Notes of Life

Another month has been and gone so quickly. June will be here within just a few hours and we’ll be mid-way through 2011. So what does June hold for me? Well, there’s my birthday (I’ll be keeping my age a secret though!), I’ll be going to see Elton John in concert and I’m hoping to do a giveaway here on the blog, so look out for that.

So, without further ado, here are the books I’ve reviewed this month…

3rd May – The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
A brilliant start to The Books of the Beginning series. The Emerald Atlas is a wonderful story about 3 children taken from their parents 10 years previous, who find themselves on a quest. After being pushed and pulled between numerous orphanages, the children find themselves at Dr Pym’s orphanage in Cambridge Falls. It’s like no other orphanage they’ve been to.

15th May – Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch
The second book in a series featuring a trainee wizard in London’s Metropolitan Police. A nice mix between urban fantasy and crime.

19th May – Johnny Kingdom’s West Country Tales
A nice leisurely read through West Country myths and legends, as well as anecdotes from Johnny and his family, ancestors, friends and people he’s met along the way. Johnny Kingdom is a national treasure, as well as a wildlife expert and filmmaker.

25th May – Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton
A thrilling crime novel situated in London with a killer imitating the brutal Jack the Ripper murders.

30th May – Passion by Lauren Kate
The 3rd book in Lauren Kate’s Fallen series. This time we follow Luce and Daniel back through her previous lives in her quest for answers.

I’m currently inbetween books, but I’ll be picking up a new one tonight. I would’ve started a new one last night, but the website decided to feature a nice white blank page just as I was about to go to bed with a book! So I didn’t get time in the end.

What did you read in May? Any recommendations?

Author: Lauren Kate
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385618083

Passion is part of Lauren Kate’s Fallen series. If you haven’t read the previous two books you may want to read the reviews linked below…

1. Fallen
2. Torment

Passion follows on directly from Torment and into the Luce’s past lives where she begins her quest to find answers to the questions she has about the curse. With Daniel chasing her, she dives back through her many past lives using the announcers, to learn as much as she can and to try and end the curse. But will she get her answers? Can she unlock the past without rewriting it?

Each chapter is numbered, titled and given a place and date, so you’re immediately aware of where Luce (or Daniel) is on the journey through her past lives. Passion is different from Fallen and Torment in that their settings were very much the schools in which Luce & her friends were in and their surroundings, where as in Passion Luce is racing through the past lives and can end up anywhere from Moscow in 1941 to London in 1613 and beyond!

In the previous books, I found Daniel to be much more secretive, to the point of not really knowing if he’s good or bad, but I didn’t question his character in this book. His concern was for Luce and what would happen to her, her past and her future as she goes back through her lives. His love and passion for her shone through.

We do get to see some of the characters from previous books, but Passion mainly features Luce and Daniel (and their previous selves) as they chase back through time. We’re also introduced to one or two more, including Bill who tags along with Luce. Is he quite what he seems?

As with the previous two books, Passion is a story that builds up momentum along the way. This is the story of Luce & Daniel and of how it came to be. We learn more of the angels’ backgrounds and of why Daniel is like he is. This book is probably more emotional that the previous two as we see Daniel’s endless adoration for Luce, his passion and his heartbreak.

As with Torment, I don’t think the ending of Passion is a cliffhanger, instead it’s more of a transition from this book to the final one in the series, and it looks like we’re in for something big!

All in all, I enjoyed reading Passion as much as I enjoyed reading Fallen and Torment. I read it in 3 or 4 sittings and I already can’t wait for Rapture, the final book in the Fallen series. Rapture isnt out until spring 2012, but I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait! If you enjoyed Fallen and Torment, then I’m sure you’ll love Passion.

With thanks to Random House for sending me a manuscript of Passion to review.

Passion is released in the UK on 23rd June 2011, so why not pre-order your copy now!

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Please note: I received this book as a manuscript from Random House as in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

I’m trying not to buy books myself at the moment, though I doubt that will last very long! So, this week I was lucky to receive, not one, but four books…

From Amazon Vine:

The Hunter by Tom Wood (Released as ‘The Killer’ in the US) – Described on the back of the book as “Blazing with suspense, sex appeal and white-hot action, The Hunter is the thriller of the year – a masterful must-read for fans of Lee Child and The Bourne Identity.”. It’s about an assassin who’s job in Paris goes spectacularly wrong and he finds himself running for his life across 4 continents. This certainly sounds like it’s action packed!

The Hunting Ground by Cliff McNish – This is a young adult ghost novel. Two brothers move into an old and crumbling mansion and sinister events soon start unfolding. An old diary reveals a terrible tragedy and of evil lurking in the East Wing.

From Real Readers…

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith – Set in 1950′s Stalin’s Russia under a terrifying regime, families live in fear. When the State claims there’s no such thing as crime, who would dare disagree? However, Leo Demidov, an ambitious secret police officer has his world turned upside-down then he uncovers evidence of a serial killer.

Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith – This is the third Leo Demidov book by Tom Rob Smith and Read Readers kindly sent me a copy to review (along with ‘Child 44′. It’s not your usual ARC though… It’s a limited edition bound proof (numbered) and autographed by the author!

I’ll have to get the second Leo Demidov book, The Secret Speech, so I can read the series in order (books tend to make more sense that way!).

So thank you to both Amazon and Real Readers for these books this week!

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Author: S. J. Bolton
Publisher: Bantam Press
ISBN: 978-0593064139

Heading back to her car one evening, Lacey finds a woman slumped over her car door. The woman has been fatally stabbed and lies dying in Lacey’s arms. Not only is this only the beginning of a brutal murder investigation, but it’s also the start of a personal nightmare for Lacey.

Somebody is going around imitating the Jack the Ripper murders and the young D.C. Lacey Flint finds herself in the middle of it all. Thankfully, Lacey has a life-long fascination with the Jack the Ripper cases, but will that help the inexperienced detective solve the case? Lacey’s never seen a corpse up close or been part of a murder case, until now…

I loved reading Now You See Me! It’s the first book S. J. Bolton book I have read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I was hooked from the very first chapter right until the end of the book and I found it very difficult to put down. It’s one of those books you think about even when you’re not reading it.

There are parts of the book where you wonder what relevance it has to the story, but as the story reaches it’s compelling end, it all becomes clear. This is a book that will have you thinking and guessing. I had an inkling of what might be, but S. J. Bolton is full of surprises and just when you think you know something, you realise that maybe you didn’t!

The book is narrated by DC Lacey Flint and her character is complex (just like real people are) and sometimes I didn’t quite know what to make of her. She has her dark side and her colleague Joesbury makes you doubt her at times. Is she telling us all she knows?

Now You See Me is built with short bursts of chapters. I found this style, along with the gripping storyline, compelled me to keep reading. I kept telling myself I’d read one more chapter and then but the book down… Several chapters later and I would still be reading! I enjoyed it so much that I read it in 3 sittings. With twists and turns, and a ripper-thread, what’s not to love?!

S. J. Bolton has a new fan! If you enjoy crime thrillers then why not pick this up? I’m sure you’ll love it!

Buy Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton from Amazon UK or the Book Depository.

S. J. Bolton is a British author, born and brought up in Lancashire.

This is the 16th book I’ve read for the British Books Challenge 2011.

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Please note: I received this book free through the Amazon Vine program in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

I’d say I’ve been a lucky girl this week (apart from getting a flu-type virus, that is!).

On Wednesday, Simon & Schuster kindly sent me not only a paperback copy of Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson, but also a Here Come the Girls book bag and a silver Milly Johnson bookmark. As I was feeling ill, it certainly cheered me up!

Four friends reunite and realise their dream of taking a cruise before they hit fourty. I’ve read some great reviews for this book and it certainly sounds like a fun read (even the cover makes me smile!).

On Friday, I received a manuscript for Passion by Lauren Kate. My original copy must have got lost in the post, so Random House kindly sent out another copy to me.

Passion is the third novel in Lauren Kate’s Fallen series and it takes us back to before Luce and Daniel met at Sword & Cross, back to Luce’s many past incarnations in order for her to understand her fate.

I suspect this manuscript may well be jumping my TBR queue, especially as I’ve been lucky enough to receive a manuscript copy! You can find my reviews for the first to books below:

1. Fallen (Read my review)
2. Torment (Read my review)

I haven’t bought myself any books in the past week, although I was very tempted to yesterday. As it’s my birthday in mid-June, I’m adding books I’d like to my wishlist and so when I’m asked what I’d like I can point people in that direction (instead of the usual “I don’t know!”).

Anyway, that’s about it from me. Did you receive any books this past week?

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