Review: The Confession

The Confession by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My god this stupid book did a number on me.

Brilliant, but goddamn what a rollercoaster of frustration.

The story begins with the titular Confession - a man named Travis rocks up to a church and confesses to a murder in another state. He's recently got out of prison and realised the man accused of his crime is about to be executed. So begins the race to save an innocent man.

The intensity of rage I felt at the legal process while reading this book is almost unparalleled. Everything was so drawn out, the loopholes and paperwork and arguing and technicalities and bad police work, corruption ... it was absolutely endless. You're given a murder, a man who was set up and imprisoned for the murder, and now a man coming forward to confess to the crime. So it should have been so goddamn SIMPLE but instead we have to read through 300-odd pages of this drawn out BEUROCRACY that sits like an impossible mountain between an innocent man and his freedom.

Hence the frustration.

The worst part of this 'thriller' is that this is the reality of the justice system. A little corruption goes a long way and all of the little details that impede justice being done are just a friggin JOKE when you look at it from a logical standpoint. People covering their own asses and considering that more important than saving an innocent man. It really sickened me.

I'll make my own confession - I nearly gave up on this book, because it was breaking my heart.

This is just not in any way a satisfying story, but it IS insanely captivating and highlights so many issues with the American justice system. It definitely kept me on the edge.

I can't recommend it genuinely because it honestly was a traumatising read, but if you're after a thriller that will fully immerse you then maybe you'll love it. It's a brilliantly written story, but GOD IT HURTS.

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Review: Dark Knights of Steel, Vol. 1

Dark Knights of Steel, Vol. 1 by Tom Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SO GOOD.

This was so much fun. DC goes medieval, and Kal-El is a prince. Batman is a bastard son and Wonder Woman hails from Amazonia. I AM HERE FOR IT.

This series is notoriously slow to release, so it's going to be a painful wait til Vol 2. This one was pretty epic, with some great twists and moments that left me gaping. I loved seeing all the familiar heroes turning up in unexpected ways and the medieval setting really worked for my fantasy-loving heart. The artwork is fantastic and the artwork on the actual hardcover is stunning.

Could not find a fault in this, and I'm happy to have found a series that rivals DCeased for me. This one would be a great entry for fantasy lovers looking to branch into comics and graphic novels.

Really loved it, so I'll be waiting impatiently for the next volume!

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Review: Miss Austen

Miss Austen by Gill Hornby
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A sweet novel that I really enjoyed, despite the mysterious contents of Jane's letters being rather underwhelming.

The story follows Cassy, sister to Jane Austen - yes, THAT Jane Austen. It's a couple decades after Jane's death, and Cassy is on the hunt for letters written by her sister. We get a glimpse at some of these, which takes us back into the past and allows us a look at the lives of the sisters.

Firstly, I wasn't actually aware of 'the great mystery' of Cassandra burning a bunch of Jane's letters. But this novel talks about Cassy's fear of the letters causing a scandal and besmirching Jane's name, so I was very keen to hear more.

Present day Cassy is a bit of an old fuddy-duddy, to be honest. She's still obsessed with honour and good name and doesn't like dogs (!!!) so I actually didn't like her all that much. But I really enjoyed seeing her soften as the novel progressed, and I really felt for her as I learned about her past. Was also severely frustrated.

Jane is such a delightful character, and so very much like Lizzy Bennet (of Pride and Prejudice fame). She fights convention and resists all things men and marriage to the point that I suspect she was perhaps in the closet at a time when being out of the closet no doubt would have caused all kinds of drama. But that's pure speculation on my part. On the whole, I just loved her rebellious spirit and I'm even more curious about the REAL contents of the letters.

I suppose there wasn't a huge driver for the action, which is where it lost stars for me. So much is built up about how scandalous the letters are but there's really not all that much in them to get excited about. I enjoyed the way the letters led the way into scenes from the past but the past wasn't all that dramatic.

On the whole, though, it was still a really enjoyable read. Nothing too demanding, and the setting feels very realistic and well done for the era. I loved sinking back into this 'English Countryside' vibe that Austen's novels have. I thought it was done really well.

Plus, bonus marks for the gorgeous cover art!

A lovely, low-key story that will warm the heart of anyone who has enjoyed Jane Austen's work. Don't look to solve any grand mystery, but instead soak up the atmosphere and enjoy your time with it.

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Review: Wonder Woman, Vol. 2: Through a Glass Darkly

Wonder Woman, Vol. 2: Through a Glass Darkly by Becky Cloonan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not as good as Afterworlds but still fun.

I really enjoyed the return of Wonder Woman, and how the world rejoiced. It was really cool to see the support for her.

The story after that, though, fizzled a little. There's a thread with Dr Cizko doing nefarious things and causing a bit of trouble, but ultimately there wasn't really a huge threat here to raise the stakes.

Added to that, I've read more recent issues so one of the big reveals that would likely have delighted me was already kinda spoiled.

The artwork wasn't anything particularly spectacular, but I did still appreciate it and it was easy enough to follow.

Overall, kinda average all around but building towards something bigger.

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Review: The Rook

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A unique supernatural thriller that kept me invested the whole way through.

In one of the greatest opening scenes I've read in a while, our protagonist wakes in the rain, surrounded by dead bodies, with no knowledge of who she is and the only clue a letter that begins, 'Dear You ...'

Hook, line and sinker, my friends.

What follows is an introduction to a secret supernatural organisation where our mind-wiped protagonist, Myfawny is charged with keeping things orderly and making sure that inconvenient supernatural disturbances are followed up with all the appropriate forms - all while trying to figure out who is responsible for her current state. Oh, she also has superpowers. As do most of her colleagues.

A comparison to X-Men comes to mind, but there's no dramatic heroics here - saving the day is just a regular Monday. In fact, a lot of the humour comes from how calmly these crazy situations are dealt with. I loved how Myfawny 2.0 just had no patience - it was so refreshing for there to be more anger than fear and have her just go OFF at these psychotic supernatural beings for messing up her day. I support the new model wholeheartedly.

There's the consistent, nagging mystery of how she ended up mind-wiped, which is enough to keep you reading, but then there's also one crazy happening after another and let me just say, these are things that 14 seasons of Supernatural still did not prepare me for.

So the pacing is fantastic, with the main storyline intersected by the 'mundane' day to day business of Myfawny's position. Plenty of action, plenty of humour, and some really unique powers on display.

The characters are a lot of fun, though I did get a couple mixed up. A little more depth on some would have been nice, but there were a lot to introduce in this novel so I'm looking forward to getting to know people better in the next one. As it stands, there's still enough info to give you an idea of the personalities hanging around the office and an understanding of what drives each.

The whole thing was honestly just a lot of fun and I flew through it. It's a refreshing take on super-powered humans dealing with supernatural things, with a nice side of comedy to lighten the mood.

Keen to read the sequel!

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