Favourite Books of July

Wow...

It would appear that I found my reading mojo...



According to my Goodreads, I'm currently reading my 10th book of the month. Who knows what has spurred me on, maybe it's a life thing?! When things aren't going right many people bury their heads in the sand... Me? I prefere to bury mine in a book! There's nothing like a bit of escapism to get you through.




So, here just a few of my favourites of the past couple of months:



PARANORMALCY by Kiersten White



The Blurb: (Via Gooodreads)

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Notes:

**** out of *****

*Trilogy
*Protagonist is believable, sulky teen at times but shows strength. Loved her 'lingo' - Really felt she was a teen talking in those pages...
*Interesting concepts/ideas
*Story flows smoothly
*Characters intersting and mostly well fleshed out, some I would have liked more - i.e. Evie's best 'mermaid' friend
*Want to read the next instalment


Game of thrones (A song of Ice and Fire book 1)
by George R. R. Martin




The Blurb (via Goodreads)

The first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. GAME OF THRONES is now a major TV series from HBO, starring Sean Bean.

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne


Notes:

**** out of *****

*Series
*Incrediable... Breath taking scenes
*Staggering amount of work into character backgrounds/creating a whole word setting
*Not sure if I would have kept up with who's who without the help of watching the series...



Demonblood (A Demon Made Me Do It) by Penelope King
*Found free on Kindle*



The Blurb (Via Goodreads)

Some girls share clothes, a bathroom, or a bedroom. Seventeen-year-old Liora Greyson has to share, too. Only she shares her body--with a demon.

Liora just wants to survive her final year of high school unscathed, her dark secret intact. But the walls she’s carefully constructed to keep people away crack wide open once she meets the sexy and mysterious Kieron, and he lights her world on fire. She can’t let him know she transforms into a demon named "Lucky" at nightfall—a demon with an entirely separate personality who passes out Torment, Justice, and Revenge like Halloween candy.

Turns out Kieron is the one who should be afraid once Lucky discovers his true identity and motivations. Liora wants to love him, but Lucky thinks he’s public enemy number one. And having a demon with a vendetta show up during a romantic date puts a serious crimp in any relationship.

Fighting your demons is one thing. Having one that fights back, messes with your guy, and leaves you with nasty hangovers is quite another.

Being bad has never been so good...


Notes

**** out of *****


*Trilogy
*Was very well written with an intersting concept: Liora - Human - has body through the day. Lucky - Demon - has body through the night. Characters had completely different personas.
*Interesting characters, well fleshed out.
*Humourous, witty dialogue
*Demons, romance, action, adventure, sexy, incubus hellhound 'Bones'... (Swooooon)
*I've already read the next book "Fire with Fire" :0)


3rd Sight by Ian Woodhead




The blurb (Via Goodreads)

Adrian Winters is unaware that a newborn demon has chosen him to be its watcher. The one who links its evil to this world. With time running out, will Adrian be able to save himself before his family and friends, the people he loves, become mere sustenance for the monster inside of him? Or will he be forced to witness their gruesome deaths?


Notes

**** out of *****

*If you dont like scary, gory stories... best leave this one alone...
*Very clever "out of mind sequences"... what's real?
*Gritty, rugged characters
*Shocking, absorbing and page turning
*The only reason this book failed to get five stars out of me was the ending... Well rounded but for me personally, finished too fast. May be there is room for a sequel here?

BOOK REVIEW:

172 Hours on the Moon

By Johan Harstad

~Si-Fi, horror, supernatural, creeeeeepy~

Paperback, 368 pages

Published April 5th 2012 by ATOM (first published 2008)

ISBN

1907411518 (ISBN13: 9781907411519)

Edition Language

English

Original Title

Darlah - 172 timer på månen

 

* * * * * out of five stars

The Blurb: (Via Goodreads)
It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever.
Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune.
Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan.
Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.
It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them.
In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true.

My Review:

I am very selective and wary about giving anything five stars. (Especially when that said something has such a mixed review going for it) But the way 172 Hours on the Moon captured my attention and imagination, it leaves me little choice.  However, I just wanted to start with getting one niggle out of the way. Throughout the story the whole concept of NASA sending teenagers to the moon seemed way over the top and unbelievable. If you can get past this and just accept the fiction as it is, then this is definitely a book worth the reading.

Whilst browsing my local discount book shop, they  had one of those "three for a fiver" offers and 172 Hours appeared semi- interesting. I thought the cover work was very well done and after reading the story even more so.  The image of a girl looking down at clasped hands with her reflection looking at the audience with somewhat of a scowl, is very intriguing. Offering that the girl is not all what she appears to be.

I really enjoyed how the book was put together; using imagery from space missions and floor plans of the space station on the moon. As a reader, I can sometimes find conjuring up places in my mind quite difficult, often forgetting the layout and where characters are placed, so this was really helpful to me personally.

though some people have written that they felt the characters weren't very well written, i would have to disagree. The book introduced characters and backgrounds thoroughly and systematically.too much more and it would have been tedious. I felt the teens were really well described at the time of life they were experiencing. Their thoughts, emotion and reactions to situations were believable. The romance between characters was somewhat predictable, but also fit very well into the plot.

When I began reading, I have to admit that I was in two minds as to whether this book was going to be for me, but I really enjoyed the style of writing and the flow of the story unfolding.

Mia in particular stood out for me. More or less our heroine of the hour, but when I first started reading about her, I really didn’t like her. She was whining and selfish. Self-obsessed and down right irritating. But there were also strengths in her that the other characters needed and responded to.

I didn’t expect the level of horror in the book. But the moon proves to be the perfect setting. Dark and desolate. The intensity of the mood as the author adds more layers is perfect for growing fear.  Perhaps I was too closed mined when I first started reading, I mean; what else could a writer possibly bring to the table about Space other than little green men chasing the characters around the moon? I can’t go into much detail here in fear of spoiling it for other readers, but the horror in this story is woven into the plot very well.  They definitely find something up there and you really don’t want "that" making its way down here...  It’s chilling. I think what was very interesting about Harstand as a writer, is the way he built his work of fiction around snippets of fact. It gives the story... for want of better words... another level. 

What really gives this book five stars for me personally, was that it took me back to reading horror for the first time as a young reader. I was totally absorbed in the story and couldn’t put it down.

Quote:  Page 167 (Mia) “...This was followed by a thought – she had no idea where it had come from – but if forced its way into her consciousness and scared her to death: In space, no one can hear you scream.”

As a reader it is hard to find a book that gives a satisfying ending. With 172 Hours on the Moon, I was thrilled with the plot twists and and the finishing touches that Harstand provides his readers. I would say to anyone, give it a go. It might just surprise you. It did me!