Countdown City (Ben H Winters) Review

Another great edition to the Last Policeman series as we all anxiously await the arrival of the deadly asteroid Maia.

Hank Palace as we know from the first book has been dismissed from his duties as a detective but after being contacted by an old friend decides to take on the case of Martha Cavatone's missing husband. The people around Hank can't seem to understand why he goes out of his way to solve this case, especially when he is not being compensated, but he remains moral and determined. In my opinion I believe he stays so focused on his cases in order to distract him from the end.

Throughout this book we see society slowly breaking down and it becomes a more dog eat dog world with people rioting and taking supplies from one another. The one thing I love most about this series is Hank Palace, he appears to be the last moral person on earth and he brings a slice of normality to the chaos. He is witty and I thoroughly enjoyed getting inside of this characters mind and reading his inner monologues with himself. He truly is a unique and upstanding character.

Countdown City was a fantastic edition to the series and although I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book I was hooked from the very beginning. I have become attached to the characters in this series and eagerly await the next instalment. Ben Winters does an amazing job of making this world on the brink of apocalypse come to life and it is a world I will enjoy revisiting as I plan on rereading the books again and again.

4 out of 5 stars.



ACID (Emma Pass) Review

My first thoughts upon finishing ACID? WOW, what a rollercoaster ride!

ACID boasts a badass cover with a badass main character which I loved, I have grown so weary of YA books that only seem to contain weak damsels in distress so this was very refreshing indeed.

We are introduced to Jenna Strong in prison for supposedly murdering her parents at age 15. The books starts off when Jenna is 17 and incarcerated and within the first couple of pages we realise she is no wallflower she kicks the asses of fully grown men and knows how to look after herself. ACID is literally action packed from the get go and it doesn't stop until the very end. It was exciting, frustrating, energetic and horrifying.

I liked Jenna as a character she had many different layers and she felt realistic to me, I also really liked the budding relationship between Jenna and Max I felt as though looking out for him matured and softened her a lot.

I also LOVED the writing style in this book it was perfect and sucked me into the book completely. There are plenty of twists and turns and just when you feel as though things are going a certain way something would happen that would take the book in a totally new direction.

There were some parts of this book that I didn't feel were relevant or necessary to the storyline, I feel as though maybe this book had TOO MANY plot twists. I feel that the ideas were there but maybe they weren't fleshed out as much as I would've liked them to be. A lot of questions were created throughout this book and I can't honestly say we are given enough satisfactory answers.

That being said I did really enjoy this book and gave it 5 stars although there was something about it that just prevented me from falling totally in love with it.

The end of the book does hint on that perhaps there will be a sequel but I really hope the author decides against writing one as I feel that maybe the story has been stretched out enough as it is.



The Last Policeman (Ben H. Winters) Review

On the 2nd of May 2013 The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters won Best Original Paperback at the Edgar Awards and after reading this book I can see why. Ben H. Winters takes the classic 'whodunnit' premise and adds his own refreshing twist to it. The Last Policeman is unique and so well written and in my opinion a deserved winner. 

The basic plot is as follows; in 6 months time an asteroid named maia will collide with earth brining about the apocolaypse. It is believed that no one will survive and everything has pretty much gone to pot. 
Ben has presented a fascinating portrait of pre-apocalyptic America.

The Last Policeman is an exciting and engaging read, it grabbed my attention from the begining and managed to hold onto it right until the very end. I felt as though I was with detective Hank Palace every step of the way as he tried to solve the murder case of Peter Zell, much to the amusement of his co-workers (who believe Peter committed suicide). I too was excited when new clues were uncovered and was shocked by the ending, something I didn't see coming at all.

This book was interesting and made me think about how I would personally cope knowing the world was going to end in a matter of months. It is a terrifying thought and added a kind of dark feeling to the book. On many ocassions I found myself wishing that it was all a mistake and wanting a happy ending.

I can not wait to read the second book as Ben has created a world I am eager to revisit. I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars as I believe it was a great starting point for the trilogy and I cannot wait to read more. 

Teacher's Pest, Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #3 (Charles Gilman) Review.

This is the third instalment in the Lovecraft middle school series and it is just as good as the first two if not better.

This series keeps going from strength to strength, Charles Gilman is able to keep taking me back to Lovecraft middle school and the Tillinghast Mansion without me ever getting bored of it. 

First there was the demon Professor Gargoyle, then the serpent Price twins and in this book we have Howard Mergler, a supposed good kid who is actually a giant fly creature named a Shaggai. I cannot wait to see what creature Gilman creates for the 4th book.

This book is a quick read and fast paced with all the fun and excitement of this first two books. We get a deeper insight into the characters in this book, we find out a bit more about their family lives and it is definitely interesting to read.

There is a certain ick factor if bugs bother you but it's nothing too over the top.

I give this book 5/5 stars and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

The Slither Sisters, Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #2 (Charles Gilman) Review

NOTE: I was sent this book for review by Quirk in exchange for an honest review. The fact that I was sent this book has not influenced my opinions or review in any way.

Much like Professor Gargoyle this book is aesthetically beautiful, with its hologram cover, excellent quality of paper and fun illustrations. 

This second novel in the Tales from Lovecraft Middle School series begins right where Professor Gargoyle ended.  Seventh-grader Robert Arthur has discovered that two of his classmates are actually sinister snake-women in disguise. Even worse, his new middle school is full of “gates” to a terrifying alternate dimension – a haunted mansion full of strange spirits and monstrous beasts.  For Robert to protect his teachers and classmates, he'll need to return to this haunted dimension with his best friends Glenn and Karina.   Can they uncover the secrets of Lovecraft Middle School before it's too late?
 The Slither Sisters features more bizarre beasts, more strange mysteries, and more adventure.  It's perfect for readers ages 10 and up.

For such a short book, the plot is nicely twisty, and the writing is light and humorous, albeit with some definite creepy moments. I must admit, the ending had a surprise for me! It's a good set-up for #3, but also allows this one to have a solid ending, not stop on a cliff-hanger. 

Also in the book the friendship between Robert, Glenn and Karina grows stronger and it is one of the more endearing parts of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, maybe even more so than the first (which I didn't think possible) but I can't wait to read more.

I gave this book 5/5 stars!

Professor Gargoyle, Tales From Lovecraft Middle School #1 (Charles Gilman) Review

NOTE: I was sent this book for review by Quirk in exchange for an honest review. The fact that I was sent this book has not influenced my opinions or review in any way.

Before I begin to talk about the plot and my thoughts on this book I have to take a moment to mention the aesthetic beauty of the book itself. The front cover boasts a fun hologram which gives it automatic shelf value it loos great and it is appealing not only to children but to adults like myself [I'm 21]. Inside the book is just as beautiful the paper quality is exquisite and there are numerous illustrations which are beautifully done. This book is possibly one of the most well presented books I own. 

Now onto the plot; Strange things are happening at Lovecraft Middle School. Rats are leaping from lockers. Students are disappearing. The school library is a labyrinth of secret corridors. And the science teacher is acting very, very peculiar. Robert Arthurt knew that seventh grade was going to be weird, but this is ridiculous! With the help of some unlikely new friends, Robert discovers there's more to Lovecraft Middle School than meets the eye. Can he uncover the secrets of the school before it's too late?

Professor Gargoyle is an easy read and moves along at a good pace, I personally devoured this book and read it from cover to cover. It was fun and creepy and while a little twisted at times it is sure to delight readers of all ages. 

The main character Robert was awesome, even more so when he gained a backbone and stood up for himself. Charles Gilman has a fantastic way of creating characters and putting a spin on them. 

I personally would recommend this book for anyone aged 8+ I believe that even teens and adults can enjoy this book too.

I gave this book 4/5 stars and look forward to reading it again and again [plus it really does look beautiful on my shelf] 

Slide (Jill Hathaway) Review

Slide is a fast paced, emotional and suspensful whirlwind that managed to capture my attention from the get go. It is without a doubt one of the best books I've read in a long time.

The whole idea behind Slide is fascinating to me, haven't we all longed to see the world through someone elses eyes at one point? Haven't we all wanted to know what really goes on behind closed doors? I know I have but reading this book may have changed my mind, maybe seeing the world through someone elses eyes isn't always a good thing, especially if that person is up to no good. Jill Hathaway has created a scenario that may seem like a dream come true but that just isn't the case for Sylvia 'Vee' Bell. 

Slide was one of the most suspenseful novels I have read in a long time, I was literally devouring the book needing to find out who the killer was. I had my theories and they were blown out the water, everyone was a suspect and halfway through the book I felt the same desperation as Vee, I NEEDED to discover who the killer was.

Jill also managed to create three dimensional characters who were more than they seemed. Everyone had a secret and everyone had a past which made for interesting reading and made the characters more realistic. I have never seen an author create such a diverse cast of characters before and I think that is part of the books charm. Props to the author for that.

The pacing was fantasic Hathaway never misses a beat. There are no slow parts or areas of the book that bored me, every last word is relevant to the story and enjoyable.

I know I should probably be objective about this and try to point out some negative points in order to make this review fair but in my own personal opinion this book has NO negatives. I would've love the book to be longer but that is for my own selfish reasons (I want to know more).

I finished this book in two sittings and I loved it. I highly recommend it. Can not wait for book #2.

5 out of 5 stars!