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wordsofclover
I received this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
When a lone gunman enters his college in Edinburgh and shoots dead 13 young women, before killing himself, he leaves behind him a trail of destruction, grief and questions. DI Birch attempts to lead the police force dealing with the traumatic aftermath, the questions of why Ryan Summers would do such a thing, and attempting to shield his family left behind from terrible threats. Ishbel and Moira, two grieving mothers find their lives changed forever.
This is a slow paced crime novel follow three different people left behind after a terrible tragedy. The first 20% or so of this book deals with the day before, of and after the shooting, and while we don't get any perspectives of the shooting while it happened, readers so get an idea of the scenes from a policeman who entered the building right after the attack and a media run through of the event.
I enjoyed the exploration of each characters' shock and grief following the shooting, as well as the difficult relationship they both had with their children. Moira's POV in particular was, both terribly sad and intriguing as she had to figure how to process her grief over her son while all too aware of the grief he had caused others because of his terrible act of violence.
The book does have that trope of a lead detective who has something in their past that seems to have given them a personal stake in the case. I don't always like this and it was okay in this book - I liked that the DI didn't let her history completely cloud her judgement and I do feel like her not having that backstory wouldn't actually have affected the story that much.
I did have some issues with the portrayal of media in this story, once again, like most thrillers/crime books I read. There was a lot of immoral, tabloid-esque stories published about the shooting and one journalist who basically went against any kind of newsroom rules ever. I'm not a fan of the terrible journalist and inaccurate/immoral reporting and sensationalist media due to us living in a world now where there is such distrust in legitimate media and 'fake news' is thrown about.
I did accept the storyline with the journalist as it became more a part of the plot and i liked how it all resolved.
When a lone gunman enters his college in Edinburgh and shoots dead 13 young women, before killing himself, he leaves behind him a trail of destruction, grief and questions. DI Birch attempts to lead the police force dealing with the traumatic aftermath, the questions of why Ryan Summers would do such a thing, and attempting to shield his family left behind from terrible threats. Ishbel and Moira, two grieving mothers find their lives changed forever.
This is a slow paced crime novel follow three different people left behind after a terrible tragedy. The first 20% or so of this book deals with the day before, of and after the shooting, and while we don't get any perspectives of the shooting while it happened, readers so get an idea of the scenes from a policeman who entered the building right after the attack and a media run through of the event.
I enjoyed the exploration of each characters' shock and grief following the shooting, as well as the difficult relationship they both had with their children. Moira's POV in particular was, both terribly sad and intriguing as she had to figure how to process her grief over her son while all too aware of the grief he had caused others because of his terrible act of violence.
The book does have that trope of a lead detective who has something in their past that seems to have given them a personal stake in the case. I don't always like this and it was okay in this book - I liked that the DI didn't let her history completely cloud her judgement and I do feel like her not having that backstory wouldn't actually have affected the story that much.
I did have some issues with the portrayal of media in this story, once again, like most thrillers/crime books I read. There was a lot of immoral, tabloid-esque stories published about the shooting and one journalist who basically went against any kind of newsroom rules ever. I'm not a fan of the terrible journalist and inaccurate/immoral reporting and sensationalist media due to us living in a world now where there is such distrust in legitimate media and 'fake news' is thrown about.
I did accept the storyline with the journalist as it became more a part of the plot and i liked how it all resolved.
I received this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ria Taylor has dedicated her life to helping women suffering from abusive relationships and runs a special women's shelter in desperate need of council funding. When Ria begins to receive strange messages, she ignores it at first, presuming it's the ex of one of her clients seeking petty revenge. But as the messages become more threatening and the stranger begins to infiltrate Ria's family life, she begins to grow concerned for her, and her children's, safety.
This book is a really good highlight at the work service workers do for people living in abusive homes and just how important safe places/ safe houses are for families fleeing such circumstances. You can definitely tell the author has put work into really getting to understand the lives of the victims, and what real victims have to go through - the trauma they face, how long it can take to overcome the trauma and begin real life again, and then how easy it is to give up hope and go back to an abuser/or be duped by the abuser into thinking they've changed.
I loved the services aspect of this book - as for the plot around Ria, it was fine but the book itself didn't overly excite me and I was totally gripped to the story. Tanya's diary entries were quite interesting, especially as it became obvious who she was.
I felt some of Ria's reactions to the text messages and her 'stalker' a bit frustrating, particularly for someone who has so much direct knowledge of such men and what they can. Why she didn't repeatedly go back to the police irked me. And why she didn't just throw the phone away was a really odd decision.
I felt the ending was a bit underwhelming. I was expecting a bit of a showdown - particularly when Dhonelle became involved. But the fact we didn't really see much was a bit disappointing.
Ria Taylor has dedicated her life to helping women suffering from abusive relationships and runs a special women's shelter in desperate need of council funding. When Ria begins to receive strange messages, she ignores it at first, presuming it's the ex of one of her clients seeking petty revenge. But as the messages become more threatening and the stranger begins to infiltrate Ria's family life, she begins to grow concerned for her, and her children's, safety.
This book is a really good highlight at the work service workers do for people living in abusive homes and just how important safe places/ safe houses are for families fleeing such circumstances. You can definitely tell the author has put work into really getting to understand the lives of the victims, and what real victims have to go through - the trauma they face, how long it can take to overcome the trauma and begin real life again, and then how easy it is to give up hope and go back to an abuser/or be duped by the abuser into thinking they've changed.
I loved the services aspect of this book - as for the plot around Ria, it was fine but the book itself didn't overly excite me and I was totally gripped to the story. Tanya's diary entries were quite interesting, especially as it became obvious who she was.
I felt some of Ria's reactions to the text messages and her 'stalker' a bit frustrating, particularly for someone who has so much direct knowledge of such men and what they can. Why she didn't repeatedly go back to the police irked me. And why she didn't just throw the phone away was a really odd decision.
I felt the ending was a bit underwhelming. I was expecting a bit of a showdown - particularly when Dhonelle became involved. But the fact we didn't really see much was a bit disappointing.
I received a free copy of this book from the author/publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A woman who can see the future, and one who loves money and power. Plus, a prince with a kind heart but weak impulses and a knight full of bravery but very impulsive. In Angland, some characters fight a war against the neighboring kingdom while further in the kingdom, an industrial rebellion sparks fears among the noblemen and women, as well as business owners. A high fantasy full of war, civil unrest, a bit of magic and a lot of laughter and humanity as well.
I really, really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know all the characters bit by bit, and really feeling who they were - and still being surprised or disappointed when they did certain things or expressed various views on things. The flashing back and forth between the war being played out against the Northmen and the civil unrest among the used and abused factory workers was done really well, and never left me feeling like I wanted more or less on either side. Rikke was a refreshing slice of air next to the rigidness of Savine, and the expectations set against Orso and Leo. Things I'd rooted for throughout the book suddenly flipped in the last couple of chapters and I found myself egging on other characters. There are characters who are fairly evil in this book - in the way those in power feel they need to be, and do what they can to get answers - and there's others who are good but seem to be hidden behind so many other things.
Orso was such a surprise for me. When we first met him, I definitely thought he was either going to be a Joffrey or a bit of a damp squid. He turned out to be, however, an ultimate soft boi that I could crush on and root for all at the same time. He's not someone who will win wars with his swords but by the alarming sense of tact and diplomacy he showed. Whereas Leo ended up, while being the hero, disappointing in many ways - from the weird relationship with his mother to his low-key racism (which was excellently done by Abercrombie. He's someone on paper whose fairly perfect and then he makes a few side comments that make you feel uncomfortable and you need to reread to make sure ).
Savine was disappointing for me too but in a good way - I want her to rise from the ashes she;s found herself in, and I think she will and I'm very intrigued to see what way she could go. She's a character who could be a true heroine or a very terrible villain.
There were subtle hints of magic in this book, as well as premonitions but I think the actual magic will probably happen in future books.
This book ended at such a PERFECT moment too to really make the reader want the next book NOW. I'm so excited for the sequel to come out.
A woman who can see the future, and one who loves money and power. Plus, a prince with a kind heart but weak impulses and a knight full of bravery but very impulsive. In Angland, some characters fight a war against the neighboring kingdom while further in the kingdom, an industrial rebellion sparks fears among the noblemen and women, as well as business owners. A high fantasy full of war, civil unrest, a bit of magic and a lot of laughter and humanity as well.
I really, really enjoyed this book. I loved getting to know all the characters bit by bit, and really feeling who they were - and still being surprised or disappointed when they did certain things or expressed various views on things. The flashing back and forth between the war being played out against the Northmen and the civil unrest among the used and abused factory workers was done really well, and never left me feeling like I wanted more or less on either side. Rikke was a refreshing slice of air next to the rigidness of Savine, and the expectations set against Orso and Leo. Things I'd rooted for throughout the book suddenly flipped in the last couple of chapters and I found myself egging on other characters. There are characters who are fairly evil in this book - in the way those in power feel they need to be, and do what they can to get answers - and there's others who are good but seem to be hidden behind so many other things.
Orso was such a surprise for me. When we first met him, I definitely thought he was either going to be a Joffrey or a bit of a damp squid. He turned out to be, however, an ultimate soft boi that I could crush on and root for all at the same time. He's not someone who will win wars with his swords but by the alarming sense of tact and diplomacy he showed. Whereas Leo ended up, while being the hero, disappointing in many ways - from the weird relationship with his mother to his low-key racism (which was excellently done by Abercrombie. He's someone on paper whose fairly perfect and then he makes a few side comments that make you feel uncomfortable and you need to reread to make sure ).
Savine was disappointing for me too but in a good way - I want her to rise from the ashes she;s found herself in, and I think she will and I'm very intrigued to see what way she could go. She's a character who could be a true heroine or a very terrible villain.
There were subtle hints of magic in this book, as well as premonitions but I think the actual magic will probably happen in future books.
This book ended at such a PERFECT moment too to really make the reader want the next book NOW. I'm so excited for the sequel to come out.
