Review: The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

4 stars for The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan.

I am not sure what to make of this story right after I finish it. It is not my usual kind of read but it surely unsettles me and leaves me with mixed feelings and plenty to think about.

The Cement Garden may be an easy to read story but the theme it explores is definitely not. The book deals heavily with psychological issues relating to family, adolescent longing, sibling rivalry and death.

The family of Julie, Jack, Sue, and Tom, ages 17, 15, 13, and 6, attempts to deal with the loss of their mother in their own ways. The lack of adult supervision coupled with the confusion, fear and frustration of growing up lead them to explorations and experiments that are all too haunting and disturbing.

I am not sure if I like the story ultimately. It is obviously not a book for just about anyone but it is a story that will affect the reader in more ways than one.

Review: Necessary Lies (Necessary Lies #1) by Diane Chamberlain

5 stars for Necessary Lies (Necessary Lies book 1) by Diane Chamberlain.

This is one powerful story; heartbreaking, intense and intriguing at the same time.

It is easy to feel sad for the characters in the story. The fact that this historical fiction is based on true events - the Eugenics Sterilization Program which did happen from 1929 to 1975 - make me feel even more sad.

Necessary Lies. What constitutes necessary? Is there such a thing as a necessary lie. To me, a lie is a lie is a lie. Period.

To be poor and to be on public welfare does not make one any less human. So why does it lead to the loss of freedom to make choices or decisions? The things they do to the girls and women who are not smart enough or healthy enough or rich enough.. are basically violations of basic human rights. Where does ethics even come in?

Even as I am fuming away at the unreasonableness and injustice of it all, the narratives make me feel as if I have stepped into a time machine. At first, I feel like the 15-year old, Ivy Hart, and the 22-year old case worker, Jane Forrester, and then all of a sudden, I find myself turned into senior citizens. Yes, the story is narrated in first person perspectives, by Ivy and Jane, and to a small extent, Brenna, from 2011 back to 1960 and then back to 2011 again.

The story is predictable - hey, I guess something right even though I do not know how I did it - and unpredictable; many of the happenings when revealed, catch me by surprise. Regardless of either, it is definitely a story that builds up slowly but surely in intensity. Though the ending seems a tad too good to be true, I feel that the author has done her part and everything necessary to raise awareness and bring across the story of those in Necessary Lies.

For those readers who enjoy stories based on true events, this is the book for you.

Review: The First Lie (Necessary Lies #0.5) by Diane Chamberlain

4 stars for The First Lie (Necessary Lies book 0.5) by Diane Chamberlain.

A book buddy friend read this book, Necessary Lies and promptly recommended it to me. I check it out and realise that it actually comes with a prequel, The First Lie. Though it is not clear, at least to me, the order in which the books are written, I go with my gut feel - though I can be wrong - that book 0.5 The First Lie is written only after book 1 Necessary Lies.

In the sequence of things, I should have started off with Necessary Lies. But I don't. Because.. well... I am curious as to what that first lie is. That and that the prequel is a relatively short story. And I am not sure if I am ready to move on to the next book after finishing my favourite Kate Daniels series.

So, that is how I end up reading this book in the dead of the night at my dining table and scaring myself silly over an Ouija board in the story. Haha

I gobble up this short story in two days' time. Yes, it is that enthralling; once I start reading, I cannot put it down. But the thing is, at the end of it all, I am not sure if I know what that first lie is. I may have some ideas, or should I say, plenty of guesses, but then, I don't know. Not really.

Now, I will read Necessary Lies to find out. More of these later.

Review: Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels #10) by Ilona Andrews

5 stars for Magic Triumphs (Kate Daniels book 10) by Ilona Andrews.

The problem with reading a good book is that you want to finish the book, but you don't want to finish the book. That is exactly how I feel each time I pick up this series and go into the Kate Daniels mode.

Much as I want to uncover the plot asap in this last book of the series, I want to go slow and savor every moment of each scene, which is how I find myself keeping a nervous watch over the tiny numbers on the bottom right corner of my kindle and hope against hope that the percentage shown there will come to a standstill, if not climb up ever so slowly. Well.. the existence of this post less than 5 days from the last one is proof enough of a fat lot of good it does me.

Magic Triumphs has this super-duper grand finale feel right from the start. Many of the characters, big or small, make a welcome comeback. No surprises there. What takes me aback instead is the reappearance of the oh-my-I-so-miss-this term of endearment "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty". It definitely brings me back to the days of old when Kate meets Curran for the first time in Unicorn Lane. The author certainly knows the right button to push to teleport Fans back to the nostalgic past.

On top of the characters, all the different factions in Atlanta make their appearance as well. We have the Pack, the People, the Covens, the Order, the Guild, the Biohazard, the Red Guard, the National Guard, the Mages, the Druids, the Mercs, the Volhvs, and even the Iron Dogs. And then, as is, there is the bloodbath and screams and howls and snarls from all the fighting on the battlefield.

I have literally followed and watched Kate Daniels grow up, or perhaps grow older and wiser, over a span of eleven years; from a headstrong loner in Magic Bites to the self-sacrificing girl in Magic Strikes to the struggling owner of Cutting Edge Investigations in Magic Bleeds to the Beast Lord's consort in Magic Slays to the best sword fighter in Magic Rises to the kick-ass mercenary in Magic Shifts to the wife-and-mommy heroine she is today in Magic Triumphs. Even with a son in tow - yes yes, they have a child now - the sparks between Kate and Curran never fizzle out. Instead, it is even more heartwarming to see how the dynamics of their relationship changes to accommodate the additional family member.

I am sad, but not that sad, that this series has drawn to a close. The beauty of excellent storytelling is having the heart to kill off great important characters and knowing when to wrap up the story and series. This husband-and-wife writing team certainly recognises the need to end the series as she/he sees fit and proceeds to do it. This is what set author Ilona Andrews apart from the rest of them mediocre ones.

Not only have I come a long way with Kate Daniels, I also bear witness to the changes in her urban fantasy world. Yes, changes and definitely for the better. The author(s), the stories, the writings, the world building all just keep getting better and better. So, I did not see it coming; the freakingly frank admission in the authors' acknowledgements in Magic Triumphs.

"If you’ve never read us before, and this is your first Kate book, thank you for buying it, but please put it down and find a copy of Magic Bites. It’s not our favorite, and we would probably rewrite it if we could, but we all have to start somewhere, and it’s always better to begin at the beginning."

What is so bravely penned down by the authors is exactly how I have felt all along as a reader and loyal Fan of Kate Daniels and how I will have felt if I am the writer myself.

Grand finale. Last instalment. No more Magic something. No more Kate. No more Curran. The end. But.. if you have read Magic Triumphs, you may agree with me based on the ending which is an ending but not an ending ending, that there is this - no matter how small but it is there - possibility that this well-loved series may return once again. Perhaps one day years down the road, the author(s) may have a change of heart and decide to surprise us readers. Who knows, right? Until that one day which of course may never materialise, I can only and will surely re-read the series. Again. And again.

1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
4. Magic Bleeds
5. Magic Slays
6. Magic Rises
7. Magic Breaks
8. Magic Shifts
9. Magic Binds
10. Magic Triumphs

Review: A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell

2 stars for A Simple Favor by Darcey Bell.

One blogger. Two moms. Many secrets. That about sum up this book.

Well.. it may appear as if there are mysteries leading to more mysteries and questions leading to more questions, but at the end of the day, A Simple Favor is simply a simple story. Period.

This novel is divided into three parts. I have my share of ups and downs as I read each of them. Frankly speaking, I only like part one because ever so often, what we see is not what we get; people hide behind a facade, a flawless public facade that mask private despair. We bluff the world into thinking that all is well, when in reality our thoughts and feelings tell a different story.

I didn't like how the story turns out to be. Not at all. Perhaps the author tries to be different by having it in such a way that what goes around does not come around. But seriously, it does not work on me; the ending only leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I wonder how the author manages to get this book sold for movie rights, and a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE at that. It is beyond me.

Do not feel bad if you have yet to read this book. Wait and see the movie, perhaps it will be the lesser of two evils. Meanwhile, stay tuned for the movie reviews (release date: 14 Sep 2018).

Review: Red Letter Day by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

4 stars for Red Letter Day by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

This is actually a reread. I remember being awed by the very idea of time travel when I first read this novella. Now? Perhaps less so. I guess knowing the answers to our own fate beforehand spoils half the fun of rereading. But still, the topic of time travel continues to intrigue me. A mystery. A mystery it will always be.

Have you ever wondered what it will be like to reach back into your own past and reassure yourself or put something right? Have you?