With big thanks to @loveboostours and the author, @john_condon_author, for the gifted copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I wish the author all success with this book!
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MY REVIEW
If I’d have read this book as a child, I’d have wanted to go grab a pair of binoculars and head to the woods right away to do my own bear hunt!
The concept of the story is so engaging: the girl starts by listing all the kit needed for a bear hunt, then instructs us on the ten golden rules as she goes about her search. The fun artwork makes the story come alive.
As such, this book is an ideal companion for indoor and outdoor play to help both parent and child create their own bear hunt.
Plus, the story teaches a child the values of perseverance and courage.
And, there’s a lovely surprise twist at the end too!
The first thing that grabbed me about this book was the cover – it oozed intrigue to me. Then, I read the blurb and became curious. I wasn’t disappointed: this book was a joy to read.
This is a work of alternative historical fiction set around forty years or so after the 1789 revolution failed. With the royals still in power, the poor and immigrants of the city have formed guilds to survive. In order to protect Nina, her older sister has to make the ultimate sacrifice for her safety. As Nina takes refuge with the Guild Of Thieves, she begins her long journey of revenge against the Tiger, the Lord of the Guild of Flesh.
This book deals with sensitive themes in a very considered way that drives the plot well. The list of secondary characters gives enormous depth to the plot; the lives of each is well worth a separate novel of its own. This book has sacrifice, revenge, friendship, shifting allies and betrayal. The author writes with such imagination that I couldn’t help but believe I was on the murky streets of this alternative Paris each time I picked the book up.
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.
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.
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