The Whisper King by Wil Radcliffe – Book Tour Stop

This time I’ve teamed up with BookBear for their book tour of The Whisper King by Wil Radcliffe. They were so generous to send me The Whisper King to read and give an honest review. 

Thank you BookBear!

I read this book on my kindle.

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Publisher: Necro Publication

Publication Date: July 17th, 2015

Pages: 240 

Synopsis by the publisher:

My name is David Kinder. And this is my story… every goddamn bloodstained word of it.

About 25 years ago when I was six my parents died in a car crash. I was bounced around a few state homes until they finally settled me at Meripitt Hill, an orphanage just outside of Lansing, Michigan. It was there that the shadows started visiting me. Not normal shadows. These shadows moved on their own accord, and whispered strange, alien things to me. Scared the piss out of me.

Wasn’t until Donna Elizondo moved to Meripitt Hill that my life started to actually become bearable. She became my best friend. Taught me to love music and to dance. That kept the shadows away. That kept me safe.

That year we were an epic story of two. We danced. We laughed. Hell, I suspect I was falling in love with her, if kids could really know what love is.

But then she was taken away from me. Adopted.

That’s when the shadows returned for me. That’s when they took me to the Shadow Mountains to serve the Whisper King.

For 25 years I learned how to fight. How to kill. I even learned how to transform myself into a Cuthach…a monster. There were thousands of us being trained there. Thousands of us learning to reach deep inside and unleash the monsters in our guts.

When a spot opened in the Whisper King’s elite guard, the Silent Heart, I was chosen to fill it. But first I had to take one final test. A test that would determine once and for all if I was destined to be man or monster.

Wil Radcliffe

The Review

” It had my heart racing, my mind working and my eyes darting to the dark corners of the room.”

***

The Writing

The writing style in this book was really quite unique and one that I enjoyed from beginning till end. The story flowed so nicely and the way David’s story is told makes you feel like he’s sitting down with you in a room filled with dark corners.

The world building was also very well done and the only thing I felt like I missed was that I would have loved to know even more of it.

I love fantasy stories that dares to be brutal and this one definitely dares to be exactly that and even has a good dose of humor as well. Not for the faint of heart.

The Characters

David was a very interesting character with a unique voice and a strong personality. I immediately liked him and felt a connection to him. And the things that David has to go through! I’m rooting for that guy!

There are a whole lot of people and creatures in this story that we get to know. I wish that we could have gone even deeper with some of them. I think there’s a whole lot of interesting stories there, just waiting to be told.

Radcliffe has done a great job with making characters that’s hard to know if you can trust or not.

The Plot

The Whisper King is an extremely fast paced story that grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go. It was interesting, different, unpredictable and thrilling.

There were some twists in there that really took me by surprise.

And that ending!!! Good job Wil Radcliffe! You’ve captured my attention. I need to know what happens next!

Additional Thoughts

I love me some dark fantasy and this one was definitely a treat that devoured. It had my heart racing, my mind working and my eyes darting to the dark the corners of the room.

Monsters will never be the same again!

Would you like your own copy of The Whisper King? Click on the logos below:

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne – REVIEW

I read this book on my Kindle.

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Publication date: January 5th, 2006

Pages: 224 (hardcover)

Audiobook length: 4 hrs and 56 min

Synopsis by the publisher:

Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

John Boyne

The Review

“A profound and heartbreaking view on the Second World War from innocent and naive eyes.”

***

The Writing

This story is written from the perspective of a nine year old boy and Boyne did that really well. The voice was very innocent and convincing. The way he explained the surroundings and happenings throughout the book was very well written and made it easy to mentally paint a picture of it all.

The Characters

I really enjoyed Bruno as a character and the innocence of his voice. The way he sees what’s going on around him without understanding that there’s actually a war going on.

I also really enjoyed seeing the other family members through Bruno’s eyes, and especially his frustration with the older sister.

There are some other characters that really show the faces of both side of the war, but I wont say anything more about them, so that I don’t spoil the plot.

The Plot

I flew through this book, not because the pace was so fast but because the story was very captivating and interesting.

Even thought there were no very surprising plot twists it did had a nice build up, was very emotional and had a satisfiable ending.

Additional Thoughts

I’m a sucker for historical fiction (and non-fiction), and especially the ones that revolve around World War II. I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank as a little girl and it was one of those stories that grabbed such a strong hold on me that I’m still under its grip. It sparked my interest for reading and for knowing more about the war.

I think this book could definitely inspire other young readers to do the same.

A profound and heartbreaking view on the Second World War from innocent and naive eyes.

Want your own copy? Click on the Amazon or BookDepository logo below.

True Calling by Siobhan Davis – REVIEW

This novel was sent to me by the author to read and give an honest review, so thank you so much Siobhan!

This is the first book in a trilogy. I read it on my Kindle. 

Published: July 28th 2014

Publisher: Self published

Pages: 400 pages (paperback)

 

 

 

Synopsis by the publisher:

TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS. ONE SHARED DREAM
Planet Novo, nestled in space twelve hundred miles above the surface of the Earth, is the new home of 17-year-old Cadet Ariana Skyee. Confused by the government-sanctioned memory erase and distressed at her impending forced marriage and motherhood, Ariana’s plans for the future are thrown into complete disarray.

As the traumatic events within her family life enfold, Ariana grows increasingly alarmed at the authorities apparent pre-occupation with her and feels progressively more isolated and alone.

Her growing feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify as the recently announced pageant, ‘The Calling’, gets underway. Struggling to comprehend the continuous, inexplicable dreams of the mysterious Zane, discovering the past helps shape her future, with devastating personal consequences.

Siobhan Davis

***

The Writing

I did not find Siobhan’s writing style to be extremely unique, but True Calling is still written in a way that really grabs a hold of you and refuses to let go.

Well written, but I wished that she would have taken the time to describe the surroundings even more just to get an even better view of Novo.

The Characters

Ariana was a strong and well made main character that I enjoyed to follow throughout this book. I had some minor issues about how fast her feelings for Cal changed and felt it was a bit unrealistic. But love works in mysterious ways and all that jazz.

Cal, oh Cal! At first I was very charmed by his character, but it was still something about him that made me very unsure if I could trust him.

Ariana’s family is an assembly if interesting characters as well and they give extra depth and variation to the story.

The Plot

This book was definitely a fast paced one and I flew right through it in the curiosity wanting to know what was going to happen next.

That interesting mixture of science fiction and almost like a reality show made it into something very different than anything else I’ve read.

This story did definitely have some plot twists that made it even more interesting and some I really did not see coming.

Additional Thoughts

I really enjoyed this young adult novel and its originality. I look forward to continuing on with the series and seeing where this goes!

Another diamond in the rough! Some minor things that made me not give it a top score, but still one that I would highly recommend if you like science fiction and dystopian novels.

Do you want your own copy of True Calling? Click on the Amazon logo below:

Autumn – Time to Read

Autumn is here and it is the perfect season for reading! All those rainy days and the cold weather is a perfect excuse to snuggle up under the cover and enjoy a good book (many good books)!!

I would say the combination of Sweet Free Books and Kindle fits perfectly into this!!

Click on the Kindle logo underneath to download Kindle to your phone, tablet or computer.

It’s free and it’s so easy to use!

I’ve talked about Sweet Free Books in earlier posts as well, but if you’re new to the site or just forgot about it, here’s a reminder.

Every day they will send you an email with all of the free books that are available for your Kindle or Nook.

You choose the genre and they’ll tell you what’s for free! I have downloaded so many free books through this site and I highly recommend it!

Click on the picture below to go to their site and sign up. This is also free and they won’t spam you!

Have fun reading and enjoy this lovely season!!

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (REVIEW)

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

***

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have a soft spot for literature connected to the Second World War. Some are exciting, others way off and then there are those who move and captivate you from beginning to end, this is one of those.

I loved the character of Marie-Laure from the very beginning. Her curious ways, the way she stayed positive and her love for adventures and escaping into the world of books. I could easily picture her solving the intricate puzzles her father made for her as well as tracing her fingers along the model he made of Paris, and later of Saint-Malo.

The young German Werner stumbles upon radios and find a passion for it. This coincidence saves him from the coalmines but also brings him into the war. His talent gets him into school and before he knows it he is trapped on the Nazi side of the war. He knows that following orders keeps you alive but something just doesn’t feel right to him. He begins the question the war, the Nazis and Hitler.

And there’s the story about the Sea of Flames, a jewel with a long history and possibly a curse.

All this together makes a perfect story of adventure, family, mystery, love and war. I loved every minute of it. I was moved to smiles and tears and can easily say that this book qualifies as one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read.

All The Light We Cannot See gets five stars and my highest recommendation!

One of my favorite quotes from the book:

“To shut your eyes is to guess nothing of blindness. Beneath your world of skies and faces and buildings exists a rawer and older world, a place where surface planes disintegrate and sounds ribbon in shoals through the air.”

***

If you would like to get you’re own copy of this amazing novel either as a book, on your Kindle or on Audible, you can CLICK HERE or on the picture below:

 

 

 

 

The Troop by Nick Cutter (Review)

Once a year, Scoutmaster Tim Riggs leads a troop of boys into the Canadian wilderness for a weekend camping trip—a tradition as comforting and reliable as a good ghost story around a roaring bonfire. But when an unexpected intruder stumbles upon their campsite—shockingly thin, disturbingly pale, and voraciously hungry—Tim and the boys are exposed to something far more frightening than any tale of terror. The human carrier of a bioengineered nightmare. A horror that spreads faster than fear. A harrowing struggle for survival with no escape from the elements, the infected…or each other.

***

I love stories that scares me and creeps into my dreams after I reluctantly put down the book to sleep. The Troop by Nick Cutter (The pen name of author Craig Davidson) did just that for me. It had me turning pages in excitement and made me feel uncomfortable in that way that horror literature should do.

The five boy scouts had me reminded of certain stereotypes that everyone sees in their early teens. Some I could relate to and some just plain scared me. Craig Davidson writes in a way that make you sit on the edge of your seat and the details around some of the incidents were amazingly gross. It took me back to the time when I would curl up under the sheets, all alone in the house and watch scary movies or read frightening books and almost jump out of the bed from the tiniest sounds.

I have not felt that way in a while and if you love a scare, just like me, then I would recommend you to read The Troop.

Five stars to The Troop for giving me nightmares!

One of my favorite quotes from the book:

“Do you want to know the best, most effective transmitter of contagion known to man?

Edgerton asks me with a pinprick of mad light dancing in each iris.

It’s love. Love is the absolute killer. Care. The milk of human kindness. People try so hard to save the people they love that they end up catching the contagion themselves. They give comfort, deliver aid, and in doing so they acquire the infection. Then those people are cared for by others and they get infected. On and on it goes. He shrugs. But that’s people. People care too much. They love at all costs. And so they pay the ultimate price.”

***

If you would like to get your hands on your own copy of The Troop then       CLICK HERE  or on the picture below:

Don’t forget to download the Kindle App on your portable device so that you can do your reading on the go! CLICK HERE or on the Kindle logo below:

***

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you again soon!

Sweet Free Books!!

If you haven’t heard about Sweet Free Books then you are in for a treat!!

Although a Kindle tablet is placed high on this years wish list I have really gotten to know and love the Kindle App that I’m using more and more on my HTC One.

So today I got a pleasant surprise when I got a new follower on Twitter. Sweet Free Books (@sweetfreebooks) was my new follower and I was intrigued. Free books you say? This I had to check out!

And this is so amazing! You sign up for their newsletter and they send you mail everyday with specially selected free books from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. When you sign up you also register your favorite genres so that the everyday newsletter is custom made after your book taste.

Is there anything NOT to love?!? I’ve been subscribing for about, oh, four hours and my Kindle App already has four new books on it!

Try it out for yourself! Click on the Sweet Free Books logo to get to their site and sign up!

Kindle me softly!

I see them everywhere. On the subway, at work, on trains and in cafe’s. They sit there, doing one of the things I love the most doing. They’re reading. But what is this?? No book?? It’s some kind of tablet. It’s all so confusing. Well, not really 😛 I really do see the practicality of it. It’s smaller than a book and it’s easier to handle on a crowded subway with only one hand free while the other one’s struggling to keep you from falling. It weighs less and doesn’t change no matter how short or long a novel you’re reading.

In spite of all of this positive and practical reasons I just can’t see myself ever getting one. I love technology so I should probably be embracing this but no. I love the feeling of holding a book, flipping the pages and even the weight of it in my purse. I feel somehow lost if I leave home without a book. I’ve tried reading e-books and listening to audio books but it’s just not for me. I need to have those letters on papers. I need to feel the book in my hand. I love how technology makes a lot of things simpler, more handy and even better, but for me there’s nothing technology has come up with that has made books better. To me, reading a book is so special. To be able to escape to different worlds through the pages is pure perfection.

Sorry technology, you lost this round. I’m sure I’ll see a lot more of you though. A lot more…