Review: Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith

2.5 stars for Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith.

I cannot remember how I came to add this book onto my reading list. But I do remember why the book captures my attention enough for me to add it to my ever-growing list of books. The story revolves around two men and to a certain extent, a woman. Both men are related to the woman, one is the father, the other, the husband. Here comes the interesting part - the woman is dead, and the father accuses the husband of murdering his daughter. Now, the million-dollar question is, is the father right in his accusation? Or is the husband innocent? The only way to find out is to, well, read the book.

The book is about friendship, forgiveness, managing grief and moving on after a death. I will say it is not a story I enjoy reading thoroughly. Perhaps because I already have some ideas on the overall plot, I find myself forming certain expectations based on what little I know, and when those expectations are not met, I am disappointed. Or perhaps this story is just too direct to the point of uneventful. There is pretty much nothing fanciful or exciting in the plot development, instead, an overdose of nitty gritty details.

Those Who Walk Away has been on my list for at least 3 years. Now I am simply glad to have finally read it and to walk away (or rather, strike it off my reading list). For those who love simplicity and ambiguity in a story, well, this may be the book for you.

Review: Death Rejoices (Marnie Baranuik Files #2) by A. J. Aalto

2.5 stars for Death Rejoices (Marnie Baranuik Files book 2) by A. J. Aalto.

This book is a bit of a disappointment after the last one. I guess ideas and expressions, no matter how good, if used too frequently, get stale after a while, cheeky banter and sexual innuendo are no exception.

Then again, perhaps not all is lost, depending on how one sees it. I do get something out of this book which translates to a few more choice words to consider in time of need. Since one never knows when said time will arise, it may be good to know that in place of the widely used "P" word, there are others to select from, such as schlong, wiener, phallus, wanger. You get my drift?

Review: Rosemary and Rue (October Daye #1) by Seanan McGuire

2.5 stars for Rosemary and Rue (October Daye book 1) by Seanan McGuire.

After such a long time, seven years at least, I have finally decided to lay my hands on the October Daye series which everyone seems to be raving on about.

However, I have mixed feelings upon finishing the book. I am not sure if this series on Fae and Faerie Kingdom and changelings is an absolute Yes for me to keep going even though I see the telltale potential for more in our protagonist, October Daye aka Toby.

Review: Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff

2.5 stars for Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff.

The United States of America is in deep political trouble and is worse than we can imagine. How does a man who knows nothing other than perhaps building construction become the President of the country?

Fire and Fury is a good read if you are looking for a chronological order of what has happened in the Trump's candidacy right up to Trump's administration in the first two hundred over days.

There are certainly interesting news which has not been made available to the man on the street during the Trump's presidency. This book is after all about how news of the inner workings of the White House go into free circulation and how a group of people struggle, each in their own way, to come to terms with the meaning of working for Donald Trump.

All things considered, this book only manages to capture my full attention for the first half, after which, with the worsening in appearance and disappearance of characters and continued discontinuity of narratives, I find it so chaotic and confusing that I simply skim through the rest.

Review: Morning Star (Red Rising #3) by Pierce Brown

2.5 stars for Morning Star (Red Rising book 3) by Pierce Brown.

Morning Star is a fair wrap-up of the Red Rising series. It tells of the rage of the Sons of Ares, the strength of Ragnar (Obsidian), the honor of Cassius (Morning Knight), the love of Sevro (Gold), the loyalty of Victra (Gold), and the dream of Eo (Red), and more.

Of all three books, I find book 1 Red Rising to be the most exciting and interesting with its many unexpected twists and turns. Book 2 Golden Son less so but still enjoyable. Book 3 Morning Star.. well, I am somewhat disappointed that the story does not shine as brightly as I have expected it to. I think it is because by this time, the political manoeuvring and cut-throat whatnots kind of go stale and the characters just seems to go on a wild goose chase with no end in sight. At times, it is so tempting to skip large chunks of text or jump right to the last chapter.

Exhilarating conclusion to the Red Rising Trilogy? Sorry to say... definitely not so for me.

Review: The Brimstone Deception (SPI Files #3) by Lisa Shearin

2.5 stars for The Brimstone Deception (SPI Files book 3) by Lisa Shearin.

This book takes me long enough to finish reading. While the first half or so of the story is reasonably acceptable, the same cannot be said of the latter half.

Perhaps I am too tired to read pretty much anything by the time I start my nightly reading. Or perhaps the story is just so uneventful that my mind simply shut itself down each time I pick the book up. In any case, I suffer from a serious case of reader's block. Yes, I frequently find myself reading and rereading individual words or sentences mechanically without processing and understanding the meaning of the text in my mind. It gets so bad at one point in time that I decide to skip to the last chapter, read it and move backwards to where I have last stopped. Weird? But it works! So who cares?

Magic exists. Monsters are real. Fighting the forces of evil is a full-time job. Welcome back to the supernatural world where Agent Makenna Fraser and her partner, Ian, continue to fight the forces of evil and minions of darkness.

Review: Breath of Fire (Kingmaker Trilogy #2) by Amanda Bouchet

2.5 stars for Breath of Fire (Kingmaker Trilogy book 2) by Amanda Bouchet.

I dread writing this review. Seriously, I do not enjoy singing the praises of a debut author in one review and then turn around to criticise the same author in my next post. But still, I grit my teeth and get it done.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Book 1 Promise of Fire, this book is a disappointment. I feel bad for saying this but the author has set the bar too high in book one of the trilogy which, unfortunately, cannot be kept up to in the subsequent instalment.

Though I still enjoy the story, there are actually more things to dislike than like in Breath of Fire. More often than not, I feel like I am the one breathing fire because the story does not seem to get moving. The dynamics and special relationship between the protagonist and the hero is overplayed; whereas in book 1, it ignites fire and makes my heart skip a beat, in this book, it sets fire and makes my blood boil instead. To put it simply, the story goes stale - as the chemistry between the lovey-dovey duo fizzles out - because it feels like listening in to a radio station that has gone haywire and kept looping the same songs over and over.

Above all, I cannot help but feel that the story and plot mirrors that of my favourite Kate Daniels series by author Ilona Andrews; the gladiator style Agon games bears too much resemblance to the Midnight games in Magic Strikes. It is not in me to compare authors and their books as I have never done so in any of my earlier reviews. I guess the increasing lack of originality brings out the worst in me. But I am sure hard-core fans of Kate Daniels will agree with me.

A fantasy romance that oft feels much more like an urban fantasy, I am not sure if I will have the heart to read and review the final book, Heart on Fire, which is likely to be published and available one year from now.

Review: The Better Part of Darkness (Charlie Madigan #1) by Kelly Gay

2.5 stars for The Better Part of Darkness (Charlie Madigan book 1) by Kelly Gay.

It has been quite some time since I last read an urban fantasy tale. This book is supposed to be a welcome change for me as it is packed with off-worlders characters, sirens included!

The protagonist is in her thirties instead of the usual early to mid twenties age bracket written in most if not all urban fantasy novels. This alone appeals to me to continue reading beyond the first couple of pages.

The story starts out really great. But, it becomes not that great anymore after the first half of the book and I find myself skimming through the pages in a bid to get it over and done with.

Review: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

2.5 stars for Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.

This timeless classic comes recommended by one of my reading buddies; one who is blessed to have been gifted a copy of the book - the original edition which is comprised of three parts - by an uncle more than twenty years ago. Initially, I thought Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the author's name but realise soon enough that it is but the title of the book. Though not as fortunate as my friend who is the happy owner of the original edition, I consider myself lucky to come into possession albeit a temporary one of The complete edition which includes the rediscovered Part Four and 'Last Words' by the author.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a short story with seagulls as characters, conveying a moral. It centers on Jonathan, an extraordinary bird, a gull that searches for a meaning, a higher purpose for life, a reason to live, to discover, to learn and to break free of the thousand years of tradition - scrabbling after food scraps - which the rest of the flock of seagulls follow day after day without question, without fail.

This inspirational fable about seagulls, freedom and their love of flying teaches us that there is more to life than is, if only we are willing to see with our eyes, listen with our ears and feel with our hearts instead of merely being contented to watch, hear and touch. Very often, we cannot see beyond what is because we have, unconsciously or deliberately, limit ourselves to fear - of the unknowns - or rituals or superstitions or any other form of limitation.

I am glad that the copy I have on hand is the complete edition because I cannot imagine myself coming to the end of the story at Part Three. Though Part three ends on a high note, it feels incomplete as if something is amiss. The rediscovered Part Four certainly makes the story whole. Have I mentioned how I like the ending? Head out to get hold of a copy of the complete edition if you haven't yet and you will understand why.

Live your life, let go - of boredom, fear and anger - and embrace youself; the choice is yours to make, the freedom yours to choose.

Publisher: Scribner; Reissue edition
Publication date: 21 Oct 2014

*** Favourite quote 1 ***

Overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?

*** Favourite quote 2 ***

...one's body being nothing more than thought itself...

*** Favourite quote 3 ***

Don't believe what your eyes are telling you. All they show is limitation. Look with your understanding, find out what you already know, and you'll see the way to fly.

~ Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Richard Bach

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This book is a song for spirits who have lived so long and so quietly by themselves. Jonathan Seagull is a story for one who knows that somewhere there’s a higher way of living than scuffing the tracks of others, someone who yearns to fly the way their own heart yearns to fly.

It’s a reminder, this little fable, that the path for us to follow is already written within, that it's for each of us to find our own loves, and live them brightly for ourselves. Others may watch, they may admire our resolution or despise it, but our one freedom is for us to love and to choose every day of our lives, as we wish.

*Blurb from JonathanLivingstonSeagull.com*

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Review: Visions of Sugar Plums (Stephanie Plum #8.5) by Janet Evanovich

2.5 stars for Visions of Sugar Plums (Stephanie Plum book 8.5) by Janet Evanovich.

There is always a first for everything, in this case, the first between-the-numbers novel for the Plum series. Unfortunately, it is also the first time I experience a plunge in the enjoyment factor while reading on Stephanie and gang. Reason being the storyline is too far-fetched. Right from the beginning, this series pride itself on being a romantic suspense genre with none whatsoever of the supernatural or preternatural or paranormal stuff, so the sudden change in tune makes it hard to swallow. Indeed.

It is four days to Christmas. Stephanie is all set to apprehend a FTA, Sandy Claws (not Santa Claus) who has broken the law and failed to appear for his court hearing. She is determined to get her body receipt which will convert into pay check before Christmas day itself so that there is time enough for a last minute shopping.

With Christmas just round the corner, there is plenty of talk and action directed towards Christmas tree, cookies, fruitcakes, presents, toys, toy makers, toy shops and even elves for hire. Then out of the blue, Stephanie has a visitor, a visitor who in all sense of the world, is not your usual man in the street...

This novella with a festive theme makes for a relaxing read towards feeling happy, peaceful and joyful cheer. Though I do not enjoy it as much as the earlier books in the series, I am glad the humor and light-hearted style is still inherent in the author's writing.

Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks
Publication date: 30 Oct 2007

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In this story, Stephanie Plum has bigger problems than the usual thugs, thieves and hoodlums - this time, there's someone in her apartment who just won't leave. We - and Stephanie - meet a character as mysterious as Ranger and as sexy as Morelli.

*Blurb from FantasticFiction*

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Review: The Violets of March by Sarah Jio

2.5 stars for The Violets of March by Sarah Jio.

It is never my intention to read stories written along the same line two in a row, one right after the other. But as fate has it, I have an affinity lately with tales involving departing husbands, resurfacing postcards and visiting great-aunts, and it is tough pushing away what comes on its own volition. The story outline is so startlingly similar that I cannot help but gasp at the familiarity of it all with the exception of one major difference: Lost Lake is written in third person point of view while The Violets of March is in first person account.

The Violets of March is narrated by Emily who happens to be a writer. For the past eight years, right after her best-selling novel, she has been hit with what her therapist terms as clinical writer's block. With a plan to write a story that grows out of her life and experiences, Emily pays a visit to her great-aunt Bee Larson who lives on Bainbridge Island, in Washington state.

Emily's decisiom to stay with her great-aunt Bee for the whole of March leads to discovery of events past in a small island town in the year 1943 and also that of the story of a mystery woman totally unknown to Emily.

Emily’s return to Bainbridge Island after ten years is like a walk down lane memory where sights and smells simply transport her back to the good old days. The author does a pretty good job describing the island as a marvellous place for healing. As good as it gets, unfortunately there are also the less enjoyable aspects to the story. It becomes increasingly frustrating reading on Bee drifting off and retreating into her memories and refusing to divulge further by way of her promise not to speak of past events when prompted repeatedly by Emily. While I understand the author’s intention to hold back secrets to keep the story intriguing, overdoing it is definitely a put off. This together with the occurrence of too many coincidences between the past and current generation make for a relatively fair story only.

Publisher: Plume; 1st edition
Publication date: 26 Apr 2011

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In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: She had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after. Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily’s good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life. A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files #2) by Lisa Shearin

2.5 stars for The Dragon Conspiracy (SPI Files book 2) by Lisa Shearin.

The higher the expectations, the greater the fall, the larger the disappointment. That is exactly how I feel before, during and after reading The Dragon Conspiracy. Perhaps the author has set the bar too high for herself in SPI Files book 1 The Grendel Affair and raises my anticipation a notch too high for an equally good if not better book 2.

Makenna Fraser aka Mack works for SPI aka the Supernatural Protection & Investigations to battle the forces of evil. Together with senior agent partner, Ian Byrne. their mission this time is to prevent a robbery at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This job is supposed to be an assignment that entails all excitement with no danger whatsoever since the monsters, myths and legends are safely represented by art in the form of paintings, sculptures or artifacts. But as it usually is, easy goes a long way for Mack, a seer with the ability to see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal adversary can come up with.

Here we have gordons with the atrocious power to turn just about anyone who look at them to stone. Unfortunately, the curse of gorgonism is but an eternal damnation which is worse than hell freezed over. Next in line come dragons who are avid collectors but basically hoarders. Following these humongous flying lizards are harpies who appear out of nowhere to fulfill their orders and then fly off faster than one can blink. All of them congregating with the one objective in mind, similar goal but different reason.

Though the story flows smoothly, there are way too many similarities between The Grendel Affair and The Dragon Conspiracy that the idea of good guys versus the bad ones gets old. It is basically a case of seeking hidden grendels replaced with finding missing diamonds, New Year's Eve replaced with Halloween's Eve, and protecting the existence of supernatural beings replaced with preventing the destruction of the same.

In a nutshell, the Dragon Conspiracy is about an evil mastermind hell bent on supernatural world domination and destruction. We have the good guys from SPI against the bad guys from anywhere and everywhere but SPI. Pretty much nothing new with the exception that the latest biggest disappointment stems from the absence of blithe humour so abundantly found in the earlier book. In this book 2, even the budding chemistry between Mack and Ian fizzles out and tastes flat like a can of coke left out too long.

Publisher: Ace
Publication date: 27 Jan 2015

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We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. We battle the real monsters of myth and legend, but this Halloween, we’re searching for diamonds…

A gala opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has attracted the upper crust of Manhattan—and thieves. A trio of vile harpies attacks the crowd and steals the stars of the exhibition: a colorful cluster of seven cursed diamonds known as the Dragon Eggs. In the right mage’s hands, each stone can pack a magical wallop. Together they have the power to “cure” the supernaturals of the tristate area—but for many of those vampires and werewolves, that means turning into dust.

I’m Makenna Fraser, a seer for SPI. With the help of my partner, Ian, and the other agents, I have twenty-four hours to prevent total global panic, find the diamonds, and save the supernatural community. No biggie…

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Conditional Love by Cathy Bramley

2.5 stars for Conditional Love by Cathy Bramley.

To some extent, book covers do affect my decision to place a book high up as priority reading or simply add it to my ever growing list of to-be-read to be dealt with later. So with this cutesy picture of a book cover which I simply adore, Conditional Love has been upgraded to a read-now rather than later book.

This standalone novel starts out great with a strong focal point drawing upon a mysterious inheritance with specific condition to be met, but unfortunately fizzles out less than a quarter to the story. Don't misunderstand me, the plot is fine and the writing is fairly smooth flowing but I find it really draining to try liking the female protagonist, Sophie Stone, a girl who likes to daydream herself silly, makes inane assumptions and ignores well-intentioned sensible advice from friends. Perhaps the author is trying to construct a before and after distinction by creating a female lead who starts out with fluff brains so as to differentiate her from the later bettered version. If so, the plan undoubtedly backfires, at least the case for me. Though I can understand why the heroine is crafted as such initially, I find it difficult to appreciate a doormat who readily accepts what life throws at her and continually chooses to go with the flow just so to avoid responsibility, disappointment and failure. More so, I find it even harder to accept that Sophie practically swoons and worships the ground on which Marc, an incorrigible character of a man steps upon. To make matters worse, there is this really selfish mother of hers who is unbearable downright to the core.

So, you can imagine how relieved I am when finally the author decides to give Sophie a wake-up call in the second half of the story by making her face up to her future: take up the responsibilities, make her own decision, design her dream house, stand up to her unforthcoming selfish mother and most importantly, build her future on her own terms. Even so, the damage has already been done as first impression matters and it tends to stick. With that, I see the stars for my review rating of Conditional Love floating away one by one, or more accurately, half by half, slowly but surely as I read on.

Overall, this is a fairly ok story for a debut romance novel albeit tending on the long side. Due to lack of much surprises and monotony of the plot, I admit to being guilty of skimming through the story from third quarter of the book onwards.

Publisher: Cathy Bramley; 1 edition
Publication date: 26 Dec 2013

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Meet Sophie Stone, a thirty-something, serial-procrastinator. Tesco knickers, Take That, and tea with two sugars is about as exciting as it gets. But when her boyfriend dumps her on Valentine’s Day and a mysterious benefactor leaves her an inheritance, even Sophie has to accept that change is afoot.

There is a catch - a condition in the will that threatens the very foundations of Sophie’s world. What did the old lady want her to discover? Was there more to her parents’ break up than she was led to believe?

With a boss from hell, bickering flat mates, manipulative mother and sexy ex-boyfriend, Sophie has plenty to contend with without the brooding architect who puts his foot in it every time he opens his mouth. Sophie will have to face the past and learn some shocking home truths before she can finally get her own happy-ever-after.

*Blurb from author's website*

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Review: Vampire Next Door by Angela Snyder

2.5 stars for Vampire Next Door by Angela Snyder.

Vampire Next Door starts out mysteriously great and promising; and compels me to read beyond the sample chapters.

Sadly, it fails to generate sufficient curiosity to sustain the level of interest required for me to continue reading conscientiously. At 50% mark, I am thoroughly bored by the overflowing mundane details, and keep waiting to get to know the main characters beyond a skin-deep level but it continues to disappoint.

Though the story is smooth flowing with a fast moving plot, the lack of depth in character building coupled with some loose ends leave me feeling dissatisfied upon completion of the book.

Publisher: Angela Snyder
Publication date: 26 Nov 2013

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After being left for dead in the woods, a woman wakes up from a coma. With no memory of her past, she is given the name Jane Doe. While trying to adjust to her new life, tragedy strikes again. However, this time a mysterious and handsome next-door neighbor is there to help her pick up the pieces. But is he really a stranger, or does he hold the key to unlocking her past and finding out who wants her dead?

*Blurb from Goodreads*

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