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Emma's Fury by Linda Rainier
If you're a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Blade films you'll love Emma's Fury!
Emma is a Fury - think mythical police officer ensuring various creatures of the nightstick to the rules and you'll get the idea.
The dialogue is one of the strengths of this novel - authentic and believable throughout. The interactions between Emma and David (Emma's guardian) are a particular highlight - flirty banter at its best.
Emma's Fury is full to the brim of violence and action as David and Emma embark on multiple investigations together. Werewolves, vampires and demon/evil God's all crop up in this vast and well-developed novel. Excellent world-building - although I would have liked more details about some of the settings, but this is just personal preference.
There is a very explicit sex scene mid-way through the novel, which is very well written despite the uniqueness of the scene, I felt it added an extra layer of sinister to the nature of Thanatos.
Thanatos is evil personified and I did enjoy him as an antagonist, however, I felt he could have had a stronger impact at the end of the novel.
Motherhood and parental responsibility are two themes explored in Emma's Fury through the character Mei Li - I don't think she was meant to be an evil character, but I really disliked her throughout and that's the sign of a well-developed character.
Celia and David were easily my favourite characters and I was fairly satisfied with how things turned out for them. Celia's scenes were highlights of the novel and David's fate was an unexpected twist. I'm looking forward to seeing how he develops in future novels.
Overall this is a very well written novel that fans of fantasy and mystery will no doubt enjoy - especially those who love mythology and Vampires.
I only have two criticisms of Emma's Fury, neither have an impact on my rating as their personal preferences rather than criticisms of the novel. The cover is the first. It doesn't give you any indication of what the novel is about. I feel like this is one of the major factors in the success of this novel as it's brilliantly written. The second criticism is that the second half of the novel moved too slowly for me in parts, before picking up again towards the end.
On a final note, I hope we learn more about Emma's history in future novels as I found this element particularly interesting. I enjoyed reading this for the @writing_show and I would definitely recommend it for Buffy and Angel fans.
WE GIVE EMMA'S FURY 5 STARS
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Thanks guys.
From Voiceless to vocal by Danielle Larsen
This is a powerful novel that really does put you into the shoes of a domestic abuse victim. Danielle Larsen has crafted a brutality honest account of her experiences with Mark: the alcoholic, hot headed, control obsessed, 'partner'.
To write something of this nature must have taken a great deal of courage and for that Larsen must be celebrated. This novel could, and no doubt will, help many people in similar situations find their path to freedom sooner.
If you're in Danielle's situation I hope you find strength in her words and inspiration in her story.
The structure of the novel is linear, starting from the first meeting with Mark to the final encounter and you will probably find yourself shouting at the book quite often. I won't spoil the events of the novel, but if you love Hamilton now it will take on a whole meaning for you - that'll make you love it even more.
There is a great deal of sadness crafted into these pages and you will probably find it difficult to read at times, but every cloud has a silver lining and there are a few in here too - Mojo being one of the brightest.
Sexual assault, physical violence and emotional abuse all feature in this memoir and if you find these topics difficult to read you may struggle with this book, however Larsen's brutal honesty and depiction of these topics are well written and although horrible, they're not depicted in graphic detail.
This is an important novel as the title suggests - Voiceless to Vocal is a powerful message of survival, growth and strength and I want to take the time to thank the author for sharing her experiences with us.
Thank you Danielle Larsen.
You are a hero!
The
@writing_show
salutes you!
WE GAVE FROM VOICELESS TO VOCAL 5 STARS
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Thank you so much!
@Danielle Larsen You are very very welcome. Thank you for supporting the show!
Tough subject Danielle, great job Chris Hooley.
Paper Castles by B.Fox
The Catcher in the Rye (if Holden was a coffee obsessed adult) meets My Girl.
This is a tale of a misfit adult that doesn't really spark a response either way. James is lost in the world. His mother has died. His father (Henry) is a bit of an arsehole and he really doesn't have a clue what he wants to do with his life or indeed the desire.
For the first third of this novel, I was patiently waiting for something to happen. Something other than James grabbing a quick coffee, before spilling it and grabbing another one. Some novels try to capture 'authentic life' and this is definitely one of those novels. The trouble is that authentic life is often mundane for large chunks.
Jame's relationship with Karen is reminiscent of two teenagers falling for one another in a strange 'friends first' kind of way. The dialogue is believable, and probably the strength of the novel, but it is painstakingly dull and cliché: lots of coffee talk and vague nuances about life.
Jame's character breaks the fourth wall on multiple occasions, and I can't help thinking that this was Fox's opportunity to breathe some life into him. Sadly, I feel like this was a missed opportunity to craft a really interesting character.
Karen's character is a storyteller, literally, in this novel, although I'm not really sure why? The stories are random and only loosely related to the overarching message in the novel. They're not meant to teach James anything about his life. They are merely designed to entertain him/ part knowledge.
There is a slight twist in this novel which only serves to send James into a deeper state of depression, just when positivity was creeping in, but then I suppose this reflects genuine life and that is definitely what Fox is trying to do.
Ultimately, Karen is a little ray of light in what is otherwise a pretty strenuous life for James Brooke. A man of zero confidence and self worth finds love and peace through following his heart.
Paper Castles is a very realistic account of life, which some people may enjoy, but it wasn't for me.
WE GAVE PAPER CASTLES 3 STARS OUT OF 5.
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Who's there? by D. Rio
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this collection of stories they reminded me of Stephen King’s Night Shift collection. The perfect blend of suspense and horror.
Who’s There is the title of the collection as all the stories do center around this concept, but Who’s There was actually the story I enjoyed the least. I liked it; it wasn’t a terrible story, it just didn’t hit me like the others did. I would give Who’s There four stars however the collection deserves five as this just personal preference and doesn't reflect the quality of writing.
My favourite story in this collection was actually At Dusk. I thought the ending to this story was really well written, unexpected and scary.
Reviewing the collection as a whole, I’d have to say they’re well written, nervy and creepy throughout. I wouldn’t say I was terrified at any point, but I enjoyed the scare factor in each tale.
Fans of short scary stories will love this book. It’s a quick read with a rewarding ending to each instalment. I’d read more from Dimas Rio and I think he’s definitely one to watch in the horror genre. I'll also state that Who's There is expertly translated into English - I had no issues on this front.
I really enjoyed this collection and I would recommend it to all horror fans! See this review live at the
@writing_show
WE GAVE WHO'S THERE 5 STARS OUT OF 5.
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