter is back full force - you can practically see the sparks come off the page. The path they follow is a bit bumpy, but the journey brings up some very thought provoking points about having secrets in a relationship and how marriage can change a person. It was a great touch - I love how these books balance the latest mystery with their ongoing relationship development.
I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again - I would love to live in Kings Cove, even with the occasional murder! And I’m totally envious of Lane’s cottage - a bit odd I’ll admit, seeing as it doesn’t exist. Just consider it a testament to Whishaw’s world-building talent!
This book feels like an ending. And it’s perfect if it is, but I’m really hoping there’s another book coming along. I’m not ready for Lane’s story to end!
I really wanted to like this book - it’s Canadian, and was even a Canada Reads finalist. In the past I’ve been able to trust the results of the Canada Reads judges, but this time it didn’t work out.
In general, the storyline was good - it had the potential to be an enjoyable dystopian mystery. But it really could have used some further editing. The writing is choppy and disjointed, with gaping plot holes and odd/sudden jumps to the next scene. The main character, Hwa, is trying to uncover a mystery, but she makes absolutely no progress. So the villain comes out of nowhere, with no buildup. It was a bit jarring to read, and I actually went back and reread a chapter to see if I had missed something. (I didn’t)
Oh well, you can’t win them all.
In general, the storyline was good - it had the potential to be an enjoyable dystopian mystery. But it really could have used some further editing. The writing is choppy and disjointed, with gaping plot holes and odd/sudden jumps to the next scene. The main character, Hwa, is trying to uncover a mystery, but she makes absolutely no progress. So the villain comes out of nowhere, with no buildup. It was a bit jarring to read, and I actually went back and reread a chapter to see if I had missed something. (I didn’t)
Oh well, you can’t win them all.
Happy book birthday to Nocturna and thank you HarperCollins Canada for an advance copy of this book!
YA fiction seems to gravitate towards trilogies/series - standalone books are kind of rare. The weaker stories tend to follow the same pattern: the first book is all filler, with the important plot points happening late in the story. This results in no resolution and the inevitable cliffhanger. Basically, it’s not a complete book, and it’s a lazy way to write a series.
But in this case, Motayne gets it right - Nocturna is the first book in a series, but it is also a self contained story with a fantastic plot arc and very satisfying conclusion. It could easily stand strong as a stand-alone, but it also manages to start out the series on solid footing. So well done!
Nocturna is an #ownvoices Latinx fantasy epic that reminds me a lot of A Darker Shade of Magic (Schwab). That’s definitely a good thing - I really enjoyed that series. And to be honest, I think Motayne has surpassed ADSOM in terms of quality. This book is just fantastic, featuring a vibrant and beautifully described world that was very easy to envision in my head.
The central characters were wonderfully complex and flawed; Finn was particularly memorable. Alfie’s personality got under my skin a fair bit, but I think that made him an even more solid character. And like I mentioned earlier, the story ended with a satisfying conclusion, but also invited some questions that will lead quite nicely into book two. I look forward to reading the next one!
YA fiction seems to gravitate towards trilogies/series - standalone books are kind of rare. The weaker stories tend to follow the same pattern: the first book is all filler, with the important plot points happening late in the story. This results in no resolution and the inevitable cliffhanger. Basically, it’s not a complete book, and it’s a lazy way to write a series.
But in this case, Motayne gets it right - Nocturna is the first book in a series, but it is also a self contained story with a fantastic plot arc and very satisfying conclusion. It could easily stand strong as a stand-alone, but it also manages to start out the series on solid footing. So well done!
Nocturna is an #ownvoices Latinx fantasy epic that reminds me a lot of A Darker Shade of Magic (Schwab). That’s definitely a good thing - I really enjoyed that series. And to be honest, I think Motayne has surpassed ADSOM in terms of quality. This book is just fantastic, featuring a vibrant and beautifully described world that was very easy to envision in my head.
The central characters were wonderfully complex and flawed; Finn was particularly memorable. Alfie’s personality got under my skin a fair bit, but I think that made him an even more solid character. And like I mentioned earlier, the story ended with a satisfying conclusion, but also invited some questions that will lead quite nicely into book two. I look forward to reading the next one!
This just didn’t do it for me. The ending was too quick and tidy, while the bulk of the story was love triangle filler. I liked the Fates and the mythology surrounding them, but the rest was a bit of a let down.
I love the angle in which Faye approached this book; Sherlock Holmes investigates the Jack the Ripper killings. And she does a great job pulling it all together, and not without great effort - the book is well researched and even includes footnotes.
The story itself is quite atmospheric, with excellent world building. Almost disturbingly so - London was not a pretty place in that era, and Faye did not hold back with the gory details of the Ripper killings. So fair warning, this book may not suit some readers.
But what about Holmes and Watson? Happily, their characterizations were true to the source material - it felt like it could have been an actual Holmes story. The mystery itself was really well structured and while I successfully predicted one part of it, the rest had me stumped. I love when mysteries do that.
Really, I think there’s only one thing that could have changed: the pacing. The book was slow to start, and I struggled quite a bit to get into it. But after about 50 pages or so, the pacing picked up and it was smooth sailing for the rest. Overall, I definitely recommend giving Dust and Shadow a look.
The story itself is quite atmospheric, with excellent world building. Almost disturbingly so - London was not a pretty place in that era, and Faye did not hold back with the gory details of the Ripper killings. So fair warning, this book may not suit some readers.
But what about Holmes and Watson? Happily, their characterizations were true to the source material - it felt like it could have been an actual Holmes story. The mystery itself was really well structured and while I successfully predicted one part of it, the rest had me stumped. I love when mysteries do that.
Really, I think there’s only one thing that could have changed: the pacing. The book was slow to start, and I struggled quite a bit to get into it. But after about 50 pages or so, the pacing picked up and it was smooth sailing for the rest. Overall, I definitely recommend giving Dust and Shadow a look.
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for an advance copy of this book!
I finished reading this fantastic story earlier in the week, but I needed a few days to collect my thoughts. It needed to marinate a bit! But basically, Let Me Hear a Rhyme blew my expectations out of the water.
The story takes place in the late 90s, and focuses on three Brooklyn teens who honour their dead friend by trying to make him a famous rapper. They keep him anonymous and his music draws the attention of the neighbourhood, and eventually a record label. The kids go to some crazy lengths to hide the truth about their friend Steph, but it quickly spirals out of their control. It’s a great premise, and Jackson pulled it off really well. And I won’t spoil it, but I loved loved loved the ending!
The world building wasn’t overly detailed, but I think that kind of added to the story - it turned the focus on to the characters. And Jackson created some amazing ones. Each teen had a wonderfully unique voice - the chapters alternated between each of their POV. I struggled a bit it with slang at first (what can I say - I’m old and very uncool), but I eventually figured it out. And all of the discussion about the popular musicians of the 90’s was a great walk down memory lane.
The story is also a mystery, with Steph’s sister determined to find out who killed him. Even with all the breadcrumbs Jackson dropped along the way, the culprit was still a surprise to me. I’ve said this a million times before, but I really love when a mystery surprises me like that. Overall, this book is pretty perfect, and I’d definitely recommend it!
I finished reading this fantastic story earlier in the week, but I needed a few days to collect my thoughts. It needed to marinate a bit! But basically, Let Me Hear a Rhyme blew my expectations out of the water.
The story takes place in the late 90s, and focuses on three Brooklyn teens who honour their dead friend by trying to make him a famous rapper. They keep him anonymous and his music draws the attention of the neighbourhood, and eventually a record label. The kids go to some crazy lengths to hide the truth about their friend Steph, but it quickly spirals out of their control. It’s a great premise, and Jackson pulled it off really well. And I won’t spoil it, but I loved loved loved the ending!
The world building wasn’t overly detailed, but I think that kind of added to the story - it turned the focus on to the characters. And Jackson created some amazing ones. Each teen had a wonderfully unique voice - the chapters alternated between each of their POV. I struggled a bit it with slang at first (what can I say - I’m old and very uncool), but I eventually figured it out. And all of the discussion about the popular musicians of the 90’s was a great walk down memory lane.
The story is also a mystery, with Steph’s sister determined to find out who killed him. Even with all the breadcrumbs Jackson dropped along the way, the culprit was still a surprise to me. I’ve said this a million times before, but I really love when a mystery surprises me like that. Overall, this book is pretty perfect, and I’d definitely recommend it!