Hair in All the Wrong Places 2 by Andrew Buckley

Hair in All the Wrong Places 2 is the sequel to Hair in All the Wrong Places, but could be read as a standalone novel.

Colin is a 13-year-old boy living in Elkwood with his grandmother. Elkwood is no ordinary town, and Colin is no ordinary boy. After being bitten by Silas and turned into a werewolf, Colin is adjusting to his new life in a town filled with supernatural beings. While working with the Night Watch, a unit tasked with fighting rogue supernaturals, Colin encounters a being with red eyes, floating in the air. Things escalate and the situation ends badly. No one will believe Colin about the being and he is sent off in disgrace.

Colin and his witch girlfriend are back at school when a new principal arrives. Something is very off about him though. Soon stranger than normal strange things occur, and with the Night Watch away, it is up to Colin to save the day. It’s a huge burden to place on a young werewolf who hasn’t even transitioned at full moon by himself. Is Colin up to the task? And if not, is there anyone available to help?

Another great piece of writing by Andrew Buckley! He has taken the generally overworked supernatural sensation and put his spin on it. To be able to ensure that a middle grade book has enough substance to entertain an adult takes skill, and this series certainly entertains. You get action, humour, a clever storyline and a moral or two thrown in for good measure. Sometimes characters and plots can become cumbersome with descriptions or just too much info. Here we are presented with just enough so that the flow of reading is very comfortable. The author has a very easy to read writing style, which makes reading the book a pleasure. A clever little twist on the end definitely leaves you wanting more. Colin’s character is growing and many of his decisions are indicative of a good role model. New characters have entered the story, some good and some bad; but they all have their place.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to see what happens with Colin and Elkwood.

Girl in Snow by Danya Kukafka

Girl in Snow is a deep debut novel by Danya Kukafka about a murder; but concentrates more on those affected by it, whether friend, family or suspect.

Lucinda Hayes has been murdered and her body found in a pile of snow. Suspicion is immediately cast on Cameron Whitely as he is perceived as Lucinda’s stalker. Slowly more suspects enter the picture; Jade, from whom Lucinda stole a job and a boy, and Ivan, the janitor from the school who found her. Or could it possibly be Edouard, Lucinda’s ex, or Mr O, a teacher dating Cameron’s mother? With so much possibility pointing at someone, surely the most obvious person is the killer? Or is there more to this than meets the eye?

The story is told from 3 perspectives, one from Cameron, one from Jade and one from Russ, Cameron’s father’s partner in the police force.

Cameron from the off is a very intriguing character; slightly oddball, slightly scary. After his father was arrested for assault, let off and did a runner, his mother did her best to raise Cameron normally, but let’s just say he has quirks. He sees the world in a very different way and his thoughts tend to become tangled, to a point where he would respond to a situation in a different way to what is perceived as normal. To him the game of Statue Nights, where he stands very still at night outside a person’s house and watches, is not being a stalker. It’s taking in life; it’s learning and absorbing. He has memorised everything about Lucinda, from her appearance to her habits. Lucinda’s dad has seen him and chased him away so his night games are not unknown and clearly make him the prime suspect.

Unbeknownst to Cameron, Jade has seen his statue game too so can verify his strangeness. However Jade is not quite a mainstream teen either as she has her own reasons to hate Lucinda. Jade is the only character’s perspective to be written in the 1^st person which is very clever. It allows the reader to come closer to her angst and puts her story on a different level to the others. It’s almost as if her story can be changed by her actions whereas the others are guided by outside forces. Jade has a horrible home life with an abusive mother and has every reason to want to lash out at the world. Was Lucinda’s stealing of her job and guy enough to send her over the edge?

The janitor who discovers the body is Russ’s brother-in-law, a reformed convict who preaches a religious ideal. Russ is struggling with his present and future; so much that looked rosy is turning sour and with what happened to Cameron’s father he is reluctant to see Cameron as a suspect.

As more incidents happen and more memories surface you are torn between characters and whether they are guilty or not. I found myself rooting for someone then changing my mind as I thought it could be them. A book that keeps you guessing until the end is a rare find. Even though the revelation itself it rather quick, I enjoyed that fact that the story didn’t end there. The author takes you to those affected and shows you the ramifications; something a lot of stories don’t do. It breaks down the nitty gritty of people’s feelings and explores sharing and love and emptiness. Along with the excellent editing the interesting storyline and depth of character makes this an intriguing read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

Blood and Stars by Jaime Lee Mann

Blood and Stars is the 5^th book in the Legend of Rhyme series and is suitable for middle grade children.

Our heroes find themselves scattered:

Teagan is with Queen Starla in the Chamber of Memories hoping to find clues about her parents. When Starla is called away Teagan is lured by someone who promises more information about her parents. Can this someone be trusted since Krystal has a trap waiting? A trap and a diabolical plan between Krystal and her sisters to rid the sea of mer Queen Starla.

Ariana and Asher are separated with Asher and Elora trapped in the dark and an evil voice goading Asher into being a bad version of himself.

Ariana is in Coraira with Calla and is shocked to find she has received a crown to rule. Calla then falls under a protection spell, one which seems set to stay.

With Elora’s background no wonder no one can trust her, especially Larque, but as time is running out our heroes may have no choice.

Is there a solution for everyone or will our heroes find themselves in impossible situations? And as for Grindlerod – will he ever find the outcome he so desperately seeks?

This is another great chapter in the series and answers quite a few questions. The author promises no cliff hanger which she delivers, but the book ends well and still sets up for another story. I loved the way the book started with a poem that reminded you of what had happened in previous books and that poems were scattered throughout the book to summarise where you were or jog your memory as to what had been happening with the other characters. I like that the author doesn’t try to create too many tangents to the story at the same time so that concentration is not lost, especially considering the target age group for the series. It was interesting that the issue of mental illness was raised for this age group, but it’s never too early to start learning, understanding and empathising.

Not too much to negatively critique in this book, just a bit of a confusing moment when Larque was spelt Large and I had to reread the sentence a few times. I also felt that the battle with the ice dragons, even though it was necessary for the particular ending, felt a little random.

I enjoyed the story and recommend it for a good, quick and light read. Be prepared for a mix of happiness and sadness! Thanks to Netgalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the opportunity to review this.

Patchwork by Karsten Knight

Patchwork is a YA novel which combines mythology, time travel, friendship and vengeance.

Renata Lake is lucky enough to consider her friends very, very close to her. She has a boyfriend who loves her, a best friend she can share anything with and the rest of the Amaranthine Society with whom she can pull pranks on unsuspecting victims. Prom night's prank is a doozy - throw a mannequin overboard  the cruise ship they are on and make people believe that someone is actually drowning. Cue a fireball explosion and Renata finds herself in the water where her whole world changes. She enters into the time travelling world of Patchwork where she is thrown into scenarios that have already happened in her life and where she knows the outcome. Surely if she knows a bad ending is coming she can change it? As she stumbles blindly through the maze that is Patchwork, not knowing exactly how the rules work, she realises that someone is after her. Someone strong enough to move between the Patchwork worlds with her. But who is this person and what do they want with her? As Renata continues to try and change the future she realises that some things are meant to be and that she might not be part of the future at all.

The book was mainly a hit for me. I enjoyed the idea of Patchwork and the blending of mythology as well as the phoenix concept that ran through it. To be able to go back in time and try to correct a wrong that may have happened is definitely a plus - but since we all know what happens with a butterfly effect it might be best to leave it alone. The writing was very good - simple enough that you didn't have to stumble over words or bad editing but complex in weaving together a story that had to be joined from so many angles.

Renata came across as an up and down character; very selfish and wrapped up in herself at times and then trying so hard to save her friends that she lands up flubbing her good intentions. I guess bearing in mind that this is a YA novel, some important morals must come through and maybe a reader will recognise some "iffy" qualities in the way they treat people themselves and take a good look in the mirror. Each of her friends had a great supporting role and it was interesting to see each scenario when you had hindsight into it. I did however find Patchwork and the concept of time travel confusing at times and I was wondering exactly how many scenarios we would have to go through before finding out who the killer was.

I would definitely recommend this for a quick read where what you see is not exactly what you get.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book. 

Matchup edited by Lee Child

Matchup is a collection of short thrillers, but with a twist. Each story pairs a male and female author and takes one of their most famous characters and matches them up in a brand new story.

Some of the most iconic characters come together to solve crimes in this anthology, and what makes it remarkable is that the characters span different decades or even species, yet the authors make it work.  Joe Pickett and Lee Coburn start the collection with gunshots fired in a ranger's park. Footloose brings us a story of a foot fetish gone wrong. Jack Reacher and Temperance Brennan team up when one of them is falsely accused of murder. Past Prologue gives us an intriguing look at what could happen with time travel and artefacts being passed through the centuries. Liz Sansborough gets help from Rambo in solving a crime in a unique way. Short Story is certainly not that at all, being the longest in the collection, but cuts an interesting take on a scam gone wrong. Harper Connelly uses her mystical ability to speak to the bones of the dead to change sceptic Ty Hauck's mind. Deserves to be Dead follows a case of mistaken identity and abuse. Lucan Thorne and Lilliane Williams work together to make sure that humans are not able to prove the existence of supernatural creatures. Getaway is anything but a vacation, since secrets lurk in the woods. Bravo Shaw and Ali Reynolds close the collection and find themselves retrieving a religious relic while dodging those who would kill to claim it.

I really enjoyed this matchup of stories. Even though all of the stories are crime thrillers the authors came in from different angles and looked at crime in different ways. The partnerships among the authors created almost seamless transitions between the writing styles and nowhere was it blatantly obvious that it was a collaboration. I truly admire the way they were able to blend characters together that in some instances would never have been in the same time period let alone part of the world.

This is a highly recommended collection and many thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Dark Screams: Volume Six edited by Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar

Dark Screams is a collection of short horror stories by a number of different authors; some of which have been previously released in other publications.

An eclectic mix of horror stories like this makes you think about what horror means to you as individual. Here we find many different facets of horror: from a Vietnam vet who transfers his horrors and memories of the war into wanting to murder someone because of the look of his eye, to a family's cursed bloodline, to the phobia of a manicure, to a father's personality snap in trying to get his baby girl to stop crying, to a family's link to cats. A longer story ends the anthology and focuses on grave robbers and what may or may not be burrowing underneath all of us.

Horror did indeed present itself in many forms in this collection. It does not necessarily need to manifest as a beast in the night, but can be the beast hiding within us behind a perfectly normal facade. A relatively quick read, but I commend the authors on reaching that spot where you cringe while reading.  A great find for those who wish to add to any collection of short horror stories.

Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to review the book.

Hit the Ground Running by Mark Burley

Hit the Ground Running is the first in a mystery and action series with a touch of fantasy and is suitable for YA and up.

Eric feels abandoned. After being sent off to a new school in a different country with no good explanation, he feels cast aside. One morning he receives a video text from his brother saying that his parents have been abducted. The footage also reveals his brother under attack by an unknown assailant. Eric is thrown into a state of panic as his brother has said to trust no one. Can he go off and find his family on his own though? Luckily help arrives in the form of drama student Tess and her quirky twin friends who are fearless and are willing to dive in head first to help out. They soon find that they have landed in an adventure that is way bigger than they anticipated and the danger may prove to be just too much to handle. Along the way Eric discovers secrets about his family and a shock about himself. The clock is ticking however, and the enemy lies just around the corner...

This was a fantastic YA book. I loved the twins whacky characters and their attitude to life. The relationship between Tess and Eric is an interesting one and I hope it gets resolved in later books. The parkour aspect as well as some information on its history was a welcome learning experience and the addition of myths and legends and creatures coming back from the dead was a good solid base for the story. One or two small editing mistakes cropped up but not enough to deter from the thrilling action.

I highly recommend this book for YA and up and loved the way it leads into the next one. Buckle up because a fast paced adventure awaits you!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of the book. 

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

Waking Gods is the second in the Themis Files series and is an urban fantasy novel with a touch of sci-fi, suitable for YA and up.

Eva Reyes suffers from debilitating night and day mares. Visions of dead people, everywhere she looks. She knows the images are important and not to be ignored like the doctors suggest. In the meantime another robot has appeared in London. Similar in appearance to Themis, it seems to have been made by the same people who made the first female robot the EDC has taken control of. When the robot just sits there day after day with no movement, the world is divided as to whether to leave it alone or attack it before it attacks the world. When the robot does reveal what it can do, the world reels with the destructive power on show. Terrifyingly more robots have appeared throughout the world, all in major cities. Can Vincent and Kara, together with Rose and the rest of the team find a way to use Themis to save humanity?

This was a great sequel to Sleeping Giants and answered a lot of questions (especially about our interviewer), but raised quite a few more. You get to the last sentence and then BAM - you just know there is sequel waiting to happen. For the most part I like that the book is written as a dialogue or conversation and sometimes as a letter, even though it can be a little trying to read it like that sometimes. I liked the introduction of new characters and how they related to the established ones. The concept of why the robots were there was very thought provoking and even in our current times makes you regard history and the bigger picture in a different way.

Some of the scientific explanations became a bit tedious to read and I found myself skipping over sections. I also found certain parts of the dialogue unnecessary or drawn out, like some of the arguments in parliament as to whether to approach the robot or not. Certain parts pushed belief a little too far for me, but I guess if the first novel starts with someone falling onto a giant hand, then learning that not all people are as they seem in the second one doesn't seem too far-fetched.

Overall I enjoyed the storyline, the characters and the good editing. Sometimes when writing in dialogue some of the world building gets left out but at least now I know I need to try Kung Pao Chicken!

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the novel.