Review: Havoc

Havoc by Rebecca Wait
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun story revolving around chaos at a girl's boarding school.

Call me crazy, but I have such a soft spot for boarding school stories. I don't know what it is - maybe the comradery, or the idea of an extended sleepover. I feel like the bonds are always tighter, and there's something about living at school that is such a foreign concept to me that I love reading about it.

So this story was another enjoyable read, particularly with the chaos at this school. It's falling apart and in serious danger of closure - particularly when the girls start developing a twitching sickness.

That's not going to work for our protagonist, Ida, who is fleeing from shameful circumstances and merciless bullying. She needs the school to stay open, since it's now her refuge.

The story here alternates between the views of Ida and Eleanor, one of the teachers. This gives us a more rounded view of what's happening at the school, and multiple seats from which to view the chaos.

I enjoyed how unhinged things were, so it was easy to travel along at a cracking pace. There's also the mystery of what is really happening to these girls, and it does add an emotional element that gives the story a bit of heart.

This was a really fun reading experience, and I'd happily read more tales of this school, though it all wrapped up neatly so I don't see that happening. The characters were great and well-suited to this tale, and I would easily recommend this for people looking for a little chaos in their reading life.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

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Review: A Case of Mice and Murder

A Case of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Narrated by Matthew Lloyd-Davis
Presented by Bloomsbury UK Audio

Another fun detective story!

Err, I mean, LAWYER.

Yes, Sir Gabriel Ward is tasked with investigating a murder that's happened on Temple grounds. That's not, as I first misunderstood, a literal temple, but rather a special lil section of London where Lawyers rule. Gabriel is a little odd, but it's part of his charm.

I'll admit, the narrator didn't work for me at the beginning. For some reason I find some male narrators hard to hear at times, like they trail off at the end of the sentences or in the middle and I can't make out the words properly. Very frustrating. I also found the pacing off compared to how I'd read, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he did a bad job.

He did grow on me as I became more involved in the story, but I did find myself tuning out a lot at the start. The story sucked me in though and I regretted not paying thorough attention!

There's a double mystery here - the murder that Ward has been tasked with investigating, and the case he's currently undertaking in his role as a lawyer, that concerns the author of a children's book. It's the latter that really piqued my curiosity; Millie the mouse has become a hugely successful book and yet her authorship is unknown. Fascinating!

Eventually this book delivered everything I've really been enjoying in the Japanese crime novels I've been devouring: strange, seemingly irrelevant pieces, a large cast of potential suspects, quirky stories and completely wild ideas. I enjoyed the way everything started to be pieced together and the ultimate conclusion.

This is a great introduction to the series, but given all the clues and red herrings I'd love to read this one physically so that I can properly absorb every detail.

Highly recommend to crime fans who just want a straight up murder mystery without the brooding detectives and their messy love lives.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: Upon a Starlit Tide

Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by Esther Wane
Presented by Bolinda Audio

An interesting blend of Cinderella and Pride & Prejudice with a splash of The Little Mermaid.

I had both a physical and audio copy of this one, so began with physical and finished with audio.

The story revolves around Lucinde, who saves a man from a shipwreck. He's the handsome son of a wealthy family and she - as the adopted daughter of another wealthy family - finds herself greatly intrigued by him. She's also not like other girls so she likes to dress as a man to help her dude bro Samuel salvage wrecks.

So yes there's a little bit of a love triangle, but there's also fae folk running about and popping up to help or hinder. Which, honestly, was a rather refreshing twist - especially as they're not the purpose of the story, just an aspect of its world.

There's class stuff, too, with the snooty rich folk looking down on people who actually work for a living, so there's your P&P for you.

I enjoyed the blend, but it did bog down in the middle for me. I found, after certain events, that I was expecting it to wrap up but as it continued I was wearied by it. Still, it picked up again and finally introduced some really unique stuff that won back my interest.

The writing is quite pretty, and paints some beautiful scenes. I did notice I had more time for the writing when reading, as opposed to listening. The narrator has a very strong English accent and it did change how I related to the story. Still, she did an okay job, though some of the characters started sounding the same and every now and then she'd read a line in the wrong voice.

I think it was a little too familiar a tale for most of it to properly draw me in. The setting didn't hugely interest me and the 'rich people looking down on poor people' trope is one I'm really tired of. While the blend of retellings was a new angle, the stories themselves are not and I really felt that here.

I do think other fantasy lovers will enjoy this more than I did. There are some intriguing moments and it did re-tell the stories its own way. So as a retelling, it's quite unique. The characters are an interesting mix, but Charlotte was the standout for me because she was a character I haven't encountered often. I liked her blend of love/hate.

If you're looking for a retelling that does things differently, or a fantasy story that goes easy on the romance, this might be just the ticket for you.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC, and Harper Collins for a physical ARC

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Review: The Zodiac Killer: The Story of America's Most Elusive Murderer

The Zodiac Killer: The Story of America's Most Elusive Murderer by Michael Butterfield
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by Mack Gordon
Presented by Arcturus Digital Audio

This is a case that really fascinates me, but unfortunately this audiobook didn't totally capture my undivided attention.

I won't go over the details of the case too much - Zodiac was the name given to a serial killer who sent cryptic codes to newspapers after his murders. The killer has never been found.

This book begins with a detailed look at what happened with each murder - who, where, when, how - and states facts plainly with no frills.

It then goes into more information on the ciphers, suspects, victims, theories and even pop culture references.

I did find the information felt rather stale, and not particularly in depth. There's a lot of info to take in but it feels mostly superfluous, especially when we come to theories and suspects. Some of it felt unnecessary, or even irrelevant at times.

I think the audio perhaps isn't the best format for this one, since the ciphers were such a crucial part of the case and not being able to look at them or the code-breaking processes described made it harder to follow. The narrator also delivered his lines poorly, with pauses in strange places and emphasis where it perhaps wasn't necessary. His voice was fine for the book but the cadence was off so I found it a little frustrating at times.

It also felt like there was just no real empathy here - it's more about the killer and who he was and so fails to show any worthy amount of compassion to add a much needed human feel to it.

There's a decent amount of information here for people who are new to the case and want a more thorough account, but there's nothing new for those of us wanting more. It was interesting enough but there are perhaps other sources that do the case more justice.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: Mysteries of the National Parks: 35 Stories of Baffling Disappearances, Unexplained Phenomena, and More

Mysteries of the National Parks: 35 Stories of Baffling Disappearances, Unexplained Phenomena, and More by Mike Bezemek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Narrated by Dean Gallagher
Presented by Tantor Audio

What a mixed bag this was!

Part true mystery, part guide book, this examines mysteries related to American national parks and discusses how travellers can experience the related areas of said parks themselves.

For me - an Australian - I wasn't at all interested in the guide book stuff, but I was quite fascinated by some of the mysteries. SOME. I found myself paying rapt attention when the book covered the disappearance of the couple who went rafting through the Grand Canyon and disappeared without a trace, but tuned out a lot of the 'mystery of the tall trees' segment. Some of the mysteries were quite curious (disappearance of the cave dwellers), others rather dull and pointless (a random old gun find). They were all mixed up in the book, so it was usually a safe bet that a dull story would be followed by one more fascinating. I'm grateful for that, because it did mean that the book didn't really drag despite its less interesting cases.

It is quite thorough for the tourists in the way it explains tracks and trails to follow, and local information such as parking and tours that will help accomplish any trekking goals. So people using it as an inspiring guide book should find it to be a useful, insightful resource.

On the mystery side of things, a lot give only the bare bones of the case and remain inconclusive, with no fresh evidence or unique angles given. I found some to be quite frustrating in that a quick google turned up the same amount of info; yet the fact I felt the need to google in the first place suggests how much my curiosity was piqued. A lot of the cases covered were new to me, so I did enjoy learning about them.

The 'interesting people' stories weren't really for me; some were figures I recognised the name of, but their presence in this book baffled me a little.

The audio was done well. I found the narrator easy to listen to, and his expressive voice conveyed each case quite well. Enunciation was clear, and aside from a creative pronunciation of 'in situ' I followed easily.

I found the mix of mystery and tour guide didn't really work for me, but that's likely because I don't live in the USA so the guide book side of things slowed everything down pointlessly for me. American hikers and outdoorsy folks might appreciate the recommendations for particular trails to follow, and enjoy the immersion into the related stories. Mystery fans will find quite a lot to sink their teeth into.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

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Review: Blood of Hercules

Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was AWFUL.

Absolutely heinous with a heavy focus on torture and unhealthy obsession.

Also insanely addictive???

I AM NOT OKAY.

***

So it's been about a week since I finished this now and WOW did it scar me.

Our protagonist, Alexis, lives through a traumatic, scarce childhood as a foster kid hated by her foster parents in a world that worships Spartans, aka gods. These are the Greek gods but really in naught but name, so mythology fans looking for some kind of retelling will be pretty disappointed by this offering. I know I was.

So naturally Alexis turns out to be the bastard offspring of a god so she's sent to compete in a bloody death match which, if she survives, grants entry into 'The Crucible' - an even bloodier, deadlier game that only 10 people will be alive to participate in.

Lots of torture, lots of pain, lots of blood and maiming and death. Lots of Alexis blindly staggering through things without really knowing what's happening.

That's a huge problem with this book - most of the action is glossed over due to Alexis's 'torture haze' - ie she's so broken and disturbed by what's been happening to her and around her that she doesn't really follow or take part in what's happening, so we as the reader also have no idea what's going on.

But then of course things become crystal clear when one of the 'devastatingly handsome, purely psychotic' controlling gods shows up - Alexis is bullied first by 'Patro' and the muzzled Achilles, then by her overbearing teachers, Kharon and Augustus.

Bf: How's the book?
Me: Umm, I think it's gearing up for a 5-way torture orgy gang bang

None of these men treat Alexis well but we're clearly supposed to fall all over ourselves at their handsomeness and their psychotic protectiveness.

I honestly hated every single one of these characters. They're all terrible people, and Alexis just lets all this crazy stuff happen, never stands up for herself, and somehow still feels 'tingling' and other bizarre positive feelings towards men who are literally torturing and abusing her.

I like the idea of this more brutal challenge but we just get repetition and blurs of torture until the action slows down to highlight all the creepy suss stuff the Ick Men are up to. I wanted the action of the crucible but it's mostly the same thing on repeat that eventually becomes a haze. No new challenges, no creative competitions. The whole notion of the crucible was tragically under-utilised.

To be honest, though, there is a dark side to this story that did keep it quite addictive to me. It felt like Alexis was always just on the edge of snapping, and I kept waiting for that. The wait kept me reading eagerly, and the rest of it was definitely like the classic 'train wreck I couldn't take my eyes off'. Because so much of it is so terrible that you keep reading, waiting to find the POINT of it all.

Even the spiciness was tragically absent. The setup had me thinking, 'ohhh, this is one of those gang bang books for the spicy lovers' but even that aspect was all waiting and no delivering. So even spicy gang bang fans will be missing out, sorry guys.

Insanely enough, I still found this to be a conflictingly fun read. Almost like it was so terrible, and so wildly out there that I just loved how batsh*t insane the whole reading experience was. So that's where the bonus star comes in.

Mythology fans will be horrified by what's been done here, and romantasy fans might not get the payoff they're after. But if you're after a whirlwind of torture and dark things that make zero sense, this is your ticket.

With thanks to Harper Collins for an ARC - my therapy bill will be in the mail

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Review: Artificial Condition

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another fun one in the series.

Particularly enjoyed the introduction and participation of ART.

The novella length is perfect for this series. It keeps the action moving at a decent pace, but there's still plenty of time to get to know Murderbot a little further.

Murderbot makes a friend here, too, which adds a layer of unexpected warmth to the story.

I like that there's still so much happening in the short story, but there's a larger story that wants to play out across the series. I'm keen to learn more of it through the third book.

It's fast paced, with plenty of action and some interesting characters. Definitely a fun series I'd recommend to sci-fi fans.

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