EAT BEAUTIFUL: Grain-free, Sugar-free and Loving it by Megan Stevens

Having been on the Banting diet for a while now, I am constantly in search of a low carb and low sugar dessert that I can offer the family. This book does not disappoint at all.
After seeing recipe upon recipe that required almond or coconut flour (both of which are not exactly cheap), I was pleasantly surprised to find so many recipes with loads of alternatives. I had never even heard of carrot flour, which is definitely so easy to make. The photos that were available gave me hope since these unconventional recipes looked the same as anything I have ever eaten-nothing says disappointment quite like being promised a chocolate cupcake and receiving a flat brown cookie type mess. The book does not really offer dinner type meals, but more snacks, desserts and add-ons, which is great as there are so many options. I really liked the way that there are substitutes available for some of the ingredients, as well as a number of different types of the same dish. The addition of the explanatory introduction as well as addendums detailing reasons as to why not to eat certain foods were very helpful. As for instructions on how to make your own nut butter and sprout nuts-well call me the domestic goddess! And finally-pizza that is guilt free!
Definitely recommending this one-beautifully presented and well thought out.
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

Vector-Weaver Series#3-Vaun Murphrey

This is the third installment in the Weaver series.

It's time for the twins to return home, and as usual when it comes to Cass and Silver, nothing is done quietly. From the moment they arrive the sweet homecoming they expect turns into attempted assassinations, fights, whirlwinds, betrayals, re-ignited love, discovered powers and new beginnings. So really-just another day then!

This third book was much easier to read. The narration from Cass seems to work better for the story-maybe it's the maturity level that allows you to understand from Cass's POV instead of the flitty and snarky persona that Silver demonstrates. Some negatives cropped up again for me. There is a heck of a lot of action in this book-especially for the short amount of time in which it takes place. The problem with this is that the incidents seem to be forced into the text artificially (time and depth wise) in order to explain certain happenings. This makes an entire book only about a few major happenings. I felt what James offered to do (with regards to his present situation) after the homecoming, considering he and Cass had been in contact in the Web the entire time, proved him to be very shallow. For the character to be such a big part in Cass's life, we really don't know that much about him. A lot of crazy things happen , especially since the status quo has not really changed in the time they have been gone, yet everyone just seems to accept this and move on.  A few niggles too-while some of the Weavers have immense strength (but certainly not superhuman), twisting someone's head off raised an eyebrow and again the amount of injuries that people suffer but seem to shrug off beggars belief. Money also seems to be no issue in all this-so much is destroyed yet there always seems to be something bigger and better around the corner. I also felt certain important parts to do with Cora's history that may have explained more about the present situation were brushed over. The editing was a problem again-too many extended similes and metaphors are used to try and describe something-in one chapter over a few pages there were up to three per page. Simple mistakes like now instead of know or you and not your as well as missing words in sentences or punctuation errors are extremely detrimental to the story.

I will say however, that this is the best book in the series for me so far with regards to the improved writing, the flow of the story and a better fit for the characters. The short story at the end of the book helped to explain certain issues but there are many unanswered questions that will hopefully be settled in the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to review this book.

Changeling-Weaver Series #2 by Vaun Murphrey

This is the second installment in the Weaver series.

Cassandra and Silver are being pursued by Shiva-a dangerous being from another world. In order to save them Kal must take them to his world to be protected by his people. Or so he hopes. Will his people accept the chimera and protect them as family would, and will they live to tell the tale of these new experiences?

Having found the first book a good start to the series, I had high hopes for this follow on but found it really difficult to read. In fact trying to review this book becomes complicated as so much of the book did not leave a lasting impression. A few issues that I found negative (without allowing spoilers) were right from the start the fact that Silver had taken over the narration. While I understand the reasoning behind it, her flippant and sarcastic attitude, especially for someone her age, in one who is meant to be special, is hard to take. When arriving on the other world, they are bombarded with hatred from others. There is so much antagonism towards them in particular, it seems contrary to what has been promised for their protection . At this juncture in the book an enormous amount of new information is thrown at the reader which is only explained much later and you find yourself rereading passages to make sense of words which cuts into the flow of the story. At one stage the twins refer to a character who they remember when seeing a hair wrap-but I could not recall a mention of this character at all! The violence towards the girls and the amount of injuries they sustained seemed excessive-even during the time period before healing could occur some cuts took place at bone level yet the girls hardly seemed phased about the pain. As with the previous book, the sexual innuendo and offerings for someone so young did not seem right. It is never fully explained what happens to a male when sexually turned away, even though focus is placed on not encouraging this. The time jump at the end leading towards the encounter is not enough to justify the missing years and experiences. The singularity issue was also never fully explored. And unfortunately editing mistakes crept in like the incorrect use of where and were or its and it's. Authors write in the style that pleases them and hopefully pleases the readers, and this subjectiveness does not always bode well with everyone. A case in point were the phrases "invisible thoughts eluded me" and "she was a carefully controlled loathing cake with an icing of distaste and filling of fury"-to me this dropped the audience level significantly.

And yet even with the myriad of negatives, the series still holds promise. The idea remains interesting and with two books in the series remaining, I am hoping for tighter writing, emphasis on the important sections of the plot and a more cohesive fit of characters and ages to situations.     

Chimera-Vaun Murphrey

While perusing titles on Netgalley, I noticed this book had received a number of great reviews so was keen to try it out. Even though in an "outside region", I was grateful the book was delivered and so promptly.

Cassandra is a 13-year-old girl who has been imprisoned for 8 years after the death of her parents. This is no ordinary prison however, and much mental strain is placed on her to maintain her sanity, which she does by connecting with her inner self and voice. When inexplicably finding herself in a different place and with family she never knew she had, she starts learning about what type of person she is and how she fits into the world. Cassandra discovers that she is a Weaver-able to separate mind and body in order the access the plane of the Web where other Weavers travel and communicate. Just as normality seems to set in, she learns of sinister plots within her world and others and must trust her family and new friends with recently discovered secrets about herself.  With so much against her, will Cassandra survive the mental and physical attacks she is about to endure?

I really held high hopes for this book but I must say I was somewhat disappointed. The writing tended towards an immature style at times- as though it was written for a school submission. Not everything needed to be explained as much as it was-the reader understood from the initial explanation about the bad weather and the possibility of mud being tracked into houses, but this point was dwelt on over and over again. Mistakes cropped up every now and then like misplaced apostrophes and the sentence "Kara cut her eyes" used for when she looked away made no sense to me. The use of "inner voice" repeatedly at the beginning of the story eventually becomes clear (well it was pretty obvious), but its continual use in the beginning was jarring. The decision to tell certain people and at certain times about her secret has an incongruous section where it is mentioned but not explained in front of her uncle and he never questions it. Cassandra's character is a little too mature for her age-her thoughts and desires seem a lot older. Chapter One also starts off with a very uncomfortable scene which can be dangerous in trying to keep the reader connected to the book. I found the end rather abrupt too -as though the divisions between the books were just cut.

In saying all this the main idea behind the book has masses of potential which I really hope is explored in the rest of the series.  More character development needs to take place and explanations that are repeated or superfluous to requirements must go! I commend the author on the start of what could be a great series-I truly hope she ups the ante.

Beyond the Style Manual. Just to be clear-writing what you mean by Lynn McNamee

What a fantastic and concise guide to pinpoint issues in scripts that just don't seem to fit quite right.

The guide is a very succinct summary of how to spot misplaced or dangling modifiers and participles, vague antecedents and in what manner to address paragraphing correctly. There are hints as to methodology to correct the problems from the many examples offered. Each section also presents a quiz with answers to ensure the reader has understood the specifics.

The writing style of this guide is clear and easy to follow. I liked the fact that not just one correction was offered at times so that many ways of fixing sentences was offered. Even seasoned editors and writers need a bit of brushing up every now and then, and this handy little guide looks to be part of a great series able to do that.

Received from Netgalley for a review.

All the Light We Cannot See-Anthony Doerr

Even though historical fiction is not my first choice, with so many book club recommendations I had to see what the hype was about.

Set just before and during WW2, the story revolves around two central characters, each with their own heart-breaking and endearing story that ties itself into the overall picture. Marie -Laure is a young lady who lost her sight as a child, and lives with her father, a custodian of a museum. To try and give her more freedom in the outside world, he recreates their neighbourhood in miniature so that she can learn and memorise it all with her fingers. Werner is a young orphan who is technically gifted, and is drafted into the German army to track down the French Resistance, leaving behind a younger sister.  As the years go by and the many facets of war, whether victor or victim, are endured, their stories intertwine for a fleeting moment.  A part of each of their lives is shared, and with this,understanding, hope and forgiveness.

The book has me torn-did I enjoy it or not? I still don't know. And I guess since the author has now made me think and question, he has achieved something. As I paged through the beginning, I was put off by the amount of chapters-this generally means that they are short and the story then tends to jump around a lot. It did indeed turn out to be the case-there is a lot of character and time movement between chapters, which can sometimes be confusing, especially since the text is written in present tense. It took me ages to get into the rhythm of the book as the writing style was very slow for me. While there were excessive descriptive texts of scenery which added a great deal to the overall story, the verbosity made my mind tend to wander off. Not as much was spent on developing enough of the main characters. I felt that so much time was used on the build up, that much of the imagery was not necessary. In saying that however, the pace of the story served a great purpose in portraying the bleakness and the futility of war and its consequences. The sideline story of the diamond put a different spin on things-it taps into what people believed was important enough at the time to hide, or seek. What resonated long after I finished the book, was the portrayal of a life I could never understand. How family can be taken away and imprisoned on the whim of another, how young children can be so indoctrinated that human dignity is ignored and what so many cherish as fundamental individual rights can be denied.

The meeting between the central characters seemed contrived-it felt like a chance in a million where every tiny conceivable problem that could have happened did not. But I guess who can say for certain in a situation like that? The majority of the secondary characters were well written-they had their places in the story and added to the progression where necessary.

I felt that the ending was rushed-that the story was completed to try and tie up loose ends-by doing this many questions were actually left unanswered.  So again I find myself ambivalent as to whether or not I enjoyed the book. All I can say is try it and see whether or not the small details play in your mind long after it is over, as they have in mine.

Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni

Netgalley has offered this suspense in exchange for an honest review.

Tracy Crosswhite is fuelled by a sense of justice. Having brutally lost her sister a number of years before, she understands the need for closure. While dealing with the retrial of her sister's convicted killer, her boss, Nolasco, sends her current investigation of a murdered stripper to the cold case division.  Now as more bodies turn up it looks as though there is a serial killer on the loose. Tracy  falls directly into the spotlight having to deal with a stalker, a media leak, her vindictive boss, police brutality lawsuits and a killer who seems to be one step ahead. Can her boyfriend Dan help her connect an old case to this current spate before Tracy lands up on the list of bodies too?

Generally not having read the previous book/s in a series hinders the cohesiveness of plot lines. I would have liked to have known more about Tracy's character but the book can still be read as a stand alone. I received an uncorrected proof but luckily there were very few errors. I enjoyed the author's writing style-descriptions were just enough to imagine scenes without being bogged down by too many details. The plot itself is a typical detective/crime story. Clues are fed to the reader throughout to try and work out the killer's identity. In this instance it was not as obvious, but could only have been part of a certain amount of characters. Tracy is a good strong main character, and her interactions with colleagues and their personal stories added another dimension. Her boss was brought across very well-each time he appeared on the page there was a physical angry reaction to his  underhandedness and despair that he would not get what was coming to him. I did feel that some characters were superfluous to requirements-I understand why Katie had to start the story and the full circle to end it but I felt too much was concentrated on her. I also felt that using phrases like "blade stance" so often then lost their effect on me. Dan seemed a little too good to be true-maybe in the full series we will get to see more of his other sides.

Overall a good impression-about half way through the book I felt that it was worthy of four stars  but with the conclusion I had to take one away-I generally base that on whether the book was gripping and memorable enough to warrant a reread and sadly in this case it wasn't. Recommended for light, easy reading. 

Shattered Blue by Lauren Horowitz

What a beautifully written young adult fantasy book received from Netgalley for an honest review.

YOUR SISTER IS DEAD- a jolt to the senses to start a story. Noa has experienced this loss. An integral part of the family that has now cast the normality of everyday life asunder. Her mother; a faint silhouette of her former self, her father; throwing himself into work to ease the pain, and Sasha; her young sister that shines with her own internal golden light and copes in her own special way. But who is there for Noa as she tries her best to pick up the pieces and move day by day? Previously a boarder at Harlow School , she had Olivia and Miles constantly at her side to help her deal with her ups and downs. Now as a commuter she meets a new boy at school. There is something very different about him. And not just because he is gorgeous. He is just, different. As she gets to know him her world is thrown into turmoil. Callum is fae! Sharing his past and his banishment with Noa, she learns of another realm where coloured and clear fae exist with magical abilities. Soon his past intermingles with his present when he is taken captive. Can Noa even compete with such magical creatures to save him? And will the tiny piece of Callum's mind that is kept hidden from everyone alter too many destinies?  

The author manages to skilfully capture the complex emotions of a 16-year-old girl. From the point where she is still a child wanting to be held and reassured, to taking on the responsibilities of a house and people's lives without acknowledgment, to that first moment when you know you are in love and the world becomes a brighter place. The storyline manages to weave in the characters' guilt about lost family, betrayal, penance and redemption .I enjoyed the spin on the powers of the different fae-very unlike anything I had read before. The haunting imagery of the poetry that Noa writes in the story is deeply moving-it's like taking all the words that eluded you when needing to express your innermost thoughts and finding them all running together in a coherent train. The different points of view beginning certain parts of the book allow you to take a glimpse into another's outlook before moving back to the main character.  Seeing as this is a YA novel, some of the practicalities of life can be overlooked (even though they irked me a little)-things like the huge amount of freedom Noa had when coming and going to places, money always on hand and the amount of classes she missed without staff looking for her. The end of the book left me hanging-I went back to reread the last chapter a number of times as I was sure I had missed something. The end came and WHAM. So much to read into that your mind starts questioning and making assumptions. I found the epilogue a little confusing-what exactly was it meant to add to the story?

A wonderful story, written in a clear and flowing style with interesting characters. Just a minor editing error. Highly recommended. 

Undraland-Mary Twomey

A great start to a young adult fantasy series.

Lucy Kincaid has lost her parents in a car accident and her twin brother to cancer. Now she is trying to move forward with her life as a medical student and dreams of the proverbial happy ending. However all it takes is one night to change her life forever-when attacked by a bear and saved by a gorgeous stranger, Lucy is forced to leave all she knows behind her and travel on blind faith into a land that shouldn't be real. Surely bedtime stories are just that-stories? Lucy is introduced to a world of fantasy. Complete with kingdoms and royalty, knights and battles, creatures and clans and the inevitable evil villain, Lucy will discover that her past is not what it seemed. Her Uncle Alrick introduces her to the Other Side-where Nokken, Fossengrims and garden gnomes are the norm. She must team up with her new acquaintances to defeat the siren Pesta before the portals can be used to destroy her world.

The relationship between Lucy and Jens is endearing. A bit stalkerish knowing that Jens was invisibly watching her for years, but one of those inevitable great loves that goes through the stages of hate and love with heightened emotions. The explanation about Jaime and his link with Britta and the sometimes unfair roles a prince must take on for the kingdom lends a great sub story. Add to the mix Nik with his deep secret, a likeable Tor and an infuriating Foss and round it off with Charles Mace-a character you can't quite put your finger on.

The series is directed at young adults, but I found Lucy's demeanour grated my teeth at times. She would go from sarcastic heroine in charge of her destiny, to blindly accepting whatever fantasy creatures or lands are thrown her way, to whiny, snivelling girl lamenting that no one understands her and life is not fair. There was another small issue-each time I read the word werebear, I immediately thought of "care bear" which changed the ferocious attacks into cute "care bear stares" for me. While that is no reflection on the author, it was just off putting as I read. Apart from that I really enjoyed the writing style of the book-it flowed easily enough-maybe a bit too easily at times for certain things to happen, but I suppose in a YA book sometimes too much detail detracts from the overall story. I am dying to know what laplanding is-the book definitely leaves you turning the last page and being devastated that it finishes there. A very entertaining start to the series.

Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye by Tania del Rio

What an absolutely fun read! A delightful children's book.

Warren the 13th is a super busy 12-year-old. If he is not sweeping, he is dusting or cleaning chimneys, fixing stairs and (if any guests were to arrive at the Warren Hotel) the bellhop. The hotel was THE place to be when all the Warren's before him were in charge. Unfortunately lazy Uncle Rupert and sneaky Aunt Annaconda don't seem to have the same desire. When a mysterious stranger swathed in bandages checks into the hotel one day, Aunt Annaconda is up in arms in case they are there to try to find the all-seeing eye. Poor Warren. All he wants to do is keep the hotel afloat until he is old enough to restore it to its former glory. Now he must contend with creatures in the boiler room, a strange ghost girl and a myriad of guests who have heard the tale of the all-seeing eye possibly being in the hotel and claiming it for themselves. Friend and foe collide and intermingle along the chase to find the eye and decipher its purpose.

This copy from Netgalley was an absolute treat. What I truly enjoyed about the writing style is that the author does not speak down to the reader. Even though it's a children's book I was thoroughly entertained by words like dageurreotypes. Warren the 13th is a very likeable main character with a heart of gold, which leads to many morals and lessons learnt in the story. The adventure itself is cleverly plotted with each character playing a well thought out part and a possible lead into future stories. Even though all the illustrations are not complete, I was enchanted by those that were there-they highlight the story in all the right spots. Highly recommended.

Come Hell or High Water (Hellcat Series #5)-Sharon Hannaford

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first four books in the series, I was eagerly anticipating the next instalment and was lucky enough to receive an advance copy.

Book 4's culmination of the epic battle to capture the Dark Magus and bring the Gemini twins to justice was not quite to the plan Gabi had envisaged. With the magus Irene dead and the Maleficus now in an unforeseen position, many decisions need to be rethought and executed.

Book 5 reaches back to respond to unanswered questions but in true style opens the way for many more. The SMV can no longer sustain its ever vigilant presence in the city, and at every turn Gabi and Julius seem to be watched from the shadows.  Something dark and sinister is out there. Always watching them. With Santiago dispatched  in a furtive manner, will the inevitable backlash condemn the clan's future? Why is Benedict not forthcoming with his real agenda-could a Princeps' summons have something to do with it? And when a friend of Gabi's is kidnapped by humans; no less, will the hidden paranormal layer of the city be exposed to the world?

Familiar characters weave their way through the story while some new faces want in on the action. Can new friendships be forged where only mistrust lived earlier? I must commend the author on another instalment written in an easy flowing style, where the characters and the plot tie in seamlessly without the readers having to work at connecting stories and people in their minds. Character development is done at a steady pace without too much information being dumped on the reader to sift through in one go. The plot keeps a good tempo with sufficient emphasis placed on the sub stories so as not to send them to the periphery. A great new chapter in an already enjoyable series-every time you think the story should be coming to a conclusion, more avenues open which leave you with baited breath for the next one. Highly recommended.

Sleeping Giants- Sylvain Neuvel

This sci-fi/fantasy book was available as an advance copy from Netgalley.

Rose Franklin made a startling discovery on her 11th birthday when she snuck off to test her new bicycle and fell into a deep hole-she landed on a hand. A giant metal hand that radiated turquoise light. Seventeen years later Rose is a physicist and is about to embark on one of the strangest experiments she will ever encounter. Assisted by pilots Kara Resnik and Ryan Mitchell, linguist Vincent Couture and geneticist Alyssa Papantoniou, she and her mysterious benefactor will attempt to find the other parts that belong to the hand and try to piece it together. If they succeed what will this mean for the future of the world?

Cleverly written in the form of non-sequential interviews, journal entries and records, the style forces you to concentrate on the words and the jump between characters, and really reiterates the feeling of a military operation. The characters were developed to a point-considering the scope of the book it was not really necessary to delve into their pasts too deeply. The contrasting personalities played against each other well. The enigmatic interviewer was kept just that-an enigma wrapped in a mystery shrouded in secrets-who is he and why? I am torn between wanting to know the answer, to leaving it a riddle. An interesting proposal too as to what would happen between the nations of the world when each believe they have the right to ownership. The copy I received stated that it was an uncorrected proof so the incorrect fonts between characters and the missing quotation marks should all be corrected in time. I really enjoyed the concept behind the book and loved the weaving in of numeric linguistics, Greek mythology and metallurgy. Something happens too easily which leaves you asking questions, and then the cliff hanger bangs you in the face with it-you eagerly turn the page and find out that you need to wait for the next book-gutted! Highly recommended.  

Ex-Con -- Duane Swierczynski

While I really enjoy reading graphic novels I have never had the opportunity to review one before so this was a definite first from Netgalley!

Cody Pomeray's ability to see the lights went out. The lights he used to see what people were really feeling. Their auras. He should never have duped Budd Waldo. If he hadn't he wouldn't have landed up in San Quentin, been beaten half to death and now owe Barnaby Creed a favour for saving his life. When will he learn? And now he's out. But the favour seems to be linked to too many people and doesn't make sense. How will an ex-con who has lost his ability and is a sucker for a dame and booze make good on his promise without violating parole or even being killed?

Having five episodes of the novel delivered together was a treat to keep the storyline going. The artist's depiction of the characters was exactly what I would have envisaged compared to the dialogue. As I was reading, the voices in my head were film noir. The panels were crisp and clean and the speech balloons as well as the flow and layout of the storyboard was easy to maintain with the eye. The words and pictures worked very well together. I thought the synaesthesia aspect was interesting to bring into a story this "thuggish". And the fact that See's face or her aura were sometimes hidden makes a good lead into hopefully the next part of the story. Definitely recommended.  

Nirvana-J.R Stewart

A teen\YA book offered by Netgalley.

It seemed so simple in a world before extinction. Boy meets girl, they fall in love and boy and girl get married. However life is never as smooth. Larissa is a student who plays in a band, and Andrew a physics major who believes he has met the girl of his dreams. Fast forward and the couple are married and living at the barracks where Andrew works. The world has changed. The rich elite live in the Bubble while others are at the Farm and desperately trying to supply the world with food. Hexagon was the corporation who tried to save the crops but the bees, amongst others, are gone. Life is a struggle. And then it happens. Andrew dies. Without proof or a body, Larissa listens to her heart and refuses to sign the death certification or believe the explanation that the corporation insists she does. Able to retreat into a virtual world to see Andrew, Larissa becomes more and more dependent on this virtual reality to keep her hope alive. With the threat of being expelled from the base hanging over her head, the sightings of Andrew seem more and more common. Is this just in her mind and is her need for him so intense that she is somehow deluding herself that he really is out there? Where are the physical signs that he is still alive coming from? Can she trust those around her to help her? Can she trust herself?

As a YA story I can understand the concentration on the love and death relationship. To have found your soulmate and having him ripped away without closure is a very deep seated fear. The introduction of possible world crises is also great for planting the seed of inquiry as to how much we should actually be trusting what lies the big corporations  are feeding us. The story ends with a good lead into the next one. What I didn't enjoy about the book was the formatting-the kindle edition I received had headers and footers, page numbers, the title and authors name running through the middle of pages. Also silly mistakes like using check instead of cheek cropped up. I found the language used in her journal strange-why would she be so formal when writing? Certain dialogues also seemed too explanatory between people. While I found Larissa's lamenting a little slow (but I guess for a good reason), the plot twist is pretty easy to work out. The premise is not really realised-she does not take on the government in this one. I would recommend this book as an average read and hope that the sub plots are explored in later books, and that the characters are developed a lot more.

The book has subsequently been rewritten, with the faults addressed. A much better effort and a book I would now definitely recommend.