When Lions Roar by Karen Gruber

 

When Lions Roar is a mixed bag of a book. We start off in Maggie’s story which is a horrific tale of spousal abuse and alcoholism and the shining light that is her daughter Hannah. When her husband is transferred and they have to uproot their lives and move to South Africa, Maggie is terrified. Her days become a numb blur of alcohol and the same things happening over and over until one day she wakes up to find her daughter missing. With their current location being in the bush, anything could have happened to her. Maggie sits at a crossroads now to decide whether she is incapable of carrying on once she realises what her life has become, or whether she is strong enough to pick up the pieces and make herself whole again.
On the other side, we have a fable-type story from the wildlife’s perspective and it’s a tale as old as time itself: love, greed, deception, and courage. And forefront to this story is The Golden Creature – one who will right the wrongs and bring about peace and unity once more. Little did they know that the human Hannah would be the one they needed.
Will Hannah help them end the tyranny lurking around every corner? And will Maggie ever see Hannah again?

It was very strange to read both tales as it honestly seemed as though they were two completely different stories side by side. Both tugged at my heartstrings in different ways and yet the deep thread running through both was the feeling of having reached rock bottom and not knowing whether or not the courage was there to rise up and carry on. Interspersed were snippets of possible new beginnings, people helping others for the sheer sake of helping, and different cultures experiencing the same basic relationship issues and how they chose to deal with them.

There were a few questions like what really happened to Hannah while missing and why her husband reacted as he did at the end, but the telling of each was simple and true.

While not the most riveting book ever written, and with characters not quite achieving being fleshed out fully, its quiet moral and teachings of resilience resound.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 

Alicia Berenson has not uttered a word since she allegedly killed her husband. That has to mean she is guilty, right? Who wouldn’t defend themselves if they were innocent? But why would she do it? She is a successful painter married to an also successful fashion photographer and by all accounts they seemed happy and in love.

Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, has decided to make it his life’s mission to get her to talk. But to do this he needs to get a position at the institute she is in and somehow make her trust him enough to open up. After being accepted at the Grove, Theo starts to do his own investigations into what happened and finds something out that he thinks the police might have missed. She may have been stalked just before the murder.

So… I was pulled in by the hype and the promise of a blow-your-mind thriller. It started off well and got me thinking, but then it got to the point where stopping to think or question something made me annoyed because it pulled me out of the reading. And it was happening far too often.

You have the story told via Alicia’s diary entries (very odd entries as she records conversations word for word and in direct speech, and even when she thinks her house is being broken into, she is still filling in her diary) and Theo’s experiences. This supposedly adds to the teaser on the way to the twist but so much doesn’t actually align.

Then in the story you have psychiatrists changing meds randomly without a withdrawal process, no real policies and procedures regarding patient care, dodgy medication sales that barely get attention, mental disorders being called illnesses, and medical staff calling patients “bitches” and “crazy”.

There are loads of little sub-plots meant to direct you in certain ways but they become irritating when they don’t get finished. And then simple things like “action sequences” where someone gets hit over the head with a baseball bat and suffers no injuries or someone gets injected with enough meds to drop a rhino but still finishes managing to write an incriminating document. Just no.

I did not like the stereotyping throughout, not only of appearances, but also personality traits.

I do love a good psychological thriller and this was definitely not one of those. Closer to the middle the answer is obvious and I found the tie in connection to the painting very, very thin. The reason she was silent is just not believable and when you turn the last page you are left wanting.

The Marvelous Misfits of Westminster by Andrea Hahnfeld

 

Irving is a dog who hunts shadows. And the prophecy about where and when to find them lies in the pattern on the body of one who has escaped from flames. Sounds a bit odd, right? It gets odder.

Clement has been asked to judge a dog show at Westminster once again. He never thought he’d get another chance after a previous infamous decision. This time, apparently, he is meant to judge the Best in Show and how Irving even made it into the competition he’ll never know. After meeting Irving’s human parents, Clement has the very foundation of his understanding rocked, when he learns what has to be done to save someone he loved. This could change his life and hers forever, so can he suspend disbelief enough to trust in a process that has been working in secret for hundreds of years?

Who doesn’t need a quick story about a hero dog? The premise sounded intriguing but I will admit that I was a little confused after reading the first page. Nonetheless I pushed on with high hopes, and I was hugely rewarded. In fact, when I finished it, I felt a little in awe, as so much could be read into the deeper meaning of the shadows that needed to be killed. The characters were described beautifully and I could picture exactly how the Hunts as well as Irving looked. The idea behind the help that is offered and how it gets shared throughout the years is really clever. I will probably never look at a dog in the same way again!

For me, and it might not worry others but it interrupts my flow of reading horribly, the inconsistency between straight and curly apostrophes was annoying. A very minor detail in an otherwise beautifully crafted book.

Suitable for all ages, The Misfits of Westminster ticks boxes for comedy, drama, mystery, and definitely covers all the feels!

 

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for the opportunity to review the book.

Gnomads by Steve Dean

 

Darren is your typical teenager. With one eye on becoming the next famous rock guitarist in the form of Dazz “The Axe Man” Wild, and the other on a certain young lady named Paige, all he has to do is get through high school and somehow survive his annoying family. Forced to go to a car boot sale, Darren is doing his best to hide from his embarrassing mum and aunt when he stumbles upon Paige at a stall, and in a rush to hide his uneasiness, he buys an eagle pendant. Happy with his purchase and floating on cloud nine, Darren heads off home knowing that Paige has noticed him. However, as Darren loses himself in practising his music but with his family irritating him, his one wish is to be anywhere else. And since his new eagle pendant is magic, it obliges!

 

Darren wakes up in a world completely removed from his own and surrounded by five small, odd-looking people. It turns out he has been transported to a time in the past where trolls, dragons, and gnomes are commonplace! Darren befriends the upbeat group of gnomes who have a band and call themselves the Gnomads. As he joins in on their adventures on how to promote their band, Darren is caught up in trying to find a way back to his timeline, not get eaten by trolls, and teach the band members to play the same song at the same time. It’s going to take a strength he didn’t know he had. Is he ready for all of that?

 

This is a fun book for children roughly ages 9–12 and is a feel-good story about perseverance and digging deep to find out what you are really capable of. Darren’s journey often mirrors our own in life, where we have to go through something in order to find out what we really want and to learn the value of hard work. A very good message in this book is about staying positive and that helping others often leads to help for you.

 

I did find the pacing a little slow, as often the same kind of scene was repeated. There were a few proofing errors, but nothing jarring. The humour kept the book upbeat and the writing style was easy to read. I certainly enjoyed Darren’s journey and his engaging story.

 

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for the opportunity to review the book.

Dragon Twins - The Awakening by Chriss Bury

 Dragon Twins is the first in a fantasy series about Ambrose: a young man who lost his parents in a car accident and has been plagued by fantastical dreams ever since. 

Ambrose is once again sitting in Ms Davis’ office discussing his dream. The dream where he sees huge yellow eyes staring at him after the car crashes. She is trying to convince Ambrose that the eyes that he saw did not belong to a dragon. But deep down, Ambrose knows better. Stuck in an orphanage until he is sixteen, Ambrose must negotiate the tough world of school and bullies, with his only friends being Simon, a gecko, and Dre, an online friend that believes that Ambrose did see a dragon.

On his thirteenth birthday, Ambrose’s world is changed forever as he learns about his guardians, a twin sister, an evil dragon called Morfran, and the fact that he has cool new superpowers. When Ambrose discovers who he really is, the clock is set in motion for him to prevent the crossover of dragons and man between realms. But, as always, there are villains out to get him, and Ambrose has very few people he can trust . . . 

Ambrose’s character is written very well and his fears and joys are expressed realistically for his age. His relationship with Simon is endearing and when the reason becomes apparent, it’s a heart-warming moment. I did feel sorry for Ambrose in all he had to go through while his sister had a much easier time of it, but his genuine morals ensured he did what he knew was right. You could almost say he possessed the heart of a dragon! 

The story is relatively short and held my attention throughout. The ending of the book, however, felt a bit rushed as there was a big build up and then all of a sudden it was over. There is a lot of action to process at the end so it would have been more fulfilling to draw it out. Overall, the punctuation and grammar were good, except for a few mistakes. 

I really enjoyed this book but even though it is categorised as young adult, I would recommend it more for ages 8–14 and those who love dragons, action, and a heart-warming tale of good versus evil.

 

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for the opportunity to review the book. 

https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/dragon-twins-the-awakening-chriss-bury#review

   

The Mirrors - A Tori Hartley Mystery (Book One) by E.F. Townsend

Tori is determined to own her own antique shop, but spaces don’t come cheaply. As an avid antique buyer and seller, Tori must do what she can to generate income. She has a sprawling three-storey house in Old Louisville to rent out, but currently, only one storey is taken. And there is a problem. Her renter has gone missing. Craig Mallory has just up and vanished. With no solid clues as to what happened, and a strange abundance of mirrors placed strategically around the house, the police turn to Craig’s blog for ideas. However, in his blog, Craig claims that he has been trying to contact a ghost whose footsteps can be heard in the night. Craig’s mother then hires a paranormal detective, Hal Breakspear, to follow up on what Craig has claimed. Eager to get the mystery solved, Tori joins Hal in his investigations. But what they find has them more mystified than ever. Is it a ghost, or is someone trying to cover something up using a paranormal angle? Tori must help to unlock the secrets of the mirrors.

 

Unfortunately, the premise of the mirrors is never fully explored. The author has a great idea for a novel and is able to weave a few heart-in-throat moments in, but so much gets left “not quite finished.” The mirrors were a central part of the story but they are only really included a few times. The same with the introduction of things that had happened in the house or other paranormal aspects that could have been expanded on. I was left wanting more in places. The twist is fairly easy to spot early on, but the author manages to feed you enough to keep you going until the end to find out all the details. What I did enjoy was the description of the houses and the secret rooms they had. Definitely creepy. The paranormal aspects were not creepy enough, though!

 

I was on the fence about Tori’s character in that she was brave but foolhardy, and it seemed like she jumped into things without thinking first. I was also surprised at her rent issue with Scott considering her bravery with other issues. I found Hal somewhat condescending as he was not prepared to listen to other ideas in places. Tori’s friend Emma was a gem, and the perfect person for Tori to rely on.

 

The pacing was good and there were very few punctuation errors. The author has managed to blend a bit of mystery, paranormal, romance, history, and friendship into a good debut novel. I know as she moves further into the series, she will be able to flesh out some ideas more and in others tie them a bit tighter.

In Picardy's Field by Hannah Byron

 

In Picardy’s Fields is a historical fiction novel in the Resistance Girl series and is set in WW1.

 

Agnès de Saint-Aubin is a successful surgeon doing her part to help to save lives during the war. She is secretly in love with her co-worker Alan Bell, but will never let on as he is married. Agnès is a baroness but has a dark secret regarding her heritage that, during the alliances in the war, she doesn’t want exposed. She and Alan go to Dragoncourt, a château belonging to dear friends of hers, that has been turned into a war hospital. While there, tragedy strikes, and Agnès must fight to protect her patients, her friends, and herself.

 

Maddy is one of the family friends and is at a finishing school in Switzerland. She decides that the war effort is far more important and sneaks out of the school to join her family. When she realises Dragoncourt has been commandeered by invading German soldiers, she vows to rescue those imprisoned.

 

While this is not normally a genre I would read, the author asked me to review the book and I was pleasantly surprised. First, the story itself was full of depth and angst, and while a story about the war would seem to be predictable, this one was told with such warmth it drew you in quickly. Very often, when reading war materials, the emotion behind those who have to “mop up” after the battles is never addressed and you only hear about the incidents in the fights. This gives a beautiful insight into the bravery the medical staff showed and the tough decisions they had to make while observing their medical oath.

 

Agnès and Maddy are amazingly strong characters. In the beginning I felt Maddy was rather flighty but she stepped up and became a hero very quickly. I loved her monkey and their loving relationship contributed to her helping Maddy in a most unlikely way. Agnès really showed her mettle when put under the immense pressure she faced and the two ladies deserved the accolades they received.

 

The writing is very comfortable to read and flows easily. The action was balanced well with the emotional aspects and although I did find certain sections a little too convenient and the ending a bit sweet, the characters deserved it! The editing was very good and the one or two mistakes did not interrupt the reading.

 

This book has definitely opened my eyes to the genre and while not a beach read (there are parts that will definitely get your heart going), it’s a beautiful book able to be enjoyed while curled up on a couch with a cup of tea nearby.