Book Review – Purify by Brian Robert Smith

Truely 2 Stars

 Blurb: “There’s no use trying to escape. You’re miles from anywhere. You have no clothes, no food, no money… You’re dead, Mason.” As far as everyone else is concerned, Mason Bushing died over a year ago, but now he’s running from Dr. Harlow who is secretly conducting an unauthorized experiment for a drug he calls Purify. It saved Mason’s life, but Mason is focused on getting what he wants most-his old life back. His plans change when he realizes his wife is more interested in the insurance money she inherited than seeing him alive. His best friend doesn’t believe his story, and the police intend on charging him with fraud and assault after he almost kills his wife’s boyfriend. Warren is a detective who’s assigned the case. He’s been on personal leave because his wife died. His investigation turns up suspicions of lying, disturbing coincidences, and related homicides. When Mason becomes the prime suspect, he’s forced to run again. Imagine having to run from someone who saved your life. Imagine everyone thinking you’re dead, but you’re really alive. Questions, accusations, conspiracies… murder. What if this was all caused by a drug that’s creating the next physical evolution of man? What would you do if you were Purified?

 

If you had the choice, would you choose to live or die? But what if that choice came with a catch, if you chose to live, would you be able to spend it in captivity? Under the watchful eye of a crazy doctor? Purify is a drug that brings you back from the brink of death, but with a very heavy price indeed.

I’m going to be honest, I had a love hate relationship with this book. I did struggle to pick it up at times and therefore it’s taken me a little time to finish. However, once i got to reading, it wasn’t too bad. I feel that my problem was that I just could not relate to any of the characters. I did also find them to be quite flat and uninteresting.

Mason escaped from the crazy laboratory and went on the run from Dr Harlow. Yet I find it hard to believe, that if your trying to escape someone, why would you just go home? Surely that would be the first place someone would look? I find it very difficult to get to grips with his motives throughout this story as well; I just didn’t find it very believable. I felt a lot of the time, there was a lot of talking but not much going on. I think I actually disliked all of the characters in the book, none of them were very nice people. It’s hard to explain but this thriller just really didn’t do anything for me, I am genuinely really sorry to say.

I can say though, that the book is really well written, for a debut novel it was very good. I genuinely think we have great things to expect from this author and I look forward to reading anything new in future. It wasn’t bad, just not for me.

 

Another thing, I would rate this more as a horror then a thriller. I think the storyline got a little confused along the way and wandered into a different genre.

Would you like to get a copy of your own? Look no further!

Amazon.co.uk- Purified
Amazon.com- Purified
Goodreads- Purified

A debut novel by Brian Robert Smith.

Lily’s Blog 15/06/14

Oh my GOSHHHHH im so excited right now, I’ve officially decided im going to start writing my own novel…TODAY! Yes i am going to actually start putting fingers to keys and mapping out what the hell is going on inside my mashed up brain. I need to get this out before i actually forget what i want to write about, it’s happened before, im a dope. So, watch this space, i will be updating on my progress.

Anyway, i am currently reading Purified by Brian Robert Smith. Its going well, although i have encountered a few foibles, nothing too major however. Am quite enjoying it if im honest.

I want to raise an issue with ‘reviewer bashing’ at present…. and there is nothing that grinds my gears more. I with authors would understand the difference between criticism and bitchyness. Lets be honest, if you want to publish your own book, you need to get yourself a backbone and some thicker skin! Understand that not everyone is going to enjoy your book, this is because everyone is different and is entitled to their own opinion, you may have heard of a lil thing called freedom of speech.

AUTHORS, I IMPLORE YOU TO READ – Before you go reviewer bashing, just remember this. They have taken time out of their life, to read something YOU have written. Also, in a lot of cases, YOU have been the one to ask the reviewer their opinion and a review of your book. If you don’t want harsh reality handed to you on a plate, i suggest you don’t do this. YOU should also check the background of a reviewer you are asking for help, as all reviewers are different. Some are blatantly honest and constructively critical, which i think is the better of the two kinds if im honest. Some will just tell you what you want to hear – these are the more useless people who are as helpful as an inflatable dartboard. However, if you want an unrealistic expectation of your book, maybe these are the people for you.

Rant over.

I just needed to say this as a good friend of mine has had this happen recently. She read and gave a completely realistic and fair review of a young authors book. Instead of understanding and appreciating the effort and feedback, she has decided to flame the reviewer instead. This is very poor reaction from an author and it does reflect badly on you. It will also put reviewers off reading your book. Anyway, no naming names & im going to move on now…. *breathes*.

Oh & happy Fathers day to any daddy’s out there today! Huzzah 🙂

Toodle Pip~

 

 

Book Review – Imperfect Strangers by David Staniforth

A truely well deserved 5 stars

(again & again)

 Blurb: How well do you know the people you see every day?
Sally hardly knows Keith. They’re practically strangers until the day she smiles at him.
Would you smile so readily if you risked losing your friends?
Would you smile so readily if you risked losing your life?
Unfortunately, you can’t begin to know a person until you let them in.
Imperfect Strangers: A psychological thriller that simmers to a dark and dramatic climax.

Sweet holy mother of WOW, I don’t know where to begin!

Ok, Imperfect Strangers, psycho thriller to the max. I’m truly lost for words here, having just finished the book I’m actually in a little bit of shock still, (and craving lemon infused garlic!)

So this is a story of complete obsession, a vein running so deep within it cannot be quelled. Like a bottle of fine Barolo, there are notes of sweetness and spice hidden within its heavy red body, however, left too long it can become bitter and strong. Not always providing the desired outcome.

This is no ‘When Harry met Sally’, not unless Harry was secretly the OCD produce of a psychopathic, child abusing mother! No, this is the story of Keith, an awkward & socially inept night shift security guard in Sheffield. With me, there was a love/hate relationship with the character. Sometimes I wanted to rattle him silly for his foolishness, but there was also such a sweet childlike innocence about him, something that just made you want to mother him like the mum he never had. Unfortunately for Sally, this is the exact same response he provoked from her, and it landed her in a very dangerous position indeed.

Unlike a lot of psychological thrillers, this story held no secrets. All the anguish, pain and fierce longing was dished up in every sentence given. In light of this, I was still not prepared for what would happen, not at any turn. But no matter what happened, through all the emotion provoked from me, I could never hate Keith. This begs the question, would any of us do any different? Was Sally’s reaction to Keith’s plight really that unusual? Wouldn’t anyone feel pity for such a lonely sad person? It makes you wonder…..

For lovers of extremely awesome books, I highly recommend this one. Ha-ha, oh and I guess you kinda need to like psycho thrillers a little too! Or even just dark romance….

Readitorillgiveuwhatfor!

Would you like to get a copy of your own? Look no further!

Amazon.co.uk- Imperfect Strangers
Amazon.com- Imperfect Strangers
Goodreads- Imperfect Strangers

Another amazing works by David Staniforth.

Book Review – Ruler’s Desire (Fuel to the Fire #2) by David Staniforth

An amazing 5 stars

(yet again!!!)

 

 

The second book of the ‘Fuel to the Fire’ series by David Staniforth – Rulers Desire. Again, i cannot stress enough how great this series is!

 

Blurb: Davran returns to her place of birth in this sequel to ‘Fuel to the Fire’ to find her father leading the beginings of a revolution. She is determined to join the attempt to overthrow the tyranical ruler Saurian, even if it means dying for the cause. First they must recruit more people; convince them that dying while fighting for life is not suicide. But after spending her entire fifteen years disguised as a boy, she is even more determined to do so as a woman. Prophesy, it seems, has given her little choice in the matter.

I loved the imagination of book 1 and there was always a part of me that worried I wouldn’t like the second book as much. Well, I needn’t have worried as I actually loved it even more.

The story continues with Davran and Ronyn (the dragon tamer) arriving back into the dark world. Faced with her parents who thought her dead, and a whole host of people who had been searching for her persistently the last 6 months, Davran must persuade them all that hope is still alive. That they must reach for the rainbows.

Davran is now faced with Saurian, the evil ruler of the Dark Kingdom, and his unrelenting desire that Davran must fall in love with him and be his bride.

There are twists, plots and things that will make you shudder. A great second instalment!!

Would you like to get a copy of your own? Look no further!

Amazon.co.uk- Ruler’s Desire
Amazon.com- Ruler’s Desire
Smashwords- Ruler’s Desire
You can also see my review of Book #1 here & Alloria here. Another amazing works by David Staniforth.

Lily’s Blog 08/06/14

BACK ON IT LIKE A CAR BONNET!!

Yes, as from today im back in the game. I’ve had quite a long break to sort out life, I’ve had a few changes, tweaked a few things etc… But I didn’t want to give up blogging so the back burner is back in business!

I may have been away from my precious blog for a while, but by no means did i give up reviewing and reading! Therefore, over the next week i will be starting to post up some of the reviews i missed while away.

I’ve also joined the reviewing team at BSL Publications, here are a few words from the brains of the operation:

BSL Publications is here to help authors take their work to the next level. We hope that will be with us, through our publishing company but we know some authors prefer to be independent, so we provide services to help them as well. As part of our services we will be offering editing, book covers, and free reviews. We want authors to progress to new heights! Please come and visit us, we’re ready, willing, and eager to help!

This month only, they are also giving away either a 3D or 2D book banner!! One is permitted per customer, sweet huh?!

Anyway, i look forward to reconnecting to you all and i cant wait to get posting!

Toodle Pip~

 

 

Book Review – Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

2 1/2 Star Rating

There are many words to describe this book, non of them being ‘Exciting, Unique or Enthralling’ . I probably got to the last 6 pages before i felt any emotion at all toward any of the characters.

Blurb: When a local boy is killed by wolves, Grace’s small town becomes a place of fear and suspicion. But Grace can’t help being fascinated by the pack, and by one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. There’s something about him – something almost human. Then she meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away…

A chilling love story that will have you hooked from the very first page.

So yes, this book was ‘Shiver’ the first in a three part series, ‘The Wolves of Mercy Falls’.

It follows Grace, a dull high-school student who’s only interest is watching the wolves in the forest behind her backyard. The same wolves infact which tried to maul her to death as a child, charming. Not bleak or weird at all *rolls eyes*. And if that wasn’t ‘Grade A’ messed up enough, our so called heroine is apparantly in love with one of the wolves. Not sure if its just me or not, but i find this a little, creepy? Considering at this point, she doesnt even know he can transform into a human.

I think its quite obvious from the offset that the writer isn’t completely teen savvy. We’ve been loaded up again with steriotypical teenager ‘types’. The nerd, the fashionista & the bitch (oh and not to forget the brooding female lead with no sense of humour).

But the main award goes to Sam, for being the worlds wettest and most sappy male protagonist. Everytime a Sam chapter came up i couldnt help but roll my eyes. Grace chapters = emo angst to a new degree & Sams = the bore and vomit inducing emotional factor. This leads my moaning nicely into my hate of this ‘insta-love’ relationship which was incredibly unbelieveable.  They both need to just get a grip, they were fawning all over each other at every avaliable opportunity.

There were some nice points in the book and it was well written hence the 2 1/2 star and not a 2, but if this level of sap spills over into book 2 i shall be burying it under my lawn. The romance was sweet… but not at the level it was served.  The wolves were also cool and i would have liked to of seen more of the back story.

Anywho, if you would like a copy, please check the below linkages 😉

Amazon.co.uk- Shiver
Amazon.com- Shiver
Waterstones- Shiver

Authors Website: Here

Book Review – Sinister Kisses (SKALS #1) by Adriana Noir

4 1/2 Star Butterflies

I’ve officially been blown away. This book. . . is just, wow!

Ok, i just need to start off by saying that this certainly is NOT a normal love story, and most definitely not for the weak of heart.

When i first read the blurb i took the disclaimer as a challenge more than a warning and it made me want to read this even more… in fact im posting the disclaimer here as I don’t want to get into any trouble 😉

**DISCLAIMER** This is NOT your average romance. It’s a dark, gritty, sometimes erotic psychological thriller with a heavy emphasis on plot. It also contains elements of dominance and discipline with dubious consent, psychological conditioning, and mental manipulation. There’s also gunfire and violence. If any of this offends you, this may not be the book for you. Intended for mature audiences only.

Ok so this book totally fucked with my brain, i just don’t know who i am anymore… what WAS that!! It was just about the craziest written ride I’ve ever been taken on in my life. It was just so violent, disturbing, psychotic!

The story follows a young girl named Taylor. Shes had a rough life, abandoned by her parents and left with her uncle and cousin, she’s grown up on the wrong side of the tracks. Shes awesome, and i came to utterly adore her character throughout the story. She was just so completely and utterly human that you just couldn’t help but love her. She had her flaws but she was so strong aswell, just a girl in love. unfortunately for her, her love interest was Sebastian. Don’t get me wrong, at first he was just amazing. A couple of things he said and did niggled me slightly but no ones perfect.

Then BAM!!!

We saw the other side of Sebastian… the murderous, controlling psycho side! The worst thing is, the story was also told from his perspective. So even thought he was completely maniacal and complicated we got to see how his mind actually ticked. This also meant I couldn’t hate him as much as i wanted to, because underneath all the outer bravado and mentalness, he had a venerable heart. I’m not excusing his crazy behaviour, but you get an in site into why he feels like that and you can’t always hate him for the terrible things he put Taylor through.

All i will say is, if you decide to read this book, then be prepared. Theres a lot of crazy crap going down right here and unless you have the stomach for psychological torment on a ginormous sized scale, you might want to reconsider.

I would love to recommend this book, but i would pass it out along with a firm warning. 18+ readers only.

Also – a big thank you for the review copy of the book Adrianna 🙂

Want a copy of Sinister Kisses?

Amazon.co.uk- Sinister Kisses Book 1
Amazon.com- Sinister Kisses Book 1

Lily’s Blog 04/06/2013

Ok yeah woops i just noticed, all review and no blog for like, a month! Apologies if there is actualy anyone out there reading!

So, i thought it would be cool to update here with what books i will be reading next. I can confirm that in the month of June im looking to read 3 more indie titles. I do read these in order that they were sent to me so apologies if yours hasnt come up this time.

First up is Wanted by Tim Arnot – It was only released May 19th this year so i feel very excited that i will be one of the first to read it! I also received this directly from thr author, so thank you Tim for trusting me with this 🙂

This is Broken City by D.D. Chant – A dystopian novel written and released in 2011. Looks very interesting as this is one of my favourite genres, looking forward to it! Thank you for the copy D.D. !!

Last but not least, we have Dark Chatter by Andrew Branch. I have to say the blurb on this really cracked me up and i cannot wait to read it for myself. Again, thank you for the copy Andrew, i appreciate it!

I will also be reading some mainstream stuff inbetween and around the above, but thats only because my brain will not just tolerate one book at a time haha. I hope thats ok with your lovely selves.

So, i hope everyone has a wonderful week and i will be seeing you all around i hope.

Oh, i now also have a facebook page and twitter account if anyone cares to tag along, the more the merrier *grins*!

Thanks for your support as always.

Toodles~

Facebook – IM HERE

Novel Nerd Page – IM HERE

Goodreads – IM HERE

Twitter – IM HERE

Book Review – Fuel to the Fire (Fuel to the Fire #1) by David Staniforth

An amazing 5 stars

(yet again)

 

*claps ferociously* I think Mr Staniforth is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. His fantasy titles have not disappointed me yet!

Blurb: Having spent her entire life disguised as a boy to avoid the risk of being forced into sexual slavery, fifteen year old Davran finds herself transported to a world thought to be legend. With sunlight, an abundance of food and people that trust, this world is everything her home is not. She could be happy, she could disclose the love she feels for Ronyn (the dragon trainer’s son), but when Hesperus (the Keeper-of-Knowledge) discovers her, she may have to return to a world of misery where even suicide is no escape and where the most frightening monster is not the dragons or the razor-hounds, but the tyrannical ruler, Saurian.

So as the blurb suggests, this is the story of Davran. Shes a young girl who is just trying to get by in the hateful world she was brought up in. Unfortunately for her, when a girl reaches the magic age, she’s taken from her home and forced into being a slave for the evil ruler Saurian. You really feel for her from the very beginning of the book. From the very start she’s an extremely three-dimensional character which i find lacking in a lot of young adult novels these days. The author really brings Davran and her father to life, letting you share in their daily struggle.

So, Saurian… what an arse. I so wanted something bad to happen to him, seriously, there are loads awful things i would like to call him *shakes fist*. He’s an unbelievable tyrant, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever met such a mean villain before!!! Snake faced miscreants eat your heart out! I think the disturbing scenes were laid out very well, it didn’t overwhelm you with information simply to shock and appall you. It was tastefully done with the right amount of violence to get across the severe brutality of it all.

I have to say, I loved Davran’s first impression of the world on the otherside and her innocent point of view. I also loved the moment when she decided to chase the rainbows, beautiful acts of nature through an innocent and unknowing mind. It was also incredibly sweet when she unknowingly gained feelings for Ronyn who is Brant (the dragon trainers) son.

Brant quickly became one of my favourite characters when he quoted a line from my favourite film, Labyrinth. Dont take anything for granted.. how right he is! Extremely fitting for this tale.

There was a real sense of family all the way through the story which was extremely wonderful. You could see the bond Davran had with her father and then also later on with Brant and his family. The story never grew stale and was told from the eyes from various characters, it was wonderful and refreshing. I couldn’t put this down till the very end, i just wish it could have been longer. Luckily for me i already have book 2 to read which im very excited about!!

I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers and people who like something a little different. David Staniforth is a wonderful creator of characters and i can never see myself getting tired of what his imagination puts to print. A really well deserved 5 stars from me.

Would you like to get a copy of your own? Look no further!

Amazon.co.uk- Fuel to the Fire
Amazon.com- Fuel to the Fire
Smashwords- Fuel to the Fire

You can also see my review of Alloria here. Another amazing works by David Staniforth.

The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse (Tales of Finndragon, #1) by Richie Earl

4 Stars

I had a tough call rating this book. I had a 3.5 in mind the whole way through, but by the time I had read the last 3 chapters they gave the book a boost for the final half of that elusive star (or butterfly!)

So, first off can I say thank you Richie. I was given this book in return for my honest opinion and an honest opinion is what i will provide!

The blurb: Three children racing against time, desperately searching for their missing father.
A medieval kingdom cursed by an evil wizard.
An ancient legend beneath our very feet.
The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is the first book in a unique, two book fantasy adventure series and is a fast paced, engaging and thrilling page turner. The story races along with plenty of twists and turns as it heads for the prophesized confrontation between the children and the evil Finndragon himself.
Combining wizardry and magic with modern technology and containing magical animals and terrible demons, The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse is a rollercoaster of emotions that will make you laugh out loud and then fight to hold back the tears, as the children race against time to rescue their father. In doing so they have to kill Finndragon and put an end to the dreadful curse.
A young adult adventure that is sure to be enjoyed by all ages.

The story started well, the author jumped strait in with the nitty gritty, introducing the main three charaters of the tale – Emma, Megan and Scott. However, probably my biggest critisism is with these first few chapters. When we finally start getting a feel for the story and it starts kicking off we would suddenly have a charater bio thrown in. I found these very out of place and interuppted the pace somewhat. I feel this could have been integtrated at a slight later stage so it fits in better with the story.

Also, another observation i had was surrounding ‘Dad’. He had no name till we were quite far into the tale. I found this quite strange as everyone else was introduced and crammed in quite early on.

I love that the author has chosen to write the characters in a very believable manner. No overbearing characters and the children displayed typical sybling rivalry, I thought this was wonderful as it added a great touch of reality to the story. At no point did I want to strangle any of them! There was also a great sence of emotion and comradery displayed by all of the characters, it really made you want to root for them and cheer them on!

I will say that there were lulls in the pace, there was alot of unessesary chatter and times when not much was going on. I think maybe this could have been summarised more rather then going for the step by step account of everyones activities. I would have also liked of seen more substance. It was very A-B and I think the spaces inbetween could have been filled better, I just felt like I was being taken on a long trek some of the time. Like when your traveling accross a long straight road, its nice to sometimes stop and break it up a little bit with something different.

All in all this was a great tale. I would make some changes and shorten it somewhat, however the story was awesome and kept me reading to the end. I would recommend this to maybe a younger age group than mine.

Whats that? You want to buy a copy? Look no further!! :

Amazon.co.uk: The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse
Amazon.com: The Legend of Finndragon’s Curse

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