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Read in April


I seem to be picking up pace with this reading thing. For a while I was stuck on a book which was really slow and kind of put me off reading. I eventually finished it and moved on books which really made me not want to put them down. I often feel like reading is my full time job, if I could find a actual job doing it that would be great thanks.
A Banquet of Consequences - Elizabeth George*

The suicide of William Goldacre is devastating to those left behind. But what was the cause of his tragedy and how far might the consequences reach? Is there a link between the young man's leap from a Dorset cliff and an horrific poisoning in Cambridge?

This was the book in question I mentioned. The story went very slow with the poisoning, which really picked up the story, happening a third of the way through. While I understand the importance of context I just felt like the backstory went on for too long. There is a clear suspect of the crime and you were kept wondering whether or not that person was guilty which was a nice consolation.

Each chapter focused on a different group of people centred around the crime. The books is a 'Lynley Novel' but when I was reading it he was more a secondary figure with Sergeant Havers being more in the forefront, this confused me a bit. Like I mentioned the story kind of slowly dragged along with plot twists coming in right at the end of the book, the ending was also disappointing as there wasn't really a resolution.  Two Stars


Stars of Fortune - Nora Roberts*

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by vivid dreams that she turns into extraordinary paintings. She finds herself drawn to the Greek island of Corfu and quickly encounters Bran Killian, an Irish magician who she has seen in her dreams. She also discovers four other strangers, all drawn together to find a mysterious jewel. 

The very first chapter which introduces the mythology of the story sounded all too familiar to me. Three fairies each give gifts to a new queen which are hijacked by an evil witch, it sounded almost exactly like Sleeping Beauty.

I was reading this at the same time as Banquet of Consequences and I really noticed how fast this book's plot was. The events in this book pretty much happened back to back and the relationship between Sasha and Bran was like 0 to 100 within like a week or so meeting each other. Although Sasha was dreaming about him for a while and if it's 'destiny' who is to stop it.

What I really liked about the book was the fantasy element, each person has their own supernatural secret as well as the setting. They get to live in a amazing house on a Greek island, my dream. They need to find three stars, this book was centred on one meaning there's two other books to go. I'm interested to see how the story as well as the relationships go forward as this book was a fast introduction to the characters, it would be nice to see them developed more.  I could really relate to Sasha, a creative recluse, and I admired how she stepped out of her comfort zone and becomes kind of a leader. Three Stars


Who's Afraid? - Maria Lewis*

Tommi Grayson's never exactly been a normal girl, yet she's never come close to guessing who she really is... When her mother dies leaves Scotland to track down her estranged father in New Zealand, she discovers the truth about her heritage - and it's a whole lot more than merely human.

I read this very quick so it's safe to assume I enjoyed the story. Tommi is a very cool character. She's around my age and has my dream job, an art curator. She's also confident and kind of badass so I knew I was going to like her.

Reading the back as well as the start of the book I thought I assumed who the 'good' and 'bad' guys were. This assumption was thrown out which made me excited as the plot was not heading to where I thought it was. The book has a fantasy element to it which I love and I enjoyed seeing how Tommi copes with learning about what she is and the 'new world' she never knew existed.

I'm excited about the sequeal, to see the continuation of Tommi's journey and the consequences which happened at the end of the book. Four Stars


This is where the world ends - Amy Zhang*

Janie and Micah, Micah and Janie. That's how it's been since they were children. Where Micah is shy, Janie is outgoing. Where Micah loves music, Janie loves art. It's the perfect friendship - as long as no one finds out. But then Janie goes missing and everything Micah thought he knew about his best friend is coloured with doubt.

YA fiction is another genre of books I really enjoy and was excited to read something a bit different. The story felt really familiar with it having a lot of similarities with Paper Towns. Secret friendship - check, one is more popular than the other - check, girl goes missing - check. Their escapades are also similar that of Quentin & Margo, the two stories pretty much mirror each other.

The chapters switch between the two characters and also time; Micah after the party and Janie before the party. It was nice to get two perspectives, of their relationship as well as their outlook on living in a small dead end town. The mystery of Janie's disappearance wasn't really that surprising to me, I kind of suspected what it was early on.

While the story wasn't that original I still really enjoyed it and was a nice change from all the other books I've been reading. Three Stars

Hope you all enjoyed this post! If you've read any of these books I would love to know what you thought of them. Have a great long weekend!

*Review copies sent from Hachette NZ & HarperCollins NZ, review is my own opinion.  


Ashley xx

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