#125 White Trash Warlock

 White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton 

• Goodreads: Check it out here
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
• Genre: Urban Fantasy
• Page count: 307

Thank you as always to @The WriteReads for yet another opportunity to be a part of this amazing blog tour and to the publishers and author for sending me a physical copy of the book. I was immediatley drawn in by the really cool cover and couldnt wait to get started with this, i also have a very deep love for deckled edges!

The book follows Adam Binder who has the power of the sight, meaning he can see into the spirit world which includes gnomes, elves and spirits. Adam unlike most people in books with an ability has always seen it as a hinderance causing friction in his family, friendships and triggering his fathers rage. When Bobby, Adams brother has him committed to a psych ward it takes Adam years to begin accepting who he is and to try and use his ability to help people. When Adam tries to find his missing father, he follows a trial of cursed artifacts only to find that a spirit has possessed the wife of his brother Bobby. It isnt long before Adam attracts the attention of the spirit, he must use his abilities like never before in order to bargain with dangerous entities to save his sister in law and to find out the truth of his missing father. 

The story is set in modern day Denver but with the inclusion of many paranormal entities, the author did a great job of writing both aspects parallel to each other. I actually cant fault the writing at all. I really enjoyed the characters and the LGBTQA+ elements, surprisingly this is still quite rare in fantasy books! I thought Adam as a protagonist was particularly intriguing with his history of trauma and childhood of abuse, he was such a complex character with his flaws and insecurities, i enjoyed watching him grow in confidence and learn to accept who he is. Other stand out characters for me were definitely Vic and Argent. Im not normally keen on romanace elements in fantasy books but i will make an exception as it wasnt overdone and felt really natural between Vic and Adam. I would have liked more background from Vic's character but perhaps the author is leaving this to later books in the series. 

I would say this book was definitely a grower, it took me a few chapters to become completely hooked! I usually dont like reading both urban fantasy or paranormal fantasy so i really wasnt sure how it was going to go but i was so surprised by how this book hooked me in. I enjoyed the twists along the way (as a thriller reader the twists were much appreciated and kept me enthralled) The themes of acceptance, anger, grief and family strife were what made this book such a great read. The book has an excellent set of characters who are realistic, complex and flawed, an interesting world and an awesome plot. I cannot wait to see where the next book takes us! 

More info on the author can be found here

You can buy a copy of the book on:

Amazon or Book Depository 

#124 A Little Life

 A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara 

(Review will contain spoilers so please dont read if you havent read the book yet)

Where do i even begin with honestly the most emotional, harrowing yet stunningly beautiful book ive ever read? A Little Life follows the story of Jude St Francis and his 3 college friends Willem, JB and Malcolm. The book follows the 4 boys into adulthood, we follow the main story which is set in present day New York but we also get a glimpse into each of their childhood and how they came to be the men they are. Firstly i will say that i have never ever in my years and years of being an avid reader become so emotionally invested in a set of characters before, they felt like family to me which made the reading even more harrowing. As we learn about each of the main characters back stories and of their families and up bringings you notice immediatley as you are redaing that we skip over Jude, he is described as mysterious by his friends and all they know if that he doesnt have parents. Jude is not like other guys his age, he doesnt express attraction for anyone, he doesnt have intimate relationships and he doesnt like being touched all that much. His friends have their theories but no one knows the true story of what happened to Jude. 

Jude is very central to the book and his storyline is what makes the story so tragic. Jude had a horrically tragic childhood, he was forced into prostitution from a young age, he was beaten and kidnapped and exploited by someone he though he could trust. After Jude escapes that chapter in his life he is once again taken in and exploited and then run over and left for dead. As a direct result of this Jude walks with a noticeable limp and this makes him very self conscious. From being beaten throughout his young life Jude is left with raised scars of his back and he also has many scars on his arms and legs from the self harm he used as a tool for escape from the terrible things that happened to him. He experiences the horror of being a victim of domestic violence (i think those were the worst chapters for me, it was just so raw and so real and i felt so much for Jude that i couldnt help but let it upset me) This information is fed to the readers through drips and drabs throughout the 700+ page book. Theres also trigger warnings for suicide as well. 

Willem has had a difficult childhood, his parents were very cold and he was raised going through the motions pretty much. Willem was raised with his severely disabled and wheelchair bound brother Hemming. When Hemming passes away Willem loses touch with his parents and moves away for college and to pursue his dream career of acting. Willem is one of the best characters ive ever read about and i feel that he often gets over looked in this story, his compassion and understanding and the way he accepts Jude for who he is and never expects anything from him is just the most beautiful thing and hands down the best friendship in a book ever written. 

JB is an openly gay POC, he is often deribed as the funny one in the friendship group. JB has of all the guys the best home life, he was raised by a mother and his aunts who absolutely adore and empower him. JB is an artist and for a period of time in the book really struggles with drug addiction. I thought this part of the book was so well written and so realistic. JB pushes away his family and closest friends in favour of his addiction and the friends that he has made that feed into that addiction. 

Malcom grew up in a home where his father always favoured his sister Flora and made it known to the entire family, as a result Malcolm works extra hard to earn not only his fathers respect but also his love. Malcolm is an arcitect and is extremley talented at what he does. He is a good friend but always feels as if he is in the background of the story, i never felt like he was a pivotal character or as prominent as the other 3 friends. 

Andy is another important character and staple in this story. Andy is Judes friend and doctor. He is the only person (apart from Willem) that has seen Judes scars and that knows of the pain and the cutting that Jude deals with on a daily basis. Andy often berates Jude and calls him crazy whilst telling him he needs therapy which may seem harsh but it is made clear to the reader that Andy wants what is best for Jude. There are numerous examples of how selfless Andy is in regards to Jude throughout the book, he often drops everything for Jude and he was such an important character in the overall story. 

Harold is a professor of Judes in college and immediately realises how bright he is, the pair become close and Harold invites Jude and his friends to his house for dinner with his wife Julia. This becomes a bit of a tradition and the couple grow very close to the boys over a number of years. Harold and Julia eventually ask to adopt Jude which was possibly the most precious thing and one of the only decent things to ever happen to Jude. How they took him on when he didnt allow them to be physically affection with him or to answer any of their questions was just so wholesome! I think this book has one of the strongest found family dynamics that ive ever read and that was in large part thanks to Harold and Julia. We get a lot of insight into Harold and Judes relationship but i would have liked a few more scenes with just Julia and Jude as i really wanted to see more development of their relationship.

I loved this book, it made me feel things that i didnt ever think words on a page could make me feel. Its a wonderful character driven story and you really get to know these 4 friends and how they interact with each other. The story follows them through the highs and lows of their lives and it just superbly written. 

I think one thing i did struggle with was the structure of the writing, like something big would happen ie. when Willem is in a car accident with Malcolm and his wife Sophie and the next chapter the author starts with some BS that happened 7 years ago, now im all for intrigue but come on now tell me what became of my beloved Willem! Dont just leave me hanging. I can see why the writing has been described as both pretentious and wordy but i got on with it ok and it was no more pretentious that some dark academia books ive read. 

Overall this book was just gorgeous, it broke my heart over and over again but my heart belongs with each and everyone of those characters, for 700+ pages they really felt like friends to me. I dont think ill ever read this book again, parts of it (mainly the DV scenes really messed with my sleep) but i will always look back with such fondness for this book. Definitely up there with my favourite books of all time. 

#123 Whisper Network

 Whisper Network by Chandler Blake 

Another amazing Reeses Book Club pick! Whisper Network follows the story of 3 friends, Sloane, Grace and Ardie. They work for a corporation called Truviv as lawyers. The friends have been in each others lives a long time and tell each other everything. When the CEO of Truviv dies the man who is next in line for his job is their line manager Ames. There has always been a lot of rumours and gossip surrounding Ames both in his professional and personal life. When a list immerges known as the 'bad men' list which is a list created by professional women with the names of high ranking men that have harrassed them, made a pass at them, made innuendos etc, basically a list of men that are less than professional to their colleagues of the opposite sex. The purpose of the list is to make women in a professional capacity aware of these men so they know to avoid them. 

When a new female joins the team, the women begin to notice that Ames is targeting her, giving her extra attention they are immediatley wary that something untoward is going on. The women come together and decide that they dont want to let men like Ames away with this kind of behaviour anymore and they come together to stand up to Ames. The women raise a case against Ames and Truviv and everything begins to snowball from there. 

This book reminded me a lot of the film Bombshell which is based on a true story of the sexual harrassment received by female works at Fox News, if you havent watched the movie i highly recommend it. It is available on Prime Video. 

One thing i think could have been slightly improved upon was the lack of diversity, i know there was a few hispanic characters which was great to see but it felt very white washed in places, all the characters seemed to be living a corporate life which was pretty perfect from the outside looking in. 

All in all this book is a triumph for the #metoo movement, i enjoyed the themes of empowerment, friendship and standing up for what is right to be very powerful and emotive. I found the book to be so relatable in ways i never even imagined and it also made me so wary of what i will and will not accept going forward not just in my professional life but my personal life too. The author does a great job of pointing a subtle nod that this affects women everywhere. I also think its important to point out that the author points out that its not all men which is important too. I honestly couldnt put this book down! Chandler Blakes writing was phenomenal and i eagerly wait for her next book to come out! 

#122 Amari and the Night Brothers

 Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B Alston 

Release date: 21st January 2021

Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Pages: 416 (UK kindle edition) 

Another @TheWriteReads blog tour, this time its for the wonderful Amari and the Night Brothers. This middlegrade novel follows the story of Amari whos grown up in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in a single parent family, she is also singled out at school for being the only black student. When Amaris brother Quinton goes missing Amari receives a mysterious briefcase with instructions to attend an interview at the elusive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Amaris world is turned upside down when she finds out that theres supernatural beings living amongst regular humans. 

Amari is thrust into the world of supernatural affairs which is disguised as a summer leadership camp. She must pick a speciality and go through 3 trials in order to determine her eligibility for that role within the organisation. Her main goal is to get far enough to get enough information to try and find her missing brother. 

The friendships she makes along the way with Elsie her weredragon roommate and Dylan Van Hesling were heartwarming to read about. Elsie is such a kind and understanding friend and she always had Amaris back. Amari's relationship with her brother Quinton was so lovely, a real highlight in the book for me! There are a few trigger warnings for bullying and micro aggressions but nothing too major. Amari as a character is so easy to root for, you immediatley are on her side as shes constantly picked on and has a general hard time of it. I loved how she handled the trials with honesty and integrity- this alone will send such a positive message to younger readers. The trials in general were really fun and fast paced to read, i couldnt put this book down. I dont read too much middle grade but this book really reminded me how wholesome reading it is. Another thing i really enjoyed (amongst the other million things) was how well thought out and imaginative the Bureau was, all the departments were so clever and the social media and tech elements were really well done. 

I wont say too much about the twist as i want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible but i did not see it coming and was so shocked! Brilliant writing and misdirection Mr Alston! 

This book is very reminiscent of the Nevermoor series and also Keepers of the Lost Cities which i loved both of but its also great in its own right. 13 year old Amari is the exact character i would have loved to have read at that age, shes fearless, brave and never gives up. This book is a beautiful story of family, friends and finding where you belong. A massive thank you as always to Dave (@TheWriteReads, netgalley, the publishers Egmont and to the lovely author B.B. Alston who has been so engaging and lovely to his readers on Twitter, the book is a triumph and i am so glad everyone has been enjoying it as much as i did. It truly deserves the hype. The world building was really wonderful, cant wait to see where the next book takes us! 

#121 The Island

 The Island by C.L. Taylor 

Thank you so much to Harper Collins UK Audio and Netgalley for the arc copy of this book that comes out on 21st January 2021. This is my second C.L Taylor book as i also received an arc copy a few months ago of Strangers which i enjoyed. 

This book is marketed as Lost meets The Hunger Games, for me it was more like Lost meets Lord of the Flies/And Then They Were None. When six teenagers jet off to a remote island off the coast of Thailand for a week of surviving off the land tragedy strikes when their 60 something year old guide dies and they are stranded on the island for 7 days. The teenagers comprise of three girls and 3 boys, Danny and his girlfriend Honor, Jefferson, Jessie and siblings Milo and Meg. (sorry if ive spelt any of them wrong, i listened to the audio) 

During the first night the teens are discussing phobias around the campfire, over the coming days the group are targeted by inflicting their phobia on them. The group are unsure if its one of them or an outsider doing this to them. All they know is that they need to survive the seven days and when they dont return they presume their parents will raise the alarm and they will be rescued. 

Ok lets start with the things i liked, i really enjoyed the premise i do like remote island stranded survival stories. I thought there was good back stories for a few of the characters particularly Jessie, Danny and Meg, i would have liked to have seen Jefferson, Milo and Honor having a bit more of a background too. I enjoyed the chapter splits and that it didnt follow all 6 of the teens as that would have been confusing, i also really liked how there were multiple narrators this made it so much easier for me to concentrate on who was who, i really struggle with multiple POV sometimes. 

Things i didnt care for as much: it all seems a bit unrealistic to me, whose parents at that age would let teens wild on a remote island with a randon 60 year old man as a guide and not panic when none of the parents heard from them at all as all of their phones died within the first 24 hours. Unexperiened teens would have been given rigorous survival training before attending something like this surely? I thought the ending was a tiny bit predictable towards the end (i wont say much more than that as i want this to be spolier free but the author gives you too many clues in order for you to work it out) for the first half the author did do a good job of leading you to believe that it could be any of them and subtley gives them all a motive which was interesting.

All in all it was fast paced and a quick read, it only took me a few hours of listening on 1.75 speed. I would read more of C.L Taylors work as shes really up and coming in the thriller world. 

#120 Ready Player Two

 Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline 

Well it finally happened, i got it and i read it even though i was very very afraid. Dont get me wrong i had my issues with it but i can see past those as i had so much fun reading it and it reminded me why the first book is my favourite book of all time and in 2020 (the shittest year that ever has been) i really needed that. Im isolating this week with my toddler as there was a positive case at her nursery so this book came as the most perfect time and i got so lost in the story.

Readey Player Two follows Wade after he won Hallidays contest and inherited his empire. Things arent all rainbows and unicorns for Wade even though he is the owner of the Oasis and has more money than he knows what to do with. His relationship with Samantha has broken down and they are no longer on speaking terms and his friendship with Ogden Morrow the co-creator of the Oasis has also broken down. 

After discovering one of Hallidays inventions that he never released Wade and the rest of the co-owners of the Oasis, Samantha, Aech and Shoto need to vote on whether to make it available to the public. The invention is a headset that allows the user to experience sensations such as touch, smell and taste inside the Oasis. When Samantha is out voted they mass release the headsets and change the way users experience the Oasis forever. When Wade discovered the headset and initially tried it out Halliday had built in software rules that a user can only use the headset for 12 hours and must have a 12 hour break until they can use it again. This is to prevent from any overload happening as the headset is connected directly to the brain.

At the beginning of the story Wade discovers another easter egg hunt left by Halliday. The mystery surrounds seven magical shards related to Kira Morrow that must be found. When years go by (much like the first hunt) without any users finding the first shard, Wade offers a monetary reward for tips that lead him to the first shard. He receives a useful tip that proves useful and is planning how to capture the first shard when suddenly the scoreboard changes and Og has managed to find the first shard. Wade discovers that Og has gone off the grid and fears the worse that something sinister has happened to him. Im not going to say much more than that as i like to keep my book reviews spoiler free but believe me the story really unfolds from there.

The book is jammed pack full of pop culture references even more so that the first book but if you like that sort of thing (which i do) then you'll love this book. All the themes from Ready Player One are prsent in its sequel, relatable yet flawed characters, quests and constant mysteries and above all else the story of friendship. I was dubious i will admit and i didnt like certain elements of it but this book really triggered the same emotions in me that the first book does. I really enjoyed this book and like everyone predicted gave it 5 stars. I dont really think it was needed but im glad it exists. 

#119 Sanctuary

Sanctuary by V.V. James 

I am mortified to admit that this book has been sat on my kindle waiting to be read for over a year! Ive recently (the last month or 2) created a kindle tbr jar which i try to pull at least 2 out a month to try and get some of these books read. I always find with kindle books that they are out of sight out of mind! I have around 50 books on my kindle that need to be read and im making it a goal in 2021 to get that number down by at least half. Right enough rambling, i picked Sanctuary out of the jar early last week and man i was so excited to finally read this one. I dont typically care for 'urban fantasy' type stories but this was was so much more than that!

Sanctuary is a marketed as an adult mystery thriller that has been desribed as Big Little Lies meets The Craft. Its set in a small town in Connecticut where everyone knows everyone. In this world witches live among regular ole humans, they ahve their seperate laws they must abide by and they have their own union if you like that represent the rights of witches (its all very woke and im here for it!). When the star quarterback and much loved teen Daniel Whitman dies at a house party, his ex-girlfriend whos mother is a witch is automatically accused of killing him by witchcraft. 

An out of town detective, Maggie is enlisted to come to Sanctuary to investigate his death. The book has some mixed media which who doesnt love? there are newspaper articles, interview transcripts and tweets which gave this book such a modern feel. It very much read like a crime novel as its so very procedural with Maggie interviewing practically half the town, if you enjoy crime/mystery books then this is very much for you and its very light on the fantasy elements. 

Dan's ex-girlfriend, Harper is such an interesting character. She was raised to take over from her mother Sarah as the town witch. When Harper find out that she doesnt have the gift she very much distances herself from that way of life and doesnt show any further interest in magic. Sarah as a character to me was just perfection, she was so conflicted between keeping her status within the town, being there for her friends but most importantly protecting Harper with every ounce of strength that she had, she was definitely the stand out character to me. I also though Abigail was done really well, she was so believeable as the grieving mother who would do anything to not let people taint the memory of her dead son. 

This book reads as very current, i loved how easily the magic was embedded into the story, it was very light and not in your face with fantasy elements. It was so normalised that i was almost believing that this was a contemporary book. Sarah provides the town with potions for all kinds of ailments from stress, grief to a minor headache, it made for such an interesting read. 

I loved how there was embedded societal issues within this book such as the 'me too' movement and how we shouldnt judge people when we don't know them, it made me fall even more in love with this book. There are so many diverse characters within this story and it was so effortlessly portrayed, usually when books have so many diverse characters it does read as diversity for the sake of diversity but this book is one of the best examples i have read of a truly diverse and normalised community. There was also so many twists within this story and i must admit i thought i had it all worked out when that ending had me speechless with my jaw hitting the floor! It really wasnt predictable at all, it was so tense at points towardsthe end too. Such a great, dark, witchy book!