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.

Gyre (The Atlas Link #1) by Jessica Gunn

This is the first book in a fantasy series aimed at young adults.

Archaeology is one of Chelsea's passions in life; the other music. One night after leaving a gig she is mugged, and when a stranger comes to her aid, Chelsea's life takes a dramatic turn for the crazier. She discovers she can teleport and lands up on SeaSat5, a military ship working on a classified quest about Atlantis and mysterious artifacts connected with it. On board she meets the stranger (Trevor) who saved her, and so begins an adventure of war between Lemuria and Atlantis, betrayals, new friendships, discovery of powers, and of course, love.

The story is well written, a little slow to get going but with an action-packed finish. I enjoyed the dual POV between chapters as it gave you a good insight into different characters' motivations. The violence and romance scenes have been written with a young adult in mind and are age appropriate. The ship itself was a fantastic piece of technology with an amazing description. I liked the idea of the warring factions as you never really hear of any other underwater worlds in fiction other than Atlantis. It was also good to see a character like Trevor, who was thrown into the middle of the war, take a stand against the beliefs his parents wanted to enforce. Chelsea was a good strong character and I can't wait to hear more of Valerie's story.

I got a little annoyed at the continual references to the Lemurians and Atlantians being at war; it was just repeated far too often and the reader doesn't need to be constantly reminded. I felt that Trevor needed to grow a bit more of a backbone so I'm hoping in later books he finds himself. Not too many editing mistakes but one that really did irritate me was the continuous use of "could of" instead of "could have", and finding silly things like "road up her arm" instead of "rode up her arm".

All in all a fun story, written in an easy to read and comfortable style. I'm looking forward to seeing in which direction the story goes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for the chance to review the book.  

Chickpea Flour does it all by Lindsey L. Love

This recipe book has gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian recipes for many different occasions.

The book is divided into the months of the year to showcase seasonal ingredients. The diversity of the recipes is amazing : from chickpea waffle avocado toast, to almond butter brownies to ratatouille tartlets. The author introduces the book and explains how her journey led her to using chickpea flour, and also includes different ways it can be utilised. I personally didn't realise that a flour could be so versatile. The most beautiful colour photos accompany the recipes and the layout of each recipe is easy to read and follow. A list of recipes in the beginning of the book as well as an index at the end allows you to find your recipe or ingredient choice with ease.

An absolutely indispensable book and highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.

The Twisted Souls Series by Cege Smith

This is a unified collection of 4 books in the fantasy/dystopian genre and is suitable for mature young adults and up.

The world of Before must not be spoken of. All info pertaining to the events that led to the world After is kept by the Office of Souls on a strictly confidential basis. In the Territory of Malm children are born soulless, only receiving souls if won in a lottery or sometimes never at all. These soulless are disfigured and speechless; useless to society. Malcolm and Eve are ecstatic to have won a soul placement in the lottery and duly study the rituals and rights necessary in order for baby Cameron to receive her new soul from the Head Master at the fountain. What they didn't bargain for was a plot hatched by the evil Chim set to culminate on the important soul day which will have devastating consequences for not just those involved, but all others in the Territory.

The first book grabbed my attention immediately, with the idea of a civilisation changed so much from the Before, that not even procreation, unless authorised, was allowed. What could have been so shocking in the Before that in essence reset the world? Things move on at a good pace and the gist of good and evil as the main idea comes through. But then again both terms are very subjective. The second book starts lagging a bit with some YA romance thrown in that creates a bit of a diversion to the main story. Book 3 really slowed down and it felt like some pages were just there to take up space. Book 4 then comes and beautifully rounds off the series with twists and turns, action, heartache, camaraderie, love, loyalty and sacrifice, and it seems worth all the reading. Well almost worth it. I understand that these are 4 books put together and the reader has to be caught up on previous events, but if sold in one tome like this perhaps some editing could take place where one book leads directly into the next story and a whole horde of info is not repeated?

I did enjoy the story though. A good play on power corrupting morals and authority becoming unquestionable. I liked the different viewpoints in different chapters-it gave the reader a bigger perspective. A good climactic finale explains most of the questions a reader will have throughout the series. Well written with an easy to read pace and good use of editing.

Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to review the book.