Book Review: On the Run - The Moriya Chronicles Book One by I-Lanaa Twine

Synopis (from the author)

Isn’t it amazing how in a mere split second, the very essence of who you are can change forever? That in just an instant your entire life can be ripped to shreds? 

One night, three years ago, my mother was torn from us. Gone, without a trace. And just like that, nothing was ever the same.

Thrust into a world of darkness and danger, my father and I were forced to flee a past that haunted us and the beasts that hunted us.

As the black walls of despair closed all around me, I felt eternally lost... 

Until I found him. And he helped me find myself. 

Derrick Harris was a beacon of the purest light, guiding me straight into the warmth of his heart.

But sometimes the past has a way of finding you. Lies have a way of catching up to you. And secrets never seem to stay secret for very long.

Now all that I hold dear is at stake, and I must fight to survive, or my entire world will crumble before my eyes. 

I am on the run…

I love any book that starts with an extended prologue. It tells us, without showing us too much - where the story might go. On The Run completely changed my view of prologues - truly it revealed itself to be far deeper than I thought. I ended up re-reading the prologue several times!

When the story begins in earnest we are introduced to Delilah Simpson (super-cool name alert!) and she is being left to school by her father. Clearly there's a lot of growing pains to go through and the author expertly takes us through them from Delilah's point of view.

Even in these early stages, there are hints of the author's wonderful use of words:-

"And while most girls my age were discovering how to embrace who they truly were, I was learning how to mask it."

Each chapter could have been subtitled Secret 1....Secret 2 and so on, because each chapter almost runs like a story on its own reveal bits of the story majestically.

The father-daughter relationship is realistically portrayed and I liked the interplay between the two. The author doesn't shy away from hard hitting scenes between them, and this is to be welcomed. It gives the story extra spice, because if these two cannot work together, what hope for anyone else Delilah runs into?

The subplot of will they / won't they find her mother drives the story, whilst other riveting plot-lines develop.

On the Run is a tremendous achievement, because over its considerable length, I kept on reading. Our story centres around Jade, who is left uncertain of her future when her mother disappears from her life. Her father Keith is a great character. Through his wisecracks and hard father-daughter talk, it's clear he has a heart of gold and will stop at nothing to find Jade's mother.

As someone who knows what it is like to write a long, multi-layered story, and join all the dots together, I felt a special empathy for the author's work. The point-of-view changes are something that readers should enjoy experiencing. Why make it super easy as a read? Surely you want a book that challenges you so you, as the reader, will become actively involved in the story.

The story gets trickier in its complexity when Jade is introduced, so you really do need to pay attention to the plot as it develops. You cannot skip a single page for fear of losing teh thread of the narration, which, whilst easy to read, has a level of complexity all of its own. Readers should welcome this - there's nothing to fear about this style of storytelling, and actually, it is very refreshing to me! On the Run has a stylish swagger about it that I loved. As the story developed, it just got better and better, and during the second half in particular, I thought 'we have a winner here, ladies and gentlemen'.

Like any great fantasy, it has a bit of everything in it - mystery, paranormal, romance, action and much more.

The romantic angle is well done without being angsty. The Interplay between our heroine and Devon / Damion / Derrick...or as he is so called in one first and memorable exchange 'Whatever' I did chuckle.

However, I wanted to see where the story was ultimately going to take me and it is the second half of the book that is truly a treasure and a pleasure to read. By now we are introduced to vampires - which made my ears prick up and my fangs develop. I love vampires - stories well done that is and even when this is kicking off, Miss Twine drops in great lines, such as:-

"Desdemona....was also in a high position of power in the undead aristocracy. Kinda like vampire royalty. The Princess Diana of the underworld."

In summary, this is one of the best fantasies I have read in while, perhaps as good as Lisa Tawgren's Rivers of Time series.

But I think there's more to it. Connect all the dreamlike sequences together and you will enjoy the book just as much as I did.

Final note - look at the cover. The story backs it up too, so get this today.

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Book Review: The League of Protectors - Fire and Ice by Christian Green

In a word (a hyphenated word, actually) - action-packed.

This is a fun, fast and packed to bursting with action novella that the punches, kicks and super hero type abilities burst from its pages. Christian Green, a talented author who gives us this novella, the first in what should be a fun and intriguing series, creates a fun tale, but look deeper and you'll see a more complex narrative.

The plot centres around Shayne Tucker and Jackson Prescott, one who has an ice ability - so he can freeze assailants, whilst the other can create a fireball from nothing in his hands, and use it to devastating effect.

In the story's rather blistering start, I found myself a little confused between the two main characters, save for a brief description of their differences rather than their similarities, but as it is a novella, it is a nitpick, nothing more.

As the story develops, the differences become more clearer and it's here where the author comes into his own.

The duo are Post-Humans, and whilst special on the Earth they are somewhat a target to other groups. So whilst they feature as part of G.U.A.R.D there is a rogue faction that probably wouldn't mind recruiting their services to help the rebel cause, but of course, Shayne and Jackson are good guys, so they want no part of it.

The final third of the story is super frenetic, and I was gulping down tea with almost every paragraph. 

I've read stories like this where there was so much going on, it was hard to keep track. Fortunately the author gets the balance just right, leaving much scope for the next in the series.

Lines I liked:

"But I am who I am, and I refuse to let society dictate my happiness."

"Hey, I like to keep it one hundred." 

And there are many more. It's a fun story that won't fail to hook you, reel you in, and excite you on every single page.

Highly recommended.

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Book Review: Forsaken by J.D. Barker

Overview from Goodreads book page:

New from Master of Suspense, J.D. BARKER

Bram Stoker Award Nominee - Superior Achievement in a First Novel 

Book One of the Shadow Cove Saga

From the witch trials of centuries past, an evil awakens.

Inspired by Actual Events
Excerpt from the Journal of Clayton Stone – 1692
She was examined today without torture at Shadow Cove township on the charge of witchcraft. She said she was wholly innocent of the crime and has never in life renounced God. I watched as they brought her out. A poor, sickly thing, worn by her time behind the walls of her prison. Her bared feet and hands bound in leather, her clothing tattered to that of ruin. Despite such condition, her head was held high, her eyes meeting those of her accusers. She still refuses to provide her name so we remain unable to search baptismal records, nor has her family stepped forward to claim her as their own. We have no reason to believe she is anything but an orphaned child. I find myself unable to look at her directly in the moments preceding her trial. She is watching me though; with eyes of the deepest blue, she is watching me.
Thad McAlister, Rise of the Witch

When horror author Thad McAlister began his latest novel, a tale rooted in the witch trials of centuries past, the words flowed effortlessly. The story poured forth, filling page after page with the most frightening character ever to crawl from his imagination. It was his greatest work, one that would guarantee him a position among the legends of the craft.

But was it really fiction?

He inadvertently opened a door, one that would soon jeopardize the lives of his family.

She wants to come back.

At home, his wife struggles to keep their family alive. Secretly wondering if she caused it all…a deal she made long ago. A deal with the Forsaken.

My review: Great horror storytelling doesn't just get under your skin, it stays there, merging with your flesh and bones like this was how it was always meant to be.

Forsaken, by author JD Barker, takes us into a world where the writer may have created something very nasty - very nasty indeed. Not only that - it threatens to harm our hero - Thad - and his family.

Things are not looking good for the McAlisters.

Thad is a writer, and as with most writers in the Stephen King universe, if you are a writer, you will suffer.

I could see the heavy King influence here, but to labour any more on that point would be to do the author a disservice. 

Forsaken is a very well crafted horror thriller. The modern day breakdown, to the very minute things are happening in the book isn't a new thing, but it date stamps things nicely whilst being interspersed with the writing from Thad's book - the book that almost writes itself.

The witch trial and the court events are brilliantly handled...dare I say I enjoyed these more than the present day events? I could be in the minority there.

Taking the book as a whole, whilst it certainly has its moments I wanted to be shook out of my skin - so I think I must be a bit desensitised to horror by now.

The story works because everything is logical, believable, plausible.

Whilst I couldn't root for Thad as much as his wife, Rachael, I found myself leaning towards her and her daughter Ashley's plight.

Told over three days, it's the sinister 'creep' of the book that is the star - you really feel like some impending doom is coming, and you as the reader will want to know what it is.

I loved - absolutely loved the ending. In fact, it could be said that JD Barker has 'out-Kinged' King - but how, you say?

Well, Stephen King often mentions his earlier works in his later books, but they are done more like pop culture references than anything else. 

In Forsaken, the author pays homage to King, but it is so well done, so clever, so 'ahhh...that's it!' that you just have to take your hat off to the author.

This is book one in the Shadow Cove saga, and it's a hell of a breathtaking start.

My thanks to Maxine for introducing this book to me.

Book Review: The Paradise Will by Elizabeth Hanbury

From the start of the book, you can tell that  The Paradise Will is going to be a very different kind of regency romance, something I have to say is a trend of the author, Elizabeth Hanbury. I have read all of her books now, and must say that the twists and surprises in the story make for an entertaining read.

Alyssa Paradise is the inheritor of a vast estate from the recent death of her uncle. Whilst this sounds wonderful, and is clearly a wonderful gain in a period where women were still subservient to men, there is a devilish caveat employed in the will - that Alyssa must spend time with the rather oafish Sir Giles Maxton.

If this sounds weird, it gets more strange that she must dine with him every week for six months. Twenty-four months in the company of someone you hate - perhaps hate is too strong a word, but Alyssa certainly dislikes being around Giles, even if he has a title, good looks, money and so on.

It's like her dear (now, not so dear) departed uncle has played a rather nasty trick on her.

This was one book from the start where I did not want Alyssa and Giles to get together. I thought she was far too good for him. But that would be too early to say that was how the book was going to end. This is a longish tale, so it is inevitable other characters will be introduced that will cause conflict between these two principal characters and around them.

Note: I loved the mention of Chancery Lane (I was there in April 2015) and it's just typical of Alyssa to get hamstrung by the lawyers that are in residence there!

Things are complicated further by the fact that other parties are involved. I can't imagine in today's world where a partner / fiance/e or spouse would be allowed to have dinner on such a regular basis with someone of the opposite sex, so God only knows how it would have been received back then!

Speaking with others in the story, they find it an incredible arrangement too, exclaiming "Would Tom (her uncle) want you to have dinner with some old fossil?"

These kind of lines and great humour are throughout Miss Hanbury's books, and amongst the exciting drama of her writing, it takes an author of real skill to drop in cool humour at key points.

The key driver of the book for me was not 'will they or won't they get together', it was more about how they would come to agreement over the rather preposterous instructions of the will. Fortunately, Alyssa is the best of heroines, spirited and steadfast without being overbearing or heavily opinionated.

Giles is a character one warms to, but not easily, and maybe that's the intention. I thought the regular dinners would be a source of both fun and conflict and it makes for a very enjoyable and interesting book.

I think of all of Miss Hanbury's books, this is the one with the heaviest Georgette Heyer influence, which is no bad thing. In fact, the way The Paradise Will is so masterfully crafted, it's great to know that a regency period author of great skill will entertain for many more years to come.

Alyssa is a heroine that no-one cannot fail to fall for (gosh, that's a lot of f's in one sentence!) but not because she is cherry blossom in her appeal. She's a practical girl who knows what she wants, and also what repulses her. In the end, she wants what is bequeathed to her, and no-one could blame her for the choices she makes.

Buy on Amazon

My other reviews of Author Elizabeth Hanbury

A Bright Particular Star

Midsummers Eve at Rookery End

The Cinderella Debutante

Christmas at Rakehell Manor

Ice Angel

Book Review: The Revenge of the Pumpkins by Lacey Lane

Who says short stories cannot pack a punch? I listen to a lot of Radio horror serials, some short, some long, some too long - and in general, I enjoy them all. With Revenge of the Pumpkins by Lacey Lane, I was not sure what I would discover amongst its pages, but readers of this tale will read a delightfully concocted tale that happens over just one night of Halloween. 

Who would have thought pumpkins could feel something, but in this tale, you'll feel every cut! I was grinning and grimacing as the tale reached its conclusion. I'm all for reading highly detailed and crafted horror anthologies, but Revenge of the Pumpkins, in its few pages, hit harder than many I have read. 

Lacey Lane is a talented author with a Tarantino type style of wickedness in her storytelling. But you'll smile and enjoy every word as I did.

Probably not for kids, it is too gruesome. But later teens to adults will love it.

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Book Review: Only Enchanting by Mary Balogh (The Survivors, #4)

Overview: Book Four in The Survivors series, Only Enchanting focusses on characters anew, as far as I know. This is the second book I have read of Mary Balogh's, and this is a far more engaging story with the rich Viscount having his heart broken, along with the societal shame that comes with such things.

Encouraged to make amends with her, he ends up in the behold of young Agnes Keeping, who is young but far from naive, though she has never been in love.

Viscount Flavian Ponsonby doesn't seem an appropriate match for Agnes. He's obscenely rich, rather muddled in his ways, and stammers for good measure.

But he's rather charismatic too, and is more than capable of charming the good hearted and kind Agnes.

Perhaps the best of us can understand the first flush of love, though we were probably in our teens or younger when this happened.

Agnes, however, falls for Flavian, and I wondered could this really work as a story. It certainly does as a fantasy, and the author is smart enough to direct her characters cleverly. The games are well played, but I started to wonder was Agnes just going for the security that the Viscount offered.

He seemed to get a wicked glee from saying, "I'm rich, you know."

But all is not as it seems, with Flavian proposing marriage to Agnes the real game is one where he wants to hurt his former love in the most extreme way possible. It's fair to say that in my view, Agnes was like the older sister I would have liked in real life. And I certainly would have kept her away from the leech-like Viscount.

Agnes adapts well to her new situation, finding resolve in her that maybe even she didn't know was there. It's the little details that stand out for me in books. A scene where she is interviewing new ladies to help her is funny and well done.

One of the girls, Madeline, confidently says that Agnes can call her Maddy if she wants to, citing that Madeline was a rather long name, and too grand for the like of her family. It was her father who insisted they all bear long names, so whatever else they didn't have in life, they would at least have their names.

Whilst critics of these kind of stories may say that the outcome is never in doubt, Mary Balogh keeps us guessing. It's a fun, book, a great follow up to The Escape, and stammering full of himself Flavian won me over...late in the book.

Agnes is a great character though, and I hope she makes a return for later books in the series.

Book Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

There's plenty of reviews for this book already, so I won't labour on that. I had been lent it by another SK fan, and at 1200 pages, it's quite a tome. I have read it reasonably quickly, and as usual, I'm hardest on my favourite authors.

First, the good news. Reading Stephen King is like coming home. You are pleased to have gone on your travels, but now you're back - you're home, and it's a good feeling.

The writing is well done as ever, it's interesting and has a very good hook at its core - that of time travel, which made me think that this book could fall flat on its face, or turn out to be brilliant. As I closed the book, I am a little inbetween on this, though leaning more towards four stars than two, hence the three star rating.

The initial characters are interesting and hold the reader's attention. The idea of travelling back in time to prevent one of the most infamous episodes in American history is one thing, but it opens up a real Pandora's Box where you find yourself asking...why stop there? Why not go back and stop Hitler assuming control of the Nazi party? How about going back further to biblical times? How about going back to 1997 in the UK and stopping Labour taking power, or Thatcher in '79?

Now that last comment may wind up some UK voters, but maybe it is intended to. King doesn't hold back on his political views in this book, and some reviews appear to snipe at him because of this.
I am okay with it - after all, I am not a US citizen so I am less affected by this, and I don't believe SK is as preachy as is being made out.

Other nitpicks....so many characters, many of whom were falling into the Needful Things shop of horrors - I would forget who was who at times, and why they were there. The 'love scenes', if you could call them that, are a little clumsy in their execution. But SK has done similar in his other books...so no real disappointment there.

However, all this aside, I was eager to see how he would take us back to the 1950s. It's fair to say that I imagined a Back to the Future type world where Mr Sandman plays in the background, but King, unsurprisingly, goes further, not only dragging us there, but placing us there. This, once again, is masterful writing and I suppose I should not be surprised that King...surprises me!

11/22/63 is not a horror, though it has its moments, and just like his recent Revival, it's creepy and well scary! It's hard to classify - it is a romance to some extent, a historical piece, a sci-fi drama. Talk about putting all your favourite eggs in one very full basket.

Most of all, it is readable, despite being of a length that would have IT and The Stand looking over their well-thumbed shoulders. (maybe we cannot thumb a shoulder...oh well!)

I'm okay with the ending, without being overwhelmed. SK usually delivers cracking endings....this one, not so much.

King completionists will not feel cheated by the book, and whilst it could never be accused of having filler, King does go off on a tangent some times that makes me think he forgets he has readers outside of the USA that won't 'get' all his popcorn messages.

It's probably worth a second read, but this is one author who fires out books with alarming regularity. I'm waiting with baited breath for Finders Keepers, which is out later in 2015. Go and wow us again, Mr King....but hey...you've done alright here.