A Rant of Ravens - Christine Goff

 

I enjoyed this book and whipped through it pretty quickly.

I would rate it at about 7.5/10 only because whilst the story and subject matter are interesting and the plot intriguing, the characters are a little hollow for me and at first, because there are so many of them, I found the story a little confusing - it took me a while to be able to picture all the cast of characters and their relationship to each other.

That said, it is an enjoyable read and allows for several hours insight into the world of birds, bird people and bird dealing. Very interesting and easy to read.

A Truth Stranger Than Fiction - Chris Orcutt

What if there was a way to produce enough electricity for the whole world for the next 10,000 years without the need to produce toxic radioactive by-products and carbon dioxide (as is the case with fossil fuels used in nuclear fission)? This possibility is right at the heart of this mystery and when the secret is about to be published, a lot of people find themselves with a lot to lose and will do anything to keep the truth from being told.

This book is totally brilliant, humourous, witty and about a really interesting topic. It is the third book in The Dakota Stevens Mysteries Series. The characters are really likeable and I think I am a little bit in love with Dakota Stevens now! It is a fast paced story which unfolds to reveal a truth which is, in fact, not of science fiction but a proven fact. That in itself lead me to ask the question, why is this possibility not being taken as seriously as perhaps it should be?

Although this is the third book, the fact that I had not read the other two previously did not really detract from the story but I got the sense that it would have been slightly more interesting if I had read them first and understood the relationship between Dakota and his beautiful assistant, Svetlana Krush, a little better. However, it was still a great story and the characters came to life really quickly.
The other two Dakota Stevens books are now on my watch list and they will be winging their way to me very soon. I can't wait to read them!

If you like a good mystery filled with intrigue and enjoy tracking down the truth along with the characters in a story, then this is the book for you.

9.8/10

Making Marion - Beth Moran

Making Marion is the story of Marion who, when we first meet her, has just arrived at a campsite near Sherwood Forest to ask for directions.

Marion has spent most of her life wondering about her father who she never met. The only clue she has is from a photo of him as a young man, dressed up as Robin Hood, posing in front of a great big tree in Sherwood Forest. So when Marion has yet another altercation with her mother, who only has negative things to say about her father, she decides to get away and head to Sherwood Forest, determined to find out more about her father.

As it turns out, she ends up working at the campsite and during this time, she finds out a lot more about herself than she ever realised. As the story of her father's past unfolds, she really comes into her own and for the first time, begins to know who she is and where she is heading in her life.

This book is really enjoyable. I loved the idea of a place where many disenfranchised people are employed by the wonderful Scarlett, owner and manager of Peace and Pigs Campsite. I am sure there is a potential series of tales about this place and the amazing Scarlett.

If you want a cosy read filled with likeable characters and a hint of mystery, this is the book for you.

Converations with Spirits - E O Higgins

What a start to my new year reading list!

Conversations with Spirits is the debut novel of E O Higgins and it is an absolute hoot! Set in 1917 England and at the behest of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Trelawney Hart, the hard-drinking, chain-smoking anti-hero, starts out on a journey to uncover the truth behind recent stories of a medium who is gaining a strong reputation as a genuine psychic. Hart is a sceptic and believes in logic and materialism, so the thought of uncovering a fraud is intriguing to him. As he progresses, however, he finds his beliefs challenged and his logic failing to assist him. Along with his side-kick, Billy, he finds himself on a rollicking adventure that leads him to question his truth.

This book is completely absorbing and one of the few I have read recently that I wanted to devour in one bite and savour at the same time, so it didn't end too quickly. It is so entertaining and the characters are such great company, that I wanted to share more adventures with them. As a result, I dropped a note to Mr Higgins who assures me he is hard at work on another Trelawney Hart adventure, which is wonderful news!

Another thing that is completely brilliant about this book is that it came to be published through crowd-funding via Unbound.co.uk. For those of you who haven't heard of Unbound before, it is an online platform which allows authors to pitch their book idea and readers to support the idea by making various size donations. When the book reaches it's target, it gets published and the reader/donator gets various benefits, including copies of the book and many other things. This platform enables authors to bring books to the public that they may struggle to get published commercially, especially if they are working on a debut novel and do not have back list to support them. How fabulous is that! For more information take a look at www.unbound.co.uk.

As for Conversations with Spirits, I loved the book, cannot wait for the next yarn and am so delighted to have found this author. (Thank you to my lovely sister, Samantha, who sent me this book for Christmas and told me about Unbound).