Tag: review

Book Review, Uncategorized

The Lying Game

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware, £7.99,  Amazon

The Lying Game begins with a text message, I need you. From this moment onwards the reader is propelled into Isa’s life and lies that entwine within. As the lies in The Lying Game  unfold, the truth about Isa’s friendships and relationships surface. With everyone playing the lying game, who should she trust?

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Best selling author Ruth Ware, also known for her novels In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10, has yet again met the high expectations of her readers. Although I prefer In a Dark. Dark Wood (and that’s not just because I’m a northerner), The Lying Game demonstrates an element of childlike games that we can all relate to, to some extent. It is when Ruth Ware stretches and twists these concepts, that makes her novels so appealing to the 20s + market.

If you have read any of Ruth Ware’s other novels then you will enjoy The Lying Game as her style is clearly cemented in every page. If you enjoy novels such as Gone Girl, then this could be the book for you. The Lying Game is not as intense but that shouldn’t be seen as a negative.

I would suggest this novel to anyone who wants to read a thriller with elements of light heartedness. Not every thriller needs to be intense on every page and it’s for this reason that I would recommend The Lying Game as a good holiday read.

Book Review, Uncategorized

The Death of Her

The Death of Her by Debbie Howells, Macmillan.

The Death of Her brings along its readers to a crime scene where a woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. Only, the woman never died and she’s making a recovery. With the woman’s lack of memory and disjointed timelines in her thoughts, it soon becomes clear for the reader that this case isn’t as straightforward as it should be. The case is left in the hands of DI Abbie Rose and Jack Bentley to figure out who committed the attack and whether it could be linked to additional cases.

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Debbie Howells’ The Death of Her is structured through four perspectives: Charlotte, Evie, Jack and Casey. With reading about both the past and present, the readers gain insight not only to the flaws of each character, but also gains further insight to both the victim and the police force through Evie and Jack. Characterisation is at the heart of this novel, along with its uncomfortable twists and turns. The Death of Her provides so much unpredictability it can sometimes feel like walking through fog. Only towards the end of the novel can you see it getting lighter and the answer becoming clearer. The unpredictability can latch onto the reader and can even make them question what they believe to be true.

Debbie Howells, author of The Bones of You, seems to have used her now country lifestyle as inspiration for the setting of The Death of Her. Her latest psychological thriller is set in Cornwall but is described as a peaceful and safe county, surrounded by Maize fields and crashing tides. The juxtaposition of safety and danger in a quiet, peaceful setting makes the perfect place for mystery, murder and menace.

Available to purchase from Thursday 24th August or pre-order The Death of Her here.

Book Review

In a Dark Dark Wood

In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware, Paperback, Vintage, 338 pages, £7.99

Ruth Ware’s In a Dark Dark Wood could be described as a gripping thriller that feels just light enough to pop in your hand luggage as a holiday read. Ware’s thriller is set in a rural Northumberland in the middle of a forest.  Picturesque it may seem but as night approaches, darkness is clearly lurking between both forest and friends. Nora receives an invitation for her friend, Clare’s, Hen party – only she hasn’t seen her in ten years. Although spending a weekend with an old friend could sound like bliss, with something going very wrong, Nora soon learns that she has to confront why she left so long ago.

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Ruth Ware is also known for The Woman in Cabin 10 and her latest novel The Lying game. Ruth used to be a teacher of English and a press officer. Having lived in Paris and London, this novel takes us away from the city life and into rural Northumberland. As her debut thriller it is to no wonder as to why her other novels just keep giving. After reading In a Dark Dark Wood I can only imagine that her other novels will be just as gripping and just as clever as her debut – if not better.

Whilst reading In a Dark Dark Wood, her style seemed to resemble Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. The novel follows Nora’s story all the way up to a pivotal point in the novel, whilst showing the aftermath through every other chapter. This reminded me of the way Flynn would bounce between charaters within her novel. Although Ware’s novel jumps to the past and present it is done in a way that feels necessary to the exposure of the plot.

For anyone wanting to have a look at the first few pages, you can through either amazon.co.uk or Waterstones.

Happy reading!

Book Review, Uncategorized

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

Sceptre Books, £7.99, 613 pages, paperback, 2014.

The Bone Clocks could be described as one of the most unique and original books I have read to date. The Bone Clocks takes its readers on a lifelong journey to show the ups and downs that life can offer. Mitchell’s novel changes perspective a few times to demonstrate how one person can impact so many other lives. Given the change of perspectives, it is evident at how much thought has gone into the creation of The Bone Clocks, as although the perspective may change, the main character does not.

Throughout the novel an undercurrent theme of science fiction can be seen through the main character’s, Holly Sykes’, potential of psychic ability. However this is no fortune telling, carrot reading or crystal ball kind of psychic. In fact this concept is brought up and discussed within the novel; providing its readers with answers throughout the Sykes’ journey.

At first I did find this book a bit difficult to read, purely because there are no chapters. Only sections and brief spaces between paragraphs give an indication as to where a good place to stop reading may occur. Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. As a reader I feel as if I have travelled through Sykes’ journey with her and have gotten to know her intricately. The understanding I now have of Holly is the equivalent to the understanding of a main character from a trilogy book-set.

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If you want to be whisked away by a character’s journey, then be prepared to be whisked away by The Bone Clocks.