‘Cold Snap’ by Codi Schneider – Gifted Book Review

Tags

blogging, Blogging community, Book, Book Review, Cats, Codi Schneider, Colorado, Fantasy, fiction, Humour, new author, Vikings

With big thanks to @lovebookstours and @codi_schneider for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. What a great book it is!

Blurb

Tucked in the cold Colorado mountains lies the remote village of Gray Birch, a place where outsiders are frowned upon. In this village lives a cat named Bijou. But she’s no ordinary house cat; her ancestors were mousers on Viking longships, and their blood runs through her veins. Since her battle skills are hardly needed in this modern age, however, she spends her energies running the Fox Burrow Pet Inn with her human, Spencer, and her assistant, Skunk, a mentally negligible Pomeranian. Together, the happy trio has created a safe haven for their four-legged guests.

But when Eddy Line, a handsome baker from California, comes to the inn—along with his piglet and pit bull puppy—everything changes. Spencer falls for Eddy, Bijou is unhappy with the sudden changes to her clan, and the townspeople are anything but welcoming; in fact, threats are made against Eddy when he buys the town’s historic firehouse in order to open a bakery.

Then a shocking murder/dognapping occurs on the night of the bakery’s grand opening, and Bijou finds herself thrust into a tangled mystery. To solve it, she will have to summon her inner Viking—and fight tooth and claw for her new clan.

My Review

I was super intrigued to read a mystery novel told from the point of view of a cat called Bijou. Her crime-solving powers are aided by her innate Viking abilities, and her animal friends.

This honestly has to be one of the best books I’ve ever read. Codi Schneider is a very talented writer with a mastery of word play. This novel is such fun – I didn’t want to stop reading. The book has a good dose of humour and an engaging plot full of suspense. The cast of characters gives the story depth and diversity.

I really look forward to reading more from the author.

Book Review: Shadow Shinjuku by Ryu Takeshi

Tags

Book Review, Indie Author, Japan, new author, Shadow Shinjuku, Tokyo, urban fantasy

With thanks to @lovebookstours and @ryutakeshi.official (author) for the free copy of ‘Shadow Shinjuku’ in exchange for my honest review.

Blurb

The streets of Tokyo are different at night. There is darkness behind the glitter and the neon lights, and people who prefer to stay in the shadows, to dwell in the underworld – whores, gangsters, the homeless, the lost. People like Sato. He’s part of this world, he always has been, but a feeling of change is lingering in the heavy air of the bustling city. A feeling brought to life by fateful encounters of solitary souls.

Shadow Shinjuku is a dark, yet magical journey into the depths of Tokyo’s nightlife and the depths of the human soul. Ryu Takeshi’s first novel is both a noir crime thriller and urban fantasy. It’s a unique and mesmerizing blend of the imagery of Japanese animation and film, the colors and details of street photography, and the mystical lyricism of soulful music. But above everything, it is a gripping story that doesn’t let go.

My Review

This urban fantasy thriller is set against the nightlife subculture of Tokyo, and the outsiders who call its streets home. It follows Sato, a loner bodyguard in an organised crime gang, who goes through life-changing experiences enhanced by the power of his dreams, the people he meets and magic.

The author uses internal monologue and flashbacks very well to create a story that is quite philosophical, and provides some insight into culture and myth and how they blend into Tokyo today. These elements combine well to help the plot flow, making this an engaging read.

I would recommend this book to anybody interested in Japanese culture, and for those who love manga and anime.