Feed by Mira Grant

Feed

By Mira Grant
Published: Orbit, 2010
Pages: 608
Genre: Dystopian, Thriller
Amazon, Goodreads

Darwin was right. Death doesn’t play fair.

About the book

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives — the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

Review

What better way to draw me into a book than zombies and journalists?

The plot of Feed is what really fascinates me. I’ve been a newspaper reporter for six years this post-apocalyptic story focused on a group of blogger journalists trailing a political campaign really sucked me in.

The most important aspect of this novel is that it’s not really a zombie book; it’s more of a thriller that just so happens to be set in the future where zombies run rampant.

The thing about the zombie franchise is that they never focus on a society whose government is actually functioning with clean water and internet access.

Author Mira Grant paints a thought-provoking setting: what would the world be like in today’s day and age but with the constant threat of zombies?

Personally, I did feel like the characters left something to be desired but this was a great read for those seeking a Dean Koontz/Michael Connelly type of book.

Filled with twists and turns and a shocking ending, I couldn’t put Feed down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

RATING (out of five puppies)

Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

Fountains of Silence

By Ruta Sepetys
Published: Philomel Books, 2019
Pages: 512
Genre: Historical fiction, Young adult
Amazon, Goodreads

"Truth breaks the chains of silence."
Puri puts a trembling hand to her chest. Her voice drops to a whisper.
"It sets us all free."

About the book

Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into the country under the welcoming guise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of a Texas oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography — and fate — introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War — as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions admidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.

Review

Fountains of Silence is one of the biggest page-turners of the year you won’t want to miss!

The story alternates between the viewpoints of Daniel, a young Texan man who aspires to be a photojournalist, and Ana, a poor Madrid maid who works at a hotel catered to rich Americans.

With the story revolving around a teenage boy who comes from a family of wealthy oil tycoons falling in love with a young woman from a poor family, the book is at risk of becoming a clique, but thanks to the rich dimensions of Daniel and Ana, the Fountains of Silence is actually very unique.

Daniel is given added depth by his mother, a transplanted Spanish native who instills in his son the importance of her heritage. This helps steer him away from the typical “rich boy” vibe. Ana is also an impressive character; she is a mature young woman who has to work hard to assist in supporting her family following the murder of her parents by Franco’s regime.

The setting of the book — Madrid in 1957 when it was under the fascist dictatorship is General Francisco Franco also makes this novel stand out among YA historical fiction. It’s clear that author Ruta Sepetys completed thorough research prior to writing this novel; Fountains of Silence shows a glimpse into the true post-war struggles of Spain at that time.

I devoured this book in an entire day, which is saying a lot since it’s over 500 pages. I really enjoyed this one!

RATING (out of five puppies)

October 2019 Wrap-up

I haven't been blogging because work has been CRAZY. But I'm finally getting back into the flow of things, and I decided to set aside some time for my October Wrap-up. I read seven books, which is really good considering how busy I was in October. Let's get to it!

Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon - This book is very eerie, in a Children of the Corn sort of way. Harvest Home is definitely a slow-burn type of writing style. I enjoyed it, but I prefer more action in my books. Harvest Home on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★

Broken Harbour by Tana French - I love Tana French's novels! She writes so well; I always get completed submerged into her stories. If you're looking for a good detective novel, pick up one of her Dublin Murder Squad books! Broken Harbour on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Mass - I've been late to the Court of Thorns and Roses party. I wasn't a fan of the first book, generally liked the second book and this one. I mean, I wouldn't be upset if I hadn't read it at all. It was just average. A Court of Thorns and Roses series on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★

The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes - I picked this up on a whim at my local library. The premise is really interesting; it's about a secret group of young women who right the wrongs that the justice system missed. Unfortunately, the writing didn't really capture my attention and I felt the story dragged. The Black Coats on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★

The Whisper Man by Alex North - This is another detective novel, but it's super creepy and has a paranormal vibe to it. I LOVED it! It was the perfect read for Halloween. The Whisper Man on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade - The storyline was unique... usually in fantasy series there's a hero who goes on a journey and usually saves the world and whatever. In Fate of the Fallen, everything goes horribly wrong at the beginning and the hero's best friend attempts to take over his responsibility to defeat the antagonist. Though I did enjoy the story, I felt like the characters were a bit immature for what their ages were supposed to be, and the plot kind of faded away. I wouldn't really recommend it. Fate of the Fallen on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks - I wasn't a fan of this book at the beginning, but the storyline picks up the pace towards the middle and certainly ends with a bang. I had a hard time deciding if I liked this book or not. I enjoyed it, but I wasn't a fan of how the story was structured. The Wife Between Us on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★

That's my October Wrap-up! How many books did you read for October? Let me know in the comments!

WWW Wednesday (10/23/19)

In this weekly meme, I will answer three questions:


What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish?

What do you think you'll read next?


This meme is held by samannelizabeth.wordpress.com. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments for others to look at. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please, take some time to visit with other participants and see what others are reading.

What are you currently reading?

In honor of Halloween, I'm reading a classic horror novel I haven't read yet — Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon. It's set in the 1970s, and it's about a man and his family who move out to a remote country town that seems nice but they soon discover it's not what they dreamed of.

What did you recently finish?

Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson - Despite its popularity, I didn't HATE this book but I wasn't a fan and didn't even finish it. I probably would have finished it but my Book of the Month came in so I decided to read that instead. Dance of Thieves on Goodreads.

The Whisper Man by Alex North - I LOVED the Whisper Man! It's very creepy and mysterious and thrilling — perfect for the Halloween season. This is easily one of my favorite books of the year. I devoured it in two days. Check out my full review here. The Whisper Man on Goodreads. My rating: ★★★★★

Fate of the Fallen by Kel Kade - The premise of Fate of the Fallen is interesting because instead of the hero saving the day, everything goes wrong at the beginning. Though I finished the book, it wasn't my cup of tea. The biggest aspect I didn't like was the immaturity of the characters. They're supposed to be in their mid-20s but they act like young teenagers. Fate of the Fallen on Goodreads. My rating: ★★

What do you think you'll read next?

The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Whisper Man

By Alex North

Published: Celadon Books, 2019

Pages: 370

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Amazon, Goodreads

Over the years I've told you many times that there's no such thing as monsters.

I'm sorry that I lied.

About the book

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son, Jake, heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town, Featherback.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, Detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window...

Review

I went into The Whisper Man wanting a spooky, thrilling mystery read, and I was not disappointed!

Told mostly through the perspective of Tom Kennedy, a writer struggling to raise his son Jake after the death of his wife, and Detective Pete Willis, whose investigating a missing child. Their stories weave together in surprising and heartfelt way that’s surprising in a creepy read such as this.

At its heart, The Whisper Man speaks volumes about forgiveness, family drama and grief. But it also has a scary, slightly paranormal feel to it.

This is a perfect read for the Halloween season!

MY RATING

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Sorcery of Thorns

by Margaret Rogerson
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2019
Pages: 464
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Amazon, Goodreads

There is always more than one way to see the world. Those who claim otherwise would have you dwell forever in the dark.

About the book

All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.

Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.

As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.

Review

Sorcery of Thorns is set in a world in which books live; they bleed, hurt and are often dangerous, especially those called grimoires which hold spells and other magical information for sorcerers. Elisabeth, a young apprentice librarian who grow up in one of the Great Libraries after be abandoned as a baby, is woken up one night by one of the grimoires breaking free - and becoming a malefict, a hideous monster grimoires transform into when they become defective. She uncovers a shocking, deadly secret that threatens the world she’s always known.

The world is what I love most about this book. I’ve always felt like books were alive to me, that they all hold stories and are just waiting for me to pick them up so they can tell me about it.

The author parallels the importance of literature with the reverence given to grimoires in Sorcery of Thorns. Librarians have dangerous jobs; they are trusted with grimoires and are often exposed to physically threatening circumstances, such as a feisty grimoire who will bite off your fingers if you get too close. I can tell the author really loves literature.

They were knowledge, given life. Wisdom, given voice. They sang when starlight streamed through the library’s windows. They felt pain and suffered heartbreak. Sometimes they were sinister, grotesque - but so was the world outside. And that made the world no less worth fighting for, because wherever there was darkness, there was also so much light.

My favorite stories are those centered around badass, independent, sassy women who don’t need no man, and this book is no exception!

Elisabeth is highly intelligent, sarcastic, brave, bold, loyal and the kind of person you want on your side when shit goes down.

Was that a thing people just did - just gave up? When there was so much in the world to love, to fight for? “I cannot,” she said fiercely. “I never will.”

I really loved Elisabeth's character, as well as Nathaniel’s and Silas’s.

RATING (out of five puppies)

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

The Turn of the Key

by Ruth Ware
Published: Scout Press, 2019
Pages: 352
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Amazon, Goodreads

After a while he just stopped sleeping. He just used to pace backwards and forwards all night long.Then he went mad. People do go mad, you know, if you stop them from sleeping for long enough…

About the book

When Rowan Caine stumbles across the ad, she's looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss -- a live-in nanny post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when she arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten -- by the luxurious "smart" home fitted out with all modern conveniences, by the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by this picture-perfect family.

What she doesn't know is that she's stepping into a nightmare -- one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.

Writing to her lawyer from prison, she struggles to explain the unraveling events that led to her incarceration. It wasn't just the constant surveillance from the cameras installed around the house, or the malfunctioning technology that woke the household with booming music or turned the lights off at the worst possible time. It wasn't just the girls, who turned out to be a far cry from the immaculately behaved model children she met at her interview. It wasn't even the way she was left alone for weeks at a time, with no adults around apart from the enigmatic handyman, Jack Grant. It was everything.

She knows she's made mistakes. She admits that she lied to obtain the post, and that her behavior toward the children wasn't always ideal. She's not innocent, by any means. But, she maintains, she's not guilty -- at least not of murder. Which means someone is.

Review

I devoured this bitch in one day. The Turn of the Key is chilling, spell-binding and crazy.

A British nanny travels to remote Scotland for an in residency job, only for things to go horribly astray in the worst way - the death of an innocent child. The novel’s strongest selling point is how it’s told in the form of a letter of the nanny, who’s facing charges of the child’s murder. Rowan tells her story in a desperate plea to convince a top-natch solicitor to defend her in court.

The story is given that much more mystery and intrigue by this story-telling technique; it makes the reader immediately drawn into the plot and questioning who killed a child and WTF is actually happening? Even once Rowan reveals her tale, the author keeps up the level of suspense and mystique. Rowan also proves herself to be a somewhat unreliable narrator - she’s prone to quick anger and readers can tell she’s hiding something, though it’s not clear what until the end of the novel. Seriously though, the twists and turns in this novel will leave you with whip lash!

It’s really interesting how The Turn of the Key is both modern yet Victorian, like an older Gothic mystery story. At times I kept forgetting that the novel is set in this century. To me, this juxtaposition shows how evil and horror can take place anywhere, even in modern times.

The Turn of the Key is a FANTASTIC read; I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a good, spooky read.

RATING (out of five puppies):