Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today and a lovely summer. I can’t believe it is summer already, half the year is gone.
Today I am sharing my TBR for the month of July, there are so many books that I want to read right now it was hard to choose. What are you looking forward to reading in July?
Happy Friday bookish people! I hope you are all doing well. Today I am bringing you my book review for Way of the Argosi by Sebastien De Castell.
Have any of you read this series? Or the Spellslinger series? Let me know what you thought of it if you have. The Spellslinger series is one of my all time favourite series’.
Blurb/Synopsis:
A MERCILESS BAND OF MAGES MURDERED HER PARENTS, MASSACRED HER TRIBE AND BRANDED HER WITH MYSTICAL SIGILS THAT LEFT HER A REVILED OUTCAST. THEY SHOULD’VE KILLED HER INSTEAD.
Stealing, swindling, and gambling with her own life just to survive, Ferius will risk anything to avenge herself on the zealous young mage who haunts her every waking hour.
But then she meets the incomparable Durral Brown, a wandering philosopher gifted in the arts of violence who instead overcomes his opponents with shrewdness and compassion. Does this charismatic and infuriating man hold the key to defeating her enemies, or will he lead her down a path that will destroy her very soul?
Through this outstanding tale of swashbuckling action, magical intrigue, and dazzling wit, follow Ferius along the Way of the Argosi and enter a world of magic and mystery unlike any other.
My Review:
This book is a prequel novel to the Spellslinger series, following Ferrius Parfax when she was younger and what events made her the way she is. Usually I am not the biggest fan of a prequel but this one I loved. To begin with I didn’t like young Ferrius, she was a bit silly and fueled by her anger, rightfully so in the circumstances. But I enjoyed getting to follow her on her journey to being a different person and all the people she met along the way. One thing I really loved about this book was seeing the parallels between Ferrius and her relationship with Durell compared to Kellen and his relationship to Ferrius in the Spellslinger books. It was like a mirror image and it’s those kind of touches that made this book brilliant.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today.
Today I am bringing you my book review of How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin. Have any of you read this book? What did you think of it?
Blurb/Synopsis:
For fans of Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club , an enormously fun mystery about a woman who spends her entire life trying to prevent her foretold murder only to be proven right sixty years later, when she is found dead in her sprawling country estate… Now it’s up to her great-niece to catch the killer.
It’s 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’s night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly sixty years later, when Frances is found murdered, like she always said she would be.
In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’s lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder. Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer?
As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closer to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her aunt’s fate instead of her fortune.
My Review:
Well, what to say about this book. As I am writing this I have literally just finished reading it. For me it was one of those books that are okay, they are easy to read but I couldn’t fall into the book and become absorbed by the story. It was an average read.
In this book we follow Annie, who has been called to her Great Aunt Frances’ house, she has never met her but the meeting is to discuss changes to her will and then when they get there it turns out that Frances has been murdered, just as a fortune teller told her she would be when she was a teenager.
I loved the premise of this book, I thought it was very interesting how you could live your life afraid of the fortune you received as a teenager and there was a competition to do with the inheritance but the execution wasn’t what I was hoping it would be.
I thought Annie was a fun character to follow, she was thrown into the deep end head first and you could feel that in her POV and that was nice because it felt like you were learning along side her instead of her knowing things that you as the reader didn’t. Overall, there were parts I enjoyed to the book but I was starting to become bored with the story towards the end.
Happy Friday bookish people! How are you all today? I hope you are all doing well.
July is a busy, busy month for me so I am hoping that I will be able to get a lot of reading done. I am having an operation on the 15th which means that I will not be able to do much for at least a week or so other than read which sounds perfect to me. Then at the end of July I am going to Carlisle for the weekend and in the back of the car I will be able to read as well so hopefully I read some great books, fingers crossed for some five star reads!
What are you excited to read in July?
My July TBR:
Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrews
A Feather so Black by Lyra Selene
The Jeweled Moth by Katharine Woodfine
On top of this though I have a list of books I would like to read while recovering and travelling because I am optimistic that I will get lots of reading done in July:
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today!
Today I am bringing you my book review for Rivals of the Ripper: Unsolved Murders of Women in Late Victoria London, a non-fiction book that I bought and read recently.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Jack the Ripper is the quintessential Victorian serial killer, and the debate continues with regard to the number of his victims. But there is a profusion of unsolved murders of London women from late Victorian times, and this book presents 11 of the most gruesome and mysterious of them. Marvel at the convoluted Kingswood Mystery and the unsolved Cannon Street Murder of 1866; shudder at the Hoxton Horror and the Great Coram Street Murder of 1872; be puzzled by the West Ham Disappearances and by the unsolved railway murder of Elizabeth Camp in 1898. There are many books about the Whitechapel fiend, but this is the first one to detail the ghoulish handiwork of the Ripper’s rivals.
My Review:
Okay, so my thoughts are going to be short so here we go: I am not a big nonfiction reader, I struggle to get interested in it usually but that was not a problem with this book at all. I am fascinated with victorian crime, particularly Jack the Ripper as I know a lot of people are but this book was something I happened to find and I thought ooh, it is interesting because it tells of these stories of women who are never mentioned and yet their cases never got solved. I could see a lot of similarities between some of these murders and the Ripper as well which was also very interesting. I found some of these so intriguing that I looked them up to get further information too so if you like this period of history you will probably like this book. Also, one last thing I will mention is that in nonfiction usually you can sense the bias of the writer but I didn’t figure out the writers bias in any of the unsolved crimes which I felt made the reading experience much better.
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.
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you my book review for The Three Dog Problem by S J Bennett, the sequel to The Windsor Knot.
In this book review 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.
The Three Dog Problem Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This series is sold as a mystery story where the Queen is the one investigating and solving the crime, this isn’t exactly true. It’s the Queen and a few other people so as long as you don’t go in thinking it is only the Queen on her own solving the crime you won’t be disappointed. I quite enjoy how this book series stands out from other books in the mystery genre. I personally enjoyed this second book in the series more than the first book, I think the first book had too many elements and the twists were like sharp corners whereas in this book they were set up a bit more throughout the book which gave you the chance to try and guess what was going to happen.
The Three Dog Problem Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Obviously The Queen is one of the main characters in this series and she is presented very well, the right balance between regal and mischievous. She is the brains of the whole thing even though she doesn’t let everyone in on that secret.
The Three Dog Problem Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I like the writing in this series because it carries a light tone for half of the book and then you feel the tone get darker as you get closer to the reveal and that is something I enjoy in a book, also, the pace changes perfectly in accordance to the plot.
The Three Dog Problem Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars overall because I really enjoy the difference from other books in the genre and how the mystery unfolds in each book.
Blurb/Synopsis
In the wake of a referendum which has divided the nation, the last thing the Queen needs is any more problems to worry about. But when an oil painting of the Royal Yacht Britannia – first given to the Queen in the 1960s – shows up unexpectedly in a Royal Navy exhibition, she begins to realise that something is up.
When a body is found in the Palace swimming pool, she finds herself once again in the middle of an investigation which has more twists and turns than she could ever have suspected. With her trusted secretary Rozie by her side, the Queen is determined to solve the case. But will she be able to do it before the murderer strikes again?
That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. I am bringing you my review of The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah, one of the books in her new Poirot book series.
In this book review I will give 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.
The Mystery of Three Quarters Plot:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This was the third of Sophie Hannah’s Poirot books that I have read and in this one Poirot finds out that someone has sent seemingly unconnected people letters accusing them of being a murderer and they have been signed as if by Poirot himself. I found this premise very interesting, it throws the reader into the suspense from the first page and that is one thing I really enjoy in mystery books, I like to feel apart of the mystery from early on.
The Mystery of Three Quarters Characters:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Of course the main character in this book is Poirot. I have always loved anything to do with Poirot, since I was a child and I used to watch all the David Suchet episodes on TV on a Sunday while eating my lunch and of course I have read many of the Agatha Christie books. I think it’s where my love of crime fiction started.
The Mystery of Three Quarters Writing and Dialogue:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
It must have taken a lot of research for Sophie Hannah to begin writing these books because there have been a lot of adaptations of Poirot but I think that she captures his mannerisms and speech very well.
The Mystery of Three Quarters Overall:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I gave this book four stars overall because I enjoyed this one just as much as the rest of the other two in the series I have read.
Blurb/Synopsis:
The world’s most beloved detective, Hercule Poirot, the legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and most recently The Monogram Murders and Closed Casket, returns in a stylish, diabolically clever mystery set in the London of 1930.
Hercule Poirot returns home after an agreeable luncheon to find an angry woman waiting to berate him outside his front door. Her name is Sylvia Rule, and she demands to know why Poirot has accused her of the murder of Barnabas Pandy, a man she has neither heard of nor ever met. She is furious to be so accused, and deeply shocked. Poirot is equally shocked, because he too has never heard of any Barnabas Pandy, and he certainly did not send the letter in question. He cannot convince Sylvia Rule of his innocence, however, and she marches away in a rage.
Shaken, Poirot goes inside, only to find that he has a visitor waiting for him — a man called John McCrodden who also claims also to have received a letter from Poirot that morning, accusing him of the murder of Barnabas Pandy…
Poirot wonders how many more letters of this sort have been sent in his name. Who sent them, and why? More importantly, who is Barnabas Pandy, is he dead, and, if so, was he murdered? And can Poirot find out the answers without putting more lives in danger?
That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you are all having a good day today. Today I am bringing you a book review for my last June read which was Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan.
In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.
Hot Dog Girl Plot:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
I was really excited to first get into this book. It had been on my wishlist for a long time until a friend sent me it and I was excited because, although it was a romance novel which isn’t my usual genre, it was set at a fun fair type location in a small town and I mean the cover showed a girl dressed up as a hot dog. I thought there would be some great comedy elements to it. There were a few of these and I was surprised how there were also serious topics running through the story too which balanced it out nicely. Honestly I wanted to see more of the setting, it was mentioned in passing but it never seemed to be as big a feature as it felt like it should have been. That is something I felt the book was overall, the story was okay but each of the elements could have been explored more. For me, if I read romance I like a good build up, this book didn’t allow for that.
Hot Dog Girl Characters:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The two main characters in this book were Elouise and Seeley who are best friends. For the first half of this book I loved the characters, they had well thought out distinct personalities but by the time it got to the second half of the book I couldn’t understand their motivations anymore and for me personally there seemed to be a lot of actions that came out of nowhere and I lost any connection I had to the characters.
Hot Dog Girl Writing and Dialogue
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
This was definitely a high point for this novel. The writing style changed depending on the tone it was creating and that really helped me as a reader sense the emotions that would be felt.
Hot Dog Girl Overall
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
I gave this book three stars overall because it was an okay story but I wasn’t as invested in it as I think I could have been.
Blurb/Synopsis:
Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:
* She’s landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog. * Her crush, the dreamy Diving Pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the Princess of the park. But Lou’s never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after. * Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, who’s always been up for anything, suddenly isn’t when it comes to Lou’s quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou’s scheme to get close to Nick. * And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland–ever–unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.
Jennifer Dugan’s sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love–and themselves–in unexpected people and unforgettable places.
That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!
Home | The Blind Scribe 