Michelle

I received this arc from the publisher through First Reads. I was super excited when this came in the mail, as I love mystery/crime fiction! I had not read anything by Sophie Hannah and did not really know anything about this series.

The story begins as Amber Hewerdine decides to see a hypnotherapist for her ongoing insomnia. During her first session she says the words “Kind, Cruel, Kind of Cruel” without knowing the meaning behind them or where she saw them written. Next thing you know, she is picked up by the police for questioning regarding the murder of a local school teacher, Kat Allen.

The point of view shifts back and forth between Amber, the therapist, and each of the detectives involved with the case. This shifting narrative becomes very complex and sometimes difficult to follow. I did, however, discover that I didn't care much for any of these characters. Which is unfortunate because a large chunk of this book is spent on character development. The plot on the other hand was interesting, but not particularly compelling.

Overall it was an okay read. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I read the previous books. If you are a fan of Sophie Hannah and enjoy the series then you will probably like this book.

I received this ARC through First Reads from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel, the narrator, is a children's book illustrator. She's recently separated from her cheating husband (who sounds like a total putz). She likes the school her children attend, but isn't very anxious to volunteer for any of the “mom duties”. On the other hand, most of the other characters are falling over themselves to volunteer for PTA duties. They're all competing for the attention of the queen bee mom, Beatrice (who of course is a total snob). She's the PTA chairwoman, and it quickly becomes apparent that the icky jobs, such as sorting stinky laundry for a fund-raising yard sale, is delegated to the moms she does not like. Then her and her friends work on the activities that are more fun.

Somehow, Rachel has lost her status as BFF with Beatrice. When Rachel challenges her about their friendship, Beatrice explains it wouldn't be right to “take sides” after Rachel's separation with her husband. From here Rachel pretends not to care even though she still takes an awful lot of interest in what Beatrice is doing.

The mothers all are one-dimensional and somewhat unbelievable. I am a mother of school aged children, and I don't really identify with any of these characters. Maybe as a satire that is blowing some of the typical behaviors out of proportion, but certainly not true to life.

It's a vaguely amusing summer read. Just don't expect a lot of aha moments as you identify some of the annoying moms you know in real life.

This took me forever to read. Maybe I would have had a higher opinion of the book had I read it in fewer sittings. I just couldn't do it. I don't know if it was the stilted manner in which Van Helsing spoke or the slow pacing throughout the middle of the book. There were sections of the book that I thought were great, but there were just not enough of them to keep my interest.

The beginning starts out with Jonathan Harker held captive by Count Dracula in his mansion in Transylvania. I thought this was a fantastic beginning and I was totally on board. The epistolary format allowed me to see exactly what was going through Harker's mind as he fully realizes the situation he's in. His earliest journal entries are full of superstitions and doubts and those niggling feelings. By the time he finally leaves, he is so out of his mind with fear and crazy thoughts that he's admitted to a sanitarium. It was awesome. I really enjoy being inside of a crazy person's head (other than my own).

Afterwards, more characters are introduced and the very slow ramping up to the next bit of scary stuff. I found myself irritated with Van Helsing more than once, as he tends to come off as a pompous, secretive, misogynistic ass. And it seems that he really likes to talk. A lot. About not much of anything that can be understood by anyone in the room.

Overall, I'm glad I read it but I don't see myself picking it up again.

I was really looking forward to reading the story of Lucky and Wolsey. I don't know of any other books like this, from the perspective of someone inside the relationship. Unfortunately, the writing was not very good. It was very simplistic and choppy so you could never really sink into the story. But mostly, I just wish there had been more editing. There was so much repetition, I found myself skimming through large sections.

As for the story itself, I'm reluctant to give my opinion on their love story. I didn't necessarily understand or agree with Lucky's thought processes, but it's not my relationship.

Ultimately, I can't help but be thrilled that there is such a thing as a relationship surviving this sort of transformation. I can't imagine there are many out there that do.

Thank you to Netgalley and Riverdale Avenue Books for my copy to review.

Thoroughly disappointed in this book. I read a lot of pages and I'm really no further along in the storyline than after Clockwork Angel. I still don't know where Mortmain is, I don't know what Tessa is, and we still have a lot of love triangle angst. I do, however, know that Will has blue eyes because there are about 50 BAJILLION references made about them.

I will finish the trilogy because I seriously need to know what Tessa is. And to find out what “the big surprise” is.

It was just ok. I would not normally continue the series, except that I picked up the second book at a library book sale. It does, however, explain why the second book was only 50 cents (hardcover)!

It was hard to figure out where the story was going for most of the book and I can't say that I'm really all that attached to any of the characters. If it wasn't such a short book, I doubt that I would have finished it.

Loved it! Very unique storyline! I doubt I could describe this book, so I won't try. :)

I really enjoyed the imagery. I often quit books with a ton of descriptions because ... BORING!! The details were woven into this story really well, so I never tried to skip ahead. :)

I think this would make an excellent movie!

I absolutely loved the beginning! I enjoyed the flashbacks that give us more insight into Alexander's story before he and Tatiana meet in the first book. Even though they are apart, I still enjoy the love story that is Tatiana and Alexander!

The middle left me frustrated. It tended to drag on forever and make me wonder what kind of love story would spend hundreds of pages on everything but ROMANCE or feelings of LOVE. I seriously wanted to claw Tatiana's eyes out every time she contemplated dropping her son off with the nearest stranger or putting a bullet through her head. If she even remotely believed that Alexander was dead, what reason did she have to live?? Apparently their son was not reason enough ...

The end was the familiar romance against all odds, and it was fantastic.

So, I heard a lot of great things about this book. From people much younger than me. Who really like cutesy-cliche-love stories. And it was exactly that. Cutesy. Cliche. And some french kissing in France.

It's not a bad story, it's just that it is hard for me to keep reading something that is SO INSANELY PREDICTABLE.

Overall, it was good writing and gave me a couple of chuckles but I definitely wouldn't read it again.

Finally finished this gi-normous book!

I'm still disappointed in the transition that takes place near the middle. The author spent the first 250 pages building a really exciting story, just to drop me in the middle of some boring town with relatively boring characters! I then spent an agonizing 150 pages reading about this boring town before reaching the point where the two stories start to tie together. After that point, I began to enjoy the book again, but I never got back to that stay-up-all-night-to-read-this-awesome-book feeling again.

I won't rush out to get the next book, but I can't swear that I won't pick it up at the library down the road ...

In Richmond, Virginia in 1811 there was a theater fire that was one of the most devastating fires of that time. The House is on Fire is a historical fiction based on the Richmond Theater Fire. The story is told from the viewpoint of four people involved in that tragedy, two of which are white and free and two are black and enslaved.

I absolutely adored this book and I loved each of the main characters. There was not one single chapter that I was trying to rush through just to get to another person's point of view. It's beautifully written and she did a wonderful job of capturing the wrongness of people's response during that time in America while still making room for goodness and hope.

So so good!

Fantastic October read! I really appreciate the way that the author wove the spooky factor into a great story. Sometimes horror novels really amp up the scare-factor without creating a really good story-line. This book has all the feels, including the scared-out-of-your-wits! I promise you that I will never look through a keyhole, that's for certain!

It took me a little while to get into this story. I just wasn't understanding how this book was about anything more than a dog and car racing info. Turns out, it really isn't about those things at all! I really enjoyed the camaraderie between dog and owner when faced with the biggest fight of their lives. And I adore Enzo :)