Review - Zombie Apocalypse by Stephen Jones

Zombie Apocalypse! by Stephen Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

Controversial plans to build on the site of an old church in South London releases a centuries-old plague that turns its victims into flesh-hungry ghouls whose bite or scratch passes the contagion on to others. Even worse, the virus may also have a supernatural origin with the power to revive the dead.

My review

I love zombie books and this one is different from most of the others I have come across in that it is accounts of how the outbreak starts and effects people and spreads via twitter, blogs, letters, diary entrys etc. I liked that it gives you how the outbreak begins and really liked the peoples experiences and how it spreads and their encounters.

However just under the last quarter of the book changes and becomes silly, silly songs about zombies, short stories being written by a survivor and a script about zombies for a movie, I mean as if you would be making stuff up like that during a zombie apocalypse. It actually really annoyed me and took the book from a 5 star rating down to 3. Definately worth reading but I think you might find yourself skimming as you get to the end of the book as it just isn't as good as the first 3 quarters was.



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Review - Angels Passing by Graham Hurley

Angels Passing by Graham Hurley

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb from goodreads


Why did fourteen-year-old Helen Bassam fall to her death from a tower block? DI Joe Faraday is on the case, but almost immediately, he’s fighting for resources. The body of a drug dealer is found hanging from a tree, and the head of the Major Crimes Squad is pulling in all the manpower he can get. Faraday plunges into Portsmouth’s bleak netherworld of wrecked families and children cast adrift. But as he tracks down a ten-year-old boy who may hold the key to Helen’s death, he’s faced with a crisis much closer to home.

My Review

Yet another I am torn between a 2 or 3 star rating! A 14 year old is found dead from either jumping or being pushed from a tower block. A drug dealer is found dead hanging from a tree and so the investigations begin. The story started off fine however I found it had loads of characters in it and two of the officers had similar names (both begining with W) so that was both confusing and off putting. I found it really hard to connect with the characters and kept mixing up who was who.

There is a lot I felt in the story that wasn't required and was more padding than offered any substance to the story. Had it been half as thick it might have been much easier to read and more enjoyable. You are also left with some unanswered questions and one in particular to the 14 year old girl which really urked me. The last few chapters really picked up and most of the story came together but by that point I was almost at giving up so a 2/5 for me.

This was my first time reading this author and it wouldn't put me off trying another as I have read some really positive reviews for this story, I think it must just be another marmite book.



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Review - Legion by William Peter Blatty

Legion by William Peter Blatty

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Blurb from goodreads

Jesus asked the man his name, and he answered, “Legion, for we are many.”--Mark 5:9

A young boy is found horribly murdered in a mock crucifixion. Is the murderer the elderly woman who witnessed the crime? A neurologist who can no longer bear the pain life inflicts on its victims? A psychiatrist with a macabre sense of humor and a guilty secret? A mysterious mental patient, locked in silent isolation?

Lieutenant Kinderman follows a bewildering trail that links all these people, confronting a new enigma at every turn even as more murders surface. Why does each victim suffer the same dreadful mutilations? Why are two of the victims priests? Is there a connection between these crimes and another series of murders that took place twelve years ago—and supposedly ended with the death of the killer?

Legion is a novel of breathtaking energy and suspense. But more than this, it is an extraordinary journey into the uncharted depths of the human mind and the most agonizing questions of the human condition.

The answers are revealed in a climax so stunning that it could only have been written by the author of The Exorcist—William Peter Blatty.

My review

I really wanted to like this book and it started off well, you have a murder quite quickly in and the investigation by Kinderman. There are a few horrific kills throughout the book and a wee suprise shock and visit in relation to the first book which I absolutely loved. In fact most of the interactions and bits surrounding the mental institue were really good. However and this is where it loses its rating for me, it seemed like there was quite a few stories going on that could have been seperate books as they were pretty unrelated or unimportant to the main bulk of the story. Whilst the white noise (tape recordings and playback) part of it I have loved movies about and find it interesting it seemed quite unrelevant I thought in this.

The writing style at some parts I found mind numbing and dragged whilst going on and on about unrelated things I felt to the book. However the conversations with the priests and at the mental hospital where great and I charged through them eager to get to the next bit. Overall I was glad to be finished with it but did get some enjoyment especially with the suprise show from someone in the first book. A hard slog but from reading others opinions it is a definate marmite book, you love it or hate it so have a read for yourself but for me it is a 2/5.



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Review - The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from the back cover

The terror begins unobtrusively. Noises in Regan's room, an odd smell, the displacement of furniture, an icy chill. Easy explanations are offered. Then frightening changes start in the eleven-year-old girl. Medical tests shed no light on her symptoms, but it is as if a different personality has invaded the child.

Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest, is called in. Is it possible that a demonic force is preset in the child? Exorcism is the only answer...

My review

Well as it is Halloween what better spooky book to read than the exorcist (I have the other 2 to read next). I loved the movie but have never read the book. I have mixed reviews about it to be honest. It started fairly slow and had I not seen the movie I may have gotten bored and been tempted to just pass over it I'm glad I didn't. Once things start happening it is interesting but not terrifying or gripping as I would have expected. To be honest some parts of it seemed pointless or just there for the sake of it. However once she started exhibiting extreme signs and the priest became envolved it did pick up. I loved Merrins interaction with "Regan" and the story was pretty good from there on it, however there also opened up annoyances. Without giving too much away I would have liked to have known Merrins past in relation to this book and the hints that were dropped by was left hanging.

I will read the next two and hope it will be revisited there or get some of the answers I am looking for. Not the easiest to read but not the most challenging either, some of it boring, some of it horrific and some exciting and annoying. Also I would personally recommend seeing the movie before reading the book as it might be more cofusing if going into it blank. Definately worth a read although it wont be one of my keepers 3/5 for me.



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Review - The Next Thing I Knew by John Corwin

The Next Thing I Knew by John Corwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Blurb from Goodreads

When Lucy Morgan drops dead along with everyone else on Earth she refuses to take death lying down even if, technically, her corpse is.

She drags her ghostly social life back from the grave and enlists her friends to figure out the rules of the afterlife. More importantly, they want to discover who or what killed everyone and why the heck anyone would do such a mean thing.

But what they discover changes everything. And if they can't figure out how to put their newfound ghostly powers to work, humanity will be extinct for good.

My Review

When I saw this was another apocolaypse type book (and with ghosts instead of zombies) I couldn't wait to read it. There was a few suprises along the way and I wasn't expecting the other entities which was a weird but good suprize. If I had to categorize this book I would put it as a tongue in cheek sci-fi. It also reminded me of an alien book I read in school as a child.

It is easy to read and nothing too over the top or challenging, whilst aimed at a younger (young adult) audience I think if you go into it not taking it too serious you will really enjoy it. The author takes us through the different emotions the ghosts feel from seeing their corpses to rejoining loved ones and starting new relationships and embarking on a journey to discover what has happened and what they will do next. As well as feelings blooming and new relatioships it also examines the other ways the human mind reacts to such devastation. Crazyness, taking religion to a whole new and scary level and even betrayal.

There is so much covered in this book that I think there is something for everyone to enjoy in it although if your very technical minded and take everything serious then this book isn't for you but I really enjoyed it and it was totally different from anything I have read in a long long time, 4/5 for me and I would certainly read more from this author.

Also I would like to thank the author for giving me the chance to read and review this.



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Review - Bleeding hearts by Elise Title

Bleeding Hearts by Elise Title

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from Amazon

When the body of respected psychoanalyst, Melanie Rosen, is found, it seems her murderer knew of her interest in him. When Melanie's sister starts receiving extracts of Melanie's diaries, she is shocked by details of her sister's sex life and is forced to face a truth about their upbringing.

My review

Sarah is the main character and comes into play after her sister is killed at the hands of a sexual serial killer. Soon Sarah is forced to look at her life and the people surrounding her, including her closest friends and the police officer, could the killer really be one of them?

Yet another book where I am tore between a two or a three rating. There is so much going on in this book between the murders, Sarahs own issues with her sister, father, past and now the murder and the threat of her being next. The story itself is quite good and the killer is very smart but there is a huge sexual element to this book and whilst it is relevant in some areas, others I felt it was just not required but maybe put in to either spice the book up or satisfy a different kind of reader. I also felt the dialogue between some of the characters jumped quite a bit and the end of the book whilst it went out witha big finale it could have done with at least one more chapter if not two. However they do say the reader should be left wanting more so in that aspect the author has done her just but I was a bit irked at one or two things so for me 3/5 and I would try another of this authors books.



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Review - 61 hours by Lee Child

61 Hours by Lee Child

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Blurb from goodreads

Jack Reacher is back.

The countdown has begun. Get ready for the most exciting 61 hours of your life. #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child’s latest thriller is a ticking time bomb of suspense that builds electric tension on every page.

Sixty-one hours. Not a minute to spare.

A tour bus crashes in a savage snowstorm and lands Jack Reacher in the middle of a deadly confrontation. In nearby Bolton, South Dakota, one brave woman is standing up for justice in a small town threatened by sinister forces. If she’s going to live long enough to testify, she’ll need help. Because a killer is coming to Bolton, a coldly proficient assassin who never misses.

Reacher’s original plan was to keep on moving. But the next 61 hours will change everything. The secrets are deadlier and his enemies are stronger than he could have guessed—but so is the woman whose life he’ll risk his own to save.

In 61 Hours, Lee Child has written a showdown thriller with an explosive ending that readers will talk about for a long time to come.(less)

My review

Jack Reacher is a fantastic character, this time he finds himself caught up in a pending trial in a small town. An eldery ladys life is at risk after seeing something that could throw a spanner in the works for a huge drug operation and Jack feels compelled to stop this happening.

The story has good action but takes it time getting from one good scene to another and I found it lacking in something. However the last quarter of the book is really good, fast paced and has a few twists. It ends on a cliff hanger which means you will need to get the next one to find out what happens and for me the way the end came together and the fact I am nosey I will track it down, 3/5 for me.



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