Rabbits Review

Conspiracies abound in this surreal and yet all-too-real technothriller in which a deadly underground alternate reality game might just be altering reality itself, set in the same world as the popular Rabbits podcast.

It’s an average work day. You’ve been wrapped up in a task, and you check the clock when you come up for air–4:44 pm. You go to check your email, and 44 unread messages have built up. With a shock, you realize it is April 4th–4/4. And when you get in your car to drive home, your odometer reads 44,444. Coincidence? Or have you just seen the edge of a rabbit hole?

Rabbits is a mysterious alternate reality game so vast it uses our global reality as its canvas. Since the game first started in 1959, ten iterations have appeared and nine winners have been declared. Their identities are unknown. So is their reward, which is whispered to be NSA or CIA recruitment, vast wealth, immortality, or perhaps even the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe itself. But the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes. Players have died in the past–and the body count is rising.

And now the eleventh round is about to begin. Enter K–a Rabbit’s obsessive who has been trying to find a way into the game for years. That path opens when K is approached by billionaire Alan Scarpio, the alleged winner of the sixth iteration. Scarpio says that something has gone wrong with the game and that K needs to fix it before Eleven starts or the whole world will pay the price.

Five days later, Scarpio is declared missing. Two weeks after that, K blows the deadline and Eleven begins. And suddenly, the fate of the entire universe is at stake. If I didn’t have such an affinity with wolves, I would absolutely be wanting my spirit animal to be a rabbit right now, and not just any rabbit oh no, no cuddly bugs bunny for me

I want a badass rabbit that wants me to follow it down a rabbit hole into some crazed wonderland that I may never return from.

So why the tangent on rabbits and not talking about the novel? Well buckle up.

This is a dark nerd gamers paradise think DBD meets D and D with masterful twists and turns that makes you feel more than any computer game ever did or could – yeah it is that good. If you love your games on the obsessive, intellectualy and highly playable side then you will love this book.

Imagine playing a game where the it is the world but more than that it takes over everything you have and becomes so much more than just a game.

I refuse to spoil it for people but OMG what a rollercoaster ride and I never wanted to get off, I was adoringly satisfied from opening page to finishing page and I just wanted it to keep going. 5 stars really isn’t enough.

The Colours of Death Review

In an alternative present-day Lisbon, a small percentage of the population have been diagnosed as Gifted – having telepathic or telekinetic powers. Along with the power comes a stigma and suspicion that Gifted Inspector Isabel Reis with the Lisbon Police Force knows only too well.

When Isabel is called to investigate a mysterious and violent death which hints at Gifted involvement, she knows it’s more than just her personal reputation on the line. In a society where Gifted individuals are already viewed with mistrust; Isabel is hiding her own secret and knows she has to tread carefully as a conspiracy emerges and the body count rises.

The first thing that I loved about this novel was that it was set in Lisbon – a setting that I have not encountered in many books so that was a refreshing aspect and the author gave so many vivid descriptions of both the setting and the food in the novel, that I genuinely felt like I was reading this sat on the streets of Lisbon. Some of the translation was slightly off but that did not bother me in the slightest and took nothing from the reading of the novel.

This sci-fi crime thriller – even just those words feel me with pleasure than I can say – is set in a present day yet alternate Portugal where a political party is leading the agenda to rid those of the gifted with telepathic or telekinetic abilities. It really is so refreshing to read crime fiction that has a fresh new twist.  The characters are well written and I enjoyed getting to know them and see them develop as the story developed.

This was a thrilling, highly inventive and incredibly gripping novel and I really don’t want to give anything away by going into more detail but you really need to read this book whether you like thrillers, crime, sci-fi, dystopian or just something new then this book really needs to be in your TBR pile. 5 stars.

The Hunted Girls Review

Stumbling through the pitch-black forest, twigs scratching her bare feet, she sobs as she imagines her children crying for their mommy to put them to bed. By now everyone will know she is missing. Please, please let me find the way home. Before he comes back.

As Agent Nadine Finch rushes to investigate the murder of newlywed Nikki Darnell in Ocala National Forest, Florida, fear floods her body. She swore she’d never set foot here again, not since the case fifteen years ago which tore her life apart. But taking in the triangular cuts scarring Nikki’s perfect pale skin, she knows she must put her own traumatic past aside to find justice for Nikki’s inconsolable husband.

Discovering water in Nikki’s lungs, and certain the triangular wounds were made by arrowheads, Nadine must convince her team of her terrifying theory: that Nikki was hunted down and drowned before being left for them to find. But what monster would do such a thing? And why? Then another woman, a mother of two, is discovered in the woods, tell-tale arrow marks all over her body.

Recognizing the victim as a local waitress, Nadine fears the killer has started attacking women known to her. And the moment she traces the arrow heads to a nearby outdoors store, her own partner disappears.

Frantic, Nadine follows the trail to a lonely cabin deep in the Florida wetlands where she finally learns the heart-stopping truth. To save one of her own, she must confront a deadly hunter obsessed with the case that’s haunted her whole career. Will Nadine have to make the ultimate sacrifice to stop him taking more innocent lives?

This book is definitely for the faint at heart but oh my gosh what a gripping and compelling read and one of the things that I liked about it the most is that although it covers a serial killer as do most books of this genre, the investigators involved in hunting the serial killer seemed different and fresh.

This is the second book in a series and although I read it as a stand alone and was perfectly able to do that, the backstories of the characters made me want to read the others. The writing, character development, narrative and storyline all coincided to make this a really clever book and one that I couldn’t put down. Highly recommended 5 stars.

The Final Chapter Review

David, Samuel, and Julie were childhood friends in the Summer of 1986. Until she disappeared.

Thirty years later, David is a famous author and Samuel is his Publisher. Each receives a Manila envelope with the first chapter of what will be twelve, of a manuscript exposing the TRUTH about what happened that Summer.

There will also be a third recipient.

Each is receiving the document because of his or own failure in the Past.

One failed to listen.

One failed to report what he saw.

One should have spoken out.

And, the sender wants the truth to finally be exposed. But who knows all of their secrets?

I was grabbed from the very start by this book due to the idea of a story within a story and it totally worked for me, I was hooked from the beginning. The narrative is carried out perfectly and the characters are relatable, likeable and well written with the use of childhood memories along with present day really allowing readers to get to know the characters as they develop through the story.

The plot is complexly created through the use of flashbacks and discussions intertwined with the three manuscripts, all of which are identical except for the last chapter which holds the clues to solving the mystery. I found this style unusual and really enjoyable.

The best part that was the ending was unpredictable right up to the last which is a rarity in crime fiction.  I cannot wait to read more of Jerome Loubry’s work. A solid 4 star novel.

The Lost Apothecary Review

I was provided The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner as an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and thanks is extended to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course. Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman. Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February evening in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive.

First off it is important to say there are some aspects of this book that could trigger some readers such as thinking of suicide, recalling a miscarriage, behaviour of a predatory nature towards an adolescent, divorce and infidelity, poisoning and blood. However, despite all of that I loved it and it didn’t take away from the novel in anyway.

I am a big fan of historical fiction anyway and this had everything I look for it perfectly evoked 1790’s London for me as well as present day London and is the perfect mix of mystery, suspense, murder, discovery, guilt and adventure.

The narrative flips so that each chapter is the point of view of the three different women and there is a clear and entirely seductive link between the time periods courtesy of the little blue vial, however I won’t go into details as I would want all readers to experience it first time round like I had the pleasure of doing.

If I had one criticism – and it is a very small one- is that I found the intense friendships that developed after a very small number of meetings a reach and Caroline’s thought processes within the novel didn’t always sit right with but like I said it is a very small criticism and it didn’t take anything away from the storyline or the narrative as a whole.

I was also pleasantly surprised after reading the description of the book to find that this wasn’t a novel filled with hatred for men nor glorifying women in their hatred and demise of men but simply an illumination of the journey that women go on after making specific choices and the consequences and effect that these choices have on aspects of themselves and their lives.

Overall I enjoyed the novel and its fast flowing pace. A definite 4.5 stars for me.

The Other Black Girl Review

I was provided The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris as an ARC through NetGalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own and thanks is extended to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

I loved this novel that was slow burning at the start before reaching its suspense filled climax at the end. It has been compared as The Stepford Wives meets Get out and I would say it had more Get Out vibes for sure and I was totally within the books grasp from the very start.

The story line itself is intriguing and interesting and the characters are so well written and captivating. I didn’t find a single page of this book boring if anything I felt genuine fear whilst reading it and an intense dislike for some of the acts that characters were carrying out.

My only criticism was that I found the ending frustrating and even more frustrating that I cannot go into why without giving spoilers … so spoiler alert without giving away anything to major I found it intensely frustrating that after receiving so much prejudice, discrimination and hate from a privileged group in society, to then have your own people turn on you also left me with a feeling of utter hopelessness and despair that left me with boiling blood and an intense rage. However, I appreciated the reasons why the author did this and so although it frustrated me, I appreciate the power of doing just that. I just felt that following such a build up and tension that I was left with lots of questions and needing more in terms of the backstory and generally just more information.

However, this didn’t take away from the experience and it is still a strong 4 star read for me.

Feeding the Gods Review

I received an ARC of Feeding the Gods by Elizabeth Harrison in return for an honest review through NetGalley. Thank you so much to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to do so.

Roberta, Rosie, Sandra and Linda meet at college in the 70s and remain constant friends, despite life’s up and downs. The sudden death of one of the friends leads the others to suspect that a slimming drug she had been taking was perhaps to blame.

Was this a wonder drug or a threat to life?

The friends start to uncover long-held secrets and betrayals both personal and professional, but the pharmaceutical industry is not yet finished with them. Feeding the Gods is a thriller that addresses friendships, the different roles a woman must take on through life and the power of the drug giants.

Feeding the Gods is a novel that follows the lives of four women who meet at a university party in the mid-1970s. Then, when thirty years later, one of them dies in suspicious circumstances, the fallout that follows uncovers lies and betrayals.

As they seek out the truth, lives are put in danger as they take on the power of the drug companies who are happy to prioritise profits before safety, and the government who are desperate for ways to cut the healthcare bill.

Elizabeth Harrison along with Dee Harrison and Liz Buxton have created a wonderfully powerful thriller that spans between 1970 and 2005 and is set in Manchester and Cheshire within the United Kingdom and reflects on life long friendships, the power that the pharmaceutical companies wield, the corruption of government and the roles that women undertake throughout their lives.

I found the premise of this story fascinating and although initially attracted to the genre and the front cover I found that I could not put this book down and more than that I want to read it again and again.  It is a bold storyline that is engaging, thought-provoking and witty.  The authors were not shy of posing powerful and tough questions and they followed this through with a punchy narrative that was packed to the brim with character.

I would recommend this to anyone that fancied something new to try or wanted to read something hard hitting. Thank you NetGalley for another 5-star read.