Book reviews |

01Sep 2022 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin book review

I reviewed A Game of Thrones back in 2021 quite early on after I started this blog - since then I've done a reread and decided I want to give it another crack. I wrote my review based on memories of about two years after I'd read the book. This updated review is based on a reread I finished literally days ago. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any of the products linked below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These links do not affect my opinion of the products. A Game of Thrones is the first book in the epic A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin - if you've…

07May 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Atlas and the Multiverse by Chandon Siman book review

Book reviews, Sci-Fi

Atlas and the Multiverse was a book kindly sent to me by the author at the request that I review it. The front cover intrigued me and the premise intrigued me: a young boy and his friends find and venture into the multiverse to save all of the universes. I love these sorts of things. Atlas and the Multiverse is the first book by debut author Chandon Siman. It is a middle-grade/young adult novel set in modern times based around three kids. The main character is Atlas (obviously), a fostered boy who begins to hear voices one day in school before having a vision of a man claiming to be his father. Atlas and the Multiverse plot - 4/5 Atlas and the Multiverse follows Atlas and his brother and sister,…

03Mar 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book review of It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Romance

Colleen Hoover is an author I've been meaning to pick up for quite some time. I've seen a lot of her books on my social feeds as books that are often five-star reads. It Ends With Us was a book gifted to me recently and so it's my first Hoover book. I'll let you into a secret early on: it's absolutely bloody brilliant. It Ends With Us is a book that focuses on some dark matters and some uncomfortable matters but Hoover writes these in such a raw but intelligent way that will have you caring far too much. It Ends With Us plot - 5/5 It Ends With Us is a story about Lily and inevitably her relationship with two men: Ryle and Atlas. We follow the tale of…

04Feb 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review of The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

The Hunting Party was arguably Lucy Foley's first big hit. In it, she harkens to the many tropes of some great horror films we've seen throughout cinema history: a group of friends go on holiday to a remote place and then a murder takes place and they're all stuck there, terrified. But does she do it very well? Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase any of the products via any of the links in this article, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is a murder mystery/horror novel that, as aforementioned, takes a modern twist on the classic…

01Feb 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review of The Night She Disappeared

Book reviews, Contemporary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

The Night She Disappeared is Lisa Jewell's latest book, having come out in the middle of last year. It focuses on the night a mother's daughter disappears (shock) and the resulting search her mother and a lady who also gets involved partake in. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Night She Disappeared via any of the links in this article, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. The Night She Disappeared follows a similar form to a lot of Lisa Jewell's books - it covers the tale of a very dark night and switches between two different times which both eventually build towards…

22Jan 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book Review of The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

I'm not going to lie - I picked up The Sanatorium because of its incredible cover and then read the blurb and knew it would be right up my street. They say don't judge a book by its cover but I feel the publishers have done a fantastic job of creating the exact look and feel I imagined throughout the novel. It's eery, creepy and filled with historical mystery. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase The Sanatorium via any of the links in this article, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. Pin me to Pinterest! The Sanatorium is the perfect "everyone meets at…

26Nov 2021 by Luke Harkness 3 Comments

Book Review: We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker

Book reviews, Mystery, Thriller

I’d not heard of We Begin at the End before I bought it. I bought it because it was £2 on Amazon. But wow - it blew me away and it may well be the best £2 I’ve ever spent on anything ever. Read on to find out why. [caption id="attachment_1441" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] We Begin at the End tells the tale of Walk, Duchess, Vincent, Robin, Star and a whole cast of incredible characters from a backwater town in America. It tells two tales: that of a murder in the town and who the killer might be and that of Duchess and Robin, two children who deserve so much more from life. Plot – 4.5/5 We Begin at the End tells the tale of Walk’s attempt…

30Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Book review: Atonium: A Thread of Existence by J G Maughan

Book reviews, Sci-Fi

Atonium: A Thread of Existence is a book I was sent to review by the author. In fact, it’s the very first book I’ve been sent to review by an author. It’s a science-fiction novel featuring some fantastic theoretical elements and some engaging discussions about God. [caption id="attachment_1327" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Please note that this book was sent to me for the purposes of a review. I do not receive any financial or another gain from posting this review and the review is of my own honest opinion. Also, note that the article contains affiliate links. This means if you choose to purchase Atonium: A Thread of Existence via one of these links, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you to support…

12Oct 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

How I Decide my Book Review Ratings

Features, Tips and Tricks

I’ve written over 60 book reviews at the time of writing this article. I’ve covered romance, fantasy, science-fiction, contemporary fiction, mystery, thriller and more. But how exactly do I work out what to review my books out of five? [caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] Why maximum five stars for a book review? First off, I’ll discuss why I chose the five-star rating alongside the text-aids you see at the bottom of each of my book reviews. The main reason is that it takes away from the number of ratings I can give. If it was out of 10, I’d have to choose from ten numbers and this could leave me considering for far too long. The other reason is that I feel far more comfortable giving a…

28Aug 2021 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The 5 Fantasy Books you Must Read

Features

If you hadn't guessed, my favourite genre is fantasy. I love to delve into new worlds, cultures and even inventive new species. Fantasy books are fantastic for escaping and broadening your horizons. Often people don't consider reading fantasy to really be "reading" but the imagination and continued concentration it takes to write about these fantastical things takes an awful lot of brainpower. [caption id="attachment_1030" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Pin me to Pinterest![/caption] I've read quite some epic fantasy books and so my knowledge of what makes a great one and what makes an average one, I like to think, is quite high. To make a great fantasy novel it needs to have a well-realised world, genuinely interesting characters, no continuity errors and more. Some of these books are higher fantasy than others…