REVIEW || The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

***This review may contain spoilers.***

SYNOPSIS

The Silkworm is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling), and picks up a few months after the end of the Lula Landry case in the first book.

When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.

But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poisonous pen-portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were published it would ruin lives - so there are a lot of people who might want to silence him.

And when Quine is found brutally murdered in bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer, a killer unlike any he has encountered before...

When we begin the novel, we learn that Strike's business is booming. Rich clients are seeking his help left, right and centre, and if they're willing to pay... well, Strike's the man for them! But when Quine's wife approaches him, you just know this case is going to be something different.

As Strike finds himself getting more and more invested in the investigation into Quine's disappearance, we find ourselves wrapped up in the literary goings-on of London, where everyone Strike comes across has something to say about Quine and his work - very few, if at all, good. This obviously makes the mystery behind his disappearance all the more interesting, and the list of suspects seems long at times.

However, when Strike gets wind of the new manuscript Quine had sent to his publisher - Bombyx Mori - the pieces start slowly but surely fitting together, making it perhaps the most intriguing case Strike has ever encountered.

MY OPINIONS

I adored this book. Taking it away on holiday (I had done this with The Cuckoo's Calling too) meant I knew I had the time to invest my time and attention to the book moreso than I would have done at home. 

Like I've mentioned once or twice before, I adore JK Rowlings works. Granted, I haven't read The Casual Vacancy, but it is certainly on my to-read list. So there was no doubt in my mind that I would have any ill-feelings towards this book. Whilst some may say I am perhaps heading into the book and plot-line with horse blinkers on, oblivious to those disliking her work - I'd say they may have a point, but having a high expectation of Rowling's work makes me appreciate it just a little bit more. 

The character developments between the previous book and this one seemed well thought out, almost like the author had lived their lives for them, documenting as she went. She definitely has a way with words that will captivate you, regardless of what you read. And considering what she writes in this novel, particularly the murder scene itself, is some-what gory compared to her HP days, I'd say she has her fine writing skills down to a T. 

I think the book reflects a number of issues the current literary world holds - particularly regarding the publishing side of things. You see involvement from literary critics, friends and publishers - both major and individual - just to name but a few bodies of the literary world. Highlighting the different roles involved in writing and publishing a book, is something I think needs to be done more in the book realms I believe. It certainly helps you understand and appreciate the thoughts, time and effort put into the books published and read. 

MY RATING

Overall, I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. For me, it was almost perfect, but sometimes perfection is something that is always just out of reach. This doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the book - because that is definitely not the case - it just means I can go into the third book knowing what I want. 

And what is it I want? Well, I want a proper spark between Cormoran and Robin. They'd make the greatest couple as well as work team. 

Have you read this book? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

REVIEW || Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

*** please note, this review may contain spoilers***

BOOK THOUGHTS: STEALING SNOW

First of all, many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and also to Netgalley, for approving my request also!

I'm just going to put this out there, I've never read a Danielle Paige book prior to this one. As an avid reader and someone who seemingly adores fairytale re-tellings, you would think I'd have read some of her works by now. But, there's a first time for everything, and the plot line of this novel just drew me in.

"Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all." (taken from Goodreads)

***

When Bloomsbury posted a tweet about this book, saying they had spare ARC's available, I never thought I'd actually get a copy. An ebook, maybe, as I tend to get things approved from NetGalley now and again, but never a physical copy. The fact that I got the physical copy was enough to keep me invested in the book, even just if it was to provide a review for those of you who read my blog.

***

MY OPINION:

This book was well thought out, even if the concept was a little bit typical in some places, and all over the place in others. There were a whole array of characters who just seemed to be there, not doing much. That being said, I was still captivated throughout the book. 

Whilst I was heading into this book expecting a Snow White retelling, it turned out it is actually a re-telling of The Snow Queen.  Now, I'm unfamiliar with this fairy tale, so each twist and turn in the book was unexpected, as I had no true idea of what the initial fairy tale entailed. However, I do think this worked in my favour, as whilst others may have had expectations regarding familiarity, I lacked them. 

One of the issues I struggled with, is that whilst Snow had a lot going on in her life, such as finding out who she really is, whilst trying to find childhood friend Bale in an alternative universe, there is also a love triangle. What is it with pretty much every YA novel having a love triangle? This wasn't exactly needed, considering Snow's feelings were made pretty clear as of page one. 

Overall, I believe the initial idea had a LOT of promise, most of which was not met.  As this is actually the first in a series - possibly a trilogy, I'm unsure - this makes sense, as it allows things to develop and flow a little better in further books.

***

MY RATING: 

TWO AND A HALF STARS

Have any of you read this book? If so, what are your thoughts? Or do you have any recommendations based off my review? Let me know in the comments below!

REVIEW || Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout

OH MY GOD THIS BOOK.

First of all, thanks so much to Vanessa for giving me this book - I owe you one! Links to her YouTube channel are here, and her blog too!

For those of you who don't know - Don't Look Back is one of those books that gets you so sucked in, so so very quickly, and you can't help but want to know EVERYTHING ten minutes before the main character.

In this book, we follow Samantha, who, at the beginning of the book, is found stumbling out of a forest, a little worse for wear - okay, a lot worse for wear. She's battered and bruised, and has no recollection of what happened. She's gone from someone with the 'perfect life', to somehow having no clue who she is. And things only get worse when she's told her best friend Cassie went missing wit her - and still hasn't been found.

***

I loved this. It's my first ever Jennifer L Armentrout book and oh my goodness. Why haven't I picked her books up before now? This book is one of those un-put-down-able types, I read it over the space of 24 hours - less than that actually! I was so invested in the characters, and felt emotions for each and every single one of them. One moment I was happy, another I was sad, mostly, I was as confused as our lead character Samantha, I mean, who wouldn't be?

***SPOILERS***

One of the things I really didn't like, or rather, was frustrated by, was the lack of important flashbacks. I understand why we, as readers, didn't get those flashbacks, but still, I would have appreciated them more rather than just that final one. Whilst the doctors had said her memory may come back in bits and pieces, I didn't really need to see the drama flashbacks between Del, Samantha and Cassie, when they were a given, particularly with Samantha being such a smart lead character. However, that being said, I absolutely loved the flashback involving Scott, Carson and Samantha. We'd heard of this story prior to the flashback, so it was so heartwarming to see that that memory hadn't been tainted by present day lies.

Can we also just stop and take a moment to appreciate Carson please? Perfect book boyfriend right there.

***SPOILERS END***

Overall, for my first JLA read, it is definitely worth a solid 4 stars, if not somewhere between the 4th and 5th star. This is because the main character was so relateable, we felt everything they felt, went through everything they went through, and I definitely came away from the book feeling like I had a friend in Samantha. Not to mention it made me take a step back and think about my life and how I could make changes to make me a better person.

All in all, a fantastic read, and I highly highly recommend it!!

REVIEW || Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

***this book was received as an eArc in exchange for an honest review***

You want honest?

I've never read Cecelia Ahern.

Now, I'm well aware of just how popular her works are and how successful a writer she actually is. So when I heard she was venturing out of her usual writing realm and diving into YA, I thought 'good for her'. Well, you can only imagine my surprise at seeing her new novel available on the eArc site I use. I snapped that bad boy up.

So what is Flawed about exactly? Well, we follow Celestine, our main female character who is 17 years old. Lives with her parents and siblings, straight A student with an amazing boyfriend. One problem. There's this thing called the Guild. The Guild are there to protect the community, by preventing corruption and dishonesty in leaders BEFORE it has a chance to happen. How? They monitor your every move. If you do something morally or ethically wrong through any of your actions, you get punished, and are seen as flawed. The punishment is simple. You are branded - with a hot iron just like cows no less- in one of five places, depending on your sentencing. Those places each have a different meaning, and being flawed and branded restricts your freedoms and corrupts your quality of life. So what exactly does this have to do with Celestine, our seemingly perfect female lead? Well, she's faced with a rather tough decision, and whatever path she follows for that decision has grave consequences...

This book is phenomenal for a first time venture into YA fiction from an author outside the field. Throughout my goodreads updates, I found myself going through the motions with Celestine. When she was scared, I was scared for her. When she was worried, I was too. And so on. One thing I didn't like however, is that this is part of a series. The ending clearly leaves the series open to a number of different directions, but I felt it didn't have the closure I usually prefer, which naturally would come from a standalone piece.

Overall, I'm rating the book 4 out of 5 stars. I may pick up the sequel (if I remember to), but if not, I can leave the series knowing that I have been pleasantly surprised by yet another novel, with an ending open to interpretation for myself.

Have you read this book? Let me know down below and we can chat about it! (I promise I'm going to try harder with comment replies!)

REVIEW: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

***Please note, this review may not remain spoiler free***

Recently, I had the pleasure of picking up Fingersmith. I got it for a pound (£1) in one of my local charity shops, and had heard so much about the author, and with a new release of hers looming, I thought I may as well try her out, to see what her writing is like.

When I first read the back (I know some people refrain from doing so because of spoilers, but ultimately, how would I know if I was interested or not?), I got the impression that Sue Trinder (our lead female) was a sort of female version of Oliver Twist, and that the white gloves on the cover of the book were of some sort of significance to this line of work. Oh how I was not wrong.

The book follows Sue, who lives in London with her mother-esque figure Mrs Sucksby, as well as Mr Ibbs, John and Dainty, with the occasional visit from a man named, well, Gentleman. It is through Gentleman that Sue undertakes the biggest 'pickpocket' task of her life, and leaves her in a rather strange predicament....

I'll leave it there, incase of spoilers!

Basically, this book contains love, lust, greed, jealousy, rage, spit, murder and above all, bravery. I would highly highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good Dickensian novel, with a little bit of a twist thrown in there! If you've read the novel, please let me know down below so we can discuss it further - there will also be a spoiler blog post on this novel coming up, so avoid that like the plague if you wish to remain spoiler free!

See you all soon my lovelies!

R