Thank you, everyone, for helping me decide what book I should read for my vacation. The list I'd put up consists of six books which I want to read badly but couldn't decide on one so I thought I'll leave it to you to help me with the decision. And here's the result:
(Top Choice)
Blurb from back cover:
It all started that night in the woods. Cass Anderson didn't stop to help the woman in the car, and now she's dead. Ever since, silent calls have been plaguing Cass and she's sure someone is watching her. Consumed by guilt, she's also starting to forget things. Whether she took her pills, what her house alarm code is, and if the knife in the kitchen really had blood on it.
(2nd Choice) Blurb from back cover:
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm in a coma
2. My husband doesn't love me anymore
3. Sometimes I lie
So I'll be reading these two books during my trip and I can't wait to devour them and share my thoughts with you when I'm done reading them. Once again, thank you for voting!
Happy reading and hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Do you love stories about lighthouse? Tiffany Reisz's The Night Mark not only has a lighthouse setting during the 1920s at a quaint beach town in South Carolina and also it was an intriguing story about a woman's destiny after she discovered the crumbling yet beautiful Bride Island lighthouse and the legend surrounding it.
In present time 2015, thirty-year-old Faye Barlow has been living her life filled with regrets and remorse after she's lost her husband, Will, to a car-jacking accident. Her remarriage was a failure since she couldn't love the man who is Will's best friend. Even four years after Will's passing, Faye still thinks of him everyday and she knew no man will ever replace him in her heart. When a job offer comes along to photograph South Carolina's storied coast, she accepts it since that is the only thing that keeps her going.
In the quaint beach town, she has her eyes set on the crumbling Bride Island lighthouse. Left deserted, she hears that there is a sad story surrounding the lighthouse; that the lighthouse keeper's daughter was drowned in 1921. Faye is drawn to this young lady named Faith Morgan, and one night of visiting the lighthouse has dragged her into the past after she is struck by a rogue wave. There, Faye encounters the lighthouse keeper who looks very much like Will. His name is Carrick Morgan and Faye feels a connection with him. Is this a sign about Will's promise to her that he'd take care of her for as long as she lives? Or is it even possible to love two men separated by time?
The Night Mark is a wonderful time travel love story that tugged at my heartstrings. While I was very much invested in Faye's story, the Bride Island lighthouse setting and the 1921 timeline are another elements which had me drawn to this story. The author has done a great job in capturing the feel of the 1920s as we see Faye trying to adjust her life as she come to live like Faith Morgan's. Like Faye, I was easily attracted to Carrick due to his gentlemanly and his upright demeanours. Most of all, I was intrigued as in how this story would end; after all what is Faye supposed to do under such complicated circumstances? This is a novel not to be missed if you love a good time travel love story.
Well have you voted for the book I've to read during my vacation next week? If you haven't already, I'd appreciate it if you could take some time and help me with the selection (click here). It's so hard to pick which book to read among the list and this is where you come in and decide for me. :-)
June is coming soon and that means school holidays and a short vacation is in order. I'll be taking a short break off of blogging next week for a short trip and I need your help in selecting a book for this purpose. I'll read the top TWO choices (just in case I finished one, well you never know, right?) based on the most votes. And as for the rest, I'll still get to them at some point. :-)
Here is the list of books to choose from (click onto each link for more info of the book):
What I love about Julie James' books is her characters, their sharp and witty dialogues and how they always make me smile at the end of the story.
Jessica Harlow and John Shepherd are both FBI agents. Once a lawyer and an Army Ranger respectively, they are both good in their works and their outstanding performance continues to shine when they are trainees at the FBI training squad at Quantico. Jessica and John have their own strength and weaknesses during those tough training sessions and whether if it is a personality clash or a streak of rivalry between them, most of the times they don't see eye to eye and their dislikes for each other finally ended after they go their separate ways after their graduation, thinking that there is little chance they would see each other again considering the different location they are working.
As fate would have it, they meet again six years later. As if that is not enough, they are to be partners for a high-profile undercover sting. It is a challenging assignment and that involves a charismatic and a well-liked Florida politician who takes bribes to solve entrepreneurs' "problems" through his connections in various aspects. It is both bad news and bad timing for Jessica and John. For Jessica, she has just divorced with her Hollywood producer husband and for John, this would be his last undercover job if he is selected for FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team. He has recently split from his cheating girlfriend and that feeling was made worse especially since the other guy is one of his good friends. With so much at stake and with Jessica's and John's complicated relationship, it is easy to think that their camaraderie would be nil but the plus side of this assignment is they get to stay at a romantic beachfront resort as part of the investigation for their role as a pair of interesting business partners who want to invest an eatery place but are met with several difficulties which obstruct their plans. And this is where they would approach the corrupt politician for his help.
While it was fun reading this enemies-turn-couple kind of story, it wasn't really the "how?" but more of the "why?" that made this story such an interesting read. I loved reading the dynamic between Jessica and John; from the beginning of their (heated/competitive) exchanges to the camaraderie they shared working with each other until something has changed alongside their assignment. And, there was another obstacle towards the end which I felt would delight all romantics after reading those last moments.
Set in the capital city of Seorabeol during the Silla Dynasty, this drama depicts the coming-of-age story of a group of youths and how they later became elite knights called "Hwarang" (also known as the Flower Knights for their pretty face).
The beginning of the story was an important setup of the plot, as we see the friendship between two peasant youths named Moo Myung (starring Park Seo Joon) and Sun Woo (starring Lee Kwang Soo). Moo Myung has no family except Sun Woo; and Sun Woo is hoping for a day that he could find his father and younger sister, Ah Ro (starring Go Ara). At that time, the young faceless King Jinheung (starring Park Hyung Sik) is a mysterious figure and the Queen fiercely protects his identity to avoid political plays and assassinations for his throne. Sun Woo is killed as a result of catching a glimpse of the King's face unknowingly after he heard his title being called out by his General. Moo Myung vows for vengeance and take up Sun Woo's identity after he has found Sun Woo's family. Ah Ro, on the other hand, is elated that her elder brother is back but she has that queasy feeling about him as there are times she feels her heart flutters.
What follows after is the Queen commands a knights group be formed for the future Silla. A few youths from the noble families joined the group due to their 'True Bone' bloodline while some are 'half breed'. Sun Woo became one of the Hwarangs due to some complicated connections while the hidden young King joined under a fake name, Kim Ji Dwi, for other reasons - a means to be a stronger person in terms of everything as well as getting closer to Ah Ro after he has fallen for her at first sight.
The rest of the story follows the trainings of the Hwarangs, the conspiracies within the Royal Court as well as the love triangle involving "Sun Woo", Ah Ro and King Jinheung. And of course, the bonds within the Hwarangs is another highlight as we see their relationship changes from enemies to being camaraderie (the 'True Bone' and 'half breed' don't get along due to their status differences). I had an enjoyable time watching Hwarang for many reasons: a well-crafted plot with a cast of wonderful characters, the portrayal of courageousness, humanity and wisdom in "Sun Woo" (especially for his love for Ah Ro), the bromance between "Sun Woo" and King Jinheung and finally, how each Hwarang has become a changed person after all the consequential events happened in Silla. Being a fangirl I couldn't help buying a copy of the drama photobook as keepsake (never mind if it is in Korean as long as there are pictorials, right? And it also includes the main characters' picture cards, yay!)
Where shall I even begin? This third installment of A Court of Thorns and Roses series evoked so much emotions in me and as much as this book wrapped up Feyre's story, I wasn't ready for it to end (However, Sarah J. Maas stated that there would be more tales of Prythian in 2018. Yes, that makes me a very happy fangirl.) Now this book is a hard one to review; not only to avoid spoilers but also there are so many things happening and most of all, it was about war and vengeance and we all know how dark and nasty they are. So many lives are at stake and at times sacrifices are to be made under such circumstances. And of course, we also see Feyre, High Lady of the Night Court, what she would do to save Prythian and all from the King of Hybern's invasions. This is an epic finale about deceits and conspiracies, about power and courage and finally, about love, hope and giving. And my dear reader, this is as far as I could say. I thank the author for giving us such a cast of wonderful (unforgettable) characters and that intense, emotional roller coaster ride throughout the reading journey. Related links: A Court of Thorns and Roses (#1) A Court of Mist and Fury (#2) (This series are not suitable for younger readers as they contain mature content.)
Based on the Japanese manga Kanojo wa Uso o Aishisugiteru by Kotomi Aoki, this drama tells a love story between a genius music composer and a high school songbird and their music/love journey filled with obstacles and how they overcome everything ultimately.
Kang Han-gyeol (starring Lee Hyun-woo) is originally a bass player of "Crude Play" but he left the boy band group before they made their debut and instead works behind the scene as their music producer under an anonymous identity "K". Han-gyeol is actually a private, sorrowful person who has not much interest in anything else except music. His devotion in music causes his neglect and a breakup from his girlfriend, who is a popular singer from the same company. High school student, Yoon So-rim, (starring Joy) has a beautiful voice and her passion for singing has earned her some reputation in school. Together with two male classmates, they would sometimes sing and perform for the class, much to the dismay of their teacher. So-rim then met Han-gyeol during a chance encounter, and the former was mesmerised by his music when he asked for her phone on a whim to record the song he'd just composed. So-rim fell in love with him at first sight and decided to find him. She finally found him during a singing competition but she was too nervous to sing although she did hum a few lyrics of his song to capture his attention. Initially Han-gyeol isn't really interested in her due to her age and the fact that they were somewhat "strangers". However, So-rim's optimism, determination and her passion for music won him over in the end.
So-rim finally got into the music industry thanks to her beautiful voice, and together with her two friends they formed a group called "Mush & Co.". However, the entertainment industry is not only a place for talents but popularity and earnings count too so all the artistes' personal life, flaws, gossips and weaknesses have to be covered up. Here we get to see the inside-out of the entertainment industry and how the artistes have to hold onto that pristine image and finally, what some would do to stand on their own and fight for their rights if that means abandoning their reputation and all. The Liar and His Lover doesn't really have a dramatic plot which would get you antsy and there are even times which I felt the pace was somewhat slow, but it was an inspiring story about following one's heart without fear and pressures. And as for the romance between Han-gyeol and So-rim, I could only have one word to describe it - sweet. So did I enjoy the drama? Yes and though it didn't have that intensity of a melodrama, the beauty of this drama lies with that simplicity feel and the purity of love.
"... Man becomes wiser and more mature through life experience. The same can be said of tea." ~ Pg 173
I knew I wouldn't pass up a book with that title; and all the more knowing that it is a work by acclaimed author Lisa See. In this story, Lisa takes readers on a journey to a remote village at Nannuo mountain in Yunnan and the introduction of the Akha people (Akha is one of the few ethnic minorities in China). Filled with rich culture and traditions of the Akha, this story also includes some snippets about tea farming/picking and this little information delights the tea lover in me.
The book opens with our young Li-yan sharing her dreams with her family. Being the only girl and the youngest in the family, she often receives the least attention but that doesn't mean she couldn't dream of the world outside Spring Well village, where her home is. Teacher Zhang, one of the Han majority people who is exiled from the city capital to live in their remote village after a revolution sees the potential in Li-yan and offers to teach her more of what they are learning and although Li-yan's parents forbid it in the beginning, they give in with the thoughts that she would represent the village and be the leader amongst the women in the near future. And then comes a day when a stranger steps into their village in seek of a special tea that would change not only Li-yan's views in general but her life, too.
As the story progresses, we also see a grown up version of Li-yan; this is the part where she has lost her loved one and her baby daughter through many heartbreaks and sufferings. This is another scene which made me ache for her loss, apart from another concerning the babies and the Akha tradition but I'm not going to go into that; it was all too heartbreaking. What Li-yan had gone through also played a part in her to venture a journey out of her home into the big modern world, hoping to find her birth daughter due to an unforeseeable situation and to earn some money of her own. It is also at this point when she finds love again when she least expected it.
Filled with Akha culture and with a setting from Yunnan to Kunming and Guangzhou, Lisa See has spun a bittersweet and an unforgettable story about the relationship between mothers and daughters, the agriculture of tea (in particularly pu'er tea) and the art of tea drinking as well as loss and finding hope, and last but not least, finding one's roots. I found myself invested in the characters Lisa created through her beautiful writing style and the sensitiveness of some issues which either made me think or feel. There are so much more I wanted to say about this book and I guess my 5-star rating is suffice to say how much I loved this book.
Daniel Cole started off his debut thriller with a bang featuring one of the most horrific/gruesome murder crimes I'd read to-date - a body with the dismembered parts of six victims stitched together, thus earning the nickname "Ragdoll" by the media. Assigned to this case are DS William "Wolf" Fawkes and DS Emily Baxter; both of them with the Metropolitan Police with Wolf leading the investigation. Wolf had a history about abusing a defendant on trial after the sentence. Naguib Khalid, dubbed "The Cremation Killer" had set twenty seven young female prostitutes ablaze after they were heavily sedated in twenty-seven days and though Wolf made his arrest, contradicting surveillance reports and conflicting forensic evidence rendered Khalid a not-guilty sentence which made Wolf lost his cool. Wolf doesn't really care about protocols and as long as he knows he is right about the suspect, he would do anything to bring him down. Four years later after losing his marriage and that he was vindicated from that infamous trial incident, he's back into his position with a bigger and sensational "Ragdoll" case waiting for him. But this is not all, Wolf's ex-wife, who is a TV journalist, received a list of six names (with Wolf being the last on the list) and the dates which the killer may strike next and this sent the whole media and nation into an uproar. With the clock ticking away and the pressure from all directions, the Metropolitan Police has to race against time with the killer to ensure that no more lives are being lost to the sadistic killer who seems to be a few steps ahead of them. Ragdoll was a fast-paced thriller filled with intensity and actions with a dose of dark satire. Wolf made an intriguing, flawed character right from the start. His partnering with DS Emily Baxter filled the pages with their love/hate opinions of each other as well as their investigations. They are not romantically linked, yet Wolf's ex-wife assumed they are, which was one reason that shattered their marriage aside from their different life and perspectives. While I enjoyed the developed characters in Wolf and Emily, surprisingly it was Emily's trainee, Edmunds, whom I found the most interesting among all. He is smart and meticulous in his own way, and his devotion to the investigation definitely worth an appreciation from all but I felt his role was a bit underrated. While this was more of a police procedural and I liked it that readers are offered more than a glimpse of how the media has much influence when controversial matters are concerned, I felt it'd have been better if it includes the killer's perspective and how his mind works. Then again, it may be the author's intention of portraying him as a dire and mysterious figure. Wolf and Emily are set to return in a sequel in 2018 and I've high expectations considering it's clichéd bigger, darker, more shocking but at the same time it's funnier, more poignant and more personal (these are from the author's words.)
When Bella returned to The Old Vicarage (an English countryside where her childhood home is) to attend her mother's funeral, she didn't expect she would receive a more shocking news than her mother's passing. She learned from her father that she was in fact a stolen child; her life with the Campbells was all a lie although her "parents" treated her well. Henry Campbell took his own life the following day after Elaine's funeral and this left Bella with more questions although he eventually left her a letter to tell her who her real parents are and the old address they are residing. Bella has always thought Elaine's behaviours to be a bit strange given her temperamental moods but she hasn't expected they were linked to her, while Henry was the one who's always appear distant which Bella later came to realise it was partly because he was guilt-ridden. Bella knew she has to find out more about her real self and her true family, so she set on her journey to Cornwall to find the Tremaynes family; part of this info which Henry had left her with. It wasn't easy in the beginning, after all Bella's husband could be quite controlling when her welfare was concerned. His controlling behaviour irked Bella and left her suffocated at times, and all along she's been getting used to David's fussiness but this time around she was adamant that she would leave without David to go searching for the truth. What follows thereafter is Bella (or Morveren, her real name) has finally found her old home but things aren't as what she has expected. For starters, her mother is ill and couldn't get anywhere without a carer. She doesn't speak and it seems like her mind has shut down after losing her daughter. Dawn, who is Bella's elder sister, took over all the responsibilities since their alcoholic father left them after their mother's deteriorating state. But there's something more to Bella's abduction, and it was a shocking revelation although it didn't gravitate towards the conventional thriller scenes as I'd expected but it led to another direction which had me stumped in a good way. Although In Her Wake wasn't a fast-paced and an intense read like a thriller, what I liked is this story was haunting and it was beautifully written. It was also an emotionally charged story about two broken families as well as the bonding between sisters and despite all the loss and grief, there is still hope towards the end.
This 2014 South Korean film on con artists and deceptions was a fun, entertaining watch.
When it comes to cracking open safe and counterfeiting, no one beats Ji-Hyeok (starring Kim Woo-Bin). With Koo-In (starring Ko Chang-Seok) as his sidekick (he is more into the mechanical works), they have worked on countless "projects" without fail. Koo-In then introduces elite hacker, Jong-Bae (starring Lee Hyun-Woo) to Ji-Hyeok so as the trio could work with each of their expertise to steal some very valuable jewellery at a high-end jewellery store. That store's owner is none other than Director Jo (starring Kim Young-Chul), and he has plans for the trio.
Director Jo has been eyeing the stacks of million dollars which are stored in the highly secured Korean customs in Incheon. He believes that all would be benefited from the fraud once they have their hands on the money; after all the trio wouldn't know of this information without him, isn't it? The trio then work on a plan on how to get past the security and how to get the money out safely without alarming the custom staff with their fully equipped high technology gadgets.
But of course there is always a fault when it comes to high risk jobs; and all the more when trust and greed become an issue and this is where the plot starts to thicken and intensify.
As I mentioned before, this film was an entertaining watch. Kim Woo-Bin played a charismatic thief with brains and Lee Hyun-Woo was a cute hacker to boot. I didn't want to say more about the story to avoid spoilers but suffice it to say I enjoyed it.
14th November, 1980. Annie Doyle is murdered while she is out discussing a deal with Andew Fitzsimons, a High Court judge who would do anything to please his wife, Lydia. Annie's body is quickly buried in their garden, after all nowhere else is safer than your own property, isn't it? Avalon is their luxurious house and no one has access without their permission, especially when the Fitzsimons' reputation is concerned. Avalon is an old estate which has passed on by Lydia's father and her grandfather, and Lydia would hang onto it fiercely no matter whatever the circumstances is. Little does they know that their only teenage son, Laurence, got home early on that fateful night and has questions about their lies. Karen Doyle isn't convinced that her sister, Annie is dead and is adamant of finding her on her own. The investigations have long been ceased after there wasn't any lead on the case and with Annie's notorious behaviour of a wild loose girl, everyone believes she might have flee her Dublin home and move in some other places with a new identity. Karen thinks otherwise; she knew her sister plus there isn't anything missing from her rented place. The years go by and some circumstances led Laurence and Karen befriended each other. And what happened in the past would begin to unravel slowly and by then the wheels of motion has been set and it is not stopping until another tragedy strikes. Told from three persons' POV, Lying in Wait was an absorbing read about an unplanned murder go haywire. While this story doesn't have a cast of unreliable narrators, many of them are not particularly likeable. This whydunit kind of suspense has a strong sense of foreboding and intrigue that made this an unputdownable book. As the story progresses, readers will get to know more about these three narrators and their history, and what they would do to protect the person they loved. The ending would absolutely chill you and set you thinking at the same time.
The Chalk Pit is the ninth installment of Elly Griffiths' Dr Ruth Galloway mystery and though I jumped into this book without any idea of the characterisations or the writing style, I found myself enjoying this book featuring the main protagonist and DCI Harry Nelson working together during their investigations. When some human bones are found buried beneath the grounds of an old chalk-mining tunnel in Norwich during an excavation for a new development project, Ruth thinks they are probably medieval although she is skeptical about their translucence appearance; a sign that they were boiled soon after death. On the other end, DCI Nelson and his team are following up on a case of a missing homeless woman named Barbara after a few fellow homeless people reported not seeing her for weeks. There are some rumours about underground societies, ritual activities and even cannibalism but Ruth remains objective. Then two homeless people were found murdered and two more women were reported missing that make Ruth and the police think that there are something more than meet the eye surrounding the underground tunnels and they may have to dig deeper to unravel the mystery. Despite my limited knowledge of the cast of characters, I found myself absorbed in this book quickly and it didn't take me too much time to get to know more about the characters and I loved it that way considering I was new to this series and on top of it I read it out of order. Ruth and Nelson are two very engaging characters with their past history and their complicated relationship (Nelson has two grown up children with his wife and another younger daughter with Ruth. Nelson stay married to his wife and his relationship with Ruth is considered more like friends. However, something happened along the way which I think might alter these characters' perspective and I'm very curious to see where this would take them in the future books.) Another thing worth mentioning is the insight of the homeless people while reading this book. The author has covered several aspects about their circumstances and experiences which I couldn't help but to feel for them and while some were poor and not highly educated, a few had actually led a normal life until some situations pushed them off the edge. All in all this was an intriguing read. Most of all, the dynamic between Ruth and Nelson kept me engaged throughout the book. I'll be sure to check out the other books of this series.
Grand Central Publishing | February 2015 | 352 pgs
Source: Library
This first novel by Sandra Block is a story about Freudian nightmare and the dark side of memories, family and the strain and bond that connect us all, as well as the discovery of one's own empathy.
Dr. Zoe Goldman is a resident in training in a psychiatric ward in Buffalo, New York. Aside from tending to troubled patients, she is intrigued by a new patient who murdered her mother. While Sofia's case is disturbing, Zoe on the other end has her own baggage; she was adopted and she wants to know why and how her biological mother passed, especially she has been plagued by nightmares of a fire during her childhood. To complicate matters, her adoptive mother loses her memory to dementia and she has to rely on her own to search for the answers.
Of course we all know that the truth might not be pleasant and what we know might hurt us; so ultimately Zoe would find out the truth surrounding her past and well, what a surprise it was.
I read Little Black Lies with no idea where this story would take me so I enjoyed that moment of having the story unveiling itself to me. Zoe was an interesting character with some emotional baggage. Overall, the story was intriguing but I thought there's still room for improvement concerning the characters' development. That being said, Little Black Lies was an intriguing read and I am curious where the author would take us in her next Zoe Goldman series, The Girl Without a Name.
The Poison Artist was an extraordinary mystery I read among many others; one which totally engaged me from the beginning till the end with the writer's prose right up to how this story was skilfully crafted and told. Dr. Caleb Maddox is a toxicologist and he is also studying the chemical effects of pain. One evening after a fallout with his artist girlfriend, he goes to a bar and encounter a mysterious woman. Bewitched by her quiet and seductive demeanour over a glass of absinthe, he knew he has to find her by every means. During his search, there were a few missing men who turned up dead and the post-mortems are inconclusive. Henry, who is Caleb's old friend and a medical examiner, has secretly sought Caleb's insight on the chemical evidence left on the victims' bodies. It turned out that one of the victims was at the same bar the night Caleb frequented; the night which he encountered the mysterious woman. What follows subsequently was a series of searching and finding answers both from Inspector Kennon as well as Caleb. And as the story progresses, Caleb's search for the killer as well as the mysterious woman entwine and the closer he gets to them he finds himself more confused and putting him in an unfavourable position. The Poison Artist was a lethally gripping thriller which entranced this reader from its first page till the last. The author's writing was precise and well-written; I found the scenes between Caleb and the mysterious woman to be the most engaging and all the time I was both fascinated and wary of her. Caleb, on the other hand, was obsessed by her despite he knew very little of this woman and that too often her appearance in places are deemed to be questionable. Most of all, I liked it that this story threw me off with its surprises, though I think the outcome may not appease to all readers. Still, I would recommend this to readers who love a good mystery.
I loved this K-drama. With elements such as a power supergirl with a few buttkicking moves, thrown in some complicated love issues and a super evil psychopath and you will have Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. I will skip the plot since the above about sums up the overall picture of this fantasy romcom. What this drama captivated me is the fantastical portrayal of Do Bong Soon (starring Park Bo-Young) and her outlook on family, friends and life in general. Generally speaking, she is a simple-minded girl with a big heart and a bigger righteousness mind who would risk dangers to protect anyone who's in need of assistance (be it a simple lift of a heavy bulky item or a life-threatening situation.) Her love life, however, is a bit more complicated, though. She has been friends with rookie detective In Gook-du (Starring Ji-Soo) since they were teenagers and she's always carry a torch for him since then but that feelings is always one-sided until later, which I felt was way too late since by then she was attracted by Ahn Min-hyuk (starring Park Hyung-sik), a young CEO of a video gaming company. She and Min-Hyuk has a history way before they knew each other; and I loved to see how their feelings for each other develop from a boss-subordinate relationship to being a more-than-friends relationship. Their sense of togetherness most often brought a smile to my face be they flirting or clashing with each other's ideas.
Then, there is the case of the psychopath who abducts young women to be his "brides". This thrilling plot captivated the crime thriller reader in me and it was interesting to see how this suspense involved Bong Soon and Min-Hyuk ultimately. That being said, this drama gravitate more towards the romantic aspect and I loved it all the same. And oh, that ending! *grins*
City of the Lost is Kelley Armstrong's first book of her Casey Duncan series and I was excited to read it as it features a tough, flawed female detective and a setting of the isolated Yukon wilderness. The story opens with an intriguing scene of Casey visiting her new therapist. Twelve years ago, Casey had killed a man. While an incident had left Casey both emotionally and physically scarred, she knew that man didn't deserve death despite what he had done. She then moved on and became a homicide detective and she knew someday the crime she had committed will catch up on her. On the other end, Diana, who is Casey's best friend, faces a problem involving her ex-husband who is stalking and abusing her. Diana knew there is a town where they would be safe; Rockton has only about 200+ population and it is meant for people who want to shed their old lives, just like them. They managed to get into Rockton after going through some procedures. While Diana has a valid reason of escaping from her ex-husband, Casey gained her entrance into Rockton as the new detective in town. Sheriff Eric Dalton is wary of Casey as a newbie but Rockton needs her expertise considering they have their very first murder case. Rockton may deem as a sanctuary for those who want to escape their old life, but are all the residents they claimed as who they are? Or was the horrific murder done by the hostiles; those who lost something when they left Rockton had began to lose their humanity and revert to something animalistic? City of the Lost is a great first book of a new series with an interesting cast of characters and the atmospheric Rockton made this book stand out from the rest. The plot and the suspense captivated me, but it was the characters who held my interest throughout the story. Casey Duncan is a woman who has a flawed past and one who doesn't shy away from the imperfections in life or in people. Her willingness to get involved with an ex-con who had come clean in the initial stage of the story tells a lot about her personality and her way of viewing things in general, never mind if they have a future or not. Her interactions with Sheriff Eric Dalton came off as a slow start and with doubts so it was interesting to see their attitudes towards each other changed as the story progresses. All in all this was an intriguing story and I look forward to reading her next installment, A Darkness Absolute.
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group | April 2017 | 304 pgs
Source: Edelweiss via Publisher (Advance Reading Copy)
Ashford, Vermont, 1975. There was once a Sandeskis family living in a sleepy town where they resided among abandoned mills and factories. Burntown, as they called this town, was their home and the Sandeskis were a happily family. Miles was a respected professor and during his free time, he would make mechanical animals and talking dolls for his young daughter, Eva. But his greatest invention was a plan which was passed on by Miles's father; a machine which would allow the living to communicate with the dead. Then came the Great Flood which Eva believed that was what killed her father and her brother, Errol. Eva and her mother, Lily, left their place and lived off the grid in a campsite on the river's edge with three mystical women who called themselves "fire eaters". These women knew how to breathe and eat fires through a herb they called "devil's snuff" and it also allowed them to see the future through their vision. Eva, now known as "Necco" on the street, has been hiding away her life ever since her mother passed. According to Lily, her father was murdered by someone called "Snake Eyes" (or the Chicken Man) who wanted her father's invention. But Eva never believed what she was told and thought her mother was under depression and grief, until her mysterious death and Eva's boyfriend being murdered signified that there is indeed someone out there who is looking for her and wants her father's plan. Along the way, Eva befriended two people; Theo, a high school senior who is scrambling to find her lost bag containing some drugs and money she owes a drugs dealer and Pru, a woman who works as a cafeteria lady at a Catholic School and runs errands for a circus as her other secret life. Pru knew Theo because she has been relying on her for her "vitamins" for some time but she hasn't heard from Theo for awhile and she needs her stuff to get her going. As the lives of these three different women intersect, they knew they have to rely on one another to get their life in order and most of all, to escape from "Snake Eyes" who has begun to close in on them. Jennifer McMahon's stories never fail to surprise me; each of them is different and I knew I can always count on her for a good escapism read. Be it supernatural, fantasy or thriller, she has a knack for capturing your attention through the various worlds she created and soon you will find yourself engaged in her characterisations and premises, never mind if the subjects might seem bizarre or not. That is how Jennifer McMahon's books are and I like the different style and topics she imply in them. While I was fascinated by Burntown and the imagination of a great machine which could allow the living to communicate with the dead (it sounds creepy!), it was these notion - "one's hope to dream and dare to make them true" and "girl power" which spoke volumes to me. Eva, Theo and Pru have their flaws and I liked how they overcome their issues and daring to dream under difficult circumstances and of course, through the support of their friendship. Pru might be a secondary character but surprisingly, she was my favourite character among all. I liked that she finds her courage and dreams despite she thinks she is fat and worthless; and what she did in the end brought a smile to my face. Burntown may not be my favourite McMahon book but it was quite an inspiring read in my opinion.
Rattle is a book which is neither easy to read nor write after turning that last page. It was hard to articulate my thoughts and put them into words as aside from the horror of the crimes, it also features a medical condition of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (Stone Man Syndrome); a rare debilitating disease that causes sufferers to grow a second skeleton which literally traps them in a prison of bone (this definition was extracted from the author's note. For more info please click above link.) And on top of it all was a terrifying serial killer, named the Bone Collector, is a psychopath who leads two lives - an ordinary man who's like anyone else and a caretaker of his family's macabre museum in another. Aside from abducting little children who seem to have some skeletal deformities, his other modus operandi is leaving rabbit skeletons around either as a clue or as a taunt, nobody knows but Detective Sergeant Etta Fitzroy is adamant to trace him down and to see that the children are returned safely back to their parents. But that is not all, two sets of parents (with their children missing) face some marital problems; most of which is one parent is not attentive enough to their family and even DS Etta Fitzroy doesn't escape from her own woes - a stillborn baby and an older broker husband who doesn't really want children. However, Fitzroy's characteristic shine in her devotion to her work amid her personal life. As for our antagonist the Bone Collector, he remains as a shadow and readers know very little of him until the last quarter of the book; and by then the intensity was full-blown and readers would be caught up by the cat-and-mouse race. Overall, Rattle was quite an unsettling read with a creepy psychopath and his evil deeds and while it was a thrilling read to me, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending. Perhaps there is a sequel to it? I hope so.
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