Unsold Television Pilots 1955-1989 by Lee Goldberg

This non-fiction book chronicles a work spanning decades and culminating in a massive book detailing TV series that were created but rejected for long term viewing.

This reference book is written as a list divided into TV season years and subdivided into networks and genres. Each entry gives you info about the stars, the plot of the pilot, the production companies and sometimes more info about whether the pilot was sent in a different direction or whether it was stopped there and then. The author explains where the idea for the book originated and writes an entertaining forward about pilots-where they came from and where they lead to.

The book is not meant to be read as a book per se, but more to be referenced back to for the parts to be looked up. A very interesting list, but I was hoping for a few more explanations as to why the pilots never made it any further. I do commend the author on the dedication it must have taken to compile this epic tome.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to review the book.

Lastland:War of the Princes (#4) by A.R. Ivanovich

The final book in the series is a fantasy novel and aimed at young adults.

With Rune in the clutches of a Gateling, Katelyn and Dylan, aboard the Flying Fish, are willing to sacrifice themselves to save those they love. Spurred on by the knowledge that Prince Raserion knows how to reach Haven, the two must muster every last bit of courage they possess to join forces with Prince Varion's army to defeat the evil Raserion and his abominable killing machine; the Monarch. It's time for the 700 year-old war to come to a head-will our heroes fulfil their destiny or does fate have other plans?

What a fantastic way to end a series. Some of the action sequences were a little difficult to imagine-probably so vivid in the author's head but sometimes tricky to convey to the reader's mind. Just my subjective opinion though. All the questions I had previously about the characters needing development and back stories were answered; and then some. Twists and turns were added upon layer and layer of action, and just when you think you have the ending figured out something different happens! The ending was not wrapped up too neatly but written so that the reader would be satisfied with the outcome at the point that the book stopped. I couldn't allow myself to savour the pages as I was racing to find out what happens at the end! The only problem that irked me with the book was the kindle copy I received- the formatting was all over the place with words running into each other and spaces appearing where there should not have been spaces.

Other than that I congratulate the author on an excellent job with an amazing idea. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to review.

Monarch:War of the Princes (#3) by A.R. Ivanovich

The third book in the series is a fantasy novel and aimed at young adults.

Katelyn and friends are trying to piece together their lives after their devastating loss at the end of book two. Common-Lord Brendon Axton has a very important mission for them. In order to keep Breakwater safe following the start of the rebellion, the friends are tasked with finding Prince Varion and asking him for protection from Prince Raserion. On the journey Katelyn is visited by Raserion and given a task-one it seems she cannot refuse. Placed in a no win situation, they must all continue with the journey, meeting more adversaries and learning hidden truths from the past. What will this secret mission of Katelyn's land up costing them all? When does the price become too high?

I found the third book slow and cumbersome to read in the beginning but as the pace picked up it flew really quickly. The characters that didn't have much page time in the beginning of the series are now being fleshed out. The titbits of info that were being fed to you are starting to make sense in the bigger picture. Some definite "Oh I didn't see that coming" moments happen, and just when you think a section can be wrapped up you are off on another tangent again. The writing in this particular book is definitely aimed at a younger audience which sometimes comes across as "cushioned".  Love scenes, emotions and action felt to me as though they were toned down. Some errors cropped up where words were jumbled in sentences but the overall editing was good. It felt as though this book read as a necessary link through to the next book-not really as a "part three" of the series, as opposed to the previous two books. Let's hope that this means that the final book will be a whopper!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review the book.

Paperglass:War of the Princes (#2) by A.R. Ivanovich

This is the second book in the series and is a fantasy novel for young adults and up.

Katelyn has returned to her seemingly normal life in Haven and graduation day has arrived. The celebrations are disturbed by a man intent on destroying the weather station and yelling about paperglass. This means that Katelyn's hope of the outside world not interfering in her safe valley is dashed. She is recruited as a field agent by Haven's Hall of Defense to go back to the outside world and use her ability of the Pull to find a team that had gone through earlier but have vanished. One of whom was Katelyn's real mother. Ensnared in the war again, she is joined by old friends and new acquaintances who become comrades. And as always, she adds many villains to her list of enemies. Will she find paperglass in time to protect her valley from the dangers that face it?

Book 2 started off a little slowly for me but picked up the pace and added its importance to the story. I'm enjoying the way that the bits making up the story are revealed and how they are combining to make cohesive sense. As  new abilities manifest themselves we learn how they all work together as cogs in the machine. Kat and Rune's story gets taken further but I'm hoping that more of Rune and Ruby's stories will be explained. You can sense that they play more important roles so hopefully more background will be offered later. I like how Kyle comes into his own in this book and how assumptions about Dylan in the first book are proved right and wrong. The historian and airship aspects were interesting additions. New villains like Margrave Hest and her training regime of the children showed a chilling new dimension in the callous way people are treated in the outside world.

A great story which adds to the series in its own right and is not just a carry through to the next book. Enjoyable but I wasn't blown away.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review the book. 

Green Smoothies by Fern Green

Just looking at the cover is enough to start the juices in the mouth flowing!

When you feel you've lost the inspiration to use your juicer, a fabulous book like this comes out and you are hooked again. From juices to smoothies to shots and milks, there are a myriad of recipes for you to try. The book starts with an intro on the benefits and different types of drinks as well as covering the equipment needed for each recipe. The ingredients are broken down for you and accompanied by beautiful glossy photos so that you can be sure you are using the correct ingredients. I loved the incorporation of a picture of the final product so that you know whether or not the mixture is actually meant to be the colour that it is! Helpful guidelines like whether the drink is detoxifying or immunising are included with each recipe. The colour palette throughout the book is gorgeous and the variety of recipes amazing. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ten Speed Press for the chance to review the book

Haven: The War of Princes Book #1 by A.R. Ivanovich

Katelyn Kestrel is a 17 year-old girl who is incredibly bored with her safe life in the valley of Haven. Nothing ever happens there and no-one is allowed to pass the barriers of the valley. The rest of the townsfolk don't seem too interested in what lies beyond the borders, but Katelyn isn't like the others. She has a wanderlust that she can't explain. Something pulls her to a mausoleum one night where she finds a pool of water that feels dry to the touch and is surrounded by signs saying DO NOT LET THEM IN. Of course she dives into the pool to see where it leads to and comes up face to face with an injured Dragoon who is desperately  trying to get away from a Lurcher. So begins her introduction to a world outside of Haven. Where battling princes, commanders, dragoons and the search for lodestones and their abilities are commonplace. The problem is that the people of this world seem to think that she possesses something they need and intend to take it from her no matter the cost. Katelyn must dig deeply and find a part of herself she never knew existed.

This is a fantastic, well-paced fantasy story I believe is aimed mainly at young adults. I loved the idea of the abilities and the war behind it all, as well as the clues interspersed here and there to link at a later date and book. A world beyond your everyday life is what a lot of adventurous people long for and in this case Katelyn got more than she bargained for. The characters, plot and almost obligatory romance definitely have a younger audience in mind. Everything had a box to fill and things fitted very neatly. Even the violence is toned down and not too graphically explained. In saying that though, I loved the world we were introduced to with the continual references to the elements and the introduction of the beautiful white tree. It may be a little light for some, but for an unhurried pleasurable read with a logical plot, comfortable flow and flawed characters with great personalities I highly recommend this, and look forward to the rest of the books in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to review the book. 

The Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

When a repossessed luxury yacht crashes into the harbour it is meant to be mooring at, the waiting friends and family members are horrified to find the yacht devoid of any crew or passengers. The captain and his two crew members as well as the family of 4 that were helping out on the voyage home are nowhere to be seen. Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is hired by the parents of the missing father of the family to investigate life policies left behind in order to pay for the upkeep of the remaining grandchild. As Thóra delves deeper into the case, bodies of the missing crew begin to pop up, all having been killed in mysterious circumstances. The yacht is supposedly cursed and each clue brings them closer to an unbelievable truth. Was it plain and simple murder or are there supernatural forces at work?

The book has a great hook from the beginning and the author very cleverly writes one chapter in present time showing you what the people are trying to do to solve the mystery, and the next chapter from the people on the yacht's perspective explaining to you the events leading up to the yacht being found empty. Every now and then the writing is a little stiff-doubtless the result of second language English, but this by no means detracts from the story. As you are pulled along you absorb the clues offered and sway between believing in ghosts and simple human greed. The clues are fed at a tantalising speed so that when you finish a chapter you feel you have to read just one more!

Thóra's character is extremely likeable as you can relate to a hard working woman who is dealing with a partner, growing children and a grandchild. Bella (Thóra's PA) is a piece of work-a disgraceful attitude and lazy to boot. You feel the anguish of the characters on board the boat as strange things start to happen that they have no control over and you understand the despair of the grandparents as they face the possibility that the entire family is gone and all they have are a 2 year-old's questions.

I thoroughly enjoyed the thriller. The explanation had me pursing my lips a little, but at least there was an ending and it wasn't left to the reader to fill in the gaps. The final chapter in the book is like a bucket of ice thrown over you-absolute shivers. Fantastic idea with great execution.

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

This thriller will have you second guessing yourself at each twist and turn.

What would make a woman who has just found her husband dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in their house grab cash, flee town and change her identity? Tanya DuBois did just that, and will keep doing it as long as someone is after her. One night she meets a kindred spirit in a bartender named Blue, who seems to understand Tanya's desperate need to keep on the move, inventing new personas each time. Will Tanya's past catch up with her frantic journeys or will she manage to carve a semblance of normality and live a life unpursued? Or will the persistent writer who wants to expose a secret in her past force her to return to a place she longed to forget?

The book started out with great promise-the story draws you in from the beginning as you start to question Tanya and the reasons for her flight. Unfortunately as you keep reading, many holes in the story start to pop up. Some you can overlook but some make you shake your head with a healthy dose of scepticism. A reader can only be pushed so far until the believability factor is stretched beyond breaking point. Some sections of the story were glossed over and some really didn't need to be included-her affair with the chiropractor being one of them. The introduction of the emails between characters you haven't met yet tends to sidetrack you a little as you file the info away for future reference. For someone escaping a deed from her past, Tanya seems to have no issues creating current messes. It begs the question of-do you punish someone for being a vigilante when they have done wrong for the right reasons? I enjoyed the ride throughout the story but the end was "packaged too neatly" for me.

A good writing style, easy to read flow and an entertaining story makes this an engaging read. The wrap up was not a shocking moment-more of an affirmation of what you already suspected. Still, a good afternoon's read with enough questions to leave you turning pages to find out more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.

The Girl with no Past by Kathryn Croft

This psychological thriller holds your concentration throughout the novel, and keeps you guessing who and why with each twist and turn.

Leah Mills is haunted by a tragic event that happened in her past. Determined that she never allow herself happiness for her part in the deed, she lives a quiet and boring life with no friends, no partner, meagre worldly possessions and a job that barely keeps her afloat. Just before the current year's anniversary of the event she receives an anonymous card-one that proves someone else knows what she did. As the stalker becomes more and more intense, Leah must move out of her comfort zone and elicit help from others. But why as she is finally reaching out, does her world seem to be turning against her?

The story starts with a bang which immediately has you asking questions. When the chapters start jumping from present to past it's a little confusing until you understand whose point of view it is, and how those characters are involved in the story. Figuring out who the stalker is becomes a mind mix early on as you bounce ideas around in your mind. That being said, once you reach a certain point in the book it becomes obvious who it is, which is quite a shame. The build up to find the stalker however is very well written, as the characters and their personalities seem to turn in 180 degree angles and the reader is stymied as to why. The end was a bit neatly packaged but I loved the tie in of the last and first chapter, as a new perspective was presented to the reader.

Leah is quite a strange character and in the beginning you immerse yourself in her hopelessness and solitude and feel elation at her triumphs. Then for a while her character loses her backbone and you just want to shake her and tell her to grow up. The kids from school were awful-wanted to slap each and every one of them; especially Adam. Not too much is probed into the other dynamics of relationships in the story, but enough is covered to understand each character's place in the book and the effect on each other.

The storyline is skilfully woven to keep you entertained throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review the book.

The Wrong Life by August Smith

Wren is a reincarnated spirit who is about to enter another life when she realises something is missing. Alessandro, the love of her life, always accompanies her to the next. But this time he is not around. In a panic Wren decides to do the unthinkable and steal a life meant for another spirit in order to find him. So begins the wrong life for Wren. Born of a rape she enters into a bleak, post war England to a family living in poverty. Her guiding spirits refuse to help her because of her selfish deed, and Wren must endure the pain of growing up without their guidance. Tested by the harshness of the world from the time she is born, Wren must learn to live while looking for Alessandro. As the years go by and her triumphs and losses pile up-will she ever find him? After all, the world is a really big place to look for one spirit in a body she might not recognise.

This novel is very interesting to critique. Roughly half of the beginning of the book is written in a very formal tone which stretches believability about the way people think and speak. Later on the tone relaxes and the flow of the writing becomes more comfortable. It's as though the author was either very clever when placing Wren in the wrong life to write in an uncomfortable manner and as she moves in a better direction make her life easier to read, or she became more accustomed to her own writing style and was able to write more succinctly. Many editing errors popped up-from punctuation to grammar, to spelling, to consistency and missing words. These definitely had an impact in me marking the book down. Something clicked for me later in the story though. I was battling to process the writer's description of emotions as at times they became sickly sweet and frankly implausible. As Wren goes through life she became more real to me, and while the storyline might make you raise your eyebrows every now and then, once closing the book you find her character and the part she plays in the story resonates in your mind long after.

A book like this stays in your thoughts. Looking at it from a technical level it was not a bad story but I would have marked it down for its length, part of the writing style and the myriad of mistakes. At the end of the book I was so intrigued by the line that the story took that I marked it up again. This is a very subjective book which some might close after the first chapter and others immediately dive into the life that was never meant to be.