Most Anticipated Releases of the Last Quarter of 2020

September 16, 2020 imfullybooked2 Comments

Hi! I can’t believe it’s that time of the year again. And by that time of the year, I mean the time for a most anticipated releases post. 2020 has simultaneously been the longest and shortest year of my life, don’t ask me how that’s possible – it just is.

Today I have 10 releases spread through the months of October, November and December – the dates correspond to UK release dates, and looking back at them most are hardbacks, which are not my preferred format. But we will deal.

Release date: October 1st

Stuart Turton, the author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, is back with yet another historical mystery. This one is set on a ship, in the 17th century and sounds spooky and atmospheric, it is about the devil after all… or is it? I am expecting to love it as much as I loved Evelyn. I also think it’s going to be incredibly smart and mysterious. Can’t wait to pick it up!

Release date: October 6th

A sequel to Dear Martin! Do I need to say more? In case you are clueless about these books, do yourself a favour and look them up. Both Dear Martin and Dear Justyce’s protagonists are Black teens. Both deal with police brutality, racism, racial profiling, prejudice. I already know that both are important reads, even though I have not read this one yet. I am glad so many more books about unfair treatment of minorities are being released as we all need to be more aware of what is happening in the world and how absolutely bullshit it is. Thanks for coming to my TED talk. Pick up Dear Justyce on October 6th!

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Release date: October 6th

A new book by Schwab about a girl who makes a deal with the devil and ends up immortal and NO ONE remembers her… Until someone does. I’m going to be real with you… it’s historical. I’ve heard it was slow paced. And also there is a romance at the forefront. So, overall it doesn’t sound like exactly my thing. Yet, Schwab is my queen so you know I’ll be picking it up and reading it asap. I just hope my extra high expectations, despite knowing it might not be my kind of book, won’t make me disappointed. I guess time will tell.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

Release date: October 13th

Can we appreciate this gorgeous cover? As the title suggests, this one is about witches. It’s also historical – this fall seems to have nearly exclusive historical fiction blend releases. Honestly, I don’t know much about it, but I have an arc of this one so expect a review on the release date. I am excited because I read and loved The Ten Thousand Doors of January and just know this one will be as good if not better.

Release date: October 20th

Finally, a sequel to Shadow Frost! Coco Ma is a talented young writer and I am looking forward to returning to this fantasy world. The first book had a lot of potential, and I really enjoyed most parts of it and I’m curious to see how Ms. Coco matures with each and every book.

Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Release date: October 27th

Another witchy, spooky story. You know I have a type. This one centers around twin sisters who are witches. When one of them is brutally murdered, the other decides to seek revenge. It sounds great. I’ve only read one book by Kerri Maniscalco, but I’m looking forward to reading more from her. I will be returning to the Stalking Jack the Ripper series eventually, but this seems more up my alley.

Release date: November 17th

Ooooh, I CANNOT wait for this one. I love Brandon Sanderson and so far every book in The Stormlight Archive was a huge hit for me. This one is a chunky one, as all his books, and I’m not gonna lie, it’s a bit intimidating, so I probably will be picking it up on audio. But I’ll definitely be reading it this year!

Release date: November 17th

Big day for fantasy releases on November 17th! The Burning God, which I believe is the finale of the Poppy War trilogy, is out and I don’t expect it to be anything less than absolutely brutal, bloody and amazing. I’m currently in the middle of book 2 and really enjoying it. The magic system is fantastic, it’s edge-of-the-seat exciting and… brutal for the lack of a better word. If you’re a fantasy lover, give this one a go.

Release date: December 3rd

While I didn’t LOVE LOVE LOVE Karen M. McManus’ other books, I think they are solid YA mystery/thrillers. This one sounds incredibly promising – it’s about family secrets and a group of cousins working at a mysterious estate of their grandmother’s. I’m really looking forward to reading it – I am taking part in The Write Reads Tour for The Cousins so I’ll definitely be reading and reviewing it around the release date!

Release date: December 10th

And last but definitely not least – A Sky Beyond the Storm – the finale of An Ember in the Ashes series. It’s been a while since I read the first book and I think a reread is due before I pick up the last book, as I’m a bit rusty on the details. The first 3 books were very solid 4/5 stars and I’m impressed by the detailed world building and great character arcs. I can’t wait to find out how this all ends.

These are the 10 books I’m looking forward to the most in the last quarter of the year. Are any of these on your list, too? Did I miss any? Let me know!

Thank you for reading. I will talk to you all soon!

Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall – A Review

July 12, 2020 imfullybooked3 Comments

Hi! It’s time for another The Write Reads tour review. Dave has been spoiling us with great books lately and this one was no different. Let’s just get into it.

Publication date: June 18th 2019
Publisher: Capital Station Books
Genre: Fantasy

Magic. Sailing. A murderer among heroes.
Gravedigger Volke Savan wants nothing more than to be like his hero, the legendary magical swashbuckler, Gregory Ruma. First he needs to become an arcanist, someone capable of wielding magic, which requires bonding with a mythical creature. And he’ll take anything—a pegasus, a griffin, a ravenous hydra—maybe even a leviathan, like Ruma.
So when Volke stumbles across a knightmare, a creature made of shadow and terror, he has no reservations. But the knightmare knows a terrible secret: Ruma is a murderer out to spread corrupted magic throughout their island nation. He’s already killed a population of phoenixes and he intends to kill even more.
In order to protect his home, his adopted sister, and the girl he admires from afar, Volke will need to confront his hero, the Master Arcanist Gregory Ruma.

I think the whole gang reached a consensus with this book – we all seemed to really enjoy it and it’s a rare sight. I haven’t heard of this series until Dave announced the tour and as a fantasy reader, I’m surprised why more people don’t talk about it, because it ticks all the boxes.

It took me no time to get into the story. Knightmare Arcanist doesn’t waste any time to introduce you to the world and plot – it throws you right in. Volke is hell bent on becoming an arcanist and making a name for himself. It’s not easy growing up on an island where your heritage is everything, and coming from a family of thieves and murderers. Being apprenticed by the gravedigger he’s not allowed to compete in order to bond with a phoenix, but he finds a way to bond with a mythical creature and becoming an arcanist anyway.

I really liked Volke as a main character. He was an interesting protagonist and narrator, and I really liked his determination. Actually, thinking about it, I didn’t hate any of the characters. Granted, I didn’t think all of them were fleshed out to the point I’d like them to be, but they were fun to follow, especially for the purpose of seeing different mythical creatures and the magic they could perform with them.

I think Knightmare Arcanist fits the younger end of YA and in many of those cases the author struggles to find the tone for the story, or takes heavy inspiration from other books. Stovall managed to make this one stand out in a line up. I found the story to be fast paced and engaging and the world rich and developed, without info dumpy paragraphs. It was a fresh story and it’s what made it so enjoyable for me. It’s not the shortest, yet if not this dreadful reading slump, I’d see myself reading it all in one sitting and that says something.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed thoroughly was Stovall’s writing. She managed to paint the world clearly with her words without using language that’s too flowery – seeing as the story is told from Volke’s point of view. I love a healthy balance between descriptive writing full of imagery and Tolkien’s 3 page long descriptions of grass, and I think Stovall managed it very well.

I am looking forward to continuing with the series as it pleasantly surprised me. If you like magical fantasies and mythical creatures, you should definitely give it a go.

Thank you all for reading. Make sure to check out the hashtags and follow @ TheWriteReads on Twitter to find all the other fantastic reviewers taking part in this tour. I’ll talk to you all soon!

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis – A Review

May 16, 2020 imfullybooked5 Comments

Hi! Today is the last day of the Harrow Lake Ultimate Blog Tour hosted by Dave at TheWriteReads on Twitter and it’s my turn to share my thoughts on the book!

Publication date: July 9th 2020
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Thriller

Welcome to Harrow Lake. Someone’s expecting you . . .
Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker – she thinks nothing can scare her.
But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she’s swiftly packed off to live with a grandmother she’s never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father’s most iconic horror movie was shot.
The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map – and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.
And there’s someone – or something – stalking her every move.
The more Lola discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola’s got secrets of her own. And if she can’t find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and Dave for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thrillers have become one of my favourite genres recently, even though I’ve rated very few of them 5 stars. When this tour was announced, I was ecstatic! The blurb, though quite vague, had me hooked. I love small creepy towns, close knit communities shrouded in mysteries, and that kind of vibe.

Harrow Lake definitely delivered in that regard. From the get go, the story and the world building were very mysterious and atmospheric. The first couple of chapters set up the mood of the story brilliantly and hinted at some supernatural aspects, which is not my favourite kind of mystery, but it can work when done well. The mentions of Mister Jitters and unexplained disappearances were just the right amount of spooky for me.

Unfortunately, after a strong start, the story went downhill. For the most part of the middle the plot was nearly non existent. In trying to keep everything creepy and mysterious, and explore the superstition of Mister Jitters and making the reader believe he exists, the plot was pushed to the side and it’s when the book slowed down for me and lost the initial excitement.

I feel like the characters were somewhat sacrificed for the sake of the atmosphere, too. I wanted more development for Lola, especially to justify the choice the author made about the ending of the story. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the “twist” at the end of the book needed more to be fully believable, in my opinion. I thought she was well done, for most of it, but some parts just didn’t make sense because they were revealed too late, to justify the twist. The supporting characters needed to be more fleshed out, too, mostly Lola’s grandmother. She had a really big role in the story especially in bridging the supernatural with Lola’s mother’s disappearance, but she was reduced to the creepy old lady who wasn’t always all there.

Some of the most interesting bits of the story were never actually explained, and it’s the main reason for my rating. Like I mentioned before, the plot hinted at the supernatural, and revolved around Mister Jitters and the legend of him, just to flip towards the end and change into a psychological thriller – no doubt for the shock value – yet it just left a lot of loose threads, which I wish were addressed more and tied together. Again, not to spoil anything, I filled in the blanks myself which I think was the author’s intent, but it didn’t satisfy me in the end.

I’m torn on the rating. I think I will settle on 2.75 rounded up to 3 for the sake of Goodreads and this star business.

Check out other people’s reviews by following TheWriteReads Twitter and if this YA thriller sounds interesting to you make sure to pick it up when it comes out in July! Just because it didn’t work for me, it doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

Thank you for reading! As always, I will talk to you all soon!

Most Disappointing Books of 2019

January 5, 2020 imfullybooked2 Comments

Hi! I’m back today with another 2019 wrap up style post. I wanna talk about the most disappointing books I’ve read in 2019. I don’t want to be a Negative Nelly all the time, and I’ve thought of talking about the best or most surprising books I’ve read last year, but decided to just get it over and done with, and focus on the good stuff from tomorrow onward.

So, in no particular order, here are my most disappointing books of 2019:

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

I think me and Becky Albertalli just don’t mesh well. I’ve read 3 of her novels and only really liked Simon vs. I went into this book expecting to like it. Why? Honestly, I’ve no idea. I blame myself more for setting the bar so high, than the book for not quite reaching it. I liked the idea for this book, and the diversity of the characters, but in the end it turned out to be very much meh. I couldn’t connect with anything or anyone in this story and it left me quite disappointed.

The title and the description of this one deceived me. I loved the concept of The Smoke Thieves, the whole demon hunting and collecting “smoke” from them to sell as an illegal substance business. It seemed cool. What wasn’t cool is that it wasn’t the main part of the story, the book had too many POVs and I hated some of the characters. Well, maybe not hated, but disliked A LOT. It had a big potential, and I might still pick up book 2 in the series to check it out, but man… I wish Tash was the only character in the book.

Full review here.

This one is another case of a: stellar idea and poor execution. A world where monsters spawn from mirror reflections? Fuck yes! A main character who’s morally grey and has OCD? Sign me up. I got an arc of this book and I was so excited to read it and recommend it to everyone but… Unfortunately it didn’t quite deliver. There were many things about this book that were good and really enjoyable (like the characters), but the writing style and pacing made it clunky and anticlimactic. The book lacked atmosphere. I wish it was done differently, because I think the idea for it is genius.

Full review here.

I think this one is an unpopular opinion. I feel like everyone who’s read Renegades loved it. I, on the other hand, found it boring and uneventful. It took me a month to read it – a full month! I was so close to DNFing it, but since I loved the Lunar Chronicles I decided to push through it. My main complaint are the characters. Adrian was a cookie cutter hero, and so I wanted Nova to be a proper villain, but she just wasn’t one. In my opinion, she’s not even anywhere near a villain, just a morally grey and confused teen. Maybe I would enjoy the book more if it wasn’t 600 pages long and didn’t have an unexciting cliffhanger.

Books I wish I read in 2019

December 18, 2019 imfullybookedLeave a comment

Hi! Only 2 weeks left of this year (and this decade) – can you believe it? I’m having a 1/3 life crisis, but I won’t get into that for all of our sakes. What I do want to talk about today is all the books I didn’t get to this year but had big plans on reading. They’re on top of my tbr pile and I’ll be getting to them asap.

First is Five Dark Fates. I’ve caught up with the series in September – just before this was released, and planned on picking it up straight away, as the ending of Two Dark Reigns had me shook (for a lack of a better word)… and life got in the way. That’s literally the story of my life. The plan is to buy a copy and read it early next year, so all is fresh in my memory and it doesn’t hinder my enjoyment of this finale.

I know how the story ends – we’re told in the very first chapter of Nevernight. But I still want to know so many things. I’ve had a very strange relationship with this series, while reading the books, but distance makes the heart grow fonder and I am dying to read Darkdawn (especially after the Youtube miniseries done by Piera Forde. Have you seen it?!) It’ll be happening when this releases in paperback, or if my library has it.

I only read Scythe in March this year, and I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but I kinda gave in to the hype and… oh, boy, was it worth it. As with most books I’m excited to read but don’t end up reading – I don’t own these, and I can’t always afford new books, especially when there’s like 60 unread ones sitting on my shelf, staring at me. I am planning on getting these very soon, though, and probably binge reading them.

I don’t buy hardcovers if I can avoid them (they’re expensive and awkward to hold while reading), so I didn’t get Skyward when it came out last year. The paperback released by now, but I’ve been too busy reading Sanderson’s other books and kinda forgot to pick these up. It will happen, hopefully soon, as everyone seems to love it (including my boyfriend).

The Guinevere Deception by Kiersten White

Okay, I have no excuse for this one. I own it. It’s been sitting on my shelf since the second week of November and I just haven’t picked it up yet. I’m kinda scared, because while I loved the author’s And I Darken series, and I quite enjoyed The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, I’m currently reading Slayer and can’t get through it. I’ve been anticipating this book like crazy and I don’t want to be disappointed.

An honorable mention to The Diviners by Libba Bray, a book which I’ve been thinking of maybe reading for years and years, but only committing to recently.

Are there any books you really wish you read this year?

I’ll talk to you very soon!

The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen – A Review #UltimateBlogTour

December 4, 2019March 23, 2020 imfullybooked3 Comments

Hi! It’s my stop today, on the #UltimateBlogTour for The Devil’s Apprentice by Kenneth B. Andersen. I’m very excited to post, as it’s my first tour ever! So, let’s go!

Publication date: 2005
Publisher: Host og Son
Genre: Middle Grade/YA Fantasy

Philip is a good boy, a really good boy, who accidentally gets sent to Hell to become the Devil’s heir. The Devil, Lucifer, is dying and desperately in need of a successor, but there’s been a mistake and Philip is the wrong boy. Philip is terrible at being bad, but Lucifer has no other choice than to begin the difficult task of training him in the ways of evil. Philip gets both friends and enemies in this odd, gloomy underworld—but who can he trust, when he discovers an evil-minded plot against the dark throne?

I have received an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Devil’s Apprentice was such a fun and fast paced book. I didn’t know what to expect, going into it. It sounded interesting, but also not entirely in my comfort zone. I was wrong – it’s exactly the book I would read!
I’m going to start with saying that, while marketed as a YA fantasy, I would definitely categorise it as a Middle Grade novel. The narration style, as well as a lot of themes in this book fit a MG much more than a YA book.

One of the strongest points of this novel was the world building. As you can guess from the title, most of the book takes place in Hell. The setting of Hell was vivid and very well developed. I am not a religious person myself, but I’m familiar with the bible and biblical stories, and I think weaving those through the story and adding a different spin or dimension to things and people so widely known was a great idea. It added a lot of depth to the story.

I really liked the main character, Philip. As MG protagonists go, he wasn’t the most fleshed out character out there, but he was likeable and believable. Sure, he made stupid decisions, but they were necessary to the plot and also… he’s 13 years old. I’m twice his age and let’s not get into my decision making abilities… The whole cast of characters was “good” (or as good as devils and other Hell creatures can be) – I didn’t dislike any of them, which really made for an enjoyable read. My favourite was definitely Lucifer.

The plot of the book was quite predictable, though by no means boring. I enjoyed myself from the beginning till the end. I really liked the take on this story – though morality is explored a lot in various books, I haven’t read anything with a similar setting and plot. Philip’s adventure was engaging and fun. There wasn’t anything profound about it, but it did it’s job – to entertain.

All in all, I’m happy I got a chance to read this book as it’s not something I would’ve picked up on my own. It’s a solid adventure story, which is a bit darker than most MG/young YA, and which explores interesting topics of morality and what it means to be good or bad. I would definitely recommend it if it sounds like something you might be interested in yourself.

Follow the #UltimateBlogTour #DevilsApprentice and #TheWriteReads hashtags to find more reviews for the book (we’re all very active on Twitter).

I’ll talk to you soon!

November Wrap Up

December 1, 2019 imfullybookedLeave a comment

Hi! I can’t believe it’s December already.

Let’s talk stats for November, and how much I failed my TBR, shall we?

November has been a strange month reading wise. I have gotten myself into a reading slump and didn’t really get out of it until now (at least I hope), so I’m in the middle of 2 books at the moment, still. I’ll talk about them tomorrow, in my December TBR post.

Number of books read: 4
Number of pages read: 2520
Average star rating: 4.75
DNFs: 1

I Let You Go was a leftover from my October TBR and I finished it at the start of the month. I really enjoyed the book – it was a perfect thriller full of suspense and plot twists, and it really cemented my interest in Clare Mackintosh’s books. I did find the themes of it heavy, though, so I found it hard to fly through the book – it made me sad and uncomfortable. While I think the book was incredibly well done, my enjoyment of it was definitely hindered by how stressful and weighty I found some parts.

I’m not gonna blabber about this one for too long, because I have a review for it right here. Ninth House is probably one of my favourite books I’ve read this year and Bardugo is a Queen. The book is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but if you can deal with violence and drug abuse, among other things, and you want a good urban fantasy – pick it up.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

I am slowly but surely continuing with my reread of Harry Potter. Like for every book so far, I’ve a twitter thread, live tweeting my experience, rereading the books for the nth time. I don’t think I have to say much about it – it was clearly 5 stars, though I think it is my least favourite of the series (don’t @ me).

HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban reread no. ∞ – a thread
— Zaneta (@ItsSpeltWithaZ) November 12, 2019

My god! This one’s a wild ride. Sanderson is a master of fantasy – I thought that after reading Mistborn and I am sure of it now. Words of Radiance is such a complex and detailed story, it’s gripping, it’s fast paced, it gives you characters you love, ones you hate, ones you want to hit over the head with a wooden spoon and tell them to cop on (yes, I’m talking about Kaladin). I loved everything about it and I need to pick up Oathbringer asap.

And my one DNF of the month

I gave it 100 pages, but it failed to grab my attention. It was unnecessarily violent with no substance behind it. I don’t mind violence (clearly – I rated Ninth House 5 stars), but when it’s the only thing mentioned in the book – it gets tiresome. I wanted world building – I got none. I wanted more than a murderous child. I was very disappointed in the book – especially that it’s been on my TBR for a really long time.

That would be it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with my TBR, I still need to fine tune it and make sure I don’t overdo it, like always.

How many books have you read in November? Any new favourites?

DNFing Books – A Discussion

October 17, 2019 imfullybooked23 Comments

Hi! Today I thought I’d talk about DNFing books (which stands for did-not-finish, for anyone who doesn’t speak the lingo). I think it’s a polarizing subject – some people DNF books like there’s no tomorrow, others think they need to finish every book they start, to really know if they enjoyed it or not. I was part of the latter group for many years, but I’ve converted.

I used to think I couldn’t have an opinion on a book if I haven’t read it fully. Even if reading a book was a chore for me (what bookworm thinks reading is a chore?! me, apparently), I soldiered through it just to say how much I hated the book in the end. It would take me ages to read it. It would put me in the biggest reading slump ever! But I would finish it. (Yes, Ready Player One, I’m talking about you!)

I don’t take the decision to DNF books lightly. Whenever a book doesn’t sit right with me, for various reasons, I try to give it around 100 pages to prove me wrong. Sometimes it’s the writing, to which I either get used to, or not, other times I just don’t feel the story – it’s either too slow, or too confusing. Sometimes I just dislike the characters and find it hard to relate and care about them. In those cases, I give the book a try to grab me, before I lose interest. I might put it down for a while in case it’s just a right book, wrong time kind of a situation, where I’m not in the mood for that kind of story, hence why I’m struggling to read it. There are books out there I’ve tried to read many times – like All The Lights We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and Passenger by Alexandra Bracken – they just weren’t for my cup of tea in the end.

But! There are times where I KNOW for a fact the book is not for me, from the get go. How? I am a particular person with a particular taste – and if a book does something unforgivable, I put it down straight away. I don’t keep a list of unforgivable things, because I just know it when I read it. It might be a theme, or… and don’t get angry now, I’m not saying this to insult anyone… the fact that the book is just ridiculous and kind of dumb. I have 2 examples of those – Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater and Graces by Laure Eve. Maybe I’m being too harsh with those, but I couldn’t get past 5 pages! It was everything at once – the writing, the characters, the story – I couldn’t stand them. I love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing, yet Shiver seems like it was written by a completely different person.

Whenever I DNF a book, I don’t rate it on Goodreads and I don’t review it. I don’t think it’s fair to do either. I am allowed to dislike books, sure, but I still think I can’t have a fully fledged opinion on a piece of writing if I haven’t read it all – there’s no need for me to bash it anywhere without constructive criticism. I do have a designated shelf for all my DNFs on Goodreads, though. Currently there are 12 books on it (like I said, I’m fairly new at the DNFing business). Apart from the ones mentioned above, I’ve also DNFed:

Monsters by Sharon Dogar – because I knew the gist of the story (it’s a fictionalised life of Mary Shelley kind of book), but the narration and the characters made it unbearable to read.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon – I really wanted to like it, but it kinda fell into the same category as Shiver. Plus, it was just so complicated and didn’t stand the test of time in my opinion.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas – me and Sarah J. Maas just don’t work. Also, I hate romance (most of the times at least).
The Black Prism by Brent Weeks – I couldn’t get over the way females were written in it. The great idea was lost in the terrible writing.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold – once again, the writing killed the story.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner – just not my cup of tea.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath – I thought I was angsty at the time I tried to read it, but apparently not angsty enough for The Bell Jar.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman – again, not my cup of tea. Kind of boring, to be honest.

What’s your stance on DNFing books? How many books have you DNFed? Any of mine? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to know your thoughts!

I will talk to you guys soon! Thanks for reading.

Like, Follow, Kill by Carissa Ann Lynch – A Review

October 10, 2019 imfullybooked1 Comment

Hi. We’ve established by now that I have failed Blogtober, I think. To my defense, I had family stuff the past week, and keeping up with that, work and reading was difficult enough. I come back today with a review!

Publication Date: October 25th 2019
Publisher: One More Chapter
Genre: Mystery thriller

Badly scarred after the accident that killed her husband, Camilla Brown locks herself away from the world. Her only friendships are online, where everyone lives picture-perfect lives.
In private Camilla can follow anyone she likes. And Camilla likes a lot.

Especially her old school friend Valerie Hutchens. Camilla is obsessed with Valerie’s posts, her sickening joy for life, her horribly beautiful face. But then Camilla spots something strange in one of Valerie’s posts – a man’s face looking through her window, watching, waiting…
And then Valerie goes missing…

Thank you to NetGalley for providing and eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like, Follow, Kill is a book I thought I’d love. It’s about this woman, Camilla, who was in a car accident with her husband, Chris, while drunk driving. She came out of the accident scarred, her face quite disfigured, yet still somehow, she got the better end of the stick than her husband, who died in the accident. Camilla locks herself up in her house and turns to social media for any kind of entertainment. She follows her school acquaintance, Valerie, very closely, developing an obsession for her perfect, glamorous life. And then Valerie goes missing…

I think anyone who enjoys thrillers would be hooked after that synopsis. Unfortunately, the story didn’t turn out to what I wanted it to be. The bones of it were great, the ideas solid. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll be very vague about my thoughts. I thought the main character was well done, but apart from one mention at the start, there is nothing that explains the person she is and why she is like that. She’s not very likeable (not that she’s meant to), none of the characters really are, and I feel like most of them lack depth – or at least the depth I’d like them to have.

The book was suspenseful and fast paced. The first person narrative was a good choice of a narrative – it gave a glimpse into the main character’s mind. I think I would rate this book 3.75 stars if not the ending. I like being shocked, but what I like more is when I can go back and trace all the signs back to the big reveal. The ending was full of plot twists, but the bad kind. The ones that are there clearly for the shock value, and don’t add up. I think, maybe, I would’ve enjoyed the book even with those if not the last 2 pages, but sadly, those completely ruined the book for me.

Saying all that, I do think that if you like plot twisty thrillers, you might want to give it a go. Unfortunately, it just didn’t do anything for me, hence the 2.75 stars rating,

Preorder the book here

I’ll talk to you soon! Hopefully tomorrow.

What I’m currently reading

October 6, 2019 imfullybookedLeave a comment

I know it’s after 12, so it technically doesn’t matter, but can we please bend the rules and make this count, for Blogtober’s sake? Like I said yesterday, I have family over and it really messes up the whole schedule.

Today I wanted to talk about books I’m currently reading right now. I usually read more than one book at at time. Right now I’m reading:

I’m reading IT on audio right now on my way in and back from work, and enjoying it immensely. It’s my first Stephen King book, and, although I’m not very far into it, I think it’s great.

This one, I’m reading exclusively on ebook, because I’ve been granted an eARC. I haven’t gotten far into it, but so far it seems very interesting.

Perfectly Preventable Deaths by Deidre Sullivan

It’s my current physical read. I always try to have an ebook, physical and audiobook going on, to keep on reading, yet still have variety in stories and the medium by which you’re reading.

I'm Fully Booked

bookcentral of bookish blabber

Category: Uncategorized