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

Review: Our Animal Hearts by Dania Tomlinson

Title: Our Animal Hearts

Author: Dania Tomlinson

Genre: Literary Fiction/Folklore

Pages: 352 (Paperback)

Publisher: Anchor Canada

Publication date: May 29th, 2018

Synopsis from Our Animal Hearts' Goodreads page

Deep in British Columbia, at the turn of the 20th century, lies Winteridge: a small village perched on an enormous lake made famous by the monster said to haunt its depths. 

Twelve-year-old Iris Sparks lives in Winteridge with her brother; her working-class Welsh mother, Llewelyna; and her blue-blooded father from England, a progressive bohemian who has brought his family to Canada for an adventure.

But amid the idyllic, Edwardian setting, there are dangers lurking. A blend of Welsh and Indigenous stories of a predatory lake monster take real shape for young Iris as she begins to unravel the truth behind her mother's dark fairy tales, and watches in horror as her mother increasingly succumbs to seizures.

As the First World War reaches its height, Iris must contend with the demands of a deteriorating mother and the harsh realities of a toxic love triangle. All the while, Iris's mind continues to exert its strange and awesome power, and she and her entire community must find a way to survive at the mercy of otherworldly beasts and a hungry darkness.

THOUGHTS

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

When I first came across this book, I was immediately interested. A lot of family (including one of my parents) is from Wales, I thought that it was really cool to be able to immerse myself in some of the Welsh folklore from their part of the world. I've also never been able to really find any Welsh fiction, as most fiction from that part of the world is usually from a more well known place, like England. So, naturally, when I came across this I jumped at the chance to read it and see how it was.

This book was definitely dark. I was expecting it to be a bit on the dark side, because that's how a lot of welsh folklore goes, but I wasn't expecting it to be as dark as it actually was. It had a lot of deadly creatures, a lot of scary stories and a lot of sadness and death.

This book takes place over the course of a few decades, from the beginning to the middle 1900s. It covers times when there was a lot of segregation between people from England and the surrounding area and Japanese people. It also covers the first World War, and the Spanish Flu that came around after it.

The entirety of this book is very dark, but in an interesting way. Every once in a while I do really enjoy something that is dark and sinister, and this fits the bill. It kept my attention and had me reading it late at night, and it was very different from the books that I usually read.

I loved the characters in this book. I really enjoyed how they were so different from each other, and I loved how those differences were portrayed.

The setting of this book was also amazing - the early 1900s on the West Coast, with forests and dark bottomless lakes, where lots of creatures and beasts can hide. The setting really helped move the story along, and I really enjoyed how the author was able to tie the setting and the folklores of the story together so well.

Overall - ★★★★☆