Hi everybody, for today's installment of Mini Review Madness I'm going to be taking a look at the following books:
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark - Glenda Millard
Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle
Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Bloodline - Kate Cary
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark - Glenda Millard

At first they rely on Billy, the only adult in the group. But as civil life deteriorates, Billy starts to fall apart. Skip, who is barely into his teens, must take over and lead them on a search for sanctuary. This complex and haunting exploration of life on the edge and what it takes to triumph over adversity is a story about the indomitable nature of hope.
Mini review: A Small Free Kiss in the Dark is quite an extraordinary novel that really stirred up a mixture of emotions inside me. It's a great book at making you feel and think about how you would react in extreme circumtances. It's a book about family and hope and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one to fans of Patrick Ness and David Almond.
Pride and Premiership - Michelle Gayle

When Remy starts dating Netherfield Park Rangers' Robbie Wilkins (not Premiership, but good for starters), it seems like all her dreams have come true. Or have they? Remy soon realizes that being a WAG isn't all it's cracked up to be, that Robbie's balls aren't quite so golden...and that maybe there are smarter dreams to pursue.
Mini review: This one was a fun, quick read that I soared through in a matter of hours. It's not earth-shattering fiction but it's definitely worth a read if you're looking for a quick pick me up to combat the grey days outside.
Beautiful Chaos - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.
Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending.
Mini review: The third book in a massively popular Caster Chronicles series, Beautiful Chaos continues the series well and heightens the tension even further than in the previous two books. I did enjoy Beautiful Chaos but I'm beginning of tire of the tried and tested paranormal format so, even though I do prefer this series to many other paranormal ones, I don't think I'll be continuing with it.
Bloodline - Kate Cary

When nineteen-year-old John Shaw returns from the trenches of World War I, he is haunted by nightmares—not only of the battlefield, but of the strange, cruel and impossible feats of his regiment's commander, Quincey Harker. Harker's ferocity knows no limits, and his strength is superhuman.
At first John blames his bloody nightmares on trench fever. But when Harker appears in England and begins wooing John's sister, John must confront the truth—and stop Harker from continuing Dracula's bloodline.
Mini review: I'm a huge fan of Dracula so I was really intrigued by this one, which is marketed as a sequel to the original vampire novel. It's certainly an interesting book and it was great to read a YA vampire novel that is a continuation of Dracula, rather than a Twilight rewrite. I did enjoy Bloodline and it made me want to reread Dracula and devour old Christopher Lee movies - always a good thing!
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux - Geraldine McCaughrean

Mini review: This was a bit of an odd one for me. I think I enjoyed it more now than I would have if I read it when I was younger, I'm not sure that younger readers (who it appears to be marketed towards) would particularly enjoy it. Pepper is an interesting character but I'm not convinced that his personality alone is enough to carry this novel.
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Note: All books were sent for review by the publisher
I absolutely loved A Small Free Kiss in the Dark! I was so very emotional when I read it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I completely agree about Pride and Premiership. I was having a crappy day and reading it did make me feel better. Strangely though, I only sort of noticed the ties to Pride and Prejudice at the end, with the name of the football club. ANd then I felt like an idiot for not noticing sooner.