Book Review - The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves

 

The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves is about Detective Jimmy Perez, who is asked to investigate the death of his oldest friend, Archie Stout.

Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland several years ago and has since settled into his new home in Orkney, a group of islands off the coast of Scotland. He lives there with his partner, Willow Reeve, and their children. One day, he receives a frantic call informing him that his longtime friend, Archie, has gone missing during a stormy winter night.

Jimmy catches the next ferry to the island of Westray, desperate to find his friend. Archie has spent most of his life on the island, where he worked as a farmer alongside his wife and children. When Jimmy arrives, he makes the shocking discovery that Archie has been murdered at an archaeological dig site. The apparent murder weapon is an artifact stolen from a nearby museum, leading Jimmy to believe that Archie's death was carefully planned.

As Jimmy begins his investigation, he struggles to remain objective when questioning the potential suspects. He has known Archie's family for years and finds it difficult to separate his personal feelings from the case. As the investigation deepens, Jimmy uncovers devastating rumors suggesting that Archie may not have been the man Jimmy believed him to be. With each new revelation, the case becomes more complicated, and Jimmy fears he may never uncover the truth about what happened to his friend.

I thought the book was an okay read. Although this is the first book in the series, I felt like there were character nuances and relationships that I was missing, almost as if I had started in the middle of the series. The novel also has a large cast of characters, and there were a few slow sections that made the pacing drag.

I was genuinely surprised by the identity of the culprit, even though I wish the author had included a few more subtle clues leading up to the reveal. Overall, I would still be open to reading more books by the author because I do think she is a talented writer.

 

Book Review – Venus Washington and the Lasagna Drama by Maisha Oso

 

Venus Washington and the Lasagna Drama by Maisha Oso is about a young girl, Venus Washington, who tries to discover her grandmother’s secret lasagna recipe.

Venus Washington isn’t sure why she is named that. She has never been to Washington and was born on Earth. The one thing she does know is that her favorite food is cotton candy, but cheesy lasagna is a close second.

Her grandmother makes the best lasagna. Her mother wants to know the recipe, but her grandmother is reluctant to share it. While having a piece of lasagna with her grandfather, he mentions that the secret ingredient might be her grandmother’s feet. Venus is beyond disgusted, and she knows she has to save her family from eating the disgusting lasagna.

The book was easy to read and follow along with. It had a few black-and-white illustrations that were fun. I will admit that, as an adult, I couldn’t get past some of Venus’s antics because all I could think about was how much work it would be to clean everything up. However, I can see younger children laughing along with her and enjoying where the story takes them. The story moves quickly, and it would be a fun read.

 Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author. 

Book Review – The Christmas Wish (Spotlight Sprinkles) by Lee Heart

 

 

 

 The Christmas Wish (Spotlight Sprinkles) by Lee Heart is about a young girl, Joy Rudolph, who wants to celebrate her birthday a little differently than she normally does.

Joy Rudolph loves Christmastime. She feels that no one loves it as much as she does, especially since she was born on Christmas Day. Her birthdays are always filled with holiday cheer and excitement, but this year, she hopes her secret crush, Kris Conrad, will be there.

Joy thinks Kris is the cutest boy in their class, and his birthday is on Christmas Eve. She thinks they would make the perfect pair. However, Joy is unsure if Kris likes her back and whether they will be able to spend time together during the holiday season.

The book is a cute read. It is a tame middle school romance with no twists and turns. It shows a young girl navigating a crush along with her relationships with friends and family. The book is a perfect cozy read for young readers who want a bit of holiday romance and warmth. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author. 

Book Review – The Intergalactics by Erik Jon Slangerup

 

The Intergalactics by Erik Jon Slangerup is about a group of mutant children who crash on a distant land.

Brinx, like his friends, wasn’t born; he was created in a lab. He is one of many gene-spliced, vat-grown experiments living on Base Lab 9. He has never left the lab and spends his entire life surviving the tests his creator forces him to endure. He is patiently waiting for the day that he reaches 1,000 passes so he can be transferred to the Graduation Center. He doesn’t know what is waiting for him there because no one has ever come back from there, but he feels that it has to be better than his current life.

Brinx and his best friend, Jang, barely manage to finish their final test. Afterwards, he and the others who passed board an armored transport vessel that is going to take them to the Center. However, things go awry when the vessel is destroyed by a meteor shower, leaving Brinx and the survivors stranded. During the collision, Brinx and Jang get separated, and Brinx is desperate to find his way back to his friend. Will Brinx be able to survive and find his friend?

I found the novel to be an okay read. I thought the author could have done more explaining and worldbuilding. The slang the characters used was confusing, and some of it was explained much later. For most of the book, I had no idea if they were happy, sad, or disappointed, or even what they were saying. I also wish the author had gone into more detail about why they were creating hybrids and for what purpose.

I didn’t really connect with any of the characters, and I wished the book was a bit more humorous. However, I did enjoy reading about Brinx and his fellow hybrids working together and growing as a group. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author. 

Book Review – My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru

 

My Killer Family Reunion by Dinesh Thiru is about a family reunion that becomes deadly when the family matriarch starts having a series of unfortunate accidents.

Jayshree Devi looks forward to her annual family gatherings, even though her cousins forget she exists and her aunts try to set her up. However, things take a turn when, after a dinner, a car nearly hits her grandmother, causing her to fall into a coma. Everyone is on edge because she recently announced that she is changing her sizable will.

Jayshree feels that there is more to the accident, so she starts digging into the family’s past. She feels that someone is harboring a dark secret. However, as she digs deeper, she realizes that someone will stop at nothing to keep their secret safe. Realizing that she can’t solve the mystery alone, she will have to rely on her cousins to help untangle the mystery and find her place in the family.

I thought the book was an okay read. I enjoyed reading the parts with the family bonding together, as it reminded me of my own family. However, I found some parts of the story to be a bit far-fetched and hard to believe. I also had a hard time connecting with the characters. I felt like they were more caricatures than people with dynamic personalities. There were also a lot of characters, and it was hard to keep track of everyone, even with the diagram at the beginning of the book. I would be open to reading more books by the author.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author.

Book Review – A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad

 

A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad is about a man, Ali Azeem, who thinks he has hit the jackpot when he marries the timid daughter of a wealthy man, only to discover he has gotten far more than he bargained for.

Ali is a naïve Muslim bachelor from Mumbai. He grew up in a wealthy family, but over the years, time has not been kind to them, and they have lost much of their wealth. He believes his luck has finally changed when he agrees to a traditional arranged marriage with the pretty and reserved Maryam Khan. Maryam is the daughter of Abbas Khan, a self-made real estate tycoon and one of the richest men in New York City.

Shortly after the wedding, the couple moves to America, where Ali becomes enchanted with the city and everything it has to offer. He enjoys the freedom and privilege that come with his wife's family's wealth and is excited about his new life.

However, as Ali settles into his new marriage, he receives a troubling warning from Maryam's older sister, Farhan. Considered the black sheep of the family because she is divorced and unmarried, Farhan claims that their father is a monster hiding a terrible secret that could destroy them all.

Ali isn't sure whether he can trust Farhan. She has a rebellious, free-spirited personality, while Maryam insists that Farhan is an unstable liar. Unsure whom to believe, Ali begins investigating the Khan family himself and discovers a connection between them and a serial killer. As the newest member of the family, Ali is welcomed into the family empire, but he must decide whether he is willing to do what it takes to remain at the top.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but it definitely left me wanting more as I did enjoy some bits. The story had plenty of unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing. At times, the pacing was a bit slow, and the plot felt somewhat scattered. I also didn't particularly like any of the characters, but I was still invested enough to want to see how everything played out. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would be interested in reading more by the author.

 

Book Review – Mo Farah, the Boy Who Ran to Be Free by Seema Yasmin

 

Mo Farah, the Boy Who Ran to Be Free by Seema Yasmin is a biography about Olympic champion runner Mo Farah.

The illustrated book is the second book in the Muslim Mavericks series. Like the other book, Maysoon Zayid, the Girl Who Can Can, the books mostly focus on the person instead of their religion. We don’t get to see how they practice their faith or how their faith guides them. The author also doesn’t interview her subjects and does use her imagination to fill in some of the gaps from the source material. For some readers, this might give them pause, but like the other book, I found this book to be an informative and interesting read.

I have heard of Mo Farah, but I never really followed the Olympics. I was a bit skeptical about what the book was going to be about, but I was pleasantly surprised. Mo’s story is filled with dark moments and uncertainty, but it was inspiring to see him cope with life by finding something he was passionate about. The book does have some dark subject matter, but it is presented in a way that is more appropriate for young readers. I would be interested in reading more books in the series.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author.