#BookReview A HISTORY OF WHAT COMES NEXT by SYLVAIN NEUVEL @MichaelJBooks

ABOUT THE BOOK

Imagine everything you thought you knew about human progress was wrong. What would you do?

Mia is not sure what she is, but she isn’t human. Smarter, stronger than her peers, all she knows are the rules: there can never be three for too long; always run, never fight.

When she finds herself in Germany, 1945, she must turn the Nazi’s most trusted scientist with an offer: abandon the crumbling Nazi party, escape Germany with your life, come to work for the Americans building rockets.

But someone is watching her work. An enemy who’s smarter, stronger, decidedly not human and prepared to do anything to retrieve something ancient that was long lost.

If only she had any idea what it was . . .

PUBLISHED BY MICHAEL JOSEPH

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon

blackwell’s

goldsboro books – signed edition

MY REVIEW

This was an exciting and imaginative piece of speculative fiction, that features some really strong female characters, who are front and centre of the plot to try and save the world – despite the humans doing their best to destroy it all with the advancement of rocket technology.

The women, mothers and daughters, are seen at various times throughout history, but the main characters, Mia and her mother Sara, are based around Germany in 1945 as the world is busy destroying itself with another war, and the race is on to expand the rocket technology to cause even more destruction. The women work on the premise ‘Take Them to the Stars’, and you watch as they try and engineer their way into a male dominated world to try and steer humans to a different path. Added to the mix is ‘The Tracker’ whose task over the years is to stop these women, by any means necessary, and it really is often a race against time to save themselves or those around them when the tracker closes in on their new location.

What I loved about this book is the pure strength of the characters – with history repeating itself over and over – we see these women faced with constant hurdles, and their own emotions of anger at the world they witness. We get to see the impact of wars on the countries after the events, how it affected the population and how the bond between mother and daughter never waivers. There’s more show of humanity in their behaviour than amongst the humans they encounter at times!

This was a book with a great mix of sci-fi and history, and I found it to be really compelling and had a great ‘spark’ about it. There’s also some fascinating author notes at the end, along with a playlist that really added something extra to the whole reading experience.

★★★★

My thanks to Lucy at Penguin Randomhouse for sending me an advanced copy to read in return for a fair and honest review.

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#BOOKREVIEW THE RECOVERY OF ROSE GOLD by STEPHANIE WROBEL

ABOUT THE BOOK

A chilling exploration into obsession, reconciliation and revenge in 2020’s must-read.
Rose Gold Watts believed she was sick for eighteen years. She thought she needed the feeding tube, the surgeries, the wheelchair . . .

Turns out her mum, Patty, is a really good liar.

After five years in prison Patty Watts is finally free. All she wants is to put old grievances behind her, reconcile with her daughter and care for her new infant grandson. When Rose Gold agrees to have Patty move in, it seems their relationship is truly on the mend.
But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty won’t rest until she has her daughter back under her thumb. Which is a smidge inconvenient because Rose Gold wants to be free of Patty. Forever.
Only one Watts will get what she wants.
Will it be Patty or Rose Gold.
Mother, or daughter?

PUBLISHED BY MICHAEL JOSEPH

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon
Goldsboro Books – signed edition
hive.co.uk

MY REVIEW

One of the most disturbing, twisted, compelling books I’ve ever read – and I loved every single minute of it!! It explores the relationship – if you can call it that! – between mother and daughter and a long history of abuse and control issues, all wrapped up under the cloak of ‘love’ and showing just how that affects those involved. Prepare yourself for very mixed emotions reading this book!

It’s difficult to know how to review this without giving too much away, but we join the story as the mother – Patty – is being released from jail, where’s she’s been serving a sentence for abuse as her daughter – Rose – has lived her life believing she was very sick, but found out not to have anything wrong with her. What did the mother do to her? And why? But it appears Rose has forgiven her mother for all that she did to her and is waiting for her mother as she’s released and wants to help with her rehabilitation.

What follows is a twisty tale of wondering just who is in control in this relationship – has the mother changed her ways and wants to make things right? Has Rose really moved on especially now that she’s a mother herself so can understand just how much that bond between mother and child is so overwhelming, that even when you’re doing wrong you think you’re only doing the best for that person?

I loved the different aspects and the examination of the family relationship over the years. We get to look back over the childhood of Rose, and see how she’s coping in the world now as a mother, and also get to see life from the point of view of Patty and how motherhood brought out her anxieties and how prison life has maybe affected her mind. With young Adam being the centre of both of these womens’ world now, there’s a very disturbing feeling that you get reading about these women and their past experiences are shaping their outlook on care – for themselves and those around them.

This book isn’t for everyone! But if you like your characters a little darker and a storyline that will shock you then I highly recommend it!!

★★★★

#BookReview THE WHISPER MAN by ALEX NORTH #RIPXIV

ABOUT THE BOOK

If you leave a door half-open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken…

Still devastated after the loss of his wife, Tom Kennedy and his young son Jake move to the sleepy village of Featherbank, looking for a fresh start.

But Featherbank has a dark past. Fifteen years ago a twisted serial killer abducted and murdered five young boys. Until he was finally caught, the killer was known as ‘The Whisper Man’.

Of course, an old crime need not trouble Tom and Jake as they try to settle in to their new home. Except that now another boy has gone missing. And then Jake begins acting strangely.

He says he hears a whispering at his window…

PUBLISHED BY MICHAEL JOSEPH

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon UK 

hive.co.uk

whsmith

MY REVIEW

If you’re lonely, sad or blue, The Whisper Man will come for you….

And that phrase just about sets the tone perfectly for this brilliantly creepy and gripping thriller, that centres around missing children and the relationship between a father and son struggling to deal with grief and how it affects them living day to day.
A little boy has gone missing in Featherbank. The police know that the longer it takes to find him, the more the possibility of a body being found and it mirrors the happenings of a case involving Frank Carter 20 years ago. He’s still in jail but the investigating officer, Pete, who caught Frank at the time is still troubled by the thought that he had an accomplice all those years ago, and a body is still missing which haunts him as he can’t give closure to that poor boys’ family. He still goes to visit Frank in the hope that he’ll slip up and reveal something but he just seems to enjoy taunting Pete and getting under his skin. And with the disappearance of boys happening again, it looks like Pete’s hunch was right.

Tom and Jake move into the area after the death of Tom’s wife. Young Jake is a sweet little boy who was the first to see his mum after her death and that has played on his mind so he retreats into his own little world and talks to his imaginary friends. Tom just wants his boy to be normal and their relationship is often strained as he tries to do the best for him but often doesn’t know the best way to get through to him.

Their new home unsettles Tom from the start – and me too!! Hearing noises upstairs and hearing whispering outside the window would be enough to have me running for the hills!! The more he finds out about the past of the house, the more shocked he becomes and a discovery soon leads the police to his door which means more unsettling times for him and Jake.

This was such an intense read! With the different viewpoints there was always something going on – from the family viewpoint side, to the thoughts of the police and their investigations and even the occasional soundbite from the ‘killer’ and what the boys mean to him – it was just all such compounding stuff that I was often afraid to read on, scared of what else might be lurking round the corner! I’m glad I did though as it was full of the right amount of tension and chills and a great backstory playing alongside which made for a terrifying but engrossing story! 

★★★★★

#BookReview Tomorrow by Damia Dibben

ABOUT THE BOOK

A wise old dog travels through the courts and battlefields of Europe and through the centuries in search of the master who granted him immortality 

“Ornate, vivid, deeply colored, and so precise I could smell and taste the world… The story of a dog crossing continents and centuries in search of the man he loves is moving and tender. I was captivated by its charm from the beginning.” —Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Tomorrow tells the story of a 217-year-old dog and his search for his lost master. His adventures take him through the London Frost Fair, the strange court of King Charles I, the wars of the Spanish succession, Versailles, the golden age of Amsterdam and to nineteenth-century Venice. As he journeys through Europe, he befriends both animals and humans, falls in love (only once), marvels at the human ability to make music, despairs at their capacity for war and gains insight into both the strength and frailties of the human spirit.

With the rich historical vision of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrelland the captivating canine perspective of A Dog’s Purpose, Tomorrow draws us into a unique century-spanning tale of the unbreakable connection between dog and human.

Published by Michael Joseph

Hardcover pages – 320

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Book Depository

Hive.co.uk

MY REVIEW

Tomorrow is a dog! And he’s your narrator throughout this truly unique and imaginative historical book. And he also happens to be 217 years old! So there’s a lot of stories to tell as he takes you through his life and his quest to track down his beloved master once more, after he goes missing when they’re at a cathedral.

I loved the idea of this book and found it to be a very intriguing read, even if sometimes it did fall a little flat for me. There’s a lot of jumping around time wise and that is dealt with quite well, but I often found some of the timelines a little pointless and distracting from that bond between dog and master.

It was fascinating to view history in this way, through the eyes of Tomorrow – lots of time spent in Venice, The English Civil War, Waterloo to name a few – and this was often graphic and quite horrifying as he tried to make sense of what he saw humans doing to each other. He’s a very perceptive character and you can’t help but feel touched by the lengths he goes to in trying to reconnect with his master, and the fact that he helps other dogs along the way and becomes quite close to some!

If you are looking for a book that offers something a little different then I highly recommend this as it is a story that is truly original! The striking cover is also worth checking out!!

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