quippe | Entries tagged with series

The Blurb On The Back:

Sunrise has come to Antarctica. Summer means that McMurdo Station on the continent’s coast becomes a small town: researchers and scientist drawn to the last unexplored continent.

The terrifying events which saw a horrendous parasite-born plague of rage and death lay waste to the South Pole research base the previous long winter are months past and hundreds of miles away. But there are people, and governments, who still need answers. And there are secrets to be kept.

If the plague were to reach McMurdo it could reach the world. But surely, no living being could make the journey from the Pole?

SENTIENT casts a terrifying new light on the dark and bloody events of SYMBIOTE and promises a new world of horror.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Michael Nayak’s ICE PLAGUE WAR SERIES sees the virus evolve as it seeks to beak out into the wider world while Raj and the other survivors try to stop it. There’s plenty of action here and I liked the development of the various factions, including the backdrop of the US/China war, which offers depth. There are again too many characters here, which means that many deaths lack impact, but the cliffhanger ending means I want to read on.

SYMBIOTE: A NOVEL will be released in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2026. Thanks to Angry Robot for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

HAMMER

Left on his own again, Stud gets sucked into one of his father’s journals down into an ocean kingdom grappling with the murder of its king. Can Stud use his hammer hands to solve the case?

Our hero Stud is a fourteen-year-old boy whose father regularly goes on expeditions that he catalogs in his own journals. Having to fend for himself, Stud isn’t like most kids - he can turn his hands into hammers! Unfortunately, the kids in the village don’t think its cool and do not allow him to join their own fun adventures. Stud’s father has always advised him that friends are the most important accomplishment a person can make, so what’s a boy who can turn part of his body into metal to do? Go on his own adventures, of course!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jeyodin’s self-illustrated manga-style graphic novel (the first in a series) is richly imagined and has a lot of thought put into its world building while Stud is a naive but sweet natured character. However the black and white drawings are difficult to follow including when it comes to distinguishing between characters plus there’s a lot of set up with the main plot only really getting going in the final quarter, at which point the book ends.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

It is August 1914 and war has been declared. Spymaster Fitzroy returns from France with a team of highly trained spotters wounded and unfit for duty. While Euphemia’s husband, Bertram, is away undertaking Fitzroy’s next mission, Euphemia and Merry go undercover as nurses in the hospital where Fitzroy’s four surviving scouts are being treated. It is feared one of them is a traitor and Euphemia must identify him before it is too late …

At the hospital, Euphemia encounters a black-market racketeer, the impenetrable high security Ward D, and an old familiar face who believes some deaths on his ward are a result of foul play. Uncovering far more than she’d bargained for, Euphemia will need all her strength, wit, and ingenuity to survive unscathed …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 15th in Caroline Dunford’s historical mystery series sets up a new overarching storyline of a mole at the heart of the British secret service at the start of World War I. Although the plot lines are a imbalanced and Euphemia’s relationship with Fitzroy more interesting than that with Bertram, Euphemia is a proactive and determined investigator and Dunford cleverly shows how her work strains both her friendship with Merry and her marriage.

The Blurb On The Back:

Prepare to blast off into space with Omar!

Omar and his friends need to make the best rocket* to win a competition - but someone is out to sabotage them …

This operation contains:
- Eight fish in puddles (the fish are really unlucky at Omar’s school!)
- Fizzy drink EXPLOSIONS
- A rocket scientist with the BIGGEST smile you’ve ever seen
- A set of VERY confusing triplets
- And one or two SUPERSPY MISSIONS

* 100% not powered by farts, well, maybe a little bit

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 5th in Zanib Mian’s PLANET OMAR series for readers aged 9+ is another fun read that combines humour with science and faith and is energetically illustrated by Kyan Cheng. Although the story is predictable, I like the way Mian incorporates Omar’s Muslim faith and how Daniel tries to control his anger issues/low self esteem with themes about the importance of friendship over winning plus there are enough fart jokes to keep readers entertained.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

The bestselling DadSaysJokes is back with an all-new collection of their best jokes, guaranteed to leave you grinning and groaning in equal measure.

Q: What kind of tree fits in your hand?
A: A palm tree.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Kit and Andrew Chilvers run the popular Instagram account DadSaysJokes and this book is basically a distillation of it - a load of dad jokes and puns that will make you groan and chuckle. Some of the jokes are so old that they’ve got barnacles on them, a few are US-focused and so may not resonate with UK readers and there are also a couple that don’t work at all. For all that though, it’s more hit than miss and definitely not just for dads.

DAD JOKES: GREATEST OF ALL TIMES was released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Welcome to the dark heart of Cornwall …

The Cornish village of St Petroc is the sort of place where people come to hide. Tom Kilgannon is one such person. An ex-undercover cop, Tom is in the Witness Protection Programme hiding from some very violent people, and St Petroc’s offers him a chance to lice a safe and anonymous life.

Until he meets Lila.

Lila is a seventeen-year-old runaway. When she breaks into Tom’s house she takes more than just his money. His wallet holds everything about his new identity. He also knows that Lila is in danger from the travellers’ commune she’s been living in. Something sinister has been going on there and Lila knows more than she realises.

But to find her he risks not only giving away his location to the gangs he’s hiding from, but also becoming a target for whoever is hunting Lila.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Martyn Waites’s novel (the first in a series) marries thriller and folk horror but because there’s so much going on it’s less than the sum of its parts. It has good pacing and there are some creepy moments, but the plot is heavily contrived at times and neither Tom nor Lila quite convince as characters while the antagonist is similarly underdeveloped. It’s not a bad book, I kept turning the pages, but it wasn’t as satisfying a read as I’d hoped.

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

The Blurb On The Back:

Who has time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan?

It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited again. A villain wants access to an uncrackable code and will stop at nothing to get it.

Plunged back into their most explosive investigation yet, can the gang solve the puzzle and a murder in time?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 5th in Richard Osman’s THURSDAY MURDER CLUB is a welcome return for Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim. I particularly enjoyed seeing more of Ron’s character and his relationship with his children and also Joyce’s uneasy relationship with Joanna with new son-in-law Paul proving an interesting addition to the cast. However the mystery itself was underpowered and the way Osman pulls the various strands together was a little hand wavy at the end.

The Blurb On The Back:

Spies lie. They betray. It’s what they do.

Slow horse River Cartwright is waiting to be passed fit for work. With time to kill, and with his grandfather - a legendary former spy - long dead, River investigates the secrets of the old man’s library, and a mysteriously missing book.

Regent’s Park’s First Desk, Diana Taverner, doesn’t appreciate threats. So when those involved in a covert operation during the height of the Troubles threaten to expose the ugly side of state security, Taverner turns blackmail into opportunity.

Over at Slough House, the repository for failed spies, Catherine Standish just wants everyone to play nice. But as far as Jackson Lamb is concerned, the slow horses should all be at their desks.

Because when Taverner starts plotting mischief people get hurt, and Lamb has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions and fool around, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault.

But they’re his clowns. And if they don’t all come home, there’ll be a reckoning.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The 9th in Mick Herron’s SLOUGH HOUSE spy thriller series is a game changer for the slow horses as they take casualties (including a fatality) and scores are settled. It has the sharp wit, savage violence, and political skewering of the previous books but some of the writing isn’t as clear as it could be, and some of the slow horses remain underdeveloped. That said it still held my attention and the stunning ending makes me impatient for book 10.

The Blurb On The Back:

Things get SPOOKY at Dragon Towers!

Dragon Towers is holding its super scary SPOOKYTIME festival and Theo, his friends and the dragons can’t wait for PERILOUS pumpkin-picking, FEARSOME midnight feasts and FRIGHTFUL fancy dress - but then they hear strange roars coming from the forbidden tower … is it an actual ghost dragon?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second book in this comic fantasy series by Pip Bird (a pseudonym for a collection of writers) for readers aged 6+ is an amusing affair with a lot of bum and fat jokes. David O’Connell’s illustrations add to the humour (I particularly liked how he gets across Wanda’s character) and I enjoyed the antics of the zombicorns. That said there are a lot of characters and I got some mixed up so a character list at the start would be helpful.

DRAGON TOWERS: THE GHOSTLY SURPRISE was released in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Your secret mission, should you choose to accept it:

Save the world from chaos by unmasking the hacker threatening to shut down the internet!

Put your spy skills to the test with four areas of puzzling challenges from hidden words and codebreaking to logic and observation puzzles, before you take on your top-secret mission.

Hurry, this message will self-destruct in 3, 2, 1 …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

This entertaining puzzle book for readers aged 8+ works imagines that the reader is a secret agent who has to complete their training at Spy HQ before they go out in the field. It has a good mix of logic and graphic puzzles - certainly something for everyone - and is a good way of introducing young readers to puzzle solving techniques but the black and white illustrations prevent some of the visual puzzles from working quite as well as they should.

SPY AGENCY PUZZLE BOOK MISSION: THE HIDDEN HACKER was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Leora loves everything about Hanukkah, the candles, the food … and especially Bubba and Zaida’s stories.

And this year she has a very special wish … but will it come true and make this the happiest Hanukkah ever?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Ivor Baddiel and Kathryn Selbert’s picture book (part of a series on faith/ethnic holidays) explains what Hanukkah involves and why it’s celebrated and Selbert’s colourful illustrations bring the family bond to life. My only criticism is that I didn’t quite understand why Leora was so intent on lighting the candle and why it was important to her but otherwise it’s a solid way of introducing the holiday to young readers who are unfamiliar with it.

THE HAPPIEST HANUKKAH was released in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Tamzin Pook is a fighter in the Amusement Arcade, where she does battle with Revenants - reanimated brains within armoured engine bodies - and is never sure whether she’ll survive another day.

In the wheeled city of Thorbury, a rebel faction has brutally seized control and it will take someone skilled at fighting Revenants to save the day … Enter Tamzin.

Along with an oddball gang of mercenaries and a teacher named Miss Torpenhow, she must outwit a pair of assassins to secure a peaceful future.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Philip Reeve’s standalone adventure set in his MORTAL ENGINES universe for readers aged 12+ is a thrilling story of friendship, belonging and what it means to be a hero. Although Tamzin and Miss Torpenhow are the main characters, this is very much an ensemble piece that explores the geography of the Traction Cities’ world at a breakneck pace. Although this is a standalone story, there is scope here for a sequel, which I would definitely read.

THUNDER CITY was released in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

On the misty streets of Shelwich, a strange magic rises and falls with the Tide …

When the waves are out, the magic is only a murmur, but when the water is high, anything can happen - and people have started to disappear. Rumour has it they are being snatched by monsters, but Ista Flit doesn’t want to believe that. Not when her own father is among the missing.

And Ista is a face-changer, able to take on the appearance of anyone she’s seen, making her the perfect detective. Teaming up with unexpected allies Nat and Ruby, who have both lost family too, Ista must delve into the hidden caverns beneath Shelwich to find her father before it’s too late …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Clare Harlow’s debut fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series and beautifully illustrated by James Mountford) is a vividly imagined, enjoyable story with solid characterisation, a great sense of place and an interesting plot. Itsa is a well drawn and driven protagonist uncomfortable with having to trust Nat and Ruby. The fantasy elements are thought-through and the cliff hanger ending ensures I’ll read the sequel.

TIDEMAGIC: THE MANY FACES OF ISTA FLIT was released in the United Kingdom on 11 February 2025. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

A group of Chinese scientists arrive at the American research base in Antarctica in search of help. In their truck is a horrifying sight - a mysteriously murdered teammate. With no clear jurisdiction, the Americans don’t know what to do. But they soon realise the Chinese scientists have brought far more with them than just a body …

Within seventy-two hours, thirteen more lie dead in the snow.

An extremophile parasite, triggered by severe cold, is spreading by touch. Learning from them. Evolving. It triggers violent tendencies in the winter crew, and, more insidiously, the beginnings of a strange symbiotic telepathy.

The survivors cannot let anyone infected make it to the summer season or the parasite will be taken back home with them, and be free to take over civilisation.

You can order SYMBIOTE: A NOVEL by Michael Nayak from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK. I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers):”> It’s 18 June 2028. Dr Rajan “Raj )

The Blurb On The Back:

Cornwall, 1786.

For years, the villagers of Mirecoombe have turned to their Keeper, the old and battle-scarred Lord Pelagius Hunt, mediator between the worlds of men and fey, for help. But this is a time of change. Belief in the old ways, in the piskies and spriggans, has dimmed, kindled instead in the Reverend Cleaver’s fiery pulpit. His church stands proud above the mire; God’s name is whispered, hushed, loved. And now, death stalks Mirecoombe on the moor. There are corpses in the heather. There is blood in the gorse.

Nancy Bligh is determined to do what Pel will not: maintain the balance between the fey and the human world, be the Keeper that he refuses to be. Blessed with natural sight, friend to spriggans, pinkies and human locals of Mirecoombe, Nancy has power that Pel never had and never lets her use. But as Mirecoombe falls into darkness, perhaps her time has come.

A poignant and lyrical examination of faith, love and grief, Gorse asks what do we choose to believe, and how does that shape who we are?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sam K Horton’s debut dark historical fantasy novel (the first in a series) is richly written with well drawn main characters and detailed world building. Horton handles the book’s main themes about faith, tradition and finding your own identity in an intelligent way and although I have some nitpicks (there are a couple of historical anachronisms and at times the writing too much), the ending has a neat set up for a sequel that I’d definitely read.

GORSE was released in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2024. Thanks to Rebellion Publishing for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Quiet, unassuming Umiko Wada has had more than enough drama in her life. Since her husband’s death, she’s learned to keep her head down, accustoming herself to an existence based on privacy, solitude and routine.

Even as secretary to a Tokyo private detective, her life is uncomplicated, filled with coffee runs and pleasingly dull paperwork. That is, until her boss takes on a new case, which turns out to be dangerous enough to get him killed, shortly after sending Wada to London to meet a man on behalf of his client. It should have been a simple task for Wada. But now it becomes a battle for her own survival.

Following her only lead, she quickly realises that being a detective isn’t as easy as the television makes it appear. And that there’s a reason why secrets stay buried for a long time. Because people want them to stay secret. And they’re prepared to do very bad things to keep them that way …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Robert Goddard’s standalone crime thriller is intricately constructed and Wada is a fascinating main character with the action taking place in Japan, the UK, the US and Iceland. The pacing works well and a dual storyline of Nick Miller also being contacted by Caldwell fleshes out the backstory. A sequel was published in 2024, which I will definitely check out and am otherwise I am keen to read Goddard’s other work.

The Blurb On The Back:

It’s me … Nina Peanut.

I’m Nina Peanut: a famous megastar, mystery-solver extraordinaire and extremely kind and patient big sister to the world’s most annoying brother.

Guess who is a ghost and is living right here in my school? It’s Lady Deborah from our history lesson, and she is stuck in her own shoe.

Watch as Brian and I film our investigations to find out what she’s doing there and how we can set her free. I’m also battling Megan Dunne to become class captain - vote for me, because who is more of a ghost expert than I am? Answer: hardly anyone!

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

The second in Sarah Bowie’s self-illustrated humorous graphic novel for readers aged 9+ is a well-constructed, fun affair filled with verbal and visual jokes. There’s a useful summary at the front if you haven’t read book 1 and Nina is such a well drawn character that you root for her, especially against the awful Megan. Certainly there’s more than enough here for me to want to read book 1 and I look forward to seeing what Bowie does next.

NINA PEANUT MEGA MYSTERY SOLVER was released in the United Kingdom on 26th September 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Solving murders.
It’s a family business.

Steve Wheeler likes retired life. He still does some investigation work, but he prefers his familiar habits: the pub quiz, a favourite bench, his cat waiting for him at home. HIs days of adventure are over. Adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s job now.

Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. Working in private security is dangerous. She’s currently on a remote island protecting infamous author Rosie D’Antonio, until a dead body and a bag of money mean trouble in paradise …

As a thrilling race around the world begins, can Amy and Steve outrun and outsmart a killer?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Richard Osman’s thriller (the first in a new series) couples jet-setting action, wry observations - particularly about ageing and dealing with grief - sharp one-liners and an interesting trio of central characters. However for me, neither Rosie nor Amy quite rang true in terms of their characters and the plot - though entertaining - was too easy to guess. That said there’s a lot of potential here and I will definitely read the sequel.

The Blurb On The Back:

A house explodes in a quiet Oxford suburb, a child disappears in the aftermath, and Sarah Tucker - bored and unhappy with life - becomes obsessed with trying to find her.

Accustomed to dull chores in a childless household and hosting her husband’s wearisome business clients for dinner, Sarah suddenly finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew, as her investigation reveals that people long-believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Mick Herron’s thriller (the first in the OXFORD SERIES) mixes sharp one-liners, genuine twists and cynicism but Sarah’s convoluted back story didn’t work for me given what you see of her before it’s revealed. Zoë Boehm makes a bigger impact despite limited page time and I found both her and the dangerous and driven Michael Downey more interesting characters. It’s an entertaining read and I will read on, but it’s not as good as SLOUGH HOUSE.

The Blurb On The Back:

ALEX ALWAYS is a normal, everyday kid living in a normal, everyday city …

AXEL STORMWARD is a monster-slaying hero living in a world of magic.

But all that’s about to change …

When the two boys magically swap places, needy nerd Alex is thrust into an epic quest to save the world of Aërth.

Meanwhile, sword-singing Axel is faced with double maths, a gran who’s six months behind on the rent, and a crucial chess tournament he’s got to win - when he doesn’t even know how to play.

Can the boys complete their Impossible Quests and find a way back to their own lives, or will they discover they don’t have a life to come back to?

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sam Copeland’s humorous fantasy novel for readers aged 9+ (the first in a series) has some genuine laugh-out-loud moments and gleefully subverts a number of the fantasy cliches. Although I think Alex has more depth than Axel and some of the resolutions to plot difficulties were too pat, there are also some genuinely moving moments and I enjoyed the adventure such that I would definitely read the sequel.

ALEX -VS- AXEL: THE IMPOSSIBLE QUESTS was released in the United Kingdom on 2nd May 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Progrmme for the review copy of this book.

Profile

quippe

February 2026

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28

Syndicate

Page Summary

Sentient: A Novel by Michael Nayak
Hammer Vol 1: The Ocean Kingdom by Jeyodin
A Death In The Hospital by Caroline Dunford
Planet Omar – Ultimate Rocket Blast by Zanib Mian
Dad Jokes Greatest Of All Time by Kit Chilvers and Andrew Chilvers
The Old Religion by Martyn Waites
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
Clown Town by Mick Herron
Dragon Towers: The Ghostly Surprise by Pip Bird
Spy Agency Puzzle Book: Mission – The Hidden Hacker
The Happiest Hanukkah by Ivor Baddiel and Kathryn Selbert
Thunder City by Philip Reeve
Tidemagic: The Many Faces Of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow
Symbiote: A Novel by Michael Nayak
Gorse by Sam K. Horton
The Fine Art Of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard
Nina Peanut Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron
Alex vs Axel: The Impossible Quests by Sam Copeland

Style Credit

Style: Coffee and Ink for Paletteable by branchandroot
Resources: one time to cry...

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Feb. 23rd, 2026 08:16 am

I Read, Therefore I Blog

A Book Review Blog Belonging to Caroline Hooton

Entries tagged with series

Sentient: A Novel by Michael Nayak

Hammer Vol 1: The Ocean Kingdom by Jeyodin

A Death In The Hospital by Caroline Dunford

Planet Omar – Ultimate Rocket Blast by Zanib Mian

Dad Jokes Greatest Of All Time by Kit Chilvers and Andrew Chilvers

The Old Religion by Martyn Waites

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman

Clown Town by Mick Herron

Dragon Towers: The Ghostly Surprise by Pip Bird

Spy Agency Puzzle Book: Mission – The Hidden Hacker

The Happiest Hanukkah by Ivor Baddiel and Kathryn Selbert

Thunder City by Philip Reeve

Tidemagic: The Many Faces Of Ista Flit by Clare Harlow

Symbiote: A Novel by Michael Nayak

Gorse by Sam K. Horton

The Fine Art Of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard

Nina Peanut Mega Mystery Solver by Sarah Bowie

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

Down Cemetery Road by Mick Herron

Alex vs Axel: The Impossible Quests by Sam Copeland