Wednesday 27 April 2016

The Beacon By Susan Hill - 5 Star Review

Hello Readers,

We are going into the third book of the Susan Hill adventure that I took recently. I have just gotten the fourth one from the library and intend on doing more of her books in the future. Here is what I thought of The Beacon.

The Beacon Blurb: 

Colin. May. Frank. Berenice. The Prime children grew up in a bleak country farm house called The Beacon. Colin and Berenice married locally. May went to university in London, but came home within a year and never left again. Only Frank, quiet, watchful Frank, got away. He left for Fleet Street and a career in journalism but its the publication of a book about his childhood that brings the fame and money he craves - and tears his family apart.

Review: 5/5 stars
From the beginning Susan will take you into an adventure into May's future and past. She hits on many problems that are faced by people living in small towns or communities. The past plays a huge role in this book. I want to warn you that it will take you back and forth a lot, this however didn't throw me. It might annoy some of you though. I do though want to say that sticking with it will make for an awesome ending to a great book. 

Susan makes all her characters relate-able and designs a plot that allows all readers to follow it with a great hunger. Her character all have a huge depth to them that allow you to get lost in them. It makes you wonder after you close the book how it turns out in the end for all these characters. Will Frank manage to recreate his relationship with May or will he ever be frozen out by her. Does she overcomes her fears and leaves the Beacon? 

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Thank you for your time and I hope that you will come back to see my thoughts of "The Monk" by Mathew Lewis. 

Kristal McKerrington 

Sunday 24 April 2016

A Kind Man- Susan Hill 5 Star Review

Hello Readers, 

Here is another different kind of book and it will open your eyes to a whole other world. Check out my review for the amazing author Susan Hill below. 

A Kind Man- Susan Hill Blurb:

Tommy Carr was a kind man; Eve had been able to tell that after half an hour of knowing him. There had never been a day when he had not shown her some small kindness and even after the tragic death of their young daughter, their relationship remained as strong as before. Grief takes its toll however, and it’s not surprising that by the following Christmas, Tommy is a shadow of his former self, with the look of death upon him.

But what happens next is entirely unexpected, not least for the kind man...

5 Star Review: 

Susan grips with you by the heart strings right away as you read about Eve's tale and how she just wants to find a kind man. When she does that is when an adventure is started that she can't even begin to believe is happening. 

Tommy was a kind man and he is going to go through the wringer only to understand that a gift can change so many lives. He learns what it means to live a hard life and to be made to feel ashamed, confronted by lesser minds. This story is truly magical from the start to the end of it. You will find it sweeping off your feet and you will struggle to not read it. The shortest of the book I thought would put me off instead it didn't. I found it to be the right size for the characters and story itself. 

I must admit that I have read two of Susan's books now and each gets better than the last. I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with.

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Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you will enjoy the book as much as I did. Please come back for another Susan Hill review. I'm currently reading The Beacon by Susan Hill. I'm sure that its going to be as good as the one I have just finished. 

Kristal McKerrington 

Friday 22 April 2016

Don't Let Me Go- Catherine Ryan Hyde 5 Star Review

Hello Readers, 

So we are back with another action pack review for a book that did actually touch me. I will get into that in the review. So please feel free to dive in. 

Don't Let It Go- Catherine Ryan Hyde, 

GRACE
Ten-year-old Grace knows that her mum loves her, but her mum loves drugs too. And there's only so long Grace can fend off the 'woman from the county' who is threatening to put her into care. Her only hope is... 

BILLY
Grown-man Billy Shine hasn't been out of his apartment for years. People scare him, and the outside world scares him even more. Day in, day out, he lives a perfectly orchestrated silent life within his four walls. Until now. . .

THE PLAN
Grace bursts into Billy's life with a loud voice and a brave plan to get her mum clean. And it won't be easy, because they will have to confiscate the one thing her mum holds most dear . . . they will have to kidnap Grace.

5 Star Review: 

Its impossible to not be touched by this book for there is a great deal of caring, moments of happiness and then there is moments when you wonder if the story is going to play out the way that your cheering for it too. Its one hell of a ride and it shows  a glimmer of hope how people living in apartments can change their lives. How they can open up to each other and take care of each other. Much like it was back in the old days. It made me long for that sort of friendships and for the openess that this book allows. 

The tale has so much to offer everyone. It will inspire those who are dealing with parents who struggle with drugs and who need guidance to get clean. This also gives those who are dealing with addiction. For its low numbers of people who can actually get clean and stay that way. This book also dives into Spanish and touches on Tap dance. We see the characters all overcome their biggest fears and I can't think of a better message than what Catherine Ryan Hyde offered in this novel. I hope that you will check out the rest of her work. 

I just can't say enough good things about this book. 

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Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will come back to read the review that I'm going to do on Susan Hill's Kind Man. 

Kristal McKerrington. 

Tuesday 19 April 2016

The Young Elites- Marie Lu- 5 Star Review

Hello All,

Its been a hard few days and I'm delighted to present you with a review for all of you.

The Young Elites- Marie Lu

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina's black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family's good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever's survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars-they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it's Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they've never seen.
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn't belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

5 Star Review

From the outset I was drawn into the frightful world of Adelina and I couldn't put the book down. I was found it strange how she went with a bad leading lady but however it was very enjoyable from the off set. The world was formed almost perfectly and the only fault I could find with the book is that I couldn't tell if it was a China or Indian theme to the book. 

Every fight scene was designed to the finest detail and it held suspension, tension in every page. I can't wait to see how the series develops. I was more than relieved to see that this was forming into a series of books and I can't wait to check out more of Marie Lu's work. 

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Thank you for stopping by. I hope you come back again to check out the latest reviews. 

Kristal McKerrington 

Tuesday 12 April 2016

Out For Blood- Alyxandra Harvey- 5 stars

Hello All, 

I'm taking apart a great authors piece of work today in order to share with you the brilliance that she offers us all. I hope that she continues to write and share her talent with the world. 

Out For Blood- Drake Chronicles-

Hunter Wild just wants to get through her last year at the secret Helios-Ra Academy. To do so, she'll have to betray her grandfather, date a vampire and possibly take down the entire League - all before the end of term.

5 Star Review- 

Here is the positives that I found in "Out For Blood".

From the very beginning Alyxandra casts a great spell over the reader as she introduces her version of the world of Vampires and Hunters. The common problem faced by children and teenagers a like at school. Pills that are going around. She has a sense of danger through out the entire book. She starts out with great elements of Hunter including the romance novels that are hidden underneath her bed. Even the way that she handles her strung out room mate. 

Alyxandra continues on to shine a great light on the wonderful Drake family. We see more of Solonge and the others. We see the tension between the hunters and of course the family they have signed a treaty with. She made the pair drawn to each other like moths to a flame and this is a great way to put together a couple in the romance genre of paranormal. 

Here are the tripping blocks of the book:

I thought it was to short and would like have liked to seen another 200-300 pages for I think that she could easily fill them with these characters and add all the sort of added problems making it harder for Hunter to get together with Quinn. I would have liked to seen more interactions with Hunter and her grandfather over her dating a vampire. I think that this would have added to the tensions. 

I would have liked to see Hunter interact with York more and to add to the tension between them. I would have liked to seen more horror from Hunter when it came to the slaying of her friend at her own hands. Those were the only real hang ups that I found. 

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Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you will try out this great book. 

Kristal McKerrington 

Friday 8 April 2016

Printers Devil Court by Susan Hill 5 star Review

Hello Readers,

So I dove into a Ghost story that I checked out at my library and I got a huge surprise. I never expected to find books that were so well done at this one. Check out more of my thoughts to do with the story below:

Printer Devil's Court 

By Susan Hill

Ideally spooky Halloween reading...

A chilling ghost story by the author of The Woman in Black.

One murky November evening after a satisfying meal in their Fleet Street lodgings, a conversation between four medical students takes a curious turn and Hugh is initiated into a dark secret. In the cellar of their narrow lodgings in Printer's Devil Court and a little used mortuary in a subterranean annex of the hospital, they have begun to interfere with death itself, in shadowy experiments beyond the realms of medical ethics. They call on Hugh to witness an event both extraordinary and terrifying.

Years later, Hugh has occasion to return to his student digs and the familiar surroundings resurrect peculiar and unpleasant memories of these unnatural events, the true horror of which only slowly becomes apparent.

Review 5/5: 

From the very start I never expected the tale to be so gripping and to not allow me to think of anything else. The concept at times could be offensive to those with a weaker heart however this was the perfect scary tale. The characters were well thought out and I love the first point of view that you get from the man writing or telling her story. I even like how she included the son's thoughts as he discovers the deadly, heavy burden that his father has carried on his shoulders for sometime. I would have liked to known more about the villains in this book but Susan managed to give us closure as she went about telling her 106 page printed version of her story. 
I was highly impressed and think you will be too. 
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Thank you for checking out Susan Hill's book review and make sure you subscribe to see what other authors might appear on my blog. 
Kristal McKerrington 

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Blood Evidence by Mel Odom 5 star review

Hello Readers,

So we are settling into the second book of the trilogy that Mel Odom did. The NCIS three books was awesome. 

NCIS: Blood Evidence

While investigating the abduction/kidnapping of a marine captain's teenage daughter, Will Coburn and his team of NCIS agents discover a link to a high-profile murder that took place more than seventeen years ago. As the team investigates, they discover a trail of lies, betrayal, and a political cover-up. Forensics specialist Nita Tomlinson will need a faith deeper than she can imagine as she struggles with the past and a family that she can no longer ignore.

5 Star Review: 

From the beginning of the novel its a darker story than what was in the first book. Mel did though created stronger characters that was a great one to step up after the amazing first part of the book one. Mel managed to not only hold a complicated murder investigation but at the same time that and its a great descriptions on top of what he created. 

In my experience there is so few people can pull off all the elements that Mel did and I can't wait to see what he can do in the third book. Every time I pick up a Mel Odom book I'm surprised and I have to say that I think he will be a huge part of my book collection moving forwards. this is a must have trilogy for all mystery readers or those who like some suspense thrillers. 

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Thank you for stopping by to read the review that I did for Mel Odom. 
Kristal McKerrington 

Friday 1 April 2016

Bella Wallis: A Victorian Mystery Quartet by Brian Thompson

Hello Readers, 

Diving back into time for a Victorian themed mystery quartet that I started reading for research on manners and words that would fit in well. I ended up falling in love.  Here is the review that I did of the library book I borrowed. 

Bella Wallis: A Victorian Mystery Quartet

Bella Wallis is a glamorous widow with a secret identity: in an office buried deep within the dodgy backstreets of Victorian London, she writes sensationalist novels exposing the scoundrels that litter high society under the pen name Henry Ellis Margam. With dodgy deals, scheming aristocrats and stolen kisses behind closed doors, prize-winning author Brian Thompson conjures up an irresistible quartet filled top to toe with seedy Dickensian glamour.

We start with The Widow's Secret, an effervescent romp to Paris on the trail of the owner of a mysterious cigar case; then The Sailor's Ransom, a tale of pearls and swine, set on the Cornish coast and the high seas; and The Player's Curse, where kidnap, cricket and cross-dressing coincide in a riotous mystery. We end with the previously unpublished The Whole Story, in which Bella is caught up in an anarchist bomb attack at her favourite restaurant, Fracatelli's on the Strand... and only just survives to tell the tale.

The Review: 

What a world we dive into here. This set of four books blew me away and I was lost within what was put together in these rather large 981 pages which was what my book was. It earned a hard fought 4 stars that I'm sure that Percy Quiley would hate but it was for his ending that killed the final star from the 5 star rating that I was hoping to give it. 

For the first 3 books in this quartet was amazing and so well done even if the third book's ending seemed rather rushed and thrown to one side. Finding out these were single books still doesn't make me feel any better about the third one's ending. I think that he could have stopped at book 3. He didn't need to kill off the character he chose too in book for ending an era of mischief that happened with Bella at the head of it. 

From the beginning the book pulls you in and nothing is quite what you think it will be like. Its hard to see the ending coming or to understand what is going to happen. For those parts of the book Brian out did himself. 

The types of characters that were seen through out this quartet was well designed and were the sort of characters that everyone could relate too. You loved th
em for what they were and didn't want to see anything bad to happen to them.

I can't recommend this book. I'm not someone who reads mystery novels but this was one that I really enjoyed and felt honored that I picked it up. I have to say that I will be exploring the other books that this author has done for he has won himself a place in my library for good. 

You haven't read a good book until you pick this one up. So make sure that you do today. 

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Thank you for stopping by and I hope that this reveals all the reasons why you should check out this book. 

Kristal McKerrington