Plagued: The MidAmerica Zombie Half-Breed Experiment by Better Hero Army

This is a zombie apocalyptic thriller suitable for mature young adults and up.

Gary is handing over the reins to his younger brother Tom. It will now be Tom's turn to do the twice yearly expedition to search the zombie records to find his sister Larissa. His father, a highly ranked senator, still blames Tom for allowing Larissa to be captured and bitten, even though he was just a boy at the time. Gary and Tim get to Biter's Hill along with the rest of the zombie hunters on the ferry and head to the archives. On the way they encounter many zombie traders; the zombies have all been rounded up and the venomous parts of their glands extracted in order to turn them into a workforce. Tom notices a zombie that looks a little different. A little more human. Apparently in the urge to find a cure for zombies, half-breeds were created. Not quite zombie. Not quite human. When ready to leave Biter's Hill chaos breaks out when zombies attack. Tom needs to take the people around him and get out but can't get the half-breed out of his mind. He feels an affinity towards her. Is it worth trying to save her?

I read this book in a couple of hours, it flows that quickly. It's a slightly different take on zombies with the introduction of the half-breed and hopefully the rest of the books in the series will explain more about her. The book is full of action with an entertaining style; it will be interesting to see what his father does once he finds out the dire decision Tom made. There was a continuity issue though: at the beginning of the book it says he was fourteen when Larissa was bitten but later on it says he was twelve. Other than that I really enjoyed the book for a quick read that didn't require too much concentration!

Hair in all the Wrong Places: The Perils of Growing up Werewolf by Andrew Buckley

This is a super natural fantasy (or is it?) novel aimed at the upper middle grade but as an adult I enjoyed it just as much!

A loser. That's how Colin Strauss sees himself. It's how his grandmother sees him. It's how his school friends see him. So surely it must be true? A lanky 13 yr-old whose parents don't want him to live with them, whose grandmother doesn't have the time of day for him, and who only has one friend at school, Jeremy. After being beaten up for the zillionth time at school, Colin decides to steal his grandfather's car and drive to his parents. On the way something crazy happens. He is involved in a car crash and hits a wolf. A very big wolf that bites him. Suddenly strange things start happening to Colin. His eyesight gets better, his muscles grow quickly and he becomes very fast. The problem is that he also blacks out and is hungry. ALL. THE. TIME. During one of his blackouts a student is killed. Is he somehow involved? Why is the town of Elkwood so secretive? What is Colin becoming? And does Becca really like him?

What a wonderful story! I loved the warning in the beginning about the werewolf gene being in everyone and that it just needs to be triggered. That's why this might not be a work of fiction but an actual account! It's a slightly different take on the werewolf turn; we get to see it from a youngster's point of view and parallels the changes that adolescents go through in life. Colin is a great character and I felt for him as he was constantly bullied until he really comes into his own. I'm interested to find out more about Jeremy and his detachment from life in general. What is his secret? The blossoming love with Becca is so typical of that age. Does she? Doesn't she? Can I kiss her? Will I be rejected? The story and characters are brought together well and I'm keen to see if there will be a follow up to this (please Mr Buckley). The town of Elkwood seems like a mysterious place to visit. If only the rain would let up! Imagine if there was someone who could help us with that...

The story flowed effortlessly and was an absolute pleasure to read. A lot of humour helped to deal with Colin's troubles and I literally laughed out loud at the line where Colin yanks the kitchen door off its hinges and half a mile later remembers to drop it! A new take on an old theme which I highly recommend.

Thanks to the author for an ARC.

Rage against the Night by various authors

This is a collection of short stories in the horror genre; saving the world from forces of evil.

I picked this collection up as I noticed it contained a story by Stephen King; one of my all-time favourite authors. Granted it was one already published, but I wanted to compare it to some of the authors I had not had the chance to read before.  The collection was a bit of a hit and miss with me. I really enjoyed some of the stories while others ended and I had no idea what I was supposed to have read. I hate that dissatisfying feeling where you finish reading something and realise you have just wasted minutes of your day for something you didn't enjoy. Luckily it didn't happen very often here and I did learn of a few new authors I would like to try out.

Unfortunately I was shocked at the editing mistakes-surely with such a large collaboration there might only be a few mishaps? Not in this however; almost every story had some sort of error creeping through it.

Worth it if you want to find new authors, but if you are looking for a gripping horror collection; just average.

Assassin: The Killing Grounds by Simon Corn

This is a fantasy thriller suitable for mature young adults and up.

Alara set out to be Lord Osari's spotter: one who verifies an assassin's kills. Instead she finds herself fast tracked in the final year of an assassin school as an apprentice. This is a school like no other; not everyone gets to graduate as it is up to the students to whittle down numbers to find the best of the best. As always politics and founding families have a hand in the selections and when Lord Osari goes missing she needs to find allies to help her figure out which major family house was behind it all. She is stuck in a nest of vipers so who can she trust? And are the dragon statues that weave the houses together just that: statues? It's kill or be killed in her life.

Even though I edited the book, in my opinion it is a really good book. A very interesting idea for a storyline that gives you a little taster of the books to come. Alara is a strong female character and holds her own against some of the more dominant male characters. The concept of the pupils having to eliminate class members, not just with sheer brutal force but with magical artistic abilities, is well portrayed and the action sequences exhilarating. Alliances are quickly created and as quickly destroyed and placing loyalty in someone might not be the best thing. The dragon statues play a big part in the story and I'm curious to see where this goes. I liked the idea of commerce versus old money, with rival families unearthing secrets that could destroy years of hiding indiscretions. The places are based on real towns in and around Portsmouth so a number of the forts and areas can be seen on the net.

I loved the story and can't wait for the next one! 

Life or Death by Michael Robotham

This is a crime thriller and can be enjoyed by mature young adults and up.

Audie Palmer has chosen to break out of jail the day before he is due to be released; and this after spending a decade behind bars. Incarcerated for his part in an armed robbery he is rumoured to still have the seven million hidden somewhere. Every day he endured beating after beating, from inmates to guards trying to get him to give up the location of the money. But Audie hasn't said a thing. Moss (who was in the cell next to Audie) has been snuck out of jail by persons unknown in an effort to find Audie, who has been spotted somewhere near the arresting officer's house. And so begins the story of secret lives, love, friendship, family and loyalty. Why would Audie do such a crazy thing the day before he is set to be a free man?

What an amazing story. I was enthralled from beginning to end! The characters all have pertinent stories which are interwoven very cleverly. Little clues are fed to you and each time you think you know why he did it you realise you have gone completely in the wrong direction. Everything ties together beautifully (which some might say was too neat but I disagree) which gives you a good sense of closure; nothing is left annoyingly hanging or open to interpretation. The writing is so comfortable and flows so well that I battled to put the book down as I wanted to read just a little more and then a little more and then a lot more. When the climax finally arises and age old secrets are uncovered, you feel as though you have been on an emotional roller coaster of a journey. Highly recommended.

Divergent Chill: Fall of Night by Brian Fontenot

Alden Amos is tucked away in Rosewood designing a sea-faring vessel when he is again summoned to track down the Ragebourne Shank who is once more eating children. He is unaware of the fact that Divergent Chilali is still alive after her imprisonment in a mountain and subsequent attempted murder. Chilali has, besides her natural super speed and power, discovered that she is an elemental ice user. Vowing revenge she has renamed herself Chill and started on a mission to save her Ragebourne friend Beriszl. Unfortunately Chill has now tapped into her darker side and her virtues are becoming less and less human. As Chill heads back to the Empire Alden is drawn into a web of lies; from a quest to find a killer, to complex political games. Can Chill stay sane enough to exact her revenge and can Alden protect those he swore to look after?

As always a brilliantly written book by Brian Fontenot, rich in imagery and content. A seamless flow between books one and two even with the actual writing time difference is to be commended. Places and actions are so beautifully described that I could quite easily place myself in the character's shoes (if Chill happened to be wearing hers at the time). A number of epic battles set the scene for action and the underlying subplots tie many loose ends together. Bonds are tested and again the reader takes part in the elation and mourns in the losses. A few editing mistakes need looking at for the next instalment, but I loved this one and can't wait for the next!

The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme #12) by Jeffery Deaver

This is the 12th book starring characters Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs and is a thriller in the general fiction category.

Amelia is on the trail of a vicious killer when she stumbles into a situation which has a man slowly being crushed to death while trapped in an escalator shaft. Cue Lincoln and his new intern who are roped in to help on the civil case that will open regarding the escalator. More bodies start piling up and it seems as though somebody is remotely activating smartware in electric devices in order to cause death and destruction. Add to this the reintroduction of Nick Carelli (Amelia's ex) who is out of prison and asking Amelia to help her clear his name, and Ron Pulaski who is doing a little bit of unofficial investigating on his own. Will they be able to gather enough evidence to stop the killer before the pile of bodies gets higher and will the feelings Amelia had for Nick come back into play and interfere with her relationship with Lincoln?

As usual a fast-paced thriller by Jeffery Deaver. A lot of people find that some of the conclusions and the wrapping up of issues in his stories are too neat and a stretch of the imagination. I enjoy them; it takes a very interesting mind to think of so many different angles to come from and to be able to package everything up so neatly. Sure Lincoln has managed to get out of crazy situations many times in ways which might make you raise an eyebrow or both, but they add to the excitement of it all. I enjoyed how some questions were answered in this book. Whether or not they were the answers hoped for might not be the case. A fantastic read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.