Wranglestone review

Winter was the only season every Lake-Lander feared...

In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there's nothing to stop them from crossing the ice.

Then homebody Peter puts the camp in danger by naively allowing a stranger to come ashore and he's forced to leave the community of Wranglestone. Now he must help rancher Cooper, the boy he's always watched from afar, herd the Dead from their shores before the lake freezes over.

But as love blossoms, a dark discovery reveals the sanctuary's secret past. One that forces the pair to question everything they've ever known.

I can always rely on the Red Eye books from Stripes for brilliant writing and gripping plots. Wranglestone is another amazing YA horror and it ticks all of my boxes: it pulls together elements from my favourite genres, has a great cast of characters and a sinister setting.

The genre elements were probably my favourite part. Wranglestone has the feel of a western, with its remote setting and characters a lot like cowboys, but also has truly terrifying horror and the sweetest romance at its core. The book executes all of those elements really well, so that the action is balanced out by lovely (and sometimes heartbreaking) moments between characters.

That leads me another thing I really loved: Peter and Cooper. They're great characters as individuals and I rooted for them so much as a couple! All of the characters are well-drawn and I think that's what engaged my emotions so much – I cared what happened to them.

I also have to talk about that location. A remote national park is the perfect setting for this novel, with the zombies lingering on the fringes of the community and the cold descending upon them.

I loved everything about this book and I'm so glad it's the first in a series!

 

Are You Watching? review

A page-turning new YA thriller for the social media age, perfect for fans of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and One Of Us Is Lying.

Ten years ago, Jess's mother was murdered by the Magpie Man.

She was the first of his victims, but not the last.

Now Jess is the star of a YouTube reality series and she's using it to catch the killer once and for all.

The whole world is watching her every move.

And so is the Magpie Man.

I love a serial killer book and had a great time reading this one! It feels very current, and I raced through it because there wasn't a slow moment.

This book has such a great premise and the use of social media really added to the story. It's an utterly creepy idea that the things we post online could be used against us, and Are You Watching? executes the concept really well.

The plotting is another brilliant thing about this book. Every scene moves the plot forwards and the short chapters meant I couldn't stop reading. Just one, or seven more... There are plenty of clues and suspects to sift through and it was fun trying to solve the mystery as Jess did.

Jess is a really interesting main character. She definitely has agency rather than sitting back and letting events wash over her. She feels believable, making mistakes and getting in over her head.

This is a tense, fun read for YA thriller fans and I'll definitely look out for Vincent Ralph's next book.

Paper Avalanche blog tour

Ro’s mum is a compulsive hoarder... so Ro has become an expert at hiding: from social services, from friends, from having any sort of normal life. Staying under the radar keeps her ‘real’ life secret and her mum, Bonnie, safe - and she dreads to think what would happen to Bonnie without her.

Then Tanvi Shah turns up at school; full of life, and on a mission to make friends and Ro feels seen and heard for the first time ever. But if people can see Ro, they might see her secret too...

Lisa Williamson is one of my favourite contemporary YA authors so I'm thrilled to join this blog tour. Her books always have real heart, a brilliant voice and believable teen characters.

Paper Avalanche starts from the intriguing, heartbreaking premise of a girl who has had to grow up too fast and cope with her mother's compulsive hoarding. It's a subject I've never read about before and I thought it was great that the book explored hoarding from all angles, including what might motivate it.

The characters in this book are so realistic! I feel like I recognised a lot of them from my teenage years. Even minor characters are fleshed out until they feel like real people. Ro is a brilliant protagonist, as she's complex and relatable, but my absolute favourite is Tanvi. She just feels like a breath of fresh air and I would've loved to know her at school!

The voice of Lisa William's books is always so strong, and Paper Avalanche is no exception. The dialogue and narrative feel like they're coming from real people, especially the teen voices, and the book tackles a range of teen issues from family life to what it feels like not to fit in.

This book gave me exactly what I want from a contemporary, taking me on emotional ups and downs but ultimately leaving me feeling uplifted. Another excellent read from Lisa Williamson!
 

Thanks so much Ed PR for inviting me to join the blog tour! You can check out the other tour stops using the handy banner.

The God Game blog tour

Win and All Your Dreams Come True™!

Charlie and his friends have entered the God Game.

Tasks are delivered through their phone-screens and high-tech glasses. When they accomplish a mission, the game rewards them. Charlie’s money problems could be over. Vanhi can erase the one bad grade on her college application. It’s all harmless fun at first.

Then the threatening messages start.

Worship me. Obey me.

Mysterious packages show up at their homes. Shadowy figures start following them.
Who else is playing this game, and how far will they go to win?

As Charlie looks for a way out, he finds God is always watching – only He will say when the game is done.

And if you die in the game, you die for real.

The God Game is a thoroughly engrossing, unsettling book and was a brilliant first read of 2020! It's the first adult fiction I've read for a while and has definitely made me want to read more in a similar vein.

It draws together different genres to create something that feels completely unique. The overarching structure is a tense thriller but it also takes the best elements from horror and sci-fi. 

I really liked how it delves into the perils of technology in a way that feels authentic, but also accessible for someone who isn't technologically inclined. It's a rare book that can make you think about human nature, morality and religion at the same time as staying at a thrilling pace.

Another real strength of this book is the characterisation. I loved getting to know these characters, flaws and all. Their group dynamic and the characters themselves are very well-drawn and believable. The plot pushed each of them to extremes and it was fascinating to watch their responses.

This is one of those books that will stay with me, and has made me think as well as being a fast-paced, entertaining read. 





Thanks so much to Gollancz for including me on the blog tour! You can check out the previous stops using the banner below.