REVIEW: The Child Left in the Dark by J.M. Briscoe

Title: The Child Left in the Dark by J.M. Briscoe
Published by: Bad Press Ink
Publication date: 5th November 2022
Genre: Science Fiction
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

It has been six months since Bella and her daughter Ariana were driven into a desperate flight across the country, and the explosive events at the Futura Laboratory changed their lives forever. Bella made an impulsive decision in the autumn, one that she must live with, even if the consequences are monstrous. Ariana is all that matters to Bella and she will do whatever it takes to keep her safe. But as events unfold Bella wonders – does Ariana pose the greatest danger to herself? Does Ariana need protecting from herself?

Ariana, meanwhile, cannot escape the nightmares filled with the terrifying creatures she saw at the laboratory. Struggling with the reality of a life out of the shadows, Ariana feels more alone than ever. Except for the voices, of course. The whispers of a creeping darkness growing within her. Everyone tells her she is normal. Everyone is lying.

ARC REVIEW: Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik (Starlight’s Shadow #1)

Title: Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
Pages: 432
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication date: 31st March 2022
Genre: Science fiction
Format: Paperback
Amazon UK – Waterstones

Synopsis:

Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.

With so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.

But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.

BLOG TOUR: The Girl with the Green Eyes by J M Briscoe

Title: The Girl with the Green Eyes by J M Briscoe
Pages: 370
Published by: Bad Press Ink
Publication date: 5th November 2021
Genre: Science Fiction
Format: eBook
Amazon UK – Waterstones

Synopsis:

Bella is defective. You need to take her back.

Nine-year-old Bella D’accourt has always known she was different; she was born into a controversial ‘designer baby’ eugenic programme, difference is in her DNA. Bella has been designed to be exceptionally beautiful, but when she uses her sadistic, manipulative charm to seriously injure another child, her mother brings her back to her creators and demands they ‘fix her’.

Thus begins Bella’s new life among scientists and other eugenic ‘Subjects’ at the mysterious Aspira Research Centre in Cumbria. But an enemy lurks in the shining laboratories set among idyllic mountains; an obsessive, murderous enemy who will, years later, drive Bella from all she has worked for and into a desperate, night-time flee across the country with her daughter, whom she will protect at all costs.

But Ariana, 12, isn’t so sure she wants to be protected by Bella anymore.

Illumicrate Book Only Unboxing: October 2021 ‘Revenge is Sweeter’

Hey guys! Today I’ll be unboxing Illumicrate’s October book. I have seen this book floating around on Twitter and after seeing the theme card I actually guessed that it was going to be this book. I debated skipping this month because it’s science fiction and I really don’t get along with that genre. However, the customisations sounded good so I decided to stick with it. I haven’t read any reviews so I have no idea if this book is any good, I just know there has been a lot of hype around it.

ARC REVIEW: Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy

Title: Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy
Pages: 368
Published by: Raven Books
Publication date: 5th August 2021
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Format: Paperback
Amazon UK – Waterstones

Synopsis:

Josie Morrow is Girl One, the first of nine Miracle Babies conceived without male DNA on an experimental commune known as the Homestead.

The Girls were raised at the Homestead in the shadow of controversy – plagued by zealots calling them aberrations – until a suspicious fire claimed the lives of three people, leaving the survivors to scatter across the United States.

Years later, upon learning that her mother has gone missing, Josie sets off on a desperate road trip, tracking down the only people who might help: her estranged sisters. Tracing clues her mother left behind, they journey back through their past, uncovering secrets about their origins and unlocking devastating abilities they never knew they had. But someone out there is determined to stop Josie finding her mother and reaching the truth about what really happened at that ranch.

REVIEW: Rabbits by Terry Miles

Title: Rabbits by Terry Miles
Pages: 448
Published by: Pan Macmillan 
Publication date: 10th June 2021
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Format: Hardback
Amazon UK – Waterstones

Synopsis:

What happens in the game, stays in the game.

Rabbits is a secret, dangerous and sometimes fatal underground game. The rewards for winning are unclear, but there are rumours of money, CIA recruitment or even immortality. Or it might unlock the universe’s greatest secrets. But everyone knows that the deeper you get, the more deadly the game becomes – and the body count is rising. Since the game started, ten iterations have taken place . . . and the eleventh round is about to begin.

K can’t get enough of the game and has been trying to find a way in for years. Then Alan Scarpio, reclusive billionaire and alleged Rabbits winner, shows up out of nowhere – and he charges K with a desperate mission. Something has gone badly wrong with the game and K needs to fix it – before Eleven starts – or the world will pay the price.

Five days later, Scarpio is declared missing. Two weeks after that Eleven begins, so K has blown the deadline. And suddenly, the fate of the entire universe is at stake.

Illumicrate Book Only Unboxing: January 2021 ‘Rebellious Royals’

Hey guys! Today I am bringing you a quick book unboxing of Illumicrate’s January theme ‘Rebellious Royals’. I recently signed up for a monthly subscription but I picked book only, hence why this will be a quick post! Illumicrate included so many great books last year so I decided to subscribe and I have to say I’m really happy with the January book. I thought about going all in and getting the full book but I just don’t have the storage space for the items and a lot of the time with subscription boxes I end up selling most of the items, so the book only option is perfect for me and it’s something that I wish more companies would do. If you’re curious to see Illumicrate’s monthly picks, I’ll be doing a quick unboxing each month and I enjoy you enjoy!

November 2020 TBR

Hey guys! As you can tell from the title, today I’ll be talking about my November TBR. I have two weeks off and England is in a month-long lockdown from tomorrow, so I should get plenty of reading done seeing as I can’t go anywhere. Here’s what I want to read:

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The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton: I started this just before Halloween, but I was no where near finished so I’ve had to carry it over into November. I’ve got about 200 pages left now so I should finish it soon! It’s not at all what I was expecting, but I’m enjoying it so far.

The Lives of Saints by Leigh Bardugo: I’m hoping I can read this one fairly quickly seeing as it’s short stories. I wasn’t planning on buying it but I love the Illumicrate version. I really hope it’s better than The Language of Thorns. I struggled to finish that one and only enjoyed one of the stories.

REVIEW: Pleasant Grove by Jason Price

Title: Pleasant Grove by Jason Price
Pages: 385
Published by: Independently Published
Publication date: 28th June 2020
Genre: Sci-Fi/Middle Grade
Format: Paperback
Amazon UK

Synopsis:

What’s outside Pleasant Grove?

Welcome to Pleasant Grove, a quiet small town where neighbor helps neighbor and doors are left unlocked at night ‒ an unspoiled paradise with one peculiar feature: It’s enclosed by a glass dome. 

No one can leave. No one can enter. No one can survive beyond the dome.

But then, a visitor arrives from the outside. 

When 12-year-old Agnes Goodwin discovers a strange boy with no memory, she teams up with her best friends to unravel the mystery. Their extraordinary adventure will uncover a long-buried secret so monstrous it will threaten everything they know…and everyone they love.