Review: Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia (ARC)

Title: Leave No Trace

Author: Mindy Mejia

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery

Pages: 319 (Paperback - ARC)

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

Publication date: September 4th, 2018

Synopsis from Leave No Trace's Goodreads page

There is a place in Minnesota with hundreds of miles of glacial lakes and untouched forests called the Boundary Waters. Ten years ago a man and his son trekked into this wilderness and never returned.

Search teams found their campsite ravaged by what looked like a bear. They were presumed dead until a decade later...the son appeared. Discovered while ransacking an outfitter store, he was violent and uncommunicative and sent to a psychiatric facility. Maya Stark, the assistant language therapist, is charged with making a connection with their high-profile patient. No matter how she tries, however, he refuses to answer questions about his father or the last ten years of his life

But Maya, who was abandoned by her own mother, has secrets, too. And as she’s drawn closer to this enigmatic boy who is no longer a boy, she’ll risk everything to reunite him with his father who has disappeared from the known world.

THOUGHTS

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I loved this book! There were so many things that I loved about it.
The main character has loads of piercings and pink hair, which I adore. You don't see colourful characters like that too often, so when I read a book with them, I get super excited about it.
The entire idea of this book is amazing as well - I love the idea of someone who had gone missing years ago randomly showing up, and they seem perfectly content with the way their life was going. It makes you think about what their life was like, what they were going through, and how they lived.
This book had a lot of very small twists and turns that came out of nowhere which I also really like. You never knew what to expect next!
The entire plot was also very well done. The writing was great, the development was wonderful, and the length of the book was perfect - sometimes thrillers are a little too long or a little too short, but I really liked the length of this one - I read it in two sittings (which is the perfect length for me!)
The ending made me feel a lot of emotions as well, both good and bad. The entire book is about the son trying to get back to his father to save him, and (no spoilers!) but it was a fulfilling, but VERY sad ending. However, I couldn't really think of ending it any other way, as the entire book was leading up to it, so I think it captured the book perfectly.

Overall - ★★★★★ 

Review: Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent (ARC)

Title: Lying in Wait

Author: Liz Nugent

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery

Pages: 310 (Paperback - ARC)

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Canada

Publication date: November 27th, 2018

Synopsis from Lying in Wait's Goodreads page

The last people who expect to be meeting with a drug-addicted prostitute are a respected judge and his reclusive wife. And they certainly don't plan to kill her and bury her in their exquisite suburban garden.

Yet Andrew and Lydia Fitzsimons find themselves in this unfortunate situation.

While Lydia does all she can to protect their innocent son Laurence and their social standing, her husband begins to falls apart.

But Laurence is not as naïve as Lydia thinks. And his obsession with the dead girl's family may be the undoing of his own.

THOUGHTS

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is not your typical psychological thriller - the book opens with the death of a character, and the description of who killed her - two of the main characters. You know who killer her throughout the entire book, and it is a description of what happens after the girl gets killed.
Most psychological thrillers are someone stalking/trying to kill someone else, and usually ends with a death, or the entire book is a mystery of who killed someone. This book is different - we already know who killed her, and it's the story of what happens after.
This book is very twisted, which seems to me to be something that Liz Nugent is known for (I've read her other book Unraveling Oliver, my review can be found here, and I found it to be just as twisted, which I also loved). I love how the plots are very dark, twisted, and sinister, and how the characters lean into that.
Her characters are also very dark - they have secret agendas, and their minds are very dark.
Another thing I really liked about this book is how we got to see a lot of flashbacks, and hear a lot about the characters lives in the past; this really helped to see how the characters have changed as well as how they have stayed the same.
Her settings are also perfect - they match the vibes of the books perfectly, and the settings really match up with the story lines. Both of the books that I have read by Liz Nugent have both had very powerful settings, and I found that the plot, characters and the overall story line itself has been impacted by the settings.
Overall - powerful, dark and sinister, this book is a great read for those dark winter nights!
Overall - ★★★★☆ 

Blog Tour: You are the Everything by Karen Rivers

Title: You Are the Everything

Author: Karen Rivers

Genre: Contemporary/Realistic Fiction

Pages: 272 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Publication date: October 30th, 2018

Synopsis from You Are the Everything's Goodreads page

Can you want something—or someone—so badly that it changes your destiny?

Elyse Schmidt never would have thought so, until it happened to her. When Elyse and her not-so-secret crush, Josh Harris, are the sole survivors of a plane crash, tragedy binds them together. It’s as if their love story is meant to be. Everything is perfect, as perfect as it can be when you’ve literally fallen out of the sky and landed hard on the side of a mountain—until suddenly it isn’t.

When the pieces of Elyse’s life stop fitting together, what’s left?

You Are the Everything is a story about the fates we yearn for, the fates we choose, and the fates that are chosen for us.

THOUGHTS

I received a free copy from Thomas Allen & Son in exchange for an honest review - thank you!

Going into this book, I was prepared for a super cute, super sweet love story, mingled with a fair amount of sadness, and I got exactly what I was expecting!
This book is about two teenagers, who are the (un)fortunate survivors of a plane crash where everyone else they are with are killed. It is about suffering, survival, pain, and most importantly, love.
This book had a good amount of super cute elements, which I was very much a fan of. I loved how much Elyse is crushing on Josh (it brought back a lot of memories from when I was in high school and felt that way about someone) and I really loved how much she loved him.
I also really enjoyed how the author was able to continually remind the reader that these two, who did survive, are struggling with it. It's not easy to survive such a traumatic experience, and it for sure is not easy to survive an experience with one other person when everyone else doesn't. I liked how the author had these two struggle with survivor's guilt, how she had them struggling with their own and each other's injuries, and how she had them trying to figure out their lives not only as teenagers, but also as people who had been through something so difficult that it changed every single thing about them as individuals, and as a team.
And the ending. OH MY GOSH the ending. No spoilers, but all I can say is that I DID NOT EXPECT THAT ENDING.
Overall - ★★★☆☆.5

About the author:
Karen Rivers' books have been nominated for a wide range of literacy awards and have been published in multiple languages. When she's not writing, reading, or visiting schools, she can usually be found hiking in the forest that flourishes behind her tiny old house in Victoria, British Columbia,, where she lives with her two kids, two dogs, and two birds. Find her online at karenrivers.com and on Twitter: @karenrivers and Goodreads

Q&A with Karen Rivers!

1. What is your favourite place to write?

I have four place in my house where I technically write: In bed, at my desk, at the dining room table, and on the couch. But most of my "writing" takes place when I walk in the woods behind my house. That's where my ideas are untangled and smooth out and become fully formed. The rest is just typing.

1. How many books do you read in a year?

Between 100 and 150. More in the summer (in vacation) and in the winter (cozy, in front of the fire!) I read every day. Best part of the day!

1. What do you hope readers will take away from You are the Everything?

I hope they know that love is always the point, in whatever form: friends, family, romantic partners. Love is the reason. <3

TOUR-WIDE GIVEAWAY
The winner will receive 1 copy of You Are the Everything (Hardcover) by Karen Rivers.
Giveaway details:

Click here to enter!

• Canada Only (full rules found in the T&C on Rafflecopter)
• Giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 28th @ 11:59 pm EST
• Winner will be drawn randomly through Rafflecopter, contacted via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize

Get your copy today!

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Review: Vengeful (Villains #2) by V. E. Schwab

Title: Vengeful (Villains #2)

Author: V.E. Schwab

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 480 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Tor

Publication date: September 25th, 2018

Synopsis from Vengeful's Goodreads page

Eli Ever and Victor Vale were only medical students when their mutual discovery that near-death experiences can, under the right conditions, manifest extraordinary abilities.

They were best friends, and rivals, and then enemies. They were dead, then alive, and then---Eli killed Victor, once and for all.

Or so he thought---but Sydney Clarke felt otherwise, and used her own superpower to tip the scales. Now, a trio hides in the shadows, while another takes advantages of post-death life to take over the city of Merit.

If there can be life after death—will there be calm after vengeance, or will chaos rule?

THOUGHTS

 Victoria Schwab has always been, and always will be, one of my all time favourite authors. That has unquestionably been cemented with this book.
I really enjoyed every single thing about this book, which isn't something I say often.
Her characters, new and old, are absolutely perfect. I loved being able to see the growth from her older characters, and being able to have new characters come in and still be able to grow as heroes and villains in such a fast-paced book.
I loved how evil her characters have become - in the first book we see two university students that unquestionably have evil in them, but they still have some good at heart. I loved seeing how them, and other characters, grew into more evil, more dark characters, and that made them feel even more real (even though, well, they're evil).
I also loved how this story jumped between time periods. I normally hate it when a novel does that, but honestly there is not other way that this could have worked as well as it did had that not been a part of the story. I loved being able to see so much more about these characters through looking at their backstories, and that allowed me to see them as more real (well, as real as people with ExtraOrdinary abilities can be).
I also loved the feeling of this story. It was so dark and twisted, and it was the perfect read for this time of the year. I loved the spookiness of it and the darkness that was hidden around every corner.
Another thing that V.E. Schwab does so well is pull you into a story. You can pick up one of her huge books and start reading it, and the next thing you know you've devoured the whole book and still want more (I know I BEGGED for a second book but I need a third one NOW).
Her books are so amazing, from her characters, to her settings, plot, and just everything in between. Even the words she chooses, and the way she writes, and just the feeling you get while you read her books, is absolutely amazing. Please read anything and everything by her that you can get your hands on.
Overall - ★★★★★ 
Find my review of Vicious (Villains #1) here!

Review: Vicious (Villains #1) by V.E. Schwab

Title: Vicious (Villains #1)

Author: V.E. Schwab

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 368 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Tor

Publication date: September 24th, 2013

Synopsis from Vicious' Goodreads page

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. 

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

THOUGHTS

This book is one of my all time favourite books. Ever. I thought that the first time I read this book four years ago, and I still feel that it will be one of the best books I will ever read in my life.

The entire book is so well done, there is not one single thing that I would change if I had the opportunity.

Firstly, the characters. Victor Vale is so dark, evil, and malicious, but not in an evil way - if that makes sense. He doesn't want to kill people for no reason, but the viciousness (see what I did there?) does come out when they hurt him.

Victor is the type of person that when his roommate comes up with a theoretical idea that if they kill themselves in specific ways and then save themselves, they will get powers, and become ExtraOrdinary, he does it, no questions asked. He is not afraid of death, if he can get what he wants. He is so malicious and evil, but he doesn't see himself that way, and that's the thing that I love most about him. He does evil things, but he does them for the right reasons. He gets out of jail and wants to kill his old roommate - but it's not only because he has a vendetta against him - it's because that roommate is killing people and Victor knows he needs to stop that.

The other characters in this book are also so amazing, so creepy and strange, that it's impossible to not love them. They are all messed up, they all have something wrong with them, and they have all been through such horrible, awful things, that the people they've become seem reasonable when faced with their pasts. They are all amazing, and I love every single one of them.

The setting as well is perfect. There is not a lot of descriptions of places, because there are really only a few main places that this book takes place in, but they are all perfect for what is happening during that chapter, that they are all perfect.

The entire plot itself is also absolutely amazing. Everything about it is dark and vicious, and it all runs together so seamlessly. I usually am not one to like it when a book jumps back and forth between a few times, but this book could not work without it. The way this book jumps the way it does is absolutely perfect, because you find out something about the character in the present, and then we get to see the backstory and see why they are the way they are, and what made them that way.

I have nothing but praise for this book, and V.E. Schwab is honestly one of my heroes because of how much I love this book and how perfect every single thing in this book is.

Overall - ★★★★★ (the easiest 5 stars I have ever given)

Review: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

Title: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Author: Hank Green

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 352 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Dutton

Publication date: September 25th, 2018

Synopsis from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing's Goodreads page

In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green--cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow--spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.

The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight. 

Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye.

THOUGHTS

Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Penguin Random House for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have been looking forward to this book coming out since Hank announced it however many months ago - and after months and months of (very impatiently) waiting, I FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON IT!
After all that waiting, I had VERY high hopes for this book. And I can honestly say - it reached the bar, and then went WELL beyond it. (Sorry for all the caps guys, but I'M OBSESSED).
This book takes place in modern NYC, with the main character stumbling across 'Carl' on her early morning walk home from work. She calls her best friend, and he comes and the two of them make a video about Carl. What they didn't know, was that there were dozens of Carls placed around the world, and he doesn't seem...normal.
The entire premise of this book is absolutely fantastic. I loved how Carl started out as an art statement, but he turned into so much more over the course of the book. It shows how something that some people see as insignificant others can see as extremely important, and how that same thing can change the world.
I loved the characters in this book as well. They all had something about them that I adored, and something that drove me crazy, but that's what great characters are like. They have good things and bad things about them, and that's what makes them seem more realistic and relate-able, and that was done wonderfully in this book.
The setting was also awesome, and I loved how dynamic and changing it was over the course of the book, as well as the descriptions.
The entire book was absolutely wonderful, and I loved every second of it. The only reason that it doesn't get a solid 5/5 from me is because that ending murdered my soul and I cannot wait for another book to find out what in the world is going to happen!
If you take anything from me about this book, just know this - This book is ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE.
Overall - ★★★★☆.5

Review: The Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson

Title: The Saturday Night Ghost Club

Author: Craig Davidson

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery

Pages: 272 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Knopf Canada

Publication date: August 14th, 2018

Synopsis from The Saturday Night Ghost Club's Goodreads page

When neurosurgeon Jake Breaker operates, he knows he's handling more than a patient's delicate brain tissue--he's altering their seat of consciousness, their golden vault of memory. And memory, Jake knows well, can be a tricky thing.

When growing up in 1980s Niagara Falls, a.k.a. Cataract City--a seedy but magical, slightly haunted place--one of Jake's closest confidantes was his uncle Calvin, a sweet but eccentric misfit enamored of occult artefacts and outlandish conspiracy theories. The summer Jake turned twelve, Calvin invited him to join the "Saturday Night Ghost Club"--a seemingly light-hearted project to investigate some of Cataract City's more macabre urban myths. Over the course of that life-altering summer, Jake not only fell in love and began to imagine his future, he slowly, painfully came to realize that his uncle's preoccupation with chilling legends sprang from something buried so deep in his past that Calvin himself was unaware of it.

THOUGHTS

Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Penguin Random House for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!

Getting into October and reading spooky Halloween reads is my cup of tea! I was especially looking forward to this one - it takes place in Niagara Falls Canada, which isn't TOO far from where I live, but it is a good distance. It's always super nice to be able to read a book that takes place somewhere where you've been to and absolutely loved.

With that being said - I really loved the setting of this book. Niagara Falls is an amazing place, and I love everything about it. The touristy parts and non touristy parts, and it was awesome to be able to see how it possibly looked in the past.

I also loved the spooky feel to this book - it is very much a fall, Halloween read. I really liked how the title is absolutely perfect for the book as well; very descriptive, and very accurate. I loved the ghost hunts, and the spookyness of the whole thing.

The characters were also interesting, but I found them to be just okay overall. I found that there was no true character development - they all just carried their flaws with them, and just grew up with them. I would have liked to have seen some more growth from all of them, and some more changes as they got older.

I also found that this book was much...sadder than I had anticipated. When I got to the end and read about Uncle Calvin's life and what he had gone through.....that was painful. It was so sad, and I personally felt that it wasn't sad in an enjoyable way, more of a sad as in a difficult to read, feeling so bad for the character and wanting to just give them a hug way.

However, I did find the ghost stories that Calvin came up with absolutely amazing. They were sad and creepy at the same time, and they were my favourite part of the book.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I feel like it is a perfect time of the year to give it a go.

Overall - ★★★☆☆.5

Review: An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Title: An Unwanted Guest

Author: Shari Lapena

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery

Pages: 304 (Paperback)

Publisher: Doubleday Canada

Publication date: August 7th, 2018

Synopsis from An Unwanted Guest's Goodreads page

A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away.

It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing - maybe even romantic - weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.

So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off all electricity - and all contact with the outside world - the guests settle in and try to make the best of it.

Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead - it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, everyone starts to panic.

Within the snowed-in paradise, something - or someone - is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm - and one another.

THOUGHTS

Thank you to the always wonderful Penguin Random House Team for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!

I. Loved. This. Book.

It's fall, it's cold and rainy and dark, so what better book to read than that huge pile of psychological thrillers sitting on my bedside table for these very days???

This book was amazing for so many reasons. I loved so much of it.

The characters are all amazing. We see the dark sides of every single one of them, even though they all started out as charming, lovey dovey couples, lonely lawmakers, and determined writers. They all seemed so innocent, so charming, and then, once the first murder occurs, we start to see that dark sides of all of them. The panicky sides, the worried sides. That is exactly when we see writing flourish, and writing at its best. I loved every single one of the characters - innocent and evil.

The setting was also absolutely perfect (very cliche though, but in all the best ways). A cute, quaint little hotel in the middle of nowhere, snowed in over a weekend. Very old fashioned, no wifi, and cell service is very limited. The perfect set for a group of murders.

The suspense was also amazing. I find sometimes with thrillers, they are suspenseful enough to finish reading the book, but they take a few days. In this case, I needed to know who the killer was, and why they were doing it right away (and it resulted in me reading the entire book in one sitting). I absolutely loved the suspense fullness, and it definitely kept me on my toes the whole time!

The characters were great, the setting was perfect, and the suspense was wonderful. My only qualm (and the only reason that it wasn't a five star read) was because I needed more!!

I've had some of Shari Lapena's books on my shelves for awhile and not read them, but after reading An Unwanted Guest, I will be digging them out and reading them ASAP. Her writing is amazing!!

Overall - ★★★★☆.5

Review: Game of Secrets by Kim Foster

Title: Game of Secrets

Author: Kim Foster

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Fantasy

Pages: 368 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Sky Pony Press

Publication date: July 3rd, 2018

Synopsis from Game of Secrets' Goodreads page

Felicity Cole sells flowers in the streets of Victorian London to feed herself and her young brother. But she has a close-guarded secret--her brother is a Tainted, born with special abilities that society fears and a shadowy organization called the Hunstsman scours the country to eliminate. When Felicity becomes the target of one of these individuals, she discovers something horrible: she's Tainted, too.

Rescued by a mysterious gentleman on the eve of execution, she's whisked away to a school funded by Queen Victoria, established to train selected Tainted into assassins in service of the crown.

Struggling to harness her incredible strength, speed, and agility, and despised by her classmates, all she wants is to use her new position to find a cure so she can be normal and reunited with her brother.

But with the Golden Jubilee fast approaching and the discovery that there's a traitor in their midst, she has no choice but to embrace the one thing she's been fighting all along. 

THOUGHTS

Thank you to Thomas Allen & Sons for sending me a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

I really enjoyed this book - I read it in two sittings, so that definitely tells you how much I liked it!

The main character, Felicity, is just trying her best to eke out a life that is worthwhile for her and her little brother, who needs to remain hidden, because he is Tainted - one of a select few who has unparalleled powers. Felicity ends up discovering powers of her own, and is taken to an academy to teach her how to use and control her powers.
The idea of this book I really really enjoyed - I'm a sucker for characters with mystical powers! But this was a little different - they were discovered in a time of need, pain, and suffering. The idea that Felicity's powers came to her right when she needed them, and spent the rest of the book trying to figure out what they meant, and how to control them, was refreshing. I like seeing characters with weakness, with abilities/problems that they need to learn to control, because it makes them much more relatable.
The other characters in this book were also very well written, from the bad villains to the good people just trying to make a difference. I really enjoyed every single one of them!
I also really enjoyed the plot twist when it came to Felicity's brother - but no spoilers about that, you'll have to read the book to find out!!
The setting was also amazing, and the descriptions were perfect, from the crowded city streets to the academy's library, I loved all of it.
However, I found something to be...missing. I think it needed a few more heart-wrenching plot twists to keep me on my toes, then it would have been a perfect 5/5 stars from me!
Overall, I did really enjoy this book - it was a very quick, easy read, and it was a two-sitting read for me, so it really keeps your attention!!
Overall - ★★★★☆

Review: Herokiller by Paul Tassi (ARC)

Title: Herokiller

Author: Paul Tassi

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 448 (Paperback - ARC)

Publisher: Talos

Publication date: August 7th, 2018

Synopsis from Herokiller's Goodreads page

In the near future, the line between entertainment and brutality has blurred. Mysterious billionaire and entertainment magnate Cameron Crayton is a household name from his questionably legal televised spectacles where death-row inmates fight to the death. But his old shows pale in comparison to the recently announced and eagerly anticipated global event, The Crucible. A gladiatorial tournament open to the general public to enter, the show’s winner is promised unimaginable wealth and fame if they’re able to survive a series of globally-broadcast, fight-to-the-death cage matches. 

Former black-ops operative Mark Wei wants nothing more than to be left alone with his drink after sacrificing everything―including his family―in America's covert war against China, a war won largely because of Mark. But there are rumors that Cameron's background and business dealings involve shady connections to foreign powers, and soon Mark is reluctantly convinced to dust off his training and enter the tournament as an undercover agent. It's the most dangerous assignment he's ever been given―racing to expose The Crucible founder's secrets while navigating the pitfalls of fame from a viral phenomenon where the stakes are literally life and death.

THOUGHTS

Thank you so much to Thomas Allen & Sons who sent me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The only things that I can honestly say about this book is just....wow. So many wows. I finished this book almost a couple weeks ago and it's taken me this long to figure out what to say, because it was AMAZING.

I am a huge Ready Player One fan, so when I heard that this was a mixture of Gladiator and Ready Player One, I was SO here for it. Now, having read it, I can say that that is the most perfect explanation of this book.

Herokiller takes place in the future, and our main character is an ex black op operative, who has struggled with too much for one person to have had to deal with in his life, and he just wants to get through every day. He ends up getting sucked back into the war, after he thought that everything was done. Getting sucked back into the war is the last thing he wanted, but it brings something new to his life - he joins a show that is fight to the death, in order to get close to the celebrity running the show.

This novel was so well thought out, and so well executed. The entire novel was full of a ridiculous number of twists and turns, and every single little puzzle piece fit together beautifully.

The characters were all so well written and created, that they all seemed almost real. They all struggled with something, be it money, alcohol, or just death from their past, and they all had their own demons, but all they wanted to do was to survive and to help each other overcome them. They all had bad things happen to them in the past, but they all were trying so hard to overcome them.

Not only were the characters amazing, the setting was perfect. They travelled all over the place, and each and every new place that they went to, from the setting of the city itself to the design and construction of the buildings they were in were perfectly set to the scene.

The plot itself was also wonderful in every possible way. The characters had to fight to the death, but there was so much love, heartbreak, friendship and loss throughout the way that I was overwhelmed with emotion for so many reasons. Every aspect of the story, from the way the characters were formed from their backstories, to the way they fell in friendship and love, was beautifully written. There was so much suspense, so much anger, so much loss, and so much suffering, but also so much beauty, love, friendship, and hunger for more out of life, that I was able to connect with every single character in some way.

I absolutely adored this book, for so many reasons. If you can get your hands on this, please, do yourself a favour, and read it. It will change your life.

Overall - ★★★★★

Review: Lear's Shadow by Claire Holden Rothman

Title: Lear's Shadow

Author: Claire Holden Rothman

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Pages: 304 (Paperback)

Publisher: Penguin Books Canada

Publication date: July 10th, 2018

Synopsis from Lear's Shadow's Goodreads page

During a sweltering, stormy Montreal summer, Bea Rose finds herself about to turn forty having lost her lover, her business, and her bearings. When the opportunity to work for an outdoor production of King Lear arises, she grabs it despite her utter lack of theatre experience.

Things get off to a rocky start when Bea learns the artistic director, Arthur White, is a childhood friend whose presence stirs up painful memories. Then she inadvertently sparks the lascivious attentions of the aging star of the play and alienates the stage director, who happens to be his former wife. As Bea learns the ropes of her new role, her beloved but demanding father begins behaving erratically and losing himself in forgetfulness and her younger sister Cara reveals cracks in the foundation of her apparently perfect life as a devoted mother and co-owner, with her charismatic husband, of a successful raw foods restaurant.

The sisters do their best to care for their father, but his deteriorating condition soon exceeds what either can handle. To make matters worse, the star of Lear is also faltering amidst the confusions of age, illness, and regret over transgressions from his past. In a masterful scene of raucous celebration whirling out of control, the various forces in Bea's life collide in a shocking act that could destroy more than one life--or reveal how those lives might come together in new and stronger ways.

THOUGHTS

I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review- Thank you Penguin!

Going into this book, I was pretty excited. I've been struggling through one of the worst book slumps I've been in in a long time, and something that always cheers me up is a good book about Shakespeare. However, I found that this story itself was completely overlooked by Shakespeare, which was odd, because I figured that the story itself would be the main focus.

To elaborate, I found that the plot of the story as a whole, as well as the mini sub plots, were a bit overlooked in favour of focusing on the story of Lear as well as a lot of the acting. I found that a lot of the characters were also overlooked in the same way, and I found myself wanting more from the characters and less descriptions of the play itself, as I have studied King Lear and know the play very, very well.

I found that the characters were wonderfully written. Each one of them had quirks and their own little aspects, and none of them were alike. I found myself wanting so much more from the characters and I wanted to learn so much more about every single one of them, and unfortunately I wasn't able to learn as much as I had hoped I would about the characters.

The setting of the story was very well written, however. As someone who has never been, and would love to one day go, to Montreal, I found that it was described wonderfully and I felt like I was actually there, walking the streets with Bea.

I also liked how the author was able to tie the setting to the play and story itself. King Lear is a story about tragedy and loss, and having it rain and storm throughout the book at pivotal times was very well done.

However, I also found that I wanted more from the sub plots of the story, and I found that some of the minor characters' lives were a tad bit more realistic than Bea's, and I really wanted more from them and to learn more about every one of them.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read, however I wanted much more from the story line itself, as well as the characters in it, and I also found it to be quite repetitive.

Overall - ★★☆☆☆.75

Review: Tin Man by Sarah Winman

Title: Tin Man

Author: Sarah Winman

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Pages: 224 (Paperback)

Publisher: Viking Canada

Publication date: May 15th, 2018

Synopsis from Tin Man's Goodreads page

4 hours, 33 minutes

This is almost a love story.

Ellis and Michael are twelve when they first become friends, and for a long time it is just the two of them, cycling the streets of Oxford, teaching themselves how to swim, discovering poetry, and dodging the fists of overbearing fathers. And then one day this closest of friendships grows into something more.

But then we fast forward a decade or so, to find that Ellis is married to Annie, and Michael is nowhere in sight. Which leads to the question, what happened in the years between?

This is almost a love story. But it's not as simple as that.

THOUGHTS

I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review - Thank you Penguin!

This is a book that I was drawn to because of the cover (isn't it GORGEOUS?) as well as how short it was. Also, it has a 4.05 rating on Goodreads, and so I figured it must be good! Reading the synopsis, I also had super high hopes for it, but unfortunately it fell really flat for me.
Everyone has been absolutely raving about this book, and it is on a lot of really big lists from publishers and on the news, so I know that a lot of people are going to really disagree with me, but unfortunately I really didn't enjoy this as much as everyone else seems to.
One of my major issues with this book is how everything was described. Every single detail was painfully described, and not in the best way. I enjoy a lot of description, but I feel that about 50% of this book was just descriptions, and no real story line. There's a huge chunk of the book where the author is just describing France, and the streets and it was just list after list of street names and building names and I got really, really turned around and had no idea what was happening.
I found that the shortness of this book wasn't good for this case. I find that a lot of things were left unfinished, and I feel like I have more questions coming out of reading this book then I did going into it.
I also feel like I was expecting a happier story, one about love and happiness, but I was shocked to when I finished it. It was so sad and I feel like nothing actually...happened in this book? It just made me sad when I finished it and I'm not even sure why, because if someone asked me to explain this book I feel like reading the synopsis would give you all you needed to know.
That being said, I did enjoy what the author was trying to do to show the differences between gay relationships and straight relationships, and I really enjoyed what she did in showing friendships and how if you have the right people around you everything will be okay in the end. I really enjoyed the relationship aspects, but I wasn't able to really enjoy them until I had hit the second part of the book, where the second main character is telling the story.
I did also enjoy how the book was formatted differently; this book didn't have any chapters, so you could just read it right through to the end, which was different and I feel like it was a good idea for how short the book is. I also enjoyed how she didn't use quotation marks when the characters were speaking; it was strange at first but after about 35,40 pages I was able to get used to it and I feel like it really added to the story. Also, how the second half of the book changes over to the other main characters point of view was very enjoyable; I actually preferred the second part of the book to the first part.
I really wanted to love this book as much as everyone else seems to, but I feel like it didn't leave any mark on me and I feel like I wasn't able to really gain anything from this book. The formatting of the book was really interesting and cool, and I loved the relationships. The whimsy was just a bit too much for me unfortunately!
I definitely would suggest giving this book a read though, as 99% of people who read it seem to absolutely adore it; it just wasn't for me!

Overall - ★★☆☆☆

Review: The House Swap by Rebecca Fleet

Title: The House Swap

Author: Rebecca Fleet

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320 (Paperback)

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publication date: May 22nd, 2018

Synopsis from The House Swap's Goodreads page

Be careful who you let in . . .

When Caroline and Francis receive an offer to house swap--from their city flat to a townhouse in a leafy, upscale London suburb--they jump at the chance for a week away from home, their son, and the tensions that have pushed their marriage to the brink.

As the couple settles in, the old problems that permeate their marriage--his unhealthy behaviors, her indiscretions--start bubbling to the surface. But while they attempt to mend their relationship, their neighbor, an intense young woman, is showing a little too much interest in their activities.

Meanwhile, Caroline slowly begins to uncover some signs of life in the stark house--signs of her life. The flowers in the bathroom or the music might seem innocent to anyone else--but to her they are clues. It seems the person they have swapped with is someone who knows her, someone who knows the secrets she's desperate to forget..

THOUGHTS

I received a finished copy of this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review - Thank you so much Penguin!

I find that I really seem to enjoy reading a lot of thriller books when I'm busy, and that is exactly what I'm doing this month! Working a lot, and that is great because I'm able to read these thrillers in one to two days, and I find that I'm really enjoying most of them.
The House Swap was one of the thrillers that I enjoyed, however I could see the ending coming and it left me wanting a bit more out of it.
The premise itself is extremely interesting; this woman and her husband swap houses for a week with a person that they don't know, but it turns out that this person has been stalking them and has everything planned out.
I enjoyed the idea as a whole, and I also really enjoyed the setting of the book. It takes place in the U.K., and as someone living in Canada I really enjoy thrillers that take place in Europe.
However, I wasn't a huge fan of some of the characters. I found Francis to be a drag and very annoying at times, and I found him to be quite unbelievable. His wife had been having an affair for awhile (which you learn VERY early on in the book) and I found how he reacted to it, to sort of just accept it, to be very unbelievable.
I also had some issues with how the chapters of the book was told about 75% from Caroline's point of view, and about 25% or so from Francis'. I personally feel that in Francis' chapters not much was learned, and I feel like it would have been better being just told from Caroline's perspective.
That being said, this book also alternated between past and present tense, so that the reader can understand how the affair happened and why, and how Caroline and Francis are dealing with it in the present. I really enjoyed how it jumped back and forth, because I was able to see a lot more connections and that was very well done.
I found this book to be interesting and the idea itself was super interesting!!

Overall - ★★★☆☆.5