Orphans Of The Carnival, Carol Birch – Book Review

I received Orphans Of The Carnival in exchange for an honest review

I requested this book based on its beautiful cover and the fact that it’s about carnivals – I can’t resist a carnival/circus story. But this book is so much much more than a throwaway, fun-filled tale set under the big top.

Orphans Of The Carnival is based on the true story of Julia Pastrama, a woman born in 19th Century Mexico. With her face and body covered in thick black hair and an unusually wide nose, her looks were almost more reminiscent of an ape than of a woman. Being born into a time when so little was understood about medical oddities such as hers, Julia was singled out and ostracised from a young age. To try to build a future for herself despite her unusual appearance, she left her home of Mexico in her late teens to move to America and embarked on a tour with a circus tribe.

The Thousandth Floor, Katharine McGee – Book Review

I received The Thousandth Floor in exchange for an honest review

This book was the perfect guilty pleasure book for me. Packed with perfect but shallow protagonists and petty, ridiculous dramas, Katharine McGee has weaved a thoroughly addictive, enjoyable tale in The Thousandth Floor.

In McGee’s futuristic New York, the majority of Manhattan has been taken over by a gigantic tower block, one which not only houses apartments but shops, schools, streets and entire communities. The higher the floor, the more wealthy the occupants. Right at the top, on the thousandth floor, is the Fuller family which includes Avery Fuller – a girl who is genetically modified to be perfect, and resents it bitterly. The story follows Avery and a couple of her privileged friends – Eris and Lena – alternating narratives to convey the life of these elite teens.

Dear Amy, Helen Callaghan – Book Review

I received Dear Amy in exchange for an honest review

I received this ARC a couple of months ago, and I have to admit I’d been dragging my heels and prioritising other novels ahead of this due to the distinctly average rating it has received so far on Goodreads. But, I finally got around to reading and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I raced through this book; it’s a fun, fast-paced psychological thriller packed with unexpected twists that had me glued to the pages.

The protagonist is Margot, a schoolteacher who also doubles as ‘Amy’, an agony aunt for the local newspaper. Aside from an impending divorce, her life is pretty humdrum until she starts receiving some mysterious letters from Bethan Avery, a girl who was abducted over a decade before.

Stacking The Shelves (August 20th)

The rules of Stacking The Shelves

• Participants are to create their own Stacking the Shelves post and link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!
• Posts can be laid out any way you want.
• The host site posts updates on a Saturday but bloggers taking part can post any day they choose.
• Visit Tynga’s Reviews on a Saturday and add your link.
• Visit other participants sites to find out what they have added!

Here’s mine for this week! (Click the covers to go to Goodreads).

Smoke, Dan Vyleta – Book Review

I received Smoke in exchange for an honest review

I have to give this debut author kudos for his imagination. Smoke has a fascinating premise and a brilliant setting. Combining fantasy and historical fiction, Vyleta’s tale is set in an alternative English past, which feels distinctly Victorian, in a world where people’s sins cause them to emit a type of smoke. Dependent on the thought or deed the smoke will vary in colour and consistency, but it settles in a soot which will mark that person’s clothing, leaving a stain of their sin for all to see.

The notion of soot and smoke is quickly developed into a tool which divides the rich and poor. The rich find ways – either through strict discipline or more underhand means – to not smoke in the public, whilst the poor are constantly marred by soot and smoke, leaving a distinct mark of their sins and passions on their clothes.

Stacking The Shelves (August 13th)

The rules of Stacking The Shelves

• Participants are to create their own Stacking the Shelves post and link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!
• Posts can be laid out any way you want.
• The host site posts updates on a Saturday but bloggers taking part can post any day they choose.
• Visit Tynga’s Reviews on a Saturday and add your link.
• Visit other participants sites to find out what they have added!

Here’s mine for this week! (Click the covers to go to Goodreads).

The Muse, Jessie Burton – Book Review

I received The Muse in exchange for an honest review

It’s inevitable that Jessie Burton’s new novel, The Muse, will be compared wth her smash-hit debut, The Miniaturist. And I seem to be in the minority in thinking that this novel is better than her first. It’s certainly cemented Jessie Burton as my my current favourite historical fiction writer. The Muse effortlessly brings to life other eras, cultures and life-like, three-dimensional characters, all wrapped in up luscious descriptions and a gripping plot which had me completely hooked. Not to mention, another stunner of a cover too.

We are first introduced to Trinidadian immigrant Odelle, who has moved to London in 1967 to pursue the dream of a better life. She gets off to a difficult start, but through plucky perseverance and a little help from the enigmatic Marjorie Quick, she secures a role as a typist at an art institution, where she encounters a famous, long-lost painting Rufina and the Lion by Spanish painter Isaac Rubles who died young in violent circumstances. But its history is murky, and as Odelle settles in her role preparing for a major exhibition around the painting, she becomes determined to uncover the truth about its origins.

Author Interview: Tiffany McDaniel

Recently Tiffany McDaniel reached out to me and offered me a review copy of her new novel The Summer That Melted Everything which is released today in the US. This unique, thought-provoking novel has to be a stand-out for me of 2016 so far and I’m so pleased I got the opportunity to read it and interview the author! You can take a look at my review here and view the book on Amazon here.

The Summer That Melted Everything, Tiffany McDaniel – Book Review

I received The Summer That Melted Everything in exchange for an honest review

Check back here tomorrow for an interview with the author to coincide with the US release!

Dear Mr. Devil, Sir Satan, Lord Lucifer, and all other crosses you bear,

I cordially invited you to Breathed, Ohio. Land of hills and hay bales, of sinners and forgivers.

May you come in peace.

With great faith,

Autopsy Bliss

Despite the intriguing, unusual premise I don’t know if I’d have picked this novel of my own accord, but the author approached me directly and I’m so glad I took a chance on this. It’s definitely one of the most unique, thought-provoking novels released this year.

The Last One, Alexandra Oliva – Book Review

I received The Last One in exchange for an honest review

I’ve had my eye on this book for months; the plot alone sounds so intriguing, so different and such an amalgamation of things I love, I had to give it a try.

Based around a reality TV show called ‘Into The Woods’, the novel follows ‘Zoo’ (a nickname given to the main character by the producers due to the fact that she works with animals) and eleven other contestants as they journey across woods and countryside. The contestant have to complete challenges and overcome obstacles, living off the land, building shelters and skinning animals in order to eat. But there’s a twist to this survival game, and it takes on a dark reality when, unbeknownst to the contestants, a real-life pandemic breaks out wiping out a large amount of the population and leaving every citizen fighting for survival. It’s a clever, original concepts which acts as a spring-board, allowing the author to explore both the staged drama of reality TV shows and the fear-inducing landscape of a post-pandemic world.