Review: A Song for Ella Grey

A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond

 

Title: A Song for Ella Grey

Series: none

Author: David Almond

 

Published: Hachette Children's Books; 2014*

272 pages, kindle edition

 

Source: Netgalley

 
Rating: 0.5 stars
 

 Description (from Goodreads):

Claire is Ella Grey's best friend. She's there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story - as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final.

My Thoughts:

 DNF 30%

I don't know why I picked this up. Honestly, why!? The only other experience I have had with David Almond was too horrible to account. His book The Fire Eaters was one of the worst books I have ever had the displeasure of reading - possibly even the worse... I was going to give him another chance. Can you blame me? Look at the beautiful cover and the mysterious description... I was powerless to stop myself clicking on that little read now button. Damn me!

Maybe its just me but I loathe book that are written with a poetic style that is so abstract that it renders the entire book unreadable - you cannot follow the plotline so you can barely connect to the characters. No characters = automatic bad read. A Song for Ella Grey has one of the worse writing styles (like this) that I have ever read. I could barely decipher what the characters were doing and saying and if I cannot not tell what is happening what is the point of reading really?

Speaking of the characters, what was up with them? I understand that they're little wild because they are some sort of gypsy folk but this sort of crazy was a little over the top. Want to read a good book about gypsies? Pick up Dizzy or Infinite Sky. Those books mastered those aspects - this certainly didn't.

The character of Claire was a mysterious. Did anyone understand her thoughts? Was she with Ella? Or Sam? Her inner dialogue was a stream of constant crazy babble about being young and how she and her friends are going mad because of their youth. I could barely keep it all straight... and I only made it 30% in.

I don't know what I expected from this but it wasn't what I got. I gave David Almond his second chance and he blew it. I won't be going near another one his books - ever. My advice? Stay clear, it isn't worth wasting your time on this rubbish.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of David Almond and Hachette Children's Books, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

 *Release: 2nd of October, 2014 

 

Cover Reveal: Darkness Watching

Cover Reveal of Darkness Watching:

 

Title: Darkness Watching

Series: Darkworld, #1

Author: Emma Adams

 

Published: Curiosity Quills Press

Date of Re-Release­­: September 1^st, 2014

 

Genre: new-adult, urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance

 

Links:   Goodreads   |    Amazon

 

Cover Artist: http://ameliethe.deviantart.com

Just look at this cover. Gorgeous!

 

Description:

Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she’s losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits - and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone, in the middle of nowhere - little knowing that it isn’t coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

 

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons still stalk Ash, and their interest in her has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she’s looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is.

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be…

 

About The Author:
­

Emma Adams spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy and paranormal for young adults.

 

She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also wrote various novels and short stories. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, she can usually be found in front of her writing desk, creating weird and wonderful alternative worlds. Her debut novel The Puppet Spell, published in January 2013 by Rowanvale Books, is a fantasy tale for young adults and the young at heart, featuring disappearing uncles, invisibility potions and chimeras.

Emma also writes dark and creepy supernatural novels for older teens and adults. Her next book, Darkness Watching, is the first in the upper-YA/New Adult Darkworld series, and was published in October 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press.

 

Author Links:

 

Facebook  |  Twitter |  Goodreads |  Website

 

Review: Mary Hades

Mary Hades (Mary Hades #1) by Sarah Dalton

 

Title: Mary Hades

Series: Mary Hades, #1

Author: Sarah Dalton

 

Published: Createspace; 2014

286 pages, kindle edition

 

Source: Xpresso Book Tours

 
Rating: 3 stars
 

 Description (from Goodreads):

Not many seventeen year old girls have a best friend who’s a ghost, but then Mary Hades isn’t your average teenager.

Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite…

Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement.

Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?

My Thoughts:

 Mary Hades sucked me in with its absolutely freakin' gorgeous cover! It has the right mix of creepy, pretty and quirky to make it pop and I was powerless to resist requesting it.

I have read a fair amount of ghost stories before, though my tastes have always strayed more towards the mystery-solving type. You know where the ghosts help solve their own murders and such? Those have always been my go to ghost story type but lately I have been trying to explore the genres of horror and thrillers. Mary Hades was the perfect introduction.

The paranormal aspects of this story were extraordinary well written. It was exciting, fast-paced and just well, thrilling! I couldn't put the book down. There were plenty of shocking and terrifying moments where I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen what next... It kept me enthralled and entertained.

The characters were also what helped to make this. They were all witty, relatable and loveable. They all had their own little quirks that made them each unique and wonderful. The only problem that I had with the characters was that they were very accepting of Mary's revelations - that she could she ghosts, that her best friend was dead... and a ghost that was still "with them" etc.. They all took it in their stride as soon as Lacey revealed herself. I don't if its just me or what, but I would take a lot more convincing then just that.

What ruined this for me was that ending. It wasn't that it had a cliff-hanger, was cut off too short or anything like that. The problem I had was that it was very, very anticlimactic. The main plotline centres around Mary hunting down a murderous ghost named Little Amy. I was expecting this epic end battle, exorcism scene but it was just bland. Little Amy just rolls over when Mary says to and it was boring. Not the ending I was expecting, or hoping, for when the rest of the book had been so thrilling.

I have to say that the imagery and language, however, was simply gorgeous and I ended up highlighting pages and pages of the gorgeous prose. It really made up for all the minor faults.

I ended up thoroughly enjoying this. I will eagerly be
picking up the rest of the Mary Hades series and checking out more of the author's work.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Sarah Dalton and Giselle of Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

Review: Fever

What is with this cover, anyway? Its awfully ugly!

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

 

Title: Fever

Series: The Chemical Garden, #2

Author: Lauren DeStefano

 

Published: HarperVoyager; 2012

341 pages, large format paperback

 

Source: Borrowed from the library

 
Rating: 1.5 stars
 

 Description (from Goodreads):

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago―surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine’s twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous―and in a world where young woman only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can’t seem to elude Rhine’s father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion… by any means necessary.

My Thoughts:

 1.5 stars.

This book reminds me why most readers give up on a series if they despised the first book. Being the bone-headed stubborn type of person I am however, I always at least attempt to continue a series regardless. There is just something that bothers me about leaving a series unfinished. I believe that if I have put in effort to reading the previous book/s then I have introduced myself to the characters, I have learnt about their stories, I have gone on at least part of their journey - why not finish that journey? Sure, I might not care what happens to them or I could die of frustration or boredom or something equally ugly along the way... least I would know what happened though. I wouldn't be thinking "Oh, I wonder what happened to Rhine after she escaped? Did she find her brother? Was he okay? Did she and Gabriel make a life for themselves in the end? What happened to Cecily then? And Linden? Is he still impregnating little girls and being a pervert? Did he ever make amends to Rhine?...?". All these things nag at my mind over and over again until I sit down and find the answers to them.

I picked up to Fever to get these answers and ease my mind, but I left with even more questions than I started with...

This story was one long, drawn-out disaster. I couldn't follow the plotline. The characters were shoddy and underdeveloped. The dystopian aspects were still left vague and unexplained. The romance was cringe-worthy and dull. I was bored. I was confused. I was not entertained in the slightest.

The whole thing felt like one of Rhine's half-conscious, sleep-addled, drugged hallucinations. A cloud of druggy smog stood between us and the terribly underdeveloped characters as they stumbled from one disastrous problem to the next. The only thing that seemed to happen was for our main characters to fall asleep in different locations, drifting in and out of consciousness and hallucinations - not much else actually transpired. The whole book was like reading through the perspective of someone high on Tracker Jacker venom. Not good!

Rhine and Gabriel only made it worse. I don't know what happened to Gabriel in this because when I remember him from Wither, I remembered him as a sweet, charming guy with a happy smile and a lot of steely determination. In this he was nothing but a pushover with zero personality. He was needy, grouchy, snappy, irritating, condescending and just awful! I couldn't relate to him and well, I didn't really want to either. Rhine was just as bad. Again, I don't know what happened but it seems like she has taken a page out of Juliette's (from Shatter Me) book because she spent the entire course of this spouting all this ridiculously random and boring poetry about the meaning of life and her society's terrible destruction of the planet... blah, blah, blah! If I wanted that sort of nonsense I wouldn't be reading a dystopian.

The "romance" attempted between Gabriel and Rhine was seriously laughable. The don't just lack chemistry, but they have none whatsoever. The author didn't even attempt to build up their relationship from where it left off in Wither, they barely talked or communicated with each other let alone kiss or - god forbid! - do anything more. If you are going to have a sideline romance in a dystopia you have to at least build up a relationship, you have to actually have a relationship between the characters. Otherwise, like this, it fails. It doesn't work.

The ending was the perfect ugly icing for this already foul-tasting cake. It literally rendered the entire book pointless. We are right back where we started now - minus Gabriel. The best part of this book? Its over, because that means only book is left to go. My fingers (and toes) are tightly crossed that by the end of Sever I can put all this negativity down to a very bad case of Middle Book Syndrome. Hopefully, Sever will blow my breath away with its fabulous writing, captivating plotline and intriguing characters - everything this book lacked - but lets not hold our breaths on that just yet.

A New Idea...

I haven't been posting lately. There isn't much of an excuse for me not to have bee either since I am on mid-year holidays at the moment. I have had a lot of time to be reading and reviewing books, yet I just haven't had the energy to. If I haven't been reading then I don't have anything to post on my blog. No books = no reviews. This is my dilemma. I have been thinking about this and a thought crossed my mind. Why do I only post reviews? I mean sure this is a book blog, but why does that mean that I should only write reviews? Why shouldn't I explore a little? There are a lot of blogs out there that host weekly posts or fortnightly postings such as Book Hauls and Waiting on Wednesdays. I would love to participate in such things, but I have always been worried that I would either miss the deadline or not have enough inspiration to write a whole post about the topic.

This post that I am writing is a promise. A promise to at least attempt such a posting. I think I'll keep it simple for now. One post on a Sunday about what I feel like writing about on that day. Maybe about the book that I am currently reading, a new movie coming out based on a book I've read or what books I have bought that week? We'll have to see! Fingers crossed that this all works out. If not, there isn't any harm to trying is there?

To kick start this idea of mine, I am going to start tonight by discussing what I plan on reading for the remainder of my holidays!

So what do I plan on reading?

Well, to start with I went to the library and managed to snag a couple of goodies. Including:-

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand:

Clara Gardner knew that as a part angel she would one day have to fulfill her purpose, rescuing Christian from a forest fire...what she never considered was what might happen if she were to fail.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend Tucker, Clara must deal with the repercussions of what happened the day of the fire as the two boys vie for her heart. And, as she is drawn further into the world of angels and part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain after a shocking revelation, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning...


 I have been meaning to pick this up since I read Unearthly a couple of months ago. I enjoyed it a lot, surprisingly, and cannot wait to start this. Hopefully, it hasn't been too long since I finished the prequel and I haven't forgotten everything that has happened.

Cry Blue Murder by Kim Kane & Marion Roberts:

Will anyone hear you cry?

Celia and Alice share everything – their secrets, hopes and the increasing horror that a killer is on the loose and abducting schoolgirls just like them. Three bodies have been found, each shrouded in hand-woven fabric.

From within the depths of a police investigation, clues are starting to emerge. But as Alice and Celia discover the truth, danger is closer than anyone knows. Who can you trust at a time like this?


I have to say that the cover is what drew me into this. Look at it! Its simply gorgeous. Plus, my hardcover edition has uneven pages! I love that. The title is also deliciously creepy and then the added mysterious blurb makes me very eager to pick this up. Hopefully it won't disappoint!

The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore:

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another... but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?

They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. And I'm ready to fight.


I will admit that I am no longer that excited about The Power of Six. Why is that? I gave I Am Number Four a very high rating and a good review. Doesn't that mean I should be dying for it sequel? Well, I would be but unfortunately, this sequel isn't from John's POV, instead this book follows Number Seven's journey. I know it maybe seem silly to complain but I would really rather another John Smith book! I am hoping that this will be just as good though. Here's to hoping!

 

Champion (Legend #3) by Marie Lu:

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.


I was not a fan of either Legend or Prodigy, but I am hoping that the series will end with a bang!

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti:

Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?

From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.

How long can Lani keep running from the boy who might be her destiny?


This has been on my TBR list for ages and ages and its been recommend to me dozen of times so I thought it was high time I gave it a go.

That's what I managed to pick up from the library anyway. I have lot of other books I plan to read too.

 Well, that's it? How was that for a first post? I hope it was okay. I am already brainstorming for what I can do next week...

Have any great ideas? Read one of the books above? Post an awesome post on your blog? Feel free to comment below and add links to your own posts.

Review: Breaking Free

Breaking Free by S.M. Koz

 

Description:

Kelsie Sullivan’s life has changed forever. The once outgoing cheerleader has a secret to hide. The car accident that killed her best friend Jenna? She caused it.

With an absent father and unforgiving stepmother, Kelsie has nowhere to turn. She manages her guilt and grief with razor blades. The fleeting release she experiences becomes an obsession and soon she's unable to hide it any longer. Once her cutting is revealed, Kelsie’s parents enroll her in a Wilderness Therapy program designed to rehabilitate troubled teens, but North Carolina is a world away from California.

Kelsie fights against everything the program has to offer until she befriends JC, a boy with a tortured past of his own. He’s also the only one who is able to ease her pain. The two grow close, but quickly discover that nature — both human and otherwise — can easily rip them apart.

My Thoughts:

Breaking Free was a surprisingly mysterious and intriguing book that followed the story of Kelsie, a seventeen-year-old who has just gotten out of a month of wilderness therapy. The story switches from the present, where Kelsie is home at home after being "rehabilitated", and flashbacks to her time at the camp.

Kelsie was a decent character who had some up and down moments. I wasn't completely fond of her, at times she was awfully bratty and a bit selfish, but she grew as me as the story panned out. It was interesting to learn about her condition - what led her to being put into the rehabilitation program - and the events that led up to her meltdown. I obviously adored JC. He had a wonderful spark to him and I love how he approached his situation with a reassuring smile and a positive attitude.

The program itself was interesting. I have heard of these sorts of wilderness therapies but never really know how they worked or what sort of patients were sent there etc. It was interesting to see how Chris Kris dealt with some of the more problematic campers and how the campers themselves bonded over time because of their similar additions and/or conditions.

What bought this book down for me was how awfully slow paced it was, and how dull the second half was. The switching between the present and past provided great suspense as we didn't quite know what was happening in the present sections and we had to wait to see what had happened at camp that caused all the mystery. It certainly kept you guessing and I was pleasantly surprised by a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming. The second half however was dull. The mystery was over by then and I wasn't on board the new angle it took.

The romance was also a little underdeveloped. I loved the relationship between the couple - it was rather sweet - but I found that it was too rushed for my liking, they went from "liking" each other to "loving" one another a bit too easily in my opinion.

Overall, I found Breaking Free to be a decent contemporary romance that could have done with a bit more development. For a debut it was rather well-written and I will certainly be picking up more of the author's future work.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of S.M. Koz, through the YA Buddy Readers' Corner, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

 *Release: August 1st, 2014

Review (+): Starers

Starers by Nathan Robinson

 

Title: Starers

Series: (possibly)

Author: Nathan Robinson

 

Published: Snakebite Publishing; 2012

146 pages, kindle edition

 

Source: Review copy provided by author

 
Rating: 3.5 stars

Links:    Amazon
 

 Description:

Imagine if you found yourself the attention of the entire world . . .

The dysfunctional Keene family awaken one Saturday to find several strangers and neighbours staring at their home. Events turn more bizarre when more hypnotised strangers arrive, all seemingly transfixed with those within the Keene household. As the ominous crowd gathers and grows larger by the hour the Keene’s find themselves under siege in their own home. With hundreds, then thousands of bodies pressing against the walls of their home, a rising body count and grim premonitions plaguing their dreams, the family must work together to discover who or what is controlling the Starers.
 

 

Author Bio:

 

Horror author Nathan Robinson lives in Scunthorpe with his darling four year old twin boys, his patient wife/editor and a three legged cat named Dave. So far he’s had numerous short stories published by www.spinetinglers.co.uk, Rainstorm Press, Knight Watch Press, Pseudopod, Static Movement and many more.

He writes best in the dead of night or travelling at 77mph. He is a regular reviewer for www.snakebitehorror.co.uk, which he loves because he gets free books. He likes free books. His first novel “Starers” was released by Severed Press to rave reviews. This was followed by his short story collection “Devil Let Me Go.” His novelette “Ketchup with Everything” is the first publication from Snakebite Horror Publishing.

 

Follow news, reviews and the author blues at: www.facebook.com/NathanRobinsonWrites.

 

My Thoughts:

Let me start by saying that I am normally not a fan of horror. I don't get a kick from scaring myself. I really don't see the point of it. If I am scared of something I steer clear of it. I don't go on rollercoasters, climb mountains, walk on glass balconies, go in elevators (if I can help it) or anything else like that because heights scaring the living daylights out of me. Why would I want to purposely sit down on a Friday evening and pop in a movie / pick up a book and purposely scare myself then? The answer is I don't... well, until now.

Starers was the first real "horror" book I have ever read and actually enjoyed. It was extremely well-written with well-developed characters and a chillingly suspenseful plotline. The story was engaging with plenty of action and drama to keep me engaged. It had my heart racing in all the appropriate places and, even more surprisingly, laughing my head off too. Lennon was simply hilarious! His humour really helped to balance out the gory and ugly horror scenes.

I think what really, really made this book work so much for me was the Starers themselves. They were so damn freaky and I love how we were left clueless to what they wanted, what they were doing, what they were. The suspense was practically palpable. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time trying to figure out what was happening, how they were going to get out of the situation, who the mysterious he was, what he wanted... it was great how enthralling the plot was.

What let this down? The two main things for me were:

1. Lucy - she acted way, way, way too old for her age. I understand that the author is a guy so doesn't have the personal experience of going through that awkward age but it honestly isn't like that. Lucy acted more like a young adult than a preteen.

2. The ending - it left way too much unexplained and was unfortunately rather anticlimactic. I really am hoping for a second part to make up for it. I have so many questions about everything! I mean... where to even start? There seriously is a lot left up in the air and my curiosity is killing me.

To conclude this was an extremely well-written horror story that I would hastily recommend to unenthusiastic readers wanting a good introduction to the horror genre. It was a pleasant surprise and I don't regret picking it up at all.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Nathan Robinson in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

Review (+): Ketchup on Everything

Ketchup on Everything by Nathan Robinson

 

Title: Ketchup on Everything

Series: none

Author: Nathan Robinson

 

Published: Snakebite Publishing; 2014

116 pages, kindle edition

 

Source: Review copy provided by author

 
Rating: 2.5 stars

Links:    Amazon: UK      |      Amazon: US

 

 Description:

For the past twenty years, Elliott Tather has been living a life of mourning that almost destroyed him. After losing everything he held dear and bound by a consuming sorrow, Tather travels the country attempting to fix a wrong that haunts his every waking and dreaming moment. But one evening after pulling into a roadside diner to settle down with a simple cup of coffee, the door opens and everything changes. The nothing he had, and the regret that filled it will never be the same again.

 

Author Bio:

 

Horror author Nathan Robinson lives in Scunthorpe with his darling four year old twin boys, his patient wife/editor and a three legged cat named Dave. So far he’s had numerous short stories published by www.spinetinglers.co.uk, Rainstorm Press, Knight Watch Press, Pseudopod, Static Movement and many more.

He writes best in the dead of night or travelling at 77mph. He is a regular reviewer for www.snakebitehorror.co.uk, which he loves because he gets free books. He likes free books. His first novel “Starers” was released by Severed Press to rave reviews. This was followed by his short story collection “Devil Let Me Go.” His novelette “Ketchup with Everything” is the first publication from Snakebite Horror Publishing.

 

Follow news, reviews and the author blues at: www.facebook.com/NathanRobinsonWrites.

 

 

My Thoughts:

2.5 stars

Hmmm... This book has left me feeling oddly conflicted. I liked the idea of this book. The blurb is oddly cryptic and I went in without the slightest inkling to what this was about - just like how I like it! I hate when the blurb spoils the story *cough* Hunting Lila *cough* - but that is an entirely different rant that I am not going to go into. I'll just say that not knowing what was going to happen next was the best part of this. The suspense was practically palpable in the beginning and ending of the book. The middle? Well, that is where I had most of my problems.

While Ketchup on Everything had its moments, most of it was awfully dull. The middle sections, the flashbacks, were uneventful and boring. They dragged on and on and took over most of the book. I understand that they were important in building up the tension for the ending, but I didn't enjoy them.

The ending certainly helped to make up for this, however. What a shocker! I honestly didn't see that coming. Looking back I can see that I should have predicated something like that happening, but I was completely blindsided! And I love being shocked by a book. Books are becoming more and more like cookie-cutter carbon copies of each other, and as a consequence: more predictable. Ketchup on Everything was hardly that and it was a pleasant surprise.

The only other major fault that I feel like I need to point out is the characters were a little flat. I didn't dislike them necessarily but I didn't feel like I go to know them very well. However, seeing that this is only a very short book, I can understand that character development isn't the easiest task. Saying that the book really would have benefitted from it.

Overall, I think this was very well-written and I look forward to picking up more of this author's work, namely Starers and Devil Let Me Go which I have read some great reviews about. I would recommend Ketchup on Everything to fans of The Graveyard Kiss.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Nathan Robinson in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.