First a quick explanation! Due to some severe health issues over the last few years, and a lingering chronic condition, my planned review schedule went right out of the window and I have been scrabbling ever since to get it ba…
Due to some severe health issues over the last few years, and a lingering chronic condition, my planned review schedule went right out of the window and I have been scrabbling ever since to get it back on track.
In an attempt to try to regain some lost ground, I have been scrunching some of my (overdue) NetGalley reviews together into one or two posts each week: shorter reviews, but still covering all of the points I intended to.
That's the plan anyway, so let's spring (groan) into a new selection from my back-shelves...!
Title: Death, the Gardener Author: Daniel T. Dodaro Publisher:Red Pants Press, LLC
Blurb: Death, the Gardener, Daniel T. Dodaro's debut novel, blends fantasy, myth, and fairy tale to cultivate a story as colorful and heartfelt as it is intriguing and mysterious.
"Oh, you don't know? I'd have thought you'd figure it out straightaway. I'm Mot. Or, more simply, Death."
The Grim Reaper is not at all like legends describe. In reality, he is a debonair gardener by the name of Mot. Every person's life is bound to a rose in his garden, and every person's death occurs when their rose is snipped. Every person but one.
When Cloth wakes up in Mot's garden, she quickly learns that she has broken all sorts of rules by returning as the first-ever ghost. Her rose was snipped, yet she has surprisingly not passed on. And, to make matters worse, the shock of dying has caused her to lose all the memories of her life.
In desperate need of an assassin, Mot decides to look past Cloth's mysterious predicament and make her an offer: he'll help her pass on, but, in exchange, she must hunt and kill three thieves for him. However, these are no ordinary thieves; each of them has stolen a rose from Mot's garden and, in doing so, has gained immortality.
If Cloth stands any chance of succeeding, she must don Mot's fabled cloak and shears to become a true emissary of Death. Can she assassinate her three targets without losing sight of who she was while alive?
Review: This story begins as an allegorical after-life journey, that reminded me of classic morality tales like The Pilgrim's Progress, but then develops into a combination of star-crossed love story, Stardust-esque fantasy adventure and philosophical treatise on life, death and morality.
I was utterly entranced until the big climactic scene, then slightly disappointed, as the ending I had thought we were building to didn't materialise. While the actual ending here is touching and reasonable, it didn't involve any consequences for a certain entity who deserved them, so I felt like they learnt nothing from events and were free to continue being awful for the rest of eternity! (Booooo!)
Still, I loved the other characters - Cloth, San, Mot, Oz, Chitra Icarus... even Balthazar! - and the story gave me lots to think about, as well as plenty of entertainment, so I would definitely read more from this author in future. And Grendal was so ridiculously, deliciously, irredeemably evil, which made an ironic foil to Eternity's spoilt, tantrumming toddler attitude. It's rare to find such clearcut 'baddies' in modern fiction and I quite enjoyed loathing them without any complicating sympathies!
Beautifully written, this slowly unfolding modern myth would be ideal for YA readers upward looking for a thought-provoking but still easy-to-read story.
Title: Girlfriend on Mars Author: Deborah Willis Publisher:Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books
Blurb: Kevin is a thirtysomething homebody, happily committed to his hydroponics-expert girlfriend, Amber, as they grow weed in their basement in Vancouver.
Out of the blue, Amber announces that she has been selected for a reality show where she will compete for one of two seats on the first human-led mission to Mars. If selected, she must stay on Mars for good, because the technology to come home doesn't exist yet. Is this a suicide mission or a bold new frontier?
Girlfriend on Mars is the story of love unravelling in a world where truth is dictated by Facebook ads and 'reality TV' is as scripted as any politician's speech. With rapt viewers voting for Amber to stay on the show and crates of Mars-mission branded protein shakes arriving at his door, is it any wonder Kevin wants to stay in the basement forever?
Review:Girlfriend on Mars looked like a fun, quirky space-related romcom based on the cover and blurb but it is actually more of a deep dive into toxic relationships and unsatisfying lives - well-written but quite depressing in tone and content.
The story is told from the current points of view of both Amber and Kevin, as she prepares for a one-way trip to Mars and he tries to deal with her maybe-departure, and then backfills their relationship history through their musings. And most of their relationship history seems to be based on cheating, drugs, familiarity and their respective existential crises about the point of life, love and climate change.
Both main characters are quite vacuous and self-absorbed in their own ways, with the main difference being that Amber is driven and Kevin is immobile. Both are trapped in lives and relationships that they're not sure they want, because they don't really know what they want and then don't want it when they get it.
I kept expecting a humorous twist, like that the Mars mission would turn out to be a hoax on the part of the reality TV show, but no... instead things just get darker and more miserable for the characters, as they deal with it by running/hiding to get high (on Mars and drugs respectively).
There is a glimmer of hope for one of the characters in the ending, as they manage to finally break free from their stasis and take a few steps towards a slightly brighter future, but I would have to sum this up as being well-written but one of the most depressing, nihilistic books I've ever read.
Title: The Fifth Guest Author: Jenny Knight Publisher:HQ
Blurb: All of them are guilty of something… Five friends. One deadly secret.
Five old university friends gather on the eve of their flatmate's memorial at a beautiful riverside house.
Host Caro is as perfect as always.
Shy, awkward Lily's now a bestselling author.
Sports hero George loves suburban fatherhood.
Bad-boy Travis only gets his highs from meditation.
And gatecrasher Elle is still a troublemaker.
Estranged for years, they're finally ready to reminisce over dry martinis and delicious food. But there's more than that on the menu…
Because each guest is hiding a dark secret about their time at Oxford.
They're all guilty of something. Is one of them guilty of murder?
Review:The Fifth Guest gathers together five old uni friends together years later on the occasion of a memorial to the sixth of their group, who died back in the old days. And, of course, they all have secrets that they would rather stay in the past, but 'troublemaker' Elle has other ideas...
The story is told in alternating chapters from the different friends points of view, and also alternating between the present-day dinner party and flashbacks to events of the past. And the author manages to pack a lot of plot into the pages, with bad decisions and back-stabbing betrayals, strong women and weak men, secrets and lies, bad childhoods and blighted adulthoods.
There are some triggering issues raised, including but not limited to, drug-taking, sexual assault and physical assault, so this isn't a light, easy read by any means, but the story is pacy and the writing is tight, resulting in a good twisty read that kept me guessing.
While all of the characters start out quite unlikable, some of them continue to get worse the more you uncover, but some grew more sympathetic the better you understood them (I ended up rooting for two in particular to get some form of successful closure - no real happy endings in this dysfunctional group!).
I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages to know what happened 'then' and what will happen next.
Blurb: Phoebe is autistic. She prefers to stay in her comfort zone: walking her dog, writing fantasy fiction, surviving school with as few incidents as possible.
When her best (and only) friend rebels and gets a secret boyfriend, Phoebe reluctantly agrees to cover for her. Before long, Phoebe's dealing with all sorts of things she'd rather not, like deception, fashionable jackets, and the bewildering politics of the school chess club. Breaking the rules has never been Phoebe's thing, but as events take a seriously unexpected turn, she realises there's more to her than she ever imagined . . .
Review: I really love this book! Main character Phoebe is so relatable to me, as an autistic girl trying to navigate high school, friendship, career-planning, romantic feelings and family secrets. And I fell into her story so easily!
The autism representation feels very authentic and as a late-diagnosed neurodivergent adult, reading Phoebe's honesty about her thoughts, feelings and struggles really helped me with my ongoing struggle to finally unmask and be authentic to myself after a lifetime of working to make myself more acceptable to others. Phoebe's journey here shows that you really can embrace your own differences and be accepted for them (by the right people, anyway!).
I resonated with Phoebe's joy and her sadness, her anger and confusion. I cried quite a few times, but smiled a lot too. And I really didn't want the book to end. I just wanted to keep reading more of Phoebe's insights and borrowing some of her self-acceptance through the pages.
I would count this as a must-read for neurodivergent individuals, parents/relatives/friends of neurodivergent individuals... so everyone, really! It is a very well written teen/YA coming of age story with a fresh perspective and memorable voice. I will be looking out for more of Gavin Extence's books and this one will be going on my special (newly inspired by Girl, Unmasked) ND 'keep' shelf!
Title: A Trace of Hares Author: Sarah Yarwood-Lovett Publisher:Embla Books
Blurb: A family wedding. An unsolved murder. Til death us do part?
Dr Nell Ward is in the lush, emerald-green hills of Ireland to attend the wedding of two dear friends at a picture-perfect farmhouse.
But family tensions are running high in the days before the happy couple tie the knot. And when Nell hears a fox kill a hare in the early morning, the bad omen sends shivers down her spine. Almost like it is a sign of something to come...
Then one of the locals makes a gruesome discovery in a nearby peat bog. The habitats are famous for the ancient bodies they can preserve for thousands of years. This woman, however, died much more recently and was clearly a victim of foul play.
Nell and her friends are suddenly in the middle of another murder case. Can they trace the truth to unmask a long-hidden killer and save the wedding, before it's too late?
An absolutely gripping and page-turning cozy mystery to curl up with. Perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Robert Thorogood and Janice Hallett.
Review: I sped through this book in one go in just a few short hours, utterly immersed in both the peat-rich Irish setting and the exciting plot!
This is the fifth in the Dr Nell Ward series of mysteries and while I wholeheartedly advocate reading them all in order, to really understand the character relationships and histories, I will grudgingly admit that you can technically read this as a standalone story too (but why would you when they are such good stories?!)
I LOVE that Nell, Rav, James and Shannon have now formed a unique and highly-skilled unofficial murder investigation team and was intrigued that the main suspects in this case were four very different brothers, all with motives and opportunities, giving the reader chance to wonder which of their personalities could be a better fit for the crime. And I was totally fooled by some of the red herrings (although I spotted some clues) and was astounded by dramatic climax and reveal... I had suspected someone completely different!
There is less ecological fieldwork in this book, mainly due to the circumstances of Nell and Rav being at the location for a social occasion rather than for work, but the team do manage to slip in a fair bit of science and lab work to make up for it. And they do spot some hares...
...which indirectly leads them into yet another 'hairy' situation, proving that being in a wheelchair isn't going to stop Rav from participating in just as much of the physical danger as ever. They really are a well-matched couple!
I am thoroughly invested in this series and the characters, and I have to, yet again, declare this book the best in the series... so far! (I am eagerly waiting for A Swarm of Butterflies to land on 26th August 2023 – you can pre-order it on Amazon right now!)
For me, this batch was one good book, two great ones and two excellent ones - I wonder what you will think of them and whether you agree with my thoughts!
I hope you found something you love the sound of here, but if not, don't worry... I've got plenty more reviews on the way for you.I really do believe that there is a book for every reader and a reader for every book - the trick is matching them up with each other!
Until next time, happy reading and keep shining 🙂
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