I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

In this first volume of his multi-million-selling autobiography, Paul O’Grady tells the story of his early life in Birkenhead that started him on the long and winding road from mischievous altar boy to national treasure. It is a brilliantly evoked, hilarious and often moving tale of gossip in the back yard, bragging in the corner shop and slanging matches on the front doorstep, populated by larger-than-life characters with hearts of gold and tongues as sharp as razors.

At My Mother’s Knee features an unforgettable cast of rogues, rascals, lovers, fighters, saints and sinners - and one iconic bus conductress. It’s a book which really does have something for everyone and which reminds us that, when all’s said and done, there’s a bit of savage in all of us …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Paul O’Grady was a comedian, actor, TV presenter, chat show host and British national treasure. Warm, hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking this is the first in his autobiography quartet, charting his life in Birkenhead from birth to his late teens and his relationship with his working class, Catholic parents and aunts. This 2018 reprint featured a new introduction by O’Grady where he says he’s softened some of the depictions of his family.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to Dread Wood High.
It’s a scream …

Angelo and his friends have already defeated some seriously creepy creatures. But there’s no time to chill as a terrifying new enemy appears in the skies … giant vampire birds that feast on BLOOD!

Have Club Loser met their match with this fearsome flock of bloodsucking beasts? It’s time for the ultimate battle to take flight …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Jennifer Killick’s comedy horror quartet for readers aged 9+ raises the stakes with Club Loser facing real peril and serious injury and the horror is gorier. I love how the diversity in this book is not a big deal here and a scene where Club Loser try on clothes for the school dance is a joy but I was less fond of how Killick introduces a conspiracy element to explain how the Latchitts are able to do some of the things they do.

DREAD WOOD - FLOCK HORROR was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

China: 1200AD.

The peaceful Song Empire has been invaded by the warlike Jurchen tribes from the north. Meanwhile, on the Mongolian steppes, a disparate nation of great warriors is about to be united by a chieftain whose name will endure for eternity: Genghis Khan.

Our hero, Guo Jing, son of a murdered Song warrior, grows up with Genghis Khan’s army. He is humble, loyal, perhaps not altogether wise, and is fated from birth to one day confront an opponent who is the opposite of him in every way: privileged, cunning and flawlessly trained in the martial arts.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This is the first ever English translation from Chinese of Jin Yong’s classic historical fantasy tale of kung fu masters and evil empires by Anna Holmwood. Originally published in 1958 (the first in a quartet), it has an action-driven, energetic plot and although the portrayal of grumpy kung-fu masters seems stereotypical now, it was innovative at the time and there’s a lot of fun to be had in seeing the various masters compete with each other.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Do you believe in magic?

Magic comes in all shapes and sizes and colours and tastes and smells and feelings.

Magic may even come in the shape of a book …

When Carter Locke runs away he’s never felt more alone. But then he finds a gang of other young magicians …

and THE MAGIC MISFITS are born!

Street magician Carter knows that magic tricks are just that – tricks. But when he runs away he finds himself alone and in danger from a dastardly carnival ringleader. He could really use some magic now …

A chance encounter with the mysterious Mr Vernon leads Carter to a gang of other young magicians. Can the Magic Misfits use their skills to foil the ringleader’s most evil scheme yet? And will Carter find the real magic hiding in this story?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Neil Patrick Harris’s debut fantasy novel for children aged 9+ (the first in a quartet) features great illustrations by Lissy Marlin and Kyle Hilton, a wonderfully chatty style and a diverse cast of characters while intertwining the fast-paced story with magic trick suggestions and games that kids should enjoy but the plot was a little unoriginal and the diverse supporting cast seldom rose above the page to achieve any real depth.

THE MAGIC MISFITS was released in the United Kingdom on 30th November 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

”Though she be but little, she is fierce!”

When national dance competition Starwars comes to Bea’s school looking for talent, she wants to sign up. Shame her best friend agreed to enter with uber-cow Pearl Harris. Bea will fight back! But when school hottie, Ollie Matthews, who also happens to be Pearl’s boyfriend, decides to enter the competition with Bea, she will have more than a fight on her hands …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jenny McLachlan’s debut YA novel (the first in a quartet) is a breezy romantic comedy with a likeable main character and a plot that nods, winks and shimmies at DIRTY DANCING, complete with usual rom-com clichés. It’s easy to identify with Bea – she’s fun, easy going, insecure about her curves and has a loving relationship with her toddler sister, mum and nan. I believed in the way she’s too afraid of losing Kat to confront her about her repeated betrayal (although I still wished that there’d been a bit more of an attempt to indicate that it wasn’t alright) and I also believed in the anxiety she feels at Pearl’s bullying (particularly the calls and texts), although again, I wish that there had been more of a confrontation there. I was less interested in the romance – Ollie doesn’t have that much of a character to be interested in – he’s an all-round hottie there to prove that even curvy girls with boobs can get a hot boyfriend and the relationship ticks all the romance clichés. Nevertheless there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud lines and the story runs along at a pace that kept me entertained enough to want to read the rest of the quartet to see what happens to the girls.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

In the land of the dead, four friends search for the key to life …

Benny Imura and his friends are still reeling from the terror and tragedy that has followed them ever since they began their journey through the heart of the zombie-infested Rot and Ruin. But the group know that to survive they can’t look back, and instead must keep moving forward and hope they can find the jet they saw in the skies months ago. If that plane does exist, then humanity itself must have survived … somehow, somewhere.

But as they travel across the wasteland, the friends discover that the zombies are changing … becoming faster, smarter and infinitely more dangerous. Has the zombie plague mutated, or is there something more sinister behind this new invasion of the walking dead?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The third in Jonathan Maberry’s BENNY IMURA QUARTET is a return to form with an action-packed, fast-paced YA story that expands on Benny’s world and introduces a new and dangerous threat to everything he knows. As Maberry says in his foreword, this is also a book about grief – both Benny and Nix are dealing with the deaths of those closest to them, which is having consequences for their own relationship and gives the book a solid emotional core. St John is an interesting antagonist, whose background I won’t spoil but who represents a very real physical and ideological threat but Mother Rose was less well rounded and I wished there’d been a scene between her and new character Riot to expand on their relationship. That said, it’s another dark book, I enjoyed the pace and the ending is such that I will definitely be reading the conclusion.

The Blurb On The Back:

My name – my True Name – is Ashallayn’darkmyr Tallyn.

I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court.

And I am dead to her.

My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The concluding book in Julie Kagawa’s IRON FEY quartet differs from the earlier books in that it’s told from Ash’s point of view and whether that works for you depends on whether you already liked Ash as a character. Because I was never that taken with him, I never really engaged with the book as much as I should have done and because this builds on the central romance between Ash and Meghan, the ending is a foregone conclusion. That said, the final quarter of the book gives a strong insight into Ash’s character. All in all, although I’m not a romance fan I do enjoy Kagawa’s world building and will definitely be checking out her next book.

THE IRON KNIGHT was released in the UK on 6th January 2012. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

I’ve been in the palace of the Winter fey for a while now. How long exactly? I don’t know. If If I ever get out of here, I might find a hundred years have passed and all my family and friends are long dead.

I try not to think about that, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder.

My name is Meghan Chase.

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fitted in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey – ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan’s own fey powers have been cut off. She’s stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting the prince who betrayed her, deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can’t help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Having enjoyed THE IRON KING, I was really looking forward to reading this sequel. However while I love Kagawa’s imagery (and the descriptions of the Iron Court and the Iron Faeries are wonderful), I’m not a big romance fan and love triangles in particular leave me cold. The romance/love triangle in this book is no exception and my big issue with it is that I never understood why Puck and Ash would be fighting over Meghan who is completely useless. That said, I will continue reading the series because I love the visuals so much.

The Blurb On The Back:

My name is Meghan Chase.

In less than twenty-four hours I’ll be sixteen. Countless stories and songs have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her ...

I DON’T THINK IT WILL BE THAT WAY FOR ME.

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny – one she could never have imagined ...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fitted in at school ... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her little brother is taken, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

She could never have guessed the truth. Meghan is the daughter of a faery king and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will have to choose between a normal life and her magical destiny – and between her best friend and a darkly dangerous prince.

It’s time for Meghan to enter the faery world ...

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

What makes this YA take on the Seelie/Unseelie courts stand out from the rest is the introduction of a new court of iron – the depiction of which is both visual and visceral and had enough original elements to hold my interest and ensure I will read the next in the trilogy. Otherwise there’s much here that’s familiar, including the mandatory love triangle element featuring a dark and brooding male hottie with a tragic past. It’s not the best book I’ve read in this field, but it’s entertaining and breezily told.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.