Gerald Oddman - A TBC Review

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received an advance copy of the book for review.
Gerald Oddman is a very odd man. He arrives, seemingly out of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere. Not a penny to his name, he has to throw himself on the mercy of complete strangers. He is used to being a celebrity, so when his approaches are met with a mix of pity, indifference, hostility and, sometimes, human kindness, he feels more than a little jilted. We encountered the people Gerald meets, an unlikely bunch and not all likable at all. A group of young hopeless men become Gerald's new entourage. As Gerald's desperate attempts to find his former glory and followers in the 21st century get more curious and daring, we meet his daughter. Instead of helping her father, she manages to expose him as an attention seeking, out of touch and thoroughly unlikable. As quickly as Gerald had found fame, he loses it again.
This book is a quick, easy read. The characters and storylines are all neatly interwoven and the plot development is well paced. This book is somewhat thought provoking as it touches on subjects such as God, the reason for being and the meaning of life. It is not overbearing however and more tongue in cheek.
I gave 4 stars as i found the end somewhat strange, I am hoping that it is a set up for a sequel. If you are looking for a quick, touching read, this is definitely a book I would recommend.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gerald-Oddman-T-W-M-Ashford-ebook/dp/B07ZBFN4YZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gerald+oddman&qid=1574884639&sr=8-1

Redemption - A TBC Review

Redemption 

by Jessica Therrien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Redemption is the final instalment in Jessica Therrien's "Children of the Gods" trilogy.

All our favourite characters are back for more adventures and action. In this final book, the descendants' world is given an almost post-apocalyptic make-over.  The story moves
 at a a fast pace and character, world and plot development all hurtle along.

Will it all end in a "happy ever after"? Will humans and descendants finally embrace their differences and work together to create a new world?

Jessica Therrien successfully combines ancient myth with modern problems and ideology. Although all three books seem to have a different focus, all are well written, with continued character and story development. This final book definitely has some darker moments that would delight any fan of  post-apocalyptic fantasy  fiction.

Uprising - A TBC Review

Uprising

by Jessica Therrien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elyse and her friends are back for more adventures in this second book of the "Children Of The Gods" Trilogy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely say that the series is a strong new entry to the Young Adult paranormal genre.
Uprising sees our favourite heroes and villains return, this time though things are getting serious. Will Elyse and her friends escape the clutches of the council? Will they succeed in creating a world that is free and fair for the descendants? Will Elyse and William's whirlwind romance continue to grow?

This book is much faster paced than the first one, the characters are coming into their own and Jessica Therrien weaves a tale of excitement and wonder. The plot is more action filled and the descendants finally get to shine and show off their abilities.

It is definitely a Young Adult series and, as such, does not have the epic depths and complexity of more adult fantasy novels, but I nonetheless really enjoy reading these books.

My thanks go to #TBC, the author and publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling - A Netgalley Review

Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling 

by Katie Dalebout

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley, my thanks go to Hay House Publishing and Katie Dalebout.

As an experienced journaler, i was looking forward to reading this book. It became very clear to me very early on however, that this book would be better aimed and marketed at a younger audience or clearly labelled "for new journalers".

The author, a 22 year old blogger and yoga instructor, formulated this book in the space of one week, after winning a contest. In my opinion, this is reflected in the quality of the book and content. I was not put off by the author's age, in fact, this made me think that there would be something unique or "new" hidden within the pages, instead, Katie Dalebout heavily relies on rewording and rephrasing works by established self help authors and therapists.

This book would be useful for a younger audience, who happen to deal with some of the same issues the author faced, however a more adult audience will not find a lot of useful information here.

Oppression - A TBC Review

Oppression

by Jessica Therrien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oppression is the first book in Jessica Therrien's Children of God's series. We meet the main character, Elyse and her friends and are taken into another world, which exists within ours. Elyse was led to believe her entire life that she had a rare genetic disease, inherited from her parents, which means that she ages more slowly than others. We enter her life when she is 89 years old, but still looks very much like a teenager.

Jessica Therrien has created a story which has all the elements for a modern young adult tale and then added her own stamp on this popular genre by giving Children of the Gods a Greek mythology flavour. We meet the descendants and their incredible powers, derived from the Greek Gods of old.

The story unfolds at a good pace, likeable main characters and despicable "baddies" battle and scheme for order. An intriguing first instalment, this book will leave any young reader wanting to pick up the story in the next book.

Will Elyse find her happy ever after? Will she fulfil the prophecy? I am sure I will enjoy book 2 as much as i did this one.

Part supernatural romance, part action, this book is sure to delight especially younger teenage girls.

Conspiracy of Ravens - A TBC Review

Conspiracy of Ravens 

by Robin Roughley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received an ARC of this book from TBC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to both the author, Robin Roughley, and TBC for the opportunity to read this book.

I have not read previous books in the DS Lasser series, so to me, the first and most important observation was that this book can be read as a stand alone. There are references throughout to previous history and relationships between the characters, but this does in no way impact the understanding of how the plot develops and how the characters relate to each other.

In this book, DS Lasser and the team are called in to uncover what appears to be, at first glance, a suicide. However, it soon becomes evident that more sinister things are going on and the story picks up from there.

Pretty much from the first chapter, the body count goes up and up and up... there are so many bodies and people who are attached, it feels like a set of russian dolls being taken apart. While this makes for a fast paced plot, it also gives some sense of confusion and it was at times hard to remember who is who and why and how they were connected to the other characters. The story line is jam packed with bad guys, i really did not encounter one single person i could say i liked.

The police team seems to be somewhat dysfunctional and chaotic, which leads to quite a few blunders.. corruption at the highest level is rife. The main character does not seem to have many "likeable qualities" about him.

One thing that really did take away from my enjoyment of the book was the persistent use of profanity, it was not used to portray one character's personality, but peppered throughout. With foul language being used by everybody, from the detective to the most corrupt politician to the main "villain". For me, this took away from the story, rather than add anything meaningful.

If you don't mind strong language but like a fast paced, dark and violent read, then this is definitely going to be a good read.

Flowers For The Dead - A TBC Review

Flowers For The Dead

by Barbara Copperwaithe

Utterly twisted, satisfyingly shocking and brilliantly clever... those are first descriptions that came to my mind when I had finished Flowers For The Dead. 

To come across something unique in a genre that is so massively popular is always a special treat. In this book, Barbara Copperthwaite achieves this feat, she creates a new dimension to a classic theme. 

We all have read the books with the notorious serial killer, are filled with glee when our favourite DCI or even PI nails them and they are locked up for good. In Flowers For The Dead, be prepared to not feel this kind of triumph.

Adam is a guy with a big heart, when he loves, he gives his chosen his all. He showers her in gifts, looks after and makes her feel cherished, in summary, the perfect guy. His chosen, however, does not usually reciprocate in kind, which leaves Adam no choice but to kill her with kindness, literally. 
The book follows Adam on his latest love conquest, we meet Laura and get to know in chilling detail, how thorough Adam's attraction is and to what lengths he is prepared to go for his love. 

I felt outraged, mystified, shocked and felt a sympathy while getting to know Adam, the most likeable serial killer you will ever meet. 

Be prepared for the unexpected with this book. It is definitely a 5* read, it delivers on all aspects.