The Rise of Jonathan Flite by Matthew J Beier

The Rise of Jonathan Flite is the third in the series and starts off directly where book two ends, so will be confusing if you have not read at least the one before this. It continues with the theme of life being not quite as we know it.

 

Jonathan’s memories of the Idle County seven are still hot news, and after the suicide bombings at his mother’s press conference the previous year, the extremists against his suggestions of alternate lives and realities are out in full force. Through Jonathan, we learn how two of the “seven”, Elijah and Molly, became friends, and discoveries that are made regarding family and a missing body. We also share Lyndsey’s out-of-body experience, and clues from the previous book begin to make more sense. These memories of life paths only add fuel to the fire of those who refuse to accept the possibilities of the type of reincarnation Jonathan is proposing.

 

Add to this that Jonathan’s story is being made into a documentary and it seems someone doesn’t want this to happen. Then, of course, there is Victor Zobel, who they now believe orchestrated the Geneva attack, who seems to have links to the seven. And why is it that people have strange experiences when approaching his estate? Don’t forget Rebecca Sparks, the mind-reading physicist whose ideas about life, religion, reincarnation, and Jonathan’s memories is still in the mix and changing up opinions.

 

This book is just as convoluted and moves between past and present and between different characters’ viewpoints. Once you get into the rhythm though, the action is fierce and so much information is actually imparted that a lot of the “side” stories (which could probably have books of their own) seem to be superfluous – until they are not! There are so many questions still left unanswered and I have a feeling that in the last four books, many more will be offered too. This is a thrilling series and well worth reading.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.

 

Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle Book 1 and 2 by LJ Smith

 So even though my TBR list is taller than the house, I decided to go back and read some of my old stuff again and see how close it still is to how I remember feeling about it. I think I started buying the books while watching the series, but the moment you read about Elena being blonde and she’s a brunette in the series, I wondered how different it was going to be. I’m actually glad the books and the series veered off in different directions because the books got really weird.

 

In the first two books we meet Elena (spoilt, snobby, mean girl of the school who is all about herself and writes tragic diary entries), Bonnie (her very immature and constantly prone to weeping friend who is discovering she has witchy powers) and Meredith (loyal, steadfast, logical, and the one who keeps them all together). Elena was going out with Matt (read high school football) but when she claps eyes on Stefan (broody stranger who joins their school, wears leather and sunglasses all the time, and doesn’t want to interact with anyone) she decides she HAS to have him. Poor Matt. On the sidelines are Caroline (a sort of friend who wants Stefan for herself and now can’t stand Elena’s constant need to be #1) and Tyler (dodgy, let’s get drunk and take advantage of girls). We find out a big secret later about Tyler – but with the mention of the big, bright teeth and the moon rising over his family’s grave, you can kinda figure it out already.

 

So, long story short – Stefan is a vampire (surprise) and into the picture comes his brother, Damon (also a vampire). Turns out Damon hates Stefan for something that happened a long time ago with a girl called Katherine who was in their lives. So now, in the town of Fell’s Church (apparently close to ley lines so strange things happen) there are about to be attacks on people and a murder or two. You’d think those would be the important things. But apparently not, because Elena’s diary has been stolen and she is freaking out about secrets being made public at her coming out ball.  

 

During all this, Elena manages to seduce Stefan and they go from fighting and avoiding each other, to being in love and cannot be without each other (within the space of probably three seconds), to getting engaged (she is seventeen). Add in some action sequences where Stefan and Damon are beating the @$#% out of each other, and a twist at the end where “old power” affects one of the characters in a bad way, and you have a teenage angsty recipe that could go either way. The story could get better, or Elena’s whining and the eyebrow-raising plot could spiral into a pit of despair.

 

Definitely one to read with your brain turned off.

 

 

The Release of Jonathan Flite by Matthew J Beier

 The Release of Jonathan Flite is a novel that’s hard to place as it falls into the realm of time travel, psychic abilities, action, and “fitting in.” This is the second in the series and I wish I had read the first as it was difficult to pick up what was going on seeing as there were so many characters.

 

Jonathan has the memories of seven children who all disappeared in Idle County ten years before he was born. Everyone thinks he is crazy, and now, on the cusp of his 18^th birthday, he is being released from the centre where he was kept for the murder he committed. The memories come and go, and it’s as if he was right there at the time when things happened to the seven. With parallels being drawn between the memories and a nuclear terrorist attack the previous year, things are beginning to be taken more seriously than before.

 

Jonathan will be faced with a divided public when he gets out – some will believe him, and others will fear him due to the religious and scientific implications of the actual memories. Memories that could have consequences for the company that seems to be behind so many things that are “good for the world” yet…  

 

On my second readthrough, I appreciated the book more. Initially, I had found it fascinating to start, then it hit a patch that made me slow my reading and I got confused, and then it speeded up again. There are so many character dynamics in the story and to be reminded of the angst felt when younger about fitting in to the world, it brought memories back to me too (just not the memories of the IC7 though).

 

I found the book dealt with a lot of different issues in a very open way, and covered things like bullying, homosexuality, blended families, feeling alone, where you fit in in your family, and different takes on religion. The characters came across on the page as so “real” that you could feel the emotions as they felt them. As the story progressed, you were fed bits of info that felt like they didn’t connect, and then all of a sudden, you’d realise where they fitted and it would be an aha moment. I liked that the book concentrated on certain characters and I think the same thing will happen in subsequent ones so that each main character has their own story.

 

The writing was very fluid, and the chapters being divided up between timelines didn’t interfere with the comfortable flow of reading. The chapters labelled with the infinity sign helped to join it all up.

I look forward to seeing how the characters progress in the next instalment (yes, I have it!) and where this journey is taking us.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to review the book.

The Watchers by AM Shine

 The Watchers is a horror story set in the forests of Galway.

 

Mina needs to deliver a bird to a friend of a friend. On her way, her car breaks down at the edge of a forest – one that you won’t find on any map. Unbeknown to her, the forest hides dark, deadly secrets and once you’re in, you aren’t coming out. Taking the bird with her, she enters the forest to seek help. Hearing a woman screaming at her draws her to a bunker where she finds three people hiding who tell her a tale that sounds far too implausible. Apparently, they have been there a while and by night hide within the light in the bunker and by day sneak out for food. But never too far, as what is out there will kill them before they reach the edge of the forest. The Watchers are waiting, and there is nothing anyone can do…

 

The book started off very slowly to me and there was a lengthy section where I almost didn’t continue with it as I thought it would just be the rest of the story about that. I’m glad I was wrong, as once it picked up, the story drew me in. The concept of the evil out there being unknown and unseen made it far more scary than a “monster” novel. The idea that you don’t know what they are or how to escape them (as verified by those there) made you think perhaps there was no way out.

 

The characters grew as the story progressed, and while Mina’s was the main POV, it was interesting to have some of the other chapters from the other characters’ point of view. This really helped to understand their back stories and the reasons they reacted as they did. This allows you to see how Mina views herself as so boring that no one would even miss her if she never came back. It shows how Daniel’s treatment as a child has broken him down so much that he is constantly on the edge. Ciara’s story has us seeing her going from one who is filled with optimism to a shadow of her former self. And Margaret, well, Margaret is a force unto herself. One minute you hate her and her attitude and ways, and the next you appreciate her decisions.

 

There were elements of the story that seemed a bit too much of a stretch, like the whole boat situation, but the plot twists definitely surprised me. You expected certain things to happen and were then presented with something else, so the story had you on your toes at times. The proofing of the book was done well, with no major errors glaring at you and interrupting the reading experience.

 

While not your average horror story, this one was creepy enough. I would love to have found out more about the Watchers themselves, and I was definitely rooting for “The Golden One” the whole way through.

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.  

Playing Doctor: Part Two by John Lawrence

 PLAYING DOCTOR Part Two: Residency, is the follow up to the first Playing Doctor book and takes us through his time of residency (and on a personal note, tries to keep himself in one piece while cycling, running, playing soccer all while being highly accident prone—can anyone say concussion…).

 

These are the years where med school is now over, but fully qualified and let loose on the unsuspecting public is still a way off. The years where repetition and practise, practise, practise are key. We come along on his journey of understanding to ask the right questions when it comes to diagnoses, pager pains, being kept on his toes by nurses or “testing him” as they called it, and learning how to get by in that twilight state of no sleep. He even lets you in on how he learned of addicts trying to manipulate the system and people abusing disability benefits.

 

Part Two is a lot more serious than the previous book. There are definitely still some crazy laugh out loud moments, but it’s almost as though he has moved on to a more solemn part of his journey. Having to put someone’s dentures back in when rigor mortis has developed should not be funny, but I felt for him! Some things really surprised me in this one, like the fact that (in his experience of sick patients in hospitals) a code blue nearly always lands up with the patient deceased. Again – TV lied to us! And be prepared for some sombre moments where bad decisions become a travesty of justice.

 

The author’s style of writing is warm and inviting, even when touching on sensitive issues. Granted, there were a lot of technical terms used, but the author makes you feel as though you are on the learning journey with him and you go through the highs and lows as he experiences them. The writing feels authentic, as though the author is not trying to sensationalise the situations. He also shares things about his personal life, so you learn about Winston the lab, and a fearless girlfriend whose grit and smart thinking should have had a chapter in their textbooks on thinking outside the box.

 

I truly enjoyed going on this ride through residency with him and I hope I get to join him on the next part!

Thanks to Reedsy Discovery for an ARC https://reedsy.com/discovery

Fable by Daniel James

 Changing drug dealers was the start of it all.

Neil, Matt, and Sam are school friends who enjoy their pot smoking. Well, Neil did until his dad got lung cancer and Neil realised it was time to rethink certain things in life. Their dealer, Staubach, hangs around with Noakes, who is affiliated with the hard local gang and Staubach is no stranger to using violence to sort issues out. Sam decided to get some stash from Sticky, another dealer, and when Staubach finds out, he decides to pay the boys a visit. After a confrontation where Staubach believes he was humiliated, the friends know they are marked.

Incidents happen at school that make them realise that they are safe nowhere, which saddens Neil as he has finally mustered up the courage to speak to Lindsey, a girl he has had a crush on for a while. Just being around Neil might not be safe for her. As they contemplate how to deal with the situation, Neil sees something that reminds him of a time when he was young and saw what he believed was an imaginary figure. This being, a giant toad named Frogmore, came through from another world once upon a time, and would do anything to keep Neil’s friendship. Anything including killing.

An untimely death sparks a war between the friends and Staubach and the gang that escalates into a frenzy of violence, retaliation, and outright hate. To save the friends, Frogmore might be back, but doing things his way. And his way, could mean disaster for everyone.

 

I wasn’t sure what to expect when reading this, which left it open for me to just enjoy the story as it flowed. The violence is quite graphic and it was a shock to see how the level was “acceptable” – not in the book, but by the characters towards each other. I enjoyed the way the supernatural element ran parallel to the main story in a very believable way. Very often too much artistic licence is taken but in this, the reasoning behind it almost seemed plausible!

I found the fact that the POVs from the “bad guys” was also offered made for interesting reading. It gave you an insight into some of their actions and also some of their regrets. Having Sam explain why he smoked as much as he did, gave his character a deeper understanding instead of glossing over the stoner image. Frogmore was quite a character to accept. His manipulation of people and situations made you want to hate him but also in a macabre way cheer him on. And the ultimate explanation of where he was from and the beings there gave a new meaning to “we come in peace”.

The one thing that needed fixing on this script was the formatting. It looked as though it had been set for print as there were page numbers in the ToC and the drop caps were not aligned. Sometimes big spaces cropped up in the middle of a page and the author’s name randomly appeared. This was very offputting.

 

Ultimately though, I did enjoy this book as its premise was not one I’ve read before. Yes, there were things that could have been added or taken away, but as a read without thinking too hard about it, this was an interesting one!

 

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The Forest by Lisa Quigley

The Forest is part horror, part thriller, with a bit of supernatural thrown in.

 

Edgewood is a very special town. People are safe in Edgewood and hardly anyone ever leaves. No one suffers ailments in Edgewood and everyone is happy. All this is due to the tithes that people offer to the forest in the fall festival. Tithes meant to be something of deep value to them. Faye and her husband Charlie are about to become the new town stewards, and as the new stewards, they are now privy to the real sacrifice that is meant to take place to keep the town safe.

 

Faye is horrified when the secret is revealed and wants no part of it. But when it seems no one will help her, she decides to flee with her baby son into the forest to seek refuge elsewhere. The forest has always been seen as a place of mystery and danger, so has Faye headed to the one place that could hurt her?

 

As a debut novel this is a superb piece of writing. I truly loved how each chapter goes back and forth between Faye in the forest and on the run, and the reasons leading up to her escape. When the timelines eventually collide, further secrets are revealed that could tear a family apart. By breaking the timelines, the chapters draw you in to read just one more, as you need to then go to the chapter after that to see where the story goes, and so the chapters roll on.

 

I did find, however, that sometimes the story seemed to get bogged down, especially in the forest. The number of instances where breastfeeding was mentioned made me want to skip over the parts. Once – no problem. Twice – all good. Three times – getting repetitive. Then four, five, six etc. and it almost became a filler. I felt the ending was a little rushed, and what was heading towards a great supernatural finale, became an “Oh, really?” moment. I needed more information about the Rowan amulet and the tunnel too.

 

All in all, a good book where you can connect with the characters, whether you love them or hate them.

 

Thanks to Perpetual Motion Machine for the opportunity to review the book.