Tag: five star read

Book Reviews

Book Review: Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher

theblindscribe

Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a lovely day today. I am bringing you my review of Tea and Alchemy by Sharon Lynn Fisher, my favourite read of May. Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Blurb/Synopsis:

A tea leaf reader in nineteenth-century England falls in love—and in danger—with a reclusive alchemist in an enthralling historical fantasy by the author of Salt & Broom and Grimm Curiosities.

Cornwall, 1854. The people of Roche have always whispered about the recluse in the black granite tower that looms above the moorland. But one young woman is driven to discover the truth behind the old tales.

Her life overshadowed by family tragedy, Mina Penrose escapes her lonely days by working at The Magpie, a cozy tearoom on the village’s edge. Lately she’s been seeing shapes in the sodden leaves that hint at the future. After one such omen, Mina stumbles upon a murdered man on the heath. Villagers immediately suspect Harker Tregarrick, a living, breathing mystery who never ventures beyond the bounds of his centuries-old estate.

Until the day after the murder, when the handsome and compelling recluse visits The Magpie…leading to a meeting that will change both their fates. Captivated by a man around whom danger and rumors of death swirl, Mina has never felt more alive. Can she uncover Harker’s heartbreaking history—and the truth about the murder—before tragedy strikes again?

My Review:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I was first drawn to this book because it sounded different to anything I had read before and I do enjoy books that have a slightly gothic feel to them. I liked the introduction of tea leaf reading. It is hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, but you get introduced to a bunch of intriguing characters, and they all have their own secrets which slowly get revealed alongside the main mystery. I honestly spent the whole book on the edge of my seat, unable to trust anyone and unsure how everything could possibly come together in any semblance of happiness. The only thing I was unsure on was the Cornwall links, I live down by Cornwall and parts about the dialect and the language was a little grating but that was only a small issue.

If you enjoy gothic mysteries then this book is definitely for you.

Book Reviews

Book Review: A Very Lively Murder by Katy Watson

theblindscribe

Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today.

Today I am bringing you my book review for A Very Lively Murder by Katy Watson.

I will be giving star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will do my best to not include any spoilers.

I hope you enjoy my book review!

A Very Lively Murder Plot:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

A Very Lively Murder is the second book in the Three Dahlias series by Katy Watson. This book follows Posy Starling, Caro Hooper and Rosalind King as they once again must team up to solve a murder mystery. In this book they are on the set of the new Dahlia Lively film, of which Posy is playing the leading lady, when it becomes clear that Rosalind is receiving death threats and then someone gets murdered.

I loved this book. I enjoyed the first one, The Three Dahlias, but I liked the second one more because I already felt as though I knew the characters and also their relationships with each other were already established too. We, as readers, were able to get stuck straight in to the murder itself. It is hard to say a lot about this book’s plot without revealing any spoilers but what I can say is that there are so many twists even I didn’t solve the mystery before the end, and that is unusual.

A Very Lively Murder Characters:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As in the first book, the main character we follow is Posy Starling. She is an actress who wants to get the press back on her side after a difficult time as a child star. I like Posy, she is young and vibrant and it is fun to follow a character as they are finding out who they are themselves and we get to go on that journey with them. In this first book Posy felt like a leader but for me, in this second book Rosalind felt like a stronger character. More of the plot was focused around her and her backstory and I loved that we got to see more of her life.

A Very Lively Murder Writing and Dialogue:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

A Very Lively Murder Overall:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

This book was definitely a five star read for me, I am already excited for any future books from this author.

Blurb/Synopsis:

One murder mystery movie. Three Dahlias. And a whole cast of suspects…

Ex-child star Posy Starling is finally filming her dream role – Dahlia Lively in The Lady Detective movie. But things take a nightmare turn when a prop weapon is replaced with the real thing – with almost fatal consequences for her fellow Dahlia, Rosalind King. There’s something very wrong on the set of The Lady Detective – which means it’s time to call in Caro Hooper, so the three Dahlias can investigate.

In between filming scenes, signing autographs for locals, photoshoots in London, talk show appearances and jetting off to France for an impromptu party, the three Dahlias do what they do best – surrupticiously sleuth. And very soon the evidence starts to point towards one particular co-star…

But before they can prove it, another murder rocks the production. And this time, with a storm raging, the river flooded and the bridge washed out, there are no police to rely on so it’s up to the three Dahlias to stop a murderer in their tracks… before another victim is claimed.