Review: Tall Oaks

Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tall Oaks is a fascinating novel from debut author Chris Whitaker. The blurb on the back totally sucks you in and the book itself doesn't disappoint.

There's action right from the start as you're dropped right into the middle of it. Harry Monroe has been taken and this small community is reeling from it and trying to carry on as usual. There are moments of comedy (mostly surrounding the hysterical Manny and his friends) amidst the utter grief that seeps through the rest of the characters. You become attached to characters at one moment and then with a turn of the page no longer know if you can trust them. I've never read anything that made me doubt my instincts quite as much as this title.

I don't want to risk giving too much away, but the characters are engaging and you can identify with them for a multitude of different reasons and I couldn't say that I had a particular favorite. It is the whole cast of them that make this title, not one of them could have carried the story alone. Jim, the cop, who would have usually been the one to carry such a story on his shoulders has too many cracks to be able to survive the attention on him for the whole novel and the author handles this beautifully.

The ending of this book with stay with you a long time. I couldn't stop thinking about it last night because of the haunting way the series of events is explained.

I really feel that this was an excellent first novel and makes me hungry to see what comes next!

Buy Tall Oaks: Tall Oaks


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Review: Order in the Court

Order in the Court by Casey Lawrence
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book from NetGalley for a honest review.

I have to admit I didn't realise this was the second book in the series when I started it, but I actually think this works quite well as a stand alone novel even though I am going to pick the first one up to see even more of the backstory.

This book has some really important issues in it that I've never seen put together before, but it was written in such a way that it didn't feel like the author was throwing in issues just for the sake of it. Everything had a purpose and furthered the story line. One especially telling moment was when Corey was told that if she played up to the Asian stereotype then she jury was more likely to listen to her side of the story. Unfair? Absolutely. True? Sadly, it probably is. Appearances being deceiving are a huge part of this book and I felt like that moment really encompassed it.

The only downside that I found with this book was the was that the story jumped about, it made it quite hard to follow, and everything seemed to happen so quickly. There were so many fascinating characters and the potential was enormous that I would have enjoyed seeing it just a little more. The ending especially felt a little rushed to me, though I would hasten to add that it wasn't a bad ending!

Over all I went into this title totally blind and enjoyed it. I read it in one sitting and was certainly fast paced enough to keep pulling you along! It deals with issues within the LGBT community where Corey is bi-sexual and finds it difficult from a multiple of people to be able to accept that about her, she's suffering from PTSD and at the same time trying to live her life in the aftermath of something truly horrific. With the wrong protagonist it really wouldn't have worked but she is very relateable, likeable and flawed just like the rest of us!
Order In The Court

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Review: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I recieved a copy of this title from NetGalley for an unbiased review.

Firstly I wanted to read this title because it is ridiculously pretty. The cover caught me instantly and I was so happy when I was able to get it. This style follows throught the whole volume and even the grotesque in it is somehow beautiful.

There is a bit of confusion about the world and what exactly is going on, that I didn't feel was entirely cleared up, but this is the first of many so I am willing to let that unfold. There is more than enough action going on to satisfy me when reading anyway!

The heroine is a mystery and delightfully frank in her actions. She is clearly on a mission and I will be picking up the second volume to find out what that is, and hopefully build upon the world and make it as rich as it deserves to be.

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Review: Truly Madly Guilty

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my very first Liane Moriarty book, which astonishes me now I think about it and it won't be my last.

I have to admit that at first I found the start of the book a little slow for my personal taste, I was almost fed up with the mystery surrounding the day of the barbecue. I wanted to know and see why the fall out was so great! However, the deeper into the book I started to better understand Moriarty's technique and it made the plot richer.

There are seven central characters that you follow through the plotline and you see how the effects of a tragic incident effects them, while having to guess what it is that made them feel so guilty. I actually figured out what the incident was, I feel like the hints about it are a little unsubtle, but what it was totally explained why the characters were finding it so difficult to move on.

Erika and Oliver were the couple that I felt grew the most in the book. They have both had terrible childhoods, though you see more intensely Erika's back story. I think that Moriarty wrote her especially well, a woman who already had a mental illness with added stress? It was always going to be a tough call. Her husband, Oliver, I think was my favourite character. He's often underestimated by every character apart from Erika. He's insightful and smart and often in the book the only one who speaks any sense!

Clementine and Sam were infuriating for most of the book. I kept getting frustrated with them and the fact that they wouldn't just talk to each other. This does get explained later on in the book in a way that I was satisfied by, but I still don't exactly thing Clementine is a nice person. Of all the characters we meet she is the most self-centered!

Tiffany, Vid and Dakota are a charming family. They started of as quite unappealing, but they actually really grew on me. Tiffany is such a deep character and the caring and thought she shows for her daughter is lovely. I feel with her Moriarty is really pushing home that a woman can be beautiful, not just beautiful SEXY, and be smart.

There are a few plot holes and confusing transitions that I assume will be ironed out by the time of publication, so overall I really enjoyed this book and am pleased I gave it a shot.

~I recieved a free copy of this book for a honest review~

This review and others is also posted on: http://belleblogsbooks.blogspot.co.uk/


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Review: Saga, Volume 5

Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So much drama! So much action! I loved it!!

It was a roller-coaster of a volume and my head is spinning. Watching this story unfold just got even more exciting and it does feel a little like reading Game of Thrones, nobody is safe!!!!!! Beware having too many feelings.

I need to read volume 6!!!

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Review: Saga, Volume 4

Saga, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Engaging and gritty with an unforgettable cast of characters, Saga Volume 4 picks up the story a few months down the line after the end of Volume 3. The family has settled into a sort of normality though things very quickly take a turn for the worse, because what is a story without some drama to it?!

The artwork remains gorgeous and there are some twists and turns that I just couldn't have predicted and it means people team up who you never would have expected. Trying to keep it spoiler free here! It was nice to see the characters in some different environments from where we have seen them previously, adding a new depth and understanding. Alana and Marko have now been married a while and trying to maintain their family while also staying in hiding, and watching the tension while they were under pressure was incredibly realistic and I felt gave the whole world a better realism. They are a normal couple despite everything that's happened to them.

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Review: Saga, Volume 3

Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a slower book in terms of the 'main' plot, as I suppose you would call it. In the aftermath of what happens in volume too Hazel's family take a moment to rest in Quietus with the author who helped bring them together. There are some sweet moments in this plotline, which are needed I think to help us see the family and understand even more of their personality. I feel like I came away from this liking Alana more whereas before I had firmly been all about Marko. Naturally the peace doesn't last long though!

For the majority of this volume the action is elsewhere. The Will and Gwendolyn are back to chasing after the gang, now with Sophie in tow and I totally didn't see where that storyline was going at all. It was really nice to have a genuine surprise and I couldn't quite believe it. Hope it gets resolved in the next volume... though that isn't likely from what I've read so far.

All in all a solid volume that makes me excited for the next!

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