Leofric: Sword of the Angles by S.J. Arnott

Leofric is what I would call a wee bit of an anti-hero. He has the bad luck of a thrice cursed peasant, suffers with debilitating health issues and has the get-go of a snail.

Everyone around him equates his ill-health to an overall weakness in character, and because they believe it Leofric believes it.

Luckily, despite all that he is a sympathetic chappy, who just always seems to draw the short end of the straw. The real issue with Leofric isn't really all of the above, although it has a lot to do with it, is the fact he hasn't found his inner dragon yet.

In essence this whole story is about Leofric becoming the man he was always intended to be. The reader follows him on his road to growth, which is filled with violence, murder, fear and the occasional bout of wit.

Arnott has created a main character with flaws and a propensity for failure. He doesn't look for trouble, but trouble sure finds him quite a lot. Something tells me Leofric will eventually rise like the phoenix from the ashes.

I found myself being drawn in by Leofric and his unusual story. I needed to know what else could possibly go wrong for him. How on earth was he going to make it to the end of the book?

Arnott knows how to reel you without you even realising it. It wasn't just his storytelling though, for me it was the way I connected as a reader to the main character.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of his journey now that his inner dragon is starting to pipe up and breathe fire.
I received a free copy of this book, courtesy of the author, for purposes of review.

Blog-Tour: Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica

Today I would like to welcome Mary Kubica and her book Pretty Baby to the blog. When I read her first novel The Good Girl, I knew she would be an author to watch. She has an intriguing way of mixing the boundaries of right and wrong, the criminal mind and the moral guidelines we live our lives by. I hope you enjoy the fabulous Q&A with Mary Kubica and my review of Pretty Baby.
About the author

Mary Kubica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature.

She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening and caring for the animals at a local shelter. Her debut novel, The Good Girl, was an international bestseller.

Follow @MaryKubica @HQStories @HarperCollinsUk
Visit Mary online at www.marykubica.com, on Facebook at MaryKubica

Q&A

Before we get down to the nitty-gritty about your book, I would like to do a set of questions called 'Break the Ice.'

The last book you read? (Inquisitive bookworms want to know) 
Lori Nelson Spielman’s Sweet Forgiveness, which is a fabulous follow up to her internationally bestselling debut The Life List.

The last movie you watched, which you felt left a mark (in your heart, soul, wallet...you name it)?
12 Years a Slave.

Are you more of a Game of Thrones, Outlander gal? (Any kind of TV entertainment that makes you smirk, giggle or gasp.)
I honestly don’t watch much in the way of TV. In our house, the television is incessantly tuned into the Disney Channel for the kids, though if I were to watch something it would likely be some sort of police drama or home decorating show.

Which famous person (dead, alive, barely kicking) would you most like to meet?
Joan of Arc. I’m a bit of a history guru and have always been fascinated with her resilience and fortitude.

Something you treat yourself to, now and again? (Cream éclairs totally count, I myself have a small Twinkie affliction.)
Anything chocolate! I have a terrible sweet tooth.

All of the above questions are actually a pretty elaborate pysch evaluation disguised as random questions. Have no fear here come the real ones. Let’s talk about Pretty Baby.

One of the elements I really enjoy about your stories is the way you mix our natural assumptions about what we perceive as good and bad in human beings. The boundaries between morally right and justifiably wrong. Readers are never quite sure where to place your characters, because often they cross back and forth over those boundaries, depending on the situations they find themselves in. So with that in mind...

The first question that popped into my head when I was reading the first few chapters, was about our society in general. Do you believe the bystander effect or bystander apathy is becoming more prevalent in our world and society, and if so, why?
I don’t know that it’s becoming more or less prevalent than before, but it is prevalent. It seems common for people to be apathetic to societal issues and believe that someone else will intervene in a certain situation (in the case of PRETTY BABY, the plight of the homeless or children falling through the cracks of an overwhelmed foster care system) and so instead we’re prone to watch and do nothing or simply walk away. We naively believe – or hope – that someone else will help. The person who does step in to intercede seems to be quite extraordinary these days.  

Would you have done the same thing for Willow and Ruby if it had been you in Heidi's shoes?
I would not. I think Heidi does a very noble thing by trying to help Willow and Ruby, and yet she also puts her family at risk when she brings this homeless girl and her baby into her home without knowing who they truly are. There are certainly other options for someone in Heidi’s position: she could have given Willow money or she could have sought the help of a homeless shelter or a social service organization.  But that said, Heidi did take the initiative to help, and I certainly commend her for this.    
Would it have been better for Willow in the long run, if she hadn't received any information about Lily throughout the years?
It’s hard to say what might have happened had things occurred differently in the novel.  Willow may have been able to move on and find distance from her baby sister had she not received regular updates from Lily’s adoptive family, or Willow’s mind may have made up for lack of details and taken her to places she didn’t want to go. It could certainly go either way.

At this point a shout out to social workers and the heavy burden they have to carry. Do you think a lot of children slip through the system and become easy prey, because most systems in place for children's welfare are overwhelmed with the sheer amount of work?
I can’t speak to this with any sort of certainty, as Willow is one fictional child who managed to slip through the cracks of an overwhelmed system, but I would have to assume it happens. We hear quite often about abused children and the flaws within the foster care system, and it seems as if more priority or manpower or financial backing needs to be placed on the plight of these children.

I felt as if part of the blame (most of it) for the Joseph 'situation' was placed on Willow by Louise Flores and Amber Adler, perhaps in an attempt to placate their own guilt. Although we see loads of campaigns about children speaking up about abuse, do you think society still makes them feel as if they won't be believed, because the truth is more uncomfortable for everyone?
Victim blaming is often prevalent in many crimes, whether it’s a child or an adult who is the victim.  Often times, these victims feel they won’t be believed, or that they have more to lose if they speak up against their ill treatment and abuse. I think it’s important that society makes victims feel safe and gives them a voice to speak up against their abuser without any backlash by the offender or society.

I couldn't decide whether to feel sorry for Heidi, annoyed by her or angered by her actions. I do think you hit upon an important subject where she is concerned though. Women are expected to deal with certain situations without complaining, despite their heart being torn in two. Do you think Heidi would have made the same choices in regard to Ruby and Willow if she had received adequate care and counselling at the appropriate time in her life?
Without giving away any spoilers, Heidi is suffering from the overwhelming effects of loss in her life, something which she has tried hard to ignore, leaving those feelings to stew rather than heal.  Her life most would certainly have taken a different route had she sought treatment for her grief at the appropriate time rather than masking the affliction for years.

Lastly I would like to thank you for answering all my questions, both the bizarre and the more story focused ones.
Thank you so much for having me!

Review:

After the phenomenal success of her novel The Good Girl, Kubica is back with another compelling read. The type of read that makes you have a conversation with the fictional main characters of a book.

Women are expected to shut up and endure, swallow and forget. It doesn't really matter why or what, they are just expected to grin and bear whatever comes their way.

When you spend years of bottling up your emotions without any outlet, psychological and sometimes even physical damage is the result of those pent-up emotions.

In Heidi's case the shut up and put on a brave face façade begins to crumble when she invites Willow and Ruby into her house and her life. She slowly becomes obsessed with Ruby, and the thought of Willow leaving makes her almost irrational.

Once again Mary Kubica leaves it up to the reader to decide who the bad guys and the good guys are. Believe you me, it is never so cut and dry with a Kubica story. The truth of the matter is that there is a bit of both in all of us.

Kubica merges important social topics with emotional scenarios and family dynamics. She delves into the foster care system, child abuse and most importantly the apathy of our society towards the most vulnerable.

The opening chapters are an eye-opener and are food for thought. What would you do in the same situation? Look away or show some compassion? Unfortunately in the world we live in the number of incidents taking place in connection with the so-called bystander effect are on the rise. People look away rather than get involved. In a way this is one of the reasons Heidi reaches out instead of just turning her back.

This is a psychological thriller with muddied waters when it comes to the good guys and the bad guys, but then that is exactly what Kubica excels at.

Thank you to Harper Collins Uk and Mary Kubica for my copy of Pretty Baby.

Buy Pretty Baby at Amazon UK or for other retailers go to Goodreads.

Read The Good Girl and Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica.

The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I suggest reading the first book in the series, Queen of the Tearling, before this one. It isn't a necessity, but it does make things a whole lot clearer. In the beginning of Invasion of the Tearling.

A lot of the fates of the characters from the first book are introduced in the first few chapters, so a new reader to this series might have a wee bit of difficulty keeping track of who, why and when.

It has one of the strangest present to past time evolution plots I have read in quite a while.The past is described as a post-apocalyptic misogynistic world, and the present is an almost medieval fantasy like world with plenty of magic, but with echoes of the 21st century.

Although the slipping from one life into another is quite interesting it doesn't seem to have much point other than to validate family connections.

Lily's story or rather the world she lives in is quite interesting. A world where women have no rights at all, and men are free to do with them as they please. Including abuse them when they feel like it. Sounds rather medieval, despite all the modern trappings, doesn't it? Whereas in Kelsea's world the women rule the roost. Although some of those misogynistic elements are reflected in Kelsea's world, especially in certain male high-born leaders.

Overall it is a creative fantasy driven by power struggles and family secrets.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Crash & Burn by Lisa Gardner

This was my first Lisa Gardner and it certainly won't be my last. She really knows how to keep the story compelling to the very end.

Nicky is haunted by a girl called Vero. The two of them have conversations with each other all the time, or do they? Is it reality, a call from her subconscious or perhaps just hallucinations due to the complications of Nicky's traumatic brain injury?

Nicky comes to the attention of the local police when she is found hailing help by the side of the road and her car is found at the bottom of a ravine. At the scene of the accident she screams for Vero, so the hunt is on for the missing child.

When the police come up empty-handed they start to question not only the accident, they also question Nicky's sanity. Something just doesn't ring quite right for Wyatt and he starts taking a closer look at the husband, especially because Nicky has had multiple serious accidents in the last few months.

I really enjoyed the way Gardner kept the question about the identities very fluid throughout the book. Nothing is certain, and the reader is always second guessing who she might be. You automatically feel sympathy for Vero the child and Nicky the adult, regardless of whether they are in the past or present. For the victims of the abuse and the adult, who lives in sheer terror of the truth. Her own truth is so devastating she is literally falling apart bit by bit.

Although this is a Tessa Leoni mystery/case she doesn't really play a major role in this story. More like the sidekick to Wyatt. The two of them do get a wee bit closer, but overall she plays more of a secondary part in the book.
I have to admit it kept me riveted till the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

The Forgotten Ones by Brian McGilloway

There was so much going on and so many leads going in various directions that it often seemed confusing. However McGilloway does manage to pull every part of the story together successfully towards the end.

I would like to see McGilloway explore Lucy's past a little bit more or rather that of her parents. Perhaps there is more to the story about her mother and the reasons for her abandonment of Lucy.

In this book we see her mother try to connect with Lucy in a more emotional and intimate way. She isn't just the hard-nosed copper, who apparently wants Lucy to fail where she herself has succeeded. She is the woman, who wants to her daughter to acknowledge her as family.

Perhaps it was me, but I thought some of the sentences were phrased in a strange way. I thought it might be a slang or dialect issue, because it sounded like badly translated English now and again. (Not often, just here and there)

McGilloway points the spotlight on the more vulnerable people in our societies. The homeless, the mentally ill, runaways and children in care. The crimes committed against them often go unnoticed, because they fall into holes in the system. Unfortunately there will always be people willing to use, abuse and harm those men, women and children, who fall into those holes.

The Forgotten Ones is a fast-paced police procedural with a compassionate main character.
I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss.

The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne

It is quite hard to fit this into any specific category, genre or sub-genre, which I think is exactly what the author wanted. It doesn't fit in any box.

Sometimes literary fiction can suffer from trying to outsmart the reader by trying to be too intellectual, which is often to the detriment of the book.

I feel as if this story comes quite close to that particular quirk. A shame really, because it has some really interesting ideas in it, and I think Byrne has the potential to create something really memorable.

Byrne's ideas about the energy resources and the Trail are really very good. In fact they are the only thing that keeps the often confusing plot afloat.

The Trail is a fascinating idea, perhaps a premise worth returning to in another book. I found the chapters about the alternative energies, the building and use of the Trail, very creative. I was riveted by the actual idea, the practice room and the thought of the Trail being on and in the ocean. Kudos to Byrne for this particular idea.

Switching voices or narrators is quite common and works if it is done well. In this case the voices switch in a way that makes it hard to keep track of which character you're actually listening to or rather reading about.

Then there is the slightly obsessive need to bring sexuality in to every scenario. It might have been some confused and misguided attempt to create the image that sexuality is a flowing natural element in this futuristic setting, but I didn't flow for me at all.

Instead of a world free of bi, trans, gay or hetero restrictions or labels and a 'love the one you're with mentality.' you get a main character with impulse control issues. Her inner dialogue about feeling empowered by the thought of wanting to take someone by force 'like a man would' says a lot about her but nothing about sexuality in her society. The fixation on sex overshadows the experiences on the Trail.

Overall it had a lot of potential and some great ideas, but it ended up being a quagmire of confusion.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

Awake by Natascha Preston

Scarlett seems like a normal happy 16 year old with a very normal family. She finds herself falling falling for new boy Noah, who appears to just be your everyday 16 year old, except he isn't.

He is in fact part of a religious group, who have come to reclaim their sacrificial lamb. In a nutshell that is the plot, which is surrounded by a lot of teenage angst and romantic anxiety.

It is definitely more on the teen side of YA. The language is simplistic, and a lot of the scenes seem to suffer from hop skip and jumps in the thinking.

What could possibly have been an interesting psychological thriller with a religious cult twist is unfortunately a very placid teen story, which lacks any kind of oomph or twist.

The characters need more depth and the plot could have done with being a bit more fleshed out. Less haste and more time to develop the story.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.