Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

EPIC. Absolutely epic.

We all know about the four ninja turtles and their master, Splinter. In this tale, set in the future, only one remains. He's on a mission to avenge his family, and he's got nothing but vengeance to live for. It's gonna get wild.

I honestly loved everything about this. I never expected to be as emotionally invested in a comic book as I was in this one. Naturally, with only one turtle left, we need to discover what happened to the others and it is an emotional ride, my friends. One particular image from this series will stick with me a long time.

The artwork just works so well with the story. Story and art really complement each other and the colouring is particularly symbolic. I found it so easy to follow that I was able to really lose myself in the story. This series has officially upped the bar for me with comics.

Absolutely brilliant read, and one I'll be recommending for sure!

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Review: One Hundred Names

One Hundred Names by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was honestly expecting to skim my way through this one then discard it like a used tissue but I actually kinda loved it?!

Guess sometimes I'm just in the right mood for a chick flick.

The story follows Kitty, a disgraced journalist looking to write the story her recently deceased editor and friend didn't get the chance to write. However, all Kitty has to work with is a list of 100 names.

So the detective work begins, and we start to unravel the stories of six individuals. I think it's a bit cheeky for a story about 100 names to focus on only a handful of them, but I did really enjoy getting to know the Six.

There's a hint of mystery in what links all these seemingly random people, and I did have fun trying to puzzle it out myself, even though I knew it was bound to give us the moral of the story. They were an odd assortment, and they will each tug on your heart for their own reasons.

Kitty's a bit of a mess, but I'm glad she was honest about it. Things don't go well for her at all yet she still seems to be quite a positive sort of person at heart and I think that's a big part of why I liked this story. She's not obnoxious or prying, and while she did frustrate me at the start I did see growth and by the end of the story I quite liked her.

The tale wanders all over Ireland and I was geographically at a loss but also super grateful we didn't have to deal with Irish accents within the writing. Kate Forsyth did it once and I've never forgiven her, and dread reading anything Irish for this exact reason. So thank you, Cecelia Ahern, for writing words properly.

In general, the Feel Good Vibes of this story are high. It's heart warming and lovey-dovey and there are meaningful relationships that aren't just about hooking up but there's plenty of that, too. I'm not a fan of romance in general, but it didn't grate too much til the end for me. So chick lit lovers should lap this one up. It's a comfort read, and will leave you with an appreciation for the stories of strangers.

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Review: What Moves the Dead

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If I'm honest, this was a little disappointing.

I'm so captivated by The Fall of the House of Usher: An Edgar Allan Poe Short Story so I've read a few different things related to it now and I have to say this one was underwhelming.

My main problem, I think, was it spent too much of the set up trying to be unique. I enjoyed the story that eventually revealed itself but for the first half of this short book I was kind of bored.

Easton was such a confusing character, and the usage of 'ka' and 'va' etc as pronouns made things unnecessarily complicated. Same with the obscure random history lessons. WHY. I spent most of the novel trying to work out if Easton was man, woman or other. I'm still not sure.

The unsettling atmosphere doesn't really settle in til well over halfway through, despite trying really hard to build creepiness at the start. There are some interesting visual descriptions but they didn't sit easily - they seemed to lack an authenticity that then detracted from the eeriness.

The final tale and its reasoning was pretty cool, though it never really chilled my bones I'm afraid.

Kingfisher is popping up a lot lately as a recommended horror author but this is my first from her and so far I'm not seeing what the fuss is about. Some great descriptions, sure, but ultimately a little over-hyped. Hoping the next one I read has a bit more logic to the storytelling.

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Review: The Last Tale of the Flower Bride

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A dark, elegant tribute to love and fairy tales.

From the beginning, the writing was flowery and over the top, and yet I loved it. I'm not normally one for words that take the long way round to say what they mean but there was something here that suggested every word had been chosen with great care and it added so much to the whimsy of the story.

This is a tale that transports; one could argue it's a contemporary tale but the mere possibility of magic was enough for me to think of this as a fantasy novel. The atmosphere is charged and all kinds of creatures watch from behind the pages, waiting.

The blurb doesn't give us much: a recently married couple, and she with secrets to hide. Him promising not to look, yet we all know the way things forbidden tend to sink their claws into our minds.

I was completely captivated.

I love fairy tales, myths and legends and this is such a beautiful hybrid of all these things. Our Bridegroom studies the tales, then suddenly finds himself swept up in one. Our Bride is mysterious and magical, and we spend so much of the novel wondering what secrets will be revealed and what will be the consequence.

Beyond the writing there is still a mystery here that needs solving, so even if the language puts you off the intrigue should keep you. A lack of wonder - or appreciation for fantasy and an untethered imagination - may see this a little overdone for you, but for my part I loved disappearing into this magical world of maybes.

This was a really enjoyable, deeply satisfying reading experience, which is a rarity for me. I'm often reading as fast as possible to suck the story from the pages (still its own kind of fun), but here I really enjoyed lingering over the phrasing and the beautiful, whimsical images they invoked.

Highly recommend if you're after a magical tale that takes you to the Otherworld and dares you to discover its secrets.

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Review: Thrill City

Thrill City by Leigh Redhead
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So happy to be done with this series. Call me old-fashioned, but I much prefer my crime without the generous serving of porn thank you.

The only reason I read this 4th installment is because I got them free. I have some weird affliction that means I can't donate books until I've read them.

So, here we go again with the Porn Star Detective stripper-turned-private-eye. Simone is still reeling from events of the past few books (details which I've happily forgotten) but somehow still finds herself instantly entangled with the accused murderer of a writer. Chaos (and kinky sexual encounters) ensues.

Can you tell that I have no time for this drama queen? There is such an obsession on how she used to be a stripper, she's so good looking she gets bugged constantly, she loves wild sex and loves to talk about how she's out of the stripping game but gosh she REALLY misses it. If only an occasion would arise in which she could put her sexual talents to good use. (Can you hear my eyes rolling)

Meanwhile there's an actual crime of an incredibly brutal nature that's taken place but she's upset because her mum is mad at her??

But the actual mystery was still interesting enough for me to not give up completely. There is a murder, and lots of dramatic scenes between writers, and mostly I just wanted to know what the eff was going on.

There's actually so much going on in this one that it was hard to keep track of. Like, one minute she's investigating all this stuff and the next she's taking a few hours to go shopping? I could not get a grasp on the emotion of this story because it bounced between 'I'm so frightened I might pee myself' and 'weee partying and drinking and sexy sex'. My god. What a mess. I couldn't bring all the threads together and part of my putting up with everything was to get the nice cohesive storyline from the big conclusion.

As additional fuel to my ire, there's an excess of information on what everyone is wearing at all times and I could not give one single crap.

But then, the Melbourne setting is cool because I know these places.

Overall, another disaster which just didn't make a lot of sense to me and is packed with cringey moments. If you're a 'PUSSY POWER!!' kinda feminist you'll probably eat it up (excuse the pun) but this is just not my kinda thing at all. Very happy to be done with this series.

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Review: Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Afterworlds

Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: Afterworlds by Becky Cloonan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed how this used a different art style for each realm. It made things so much more interesting!

I haven't read the Dark Knights Metal series yet (I seem to work my way backwards for some reason), but this was an easy jumping on point - basically Wonder Woman is supposed to be in Olympia after her death but instead ends up in Asgard, where things seem to be going awry.

For me, it was refreshing to jump into a completely new tale. This takes WW out of the usual Earth so we get a contained story where there's no need to have years worth of cross-overs to keep track of for this to make sense. So as a jumping on point, this worked really well. I am grateful.

As mentioned, I really enjoyed the artwork. Not all the styles were quite to my taste, but overall I enjoyed the way they suited the different worlds. I particularly enjoyed the costume changes. It just seemed like this story would have been a lot of fun to plan out.

The story itself wasn't particularly strong, and I wasn't really convinced by the bad guy. It could have been far more chaotic - I never really felt the threat. That was a little disappointing, as the overall idea was really cool and with the right kind of villain this could really have blown me away.

The pacing was a little off, with long adventures in the worlds becoming a brief appearance by the end. I did really enjoy the first story arc in Asgard, but the rest of the adventures certainly mellowed a lot.

A fun adventure, though the artwork is the real selling point here. Still, a decent place to start if you're a bit of a newbie like me.

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Review: Carve the Mark

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not nearly as good as the Divergent series and a little long, but I didn't hate it.

The sci-fi aspect of this was a surprise to me, and mostly confusing. There's talk of different planets and travelling through space to get to different worlds but otherwise this was firmly fantasy. So it was just a bit of a weird mix and for me it just made the world too big. Hard to include excellent world building when you're biting off too many worlds. Anyhoo.

The space setting led to me being kind of confused about the different races and the scope of their homes. The setting is shared between two races at war but it sounded like there was just a meadow between them? Like I said, I was very confused. I can't even explain it properly because I just didn't quite grasp the scope.

The characters were okay, but nothing particularly new. I've seen this pairing multiple times in YA fiction and these two didn't do anything too unpredictable. I enjoyed their relationship to one another, but at the same time I'm definitely getting bored of YA romance tropes.

As far as the story goes, it seemed simple enough to me that this could have been a self-contained book. But where's the money in that, right? So towards the end it just felt like it was being drawn out and added to purely so that there was the potential for more books in the series. I'm curious, but I don't think I'm invested enough to follow through with a sequel.

I did enjoy the concept of the Fated; how those fates can be ambiguous and whether going against them was an option. Plus the writing was easy enough and the story had enough action that I never got bored with it. So it was still decent enough.

I enjoyed it, but it just wasn't anything new enough to be outstanding. It's only fresh angle was the space setting and as mentioned it was just too much for me to properly get a grasp on it.

Not likely to look for a sequel, but this was still an entertaining read with low expectations. Not quite the redeeming story we were looking for, but still not a bad offering.

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Review: Life Before

Life Before by Carmel Reilly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this, though it's not my usual fare. I do prefer things a little faster and more involved, but this still managed to keep me interested.

The story is relatively simple: told in dual timelines, we learn of Lori in 2016, who is informed the brother she hasn't spoken to for 20 years has just been in a bad accident. Back in 1993, we visit their mother Pam, and witness the fallout of the event that tore the siblings apart.

A slower burn, this story takes great pains to immerse us in the lives of our two protagonists, Lori and Pam. I was particularly drawn to mother, Pam, and felt for her as the mother trying to save face and keep peace amongst all while dealing with something so horrible. She is a strong woman dealing with tragedy and I had a lot of compassion for her and was glad she had support.

Lori frustrated me; she is stubborn and self-absorbed and her lies seemed so pointless to me. Still, I could understand her a little from the way things played out and it was interesting to me how my opinion of her developed throughout the novel.

This is very much a character-driven story, but there's an element of mystery that does give it a bit of an addictive feel. I can appreciate the story for what it is and how it was written, but for the most part it's just not the kind of book that gets me raving.

It's also such an Aussie story, and I do cringe a little when the yobbo is so strong. Here's an example of what I consider 'over-Australianising':

"Des parked the car one street back from the cul-de-sac and got out. He leaned on the bonnet and lit up a cigarette. Standing in the tepid sunshine with the eucalypt-scented breeze wafting down on him, he thought, not for the first time, that he really needed to give up the fags."

Other people will love this level of atmosphere immersion but I myself hate how often Australian stereotypes are reinforced. It suits the country-town setting, but doesn't suit my personal tastes.

That being said, I do very much enjoy stories set in places I personally recognise, so all the mentions of Melbourne and surrounding towns were a lot of fun for me.

Overall, it was a well-written story and a good read. It lost stars for me mostly because it's not my favourite kind of genre, but those who enjoy general Australian fiction with a shadow of mystery should be impressed by this one.

With thanks to A&U for an ARC

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Review: Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls

Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls by Justine Ford
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A little too journalistic for my tastes.

This book looks at many missing persons cases - in most instances, unsolved assumed homicides. Men and women who mysteriously disappeared in varying circumstances. I love a good true crime mystery but this just didn't grab me at all.

The book is already short at just under 300 pages, and yet it still feels mostly like filler. The author goes to great lengths to speculate and give her own opinions, and there is a strong media-friendly vibe whereas the cops are mostly written as incompetent. There is more about the media involvement and the 'feelings' of the lead detective than the actual case in almost all instances. I honestly got bored.

I like true crime stories to present all the facts with no bias, and this was nothing BUT bias. Some of the cases seem fairly obvious and yet they still remain unsolved, usually due to how much time passed before someone thought to check something that should have been checked at the time. Obviously forensics have come a long way but these cases just seemed to highlight bad police work more than the plight of the loved ones of the missing. It rubbed me the wrong way.

Not a lot of detail is given in these cases. They only cover about ten pages or so each, and it still feels like the author had to flesh them out with speculation because there just wasn't enough of a case. Because of that, the focus drifts from the victims. As much as the author pads these stories out with trite words like 'we see you', it never feels like genuine concern. I actually hated that. It seemed more disrespectful to me than complete emotionless facts.

You can tell immediately that this book was written by a journalist as there seems more interest in selling the value of the media than actually treating these cases with compassion. It's also written in such a way that the stories are muddled by speculation and guess-work. The side profiles didn't really help, because again there seems more interest in talking about the professionals involved than the victims.

I thought I would really get sucked in but unfortunately this one left a bad taste in my mouth. All are still unsolved cases and this book brings us no closer to answers. Hopefully one day the families and loved ones of those Missing will get some closure.

With thanks to Macmillan for a copy


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Review: One Dark Window

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story but I'm a bit disappointed that the romance took the YA road with the whole, (view spoiler)['let's pretend to be in love and then accidentally fall in love for real'. (hide spoiler)]

Honestly, that seems more obvious than a spoiler to me but I tagged just in case you're a sensitive soul like me when it comes to spoilers.

Anyhoo, the PLOT is about a cursed town and Elspeth, a cursed woman. She has a Nightmare living in her head and he's the true hero of this story. But that's me getting ahead of myself.

The town of Blunder is surrounded by a dangerous mist, as penance for their ancestors' magical greed. Magic exists in the form of Providence cards, which grant specific gifts to the user, depending on the card. Then there's the infection - the infected are hunted down but if they somehow survive they end up with their own unique power. Actually, there's quite a lot going on, isn't there?

I really enjoyed how the elements of this tangled together yet it never felt overwhelming or messy. It did seem a little PG for me - I wanted more Nightmare action, more horror, more darkness, but it took a very YA approach. I hated that there was so much focus on the budding romance, and really just wanted more action. Why does there always have to be this monumental romance? Sigh.

The story itself though was quite fun and the Providence cards were a unique approach. I really enjoyed reading the card rhymes at the start of each chapter, and I'm definitely curious to know more about the Shepard King and the history of Blunder.

A fantastic story that was a little tainted by the Young Adult approach, but made up for it with the unique factors. I'll look for the second book and hope for more darkness.

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Review: All Systems Red

All Systems Red by Martha Wells
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed it, and I get the hype buuuuuut I think maybe the hype built it up a little too much.

The story follows a rogue Security Bot that's on site helping a bunch of surveyors on a new planet. Things go awry, and Murderbot has to save the day. Preferably without murdering.

I did enjoy the story, and I can see why MB is so beloved. It's a funny, sassy lil thing and it's easy to agree with. Its shyness is endearing and we have no trouble reading between the lines when it comes to its personality.

The story jumps into the action pretty quickly and it doesn't really let up so this is certainly an easy read.

However, because it's a short story there's not a lot of world building, and because there's not a lot of world building it can be a little hard to follow at times with all the names for things and organisations we know nothing about, and the lack of names for the things we do encounter. I admit I got a little lost in the jargon and politics.

I really loved the crew and how they all related to MB. They added a much needed humanity to the story so it will be interesting to see where the next book in the story takes the series.

I enjoyed it for the most part but it didn't really match the hype for me. Still, a fun, quick read with a host of great characters. I'll look into the next one just to see where it goes.

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Review: Shards of Earth

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this book's defence, I recently read Leviathan Wakes which was everything I wanted in a sci-fi novel, so I probably went into this with higher expectations than normal.

Unfortunately, it meant it was slower and more confusing than I hoped, though I still really enjoyed the story overall.

The concept is big, and considers the return of an alien species so large it once remade Earth into a work of art. Unfortunately, the art of this creature renders all life dead. Bye-bye, Earth. But these Architects disappeared, leaving the galaxy in peace ... until now.

So yeah. BIG themes. Also, lots of aliens. It was rather hard to visualise them all, to be honest, which does make it harder to connect to the characters. The story is rather ambitious, and I'm honestly not sure why I expected anything less from someone as well known as Tchaikovsky. I blame James S.A. Corey. It made everything a little more jumbled than I'd have preferred, though I was still able to follow along okay.

It's quite a rambling story, and at the start there doesn't seem to be a lot of purpose. We kind of just follow this crew through space as they bounce from one issue to another. There wasn't any notable mystery driving the story, and I think that's part of why it felt slower to me. I was happy enough riding along with the crew, but it would have been nice to have some guesses at the final destination.

The writing is good, though, and gives a decent blend of science, themes and characters. I did get to know and love the characters, and ultimately I became invested in their mission(s). I did pause a little about halfway through but I never resisted going back to it.

This was my first book by this author, and I already have the second waiting. I'll probably pause for a little before continuing on with this story, but I would like to see it through, I think. Might not venture into Tchaikovsky again for a while though. It's definitely heavy.

A decent read for the science lovers, with enough character commitment to appeal to those who prefer a more action-driven story. It didn't blow me away as I'd hoped, but I still really enjoyed it.

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