Momo by Michael Ende Review

A young girl called Momo turns up in rags, nobody knows where she has come from but nobody cares. The neighbourhood falls in love with her and together take care of her and in return she helps them solve their problems simply by listening. Then the grey time-thieves appear forcing everyone to focus only only on work and money Momo is the only one who can resist them. It's up to Momo with the help of a professor and tortoise to save her friends.

Momo is a beautifully written character, she doesn't know how old she is or where she came from but she seems to be one of the wisest people in the book. She has two best friends Guido and Beppo who couldn't be more different, one a teller of tall tales and the other a slow paced thinker, sometimes taking half an hour to answer a question. I have met people like both of Momo's best friends so found them to be quite relatable. And Momo, well she is who I always aspired to be, even if she is a child and I am supposedly and adult.
I found the theme to be greatly relevant in the world we are living in today, like books by George Orwell (1903-1950) such as 1984 and Animal Farm, they often make you think about the type of world we are living in and what we are doing with our lives. Here we have a book that talks about living with no time to spare and here we live in a world that lives by similar values. To many times have I or others simply been to busy to be part of what matters in the world. Right now this is a book I believe we all need to read, it made my heart ache in a way that books don't often do.

This book was split into three parts 'Momo and her friends', 'The Men in Grey' and 'The Hour-Lilies' each covering a different part of story, basically introduction, adventures begin and adventures end. But each just as beautifully written, Ende is rather good at describing scenes in a way that doesn't end up be pointless description, which unfortunately some authors are guilty of. The last few chapter were written especially well, not to say the other weren't but they kept you on your feet and I couldn't bear to put it down until I'd finished the book.

This book was overall beautifully written, the characters were perfect, the storyline amazing! It made my heart both ache and dance with joy. And I'm giving this to my mum to read.

10/10
x

A post shared by reader in wonderland (@book.monkey) on Jan 24, 2018 at 4:55am PST

Book Published 1973

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn Review

I have recently decided to partake in an Instagram project called the #TheUnreadShelfProject2018, the aim: to read all the books on your shelf that you haven't read before (and try not to buy anymore)... This was the second book I've read this year from my "Unread Shelf", the first being Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson which I must admit was very good, however that is not the book this post is about.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

Nick and Amy both lost their jobs, when Nick's parents get ill they must uproot from New York and move to Missouri, that is when the trouble begins...
This book was in three parts and the chapters were written from either Amy's POV or Nick's POV, with the POV changing every other chapter and different dates and such, so often I would be reading a Nick chapter then get slightly confused as I continued reading until I realised that I'd moved on to an Amy chapter without noticing. However after the first few chapters I got used to the structure.
I found Amy's character to be a lot more interesting than Nick's was, Amy seemed more complex and somehow had more of a character than Nick. Amy was smart, in fact I'd venture to say a bit of a genius in how she handled life, this isn't the type of book that you stop after the first part, to understand the true genius you have to read the whole thing, but in my opinion it's worth it. Nick was a dickhead, but also surprisingly interesting (not so much as Amy, but interesting none the less), throughout the book he went from loving to hating to emotionless to an emotional wreck, a man with layers... Like an onion... I was quite a character to watch develop throughout his wife's disappearance/murder.

There was a certain realism that I felt while reading about these characters, I often felt nervous for both Nick and Amy at different parts throughout the book, but I never cried (there was no reason to) and rarely laughed out loud, except for then Amy would write (as an example) "Nick and me (yes that is the correct grammar)", which made me chuckle. However during some parts, I felt like I was just reading a book, not really feeling what the characters were feeling or experiencing a different world. But I guess it could be hard to keep up a perfect story that will always and forever keep the readers full attention. Something that often kept my attention (again the psychologist within me) was the occasionally references to Sociopathy... All I'll say about the matter.

The general storyline of this book kept me guessing, throughout the book my mind would wonder and wind through every possible suspect, then just before the end of Part One (Boy Loses Girl) I'd worked out the bombshell that was dropped on us right at the beginning of Part Two (Boy Meets Girl). And although throughout the whole book that's the only thing I guessed right I still really enjoyed this because for me, I don't mind not being able to guess major plot twists in a book before they happen. My favourite part of the book had to be Part Two, especially Amy's influence over Nick's life/POV, she was smart and cunning and we got to see the true genius that she was. The part I didn't like was the end, the last few chapters of Part Three (Boy Gets Girl Back (Or Vise Versa)). I won't explain why as I fear I might give something away but I just did not like it (personal opinion).

Amy's POV during Part One was very well written and as you read the rest of the book you realise that once again her POV (in Part One they are diary entries) is pure genius. If I could I would hug Flynn, just to say how brilliant Amy's character was.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good crime/thriller, so of course I'm giving my copy to my mother, fab book.
8/10
xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Jan 13, 2018 at 4:29am PST

Book Published 2012

Winner of Goodreads Choice Award 2012

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero Review

Well for a first book of the year this was a great start.

1990. The teen detectives once known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club (of Blyton Hills, a small mining town in the Zoinx River Valley in Oregon) are all grown up and haven't seen each other since their fateful, final case in 1977. Andy, the tomboy, is twenty-five and on the run, wanted in at least two states. Kerri, one-time kid genius and budding biologist, is bartending in New York, working on a serious drinking problem. At least she's got Tim, an excitable Weimaraner descended from the original canine member of the team. Nate, the horror nerd, has spent the last thirteen years in and out of mental health institutions, and currently resides in an asylum in Arhkam, Massachusetts. The only friend he still sees is Peter, the handsome jock turned movie star. The problem is, Peter's been dead for years.

The time has come to uncover the source of their nightmares and return to where it all began in 1977. This time, it better not be a man in a mask. The real monsters are waiting.

Growing up I loved Scooby-Doo, The Famous Five (Enid Blyton 1897-1968) and such, so finding a book that incorporated the mystery and fun into a book that I can appreciate was fabulous. The genre of this book is apparently horror and mystery, personally I dislike horror but this did not scare me. Personally I love mystery and this book kept me guessing the whole time. I understand how this book could be described as horror but in my own opinion it doesn't really belong in that genre, I think I'd describe it more as supernatural that horror. The Blyton Summer Detective Club are used to unmasking the monster to find a scared human who's annoyed at being caught by a group of children, however in this book the monsters is real, and they haven't done detective work in 13 years. 

I found the characters to be slightly dull, Andy was standard girl who could do anything a boy could do and Kerri was smart but fell into waitressing, Nate however was a lot more interesting (maybe because I have a slight love for psychology). He often went in and out of mental health institutions and essentially had an imaginary friend, who was in fact the other boy who had been in the BSDC in 1977, Peter. I found they way he talked to Kerri (his cousin) and Andy to often be impatient unlike when he talked to the Peter who was a manifestation of his own consciousness. But even though I did find them to be slightly dull I did become very attached to all of them, and when they were running for their lives I felt I was there too. But interestingly, when they were scared because of the monsters that barely fazed me. 

I don't really know what to say about the storyline, there were many detective bits that reminded me of the old Scooby-Doo cartoons and I truly loved them. The way the characters put together different clues to understand the "bad guys" plot was brilliant. However some bits of this story I found tedious like the detail in which Cantero explained the fighting scenes, and I'm sorry but in my opinion you can only have scenes like that in films otherwise you just have a long paragraph of people hitting each other. (But once again that is a personal opinion)

In terms of the structure of this book, I liked how it was split into five sections that each had its own little theme to make up the whole story, but something I really didn't like about the structure was when the dialogue turned into what was basically text talk and with the actions added as well I felt like Cantero had decided to change the book into a play and then back again. Example:

Kerri: hello

Andy: hey kerri

Nate: (hesitates) we need to talk

A few things I couldn't help but notice Blyton Summer Detective Club as in Enid Blyton and Zoinx River as in Zoinks that Shaggy says on Scooby-Doo. Just in case you somehow didn't notice those...

However besides odd bits and bobs I enjoyed the overall story with all the twists and chemisrty between the characters.

I realise this has been a very mixed review but I'm planning on buying this for my sister on her birthday or maybe Christmas so I can't have thought it to be all bad.

7/10 xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Jan 7, 2018 at 7:22am PST

Book Published 2017

A Year of Books - 2017

I feel I have had quite a good year of reading in 2017, for the past few years I've been partaking in the Goodreads Reading challenges. In 2015 I read 55 books after I'd challenged myself to read 35, in 2016 I challenged myself to read 60 books and I only read 57. This year I decided to set a harder challenge and read 65 books (just to see if I could), and this year, somehow I managed to read a whopping 122 books with still 7 days to spare and because of that I'm going to see if I could read three more books to get it to a nice even 125.

2017 Reading Challenge

Ella has completed her goal of reading 65 books in 2017!

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122 of 65 (100%)

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I have read some brilliant books such as The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks and more. I also discovered some truly amazing writers such as Erle Stanley Gardner (1889-1970), Danielle Paige, Peter Swanson and again so many more.
This was the year that I left my comfort zone in terms of what I read and moving from simply reading young adult fiction to classics such as the works by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Psychology books such as Jon Ronson, Tony Buzan, non-fiction such as Sins of the Family by Felicity Davis and simply general fiction such as Vibrator by Mari Akasaka and Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi. I have also developed a love for plays, specifically Shakespeare plays since I really became invested in my work as a Theatre Technician and I even have a favourite of the year, The Tempest.
This year I have finally finished the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973), I don't think I enjoyed them enough to read them again any time soon as it took so very long to get through them all but it was a fantastic read. I have this gift I think, I can read the first book in a series (The Fellowship of the Ring for example) in 2015, I can read the next book in the series a year later and the last one a year after that and still remember exactly what has happened in the previous books. Just thought you'd all be curious.
I have also developed in my love for a genre called cozy mysteries which consist of books written by people like Agatha Christie (1890-1976) and Frances Brody, cozy mysteries are defined as being "a sub-genre of crime fiction which sex and violence are downplayed or treated humorously, and the crime and detection takes place in a small, socially intimate community". I have spent many an evening curled up next to our wood burning fire reading books in this genre.
Overall I feel I've had a pretty good reading year and if anyone is curious in what I've been reading then feel free to click the widget above and it will take you to goodreads.

As for next year, I am going to continue to read books I haven't read before, I am going to read more books to do with the technical theatre industry and I am going to learn to write reviews, improve my Bookstagram (@book.monkey) and hopefully expand how far this blog is reaching.

Thanks for reading.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from me xo

The Case of the Caretaker's Cat by Erle Stanley Gardner Review

As ever Gardner's writing is brilliant.

In his will, Peter Laxter guaranteed his faithful caretaker a job and a place to live for life. But Laxter's grandson Sam says the deal doesn't include the caretaker's cat. When Perry Mason takes the case, he finds there's much more at stake than an old man's cat -- a million dollars to be exact. And as he investigates, he finds a web of greed and treachery among the heirs. But which one actually pulled off the almost perfect crime?

Perry Mason, criminal lawyer or seems to work as a detective an awful lot of the time.

Della Street, the attractive (well she is in my head) secretary to Perry Mason.

Unlike some of the books I've previously read by Gardner (no where near the majority) there seemed to be a lot more law as opposed to detective work, including one point where Mason referenced one of his law book (Chapter 13). That was one of the reasons I really enjoyed this book, seeing the law side of a crime instead of just the chase is really interesting for me. Other reasons being the story line, the conclusion and the fact Perry Mason is in this book.

I enjoyed that the whole story line developed from a Caretaker's Cat in such a dramatic and yet catchy way. And although it definitely didn't feel like something that could happen in real life (as in the development from something so small, to something so major), there was a well developed line of reasoning throughout making it intriguing and keeping a certain amount of realism.

I mean isn't that why we read fiction.

And like other Gardner books the conclusion was genius and went completely over my head. I really enjoy reading books that I can't work out the ending, just as much as I like the ones that make perfect sense. I think I enjoy being outsmarted for some odd reason. 

I really liked the development of Mason and Street's relationship, which again I can't describe too much due to spoilers but I squealed... Della is completely loyal to Perry and I really love that she seems to have complete trust in Mason as he often puts her in situations that could get her arrested it. And in this book that was done, but Gardner added a quality to Della that I haven't seen in previous Perry Mason books and that was her own knowledge of law that she learnt just working with Perry (or so that is implied). I enjoyed that, as it gave her empowerment that isn't often seen in women of books written in the 1930's. 

I have no complaints about this book except for the slight confusion I got just before the trial, however it was all explained in Perry's magical way at the end of the book so I can't complain. 

Would highly recommend 9/10

And FYI you don't have to have read any other book in the series to understand what happens.

xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Dec 16, 2017 at 6:09am PST

Book first published 1935 

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson Review

Well I must admit that was the perfect ending to a beautifully suspenseful book.

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. Sharing one too many martinis, the strangers begin to play a game of truth, revealing very intimate details about themselves. Ted talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife, Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. Ted and his wife were a mismatch from the start—he the rich businessman, she the artistic free spirit—a contrast that once inflamed their passion, but has now become a cliché.

But their game turns a little darker when Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done. Lily, without missing a beat, says calmly, “I’d like to help.” After all, some people are the kind worth killing, like a lying, stinking, cheating spouse. . . .

Of a book that consists of murders left, right and center this still had a constant air of suspense of mystery. Ted is a character that seemed to be slightly dull for the most part until he was with Lily where talking to her made him seem more alive and I am one who looks at the world thinking we all just continue with our lives just coping and moving on. I think Ted is a slight representation of that fact of the world, then something perfect comes along that can solve all lives problems and you grasp on for dear life. Meanwhile Lily is smart, beautiful and unattached to the world making her what I think to be the makings of some kind of sociopath, one who has a weak consciousness but can still have feelings of morality and guilt and this is one of the reasons I love her character (I have a certain love for the study of behaviour). Absolutely beautifully written.

The book is split into 3 parts and changes point of view for each chapter meaning you learnt what each character knew and thought. I loved the way the story went up and down in how it was written with twists then a settled feeling with too many pages left (I wonder if you understand that feeling). There was never much to guess about but somehow Swanson could keep the suspenseful feeling throughout. My favourite parts by far were the chapters written from Lily's point of view (again my love love for abnormal behaviour has sparked that), they were smart and brilliantly executed. I especially loved that they started Lily's POV when she was a child and going through her youth to get her where she was. I enjoyed knowing that history yet still meeting her at the beginning of the story.

There were some chapters, particularly Miranda's that I found to be quite dull, but I remembered how good The Girl with the Clock for a Heart was, and stuck with it. I must say if you feel it to lag, just know it gets amazing so do stick with it.

But it's story was overall very good, and I couldn't put it down apart from when I was working. I will be handing this over to my mother and recommended it to anyone who will listen.

My rating: 8.5/10
xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Dec 11, 2017 at 12:10pm PST

Book Published 2015

Peter Darling by Austin Chant Review

I want to begin by saying I found this book completely by chance. I typed "Peter Pan" in the search engine when feeling the need to read a retelling and came up with this beautiful spin on the classic tale by J.M.Barrie. I must say I am impressed.

Ten years ago, Peter Pan left Neverland to grow up, leaving behind his adolescent dreams of boyhood and resigning himself to life as Wendy Darling. Growing up, however, has only made him realize how inescapable his identity as a man is.

But when he returns to Neverland, everything has changed: the Lost Boys have become men, and the war games they once played are now real and deadly. Even more shocking is the attraction Peter never knew he could feel for his old rival, Captain Hook—and the realization that he no longer knows which of them is the real villain.

Peter returning to Neverland has always been an idea that I've loved, after he runs away to grow up, whether it be with Wendy or in the case of the film "Hook" Moira, the idea of Peter returning with a new outlook on life which is gained after growing up has been one that has intrigued me. Like Alice where she can't seem to stay out of Wonderland. None the less that idea is a brilliant basis for a story and for Peter to return in Chant's book after 10 years is essentially like running away from all of lives problems, something that I know I have thought about and perhaps others too.

Peter's character was as playful as it was during Barrie's writing giving us the impression of the character that had been left behind after he wrote Peter Pan, but Peter's character had also developed after living 10 years and being Wendy Darling. I enjoyed the way Chant wrote Peter to interact with the characters such as Earnest, Hook and The Lost Boys, and the twists that came with their back stories (I promise no spoilers).

I've believe that Chant has quite successfully managed to write a children's classic story to appeal to an older group, he has managed to keep the general themes of the story but also added some quite "riskeyyy" scenes. I especially enjoyed when the book switched to Hook's POV, giving us a look into the mind of a character that we all laughed at at a younger age and developing the characters thoughts about Peter throughout the book. I found there to be a real passion in the way the different characters interacted and I was completely full of glee during the whole of Chapter 13(?) after they left the tunnels. 

Passion in the way it is written here is quite hard to come by as it can often come of as inexperienced or even written by someone who is straight and doesn't know the first thing about a homosexual relationship in any form. I also found the Peter/Wendy idea to be very thought provoking, I don't have much knowledge about being transgender but I do understand the basic constructs. I think this book introduced the Trans theme into this book incredibly well as well as the homosexual themes and general lust that seemed to effect every principle character in this book, some LGBT+ literature gets over sexualised because that's what some people believe the community to be but Chant has added every flush of the cheeks and gaze that has romanticized the whole thing. I think the fact that Chant is a trans, queer writer has a helped to make this book quite relatable (or as relatable as fantasy can be to the real world) to the LGBT+ community and has helped in the development of the characters personalities from Barrie's works.

I have found in the past that some fantasy novels have a problem with writing too much detail about the fantabulous scenery then missing out the rest of the story but I didn't find that with this story, there was the rights amount of detail and a gripping story.

I'm not 100% sure how to review a book without a murder in it, however this book was fantastic. I was kept hooked, the storyline had many lovely twists and turns, the characters were surprising in many ways and overall I couldn't help but fall in love with it all. I cannot wait for the second one, which I've heard will be written from Hook's point of view for at least the majority of the book.

8/10 would recommend

xo

Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin Review

The amount of times I've been told by my mother to read these books is really quite unbelievable. But of course she was right, this was pretty amazing.

Detective John Rebus: His city is being terrorized by a baffling series of murders...and he's tied to a maniac by an invisible knot of blood. Once John Rebus served in Britain's elite SAS. Now he's an Edinburgh cop who hides from his memories, misses promotions and ignores a series of crank letters. But as the ghoulish killings mount and the tabloid headlines scream, Rebus cannot stop the feverish shrieks from within his own mind. Because he isn't just one cop trying to catch a killer, he's the man who's got all the pieces to the puzzle... 

Based in Edinburgh I found that I could visualize a great detail a lot of the scenes mentioned throughout the book including The Meadows and the ever busy Princes Street. 

The majority of the book was not about the crime but about the characters and who they were, particularly about Rebus's character development. Being an ex-army man I have heard of many who find it hard to adjust into normal life after leaving for what ever reason and Rankin managed to capture that very well. Rankin has a way of making his characters feel very real, however this is done in a very different way to Christie's methods as I mentioned in my previous post. Unlike Christie, Rankin's characters have a sense of pain and realism that can't be presented in Christie's "Cozy Mysteries", you feel their pain and fear, their confusion and delight at every point in the book. Whether it be Rebus's resentment of Rhona or his love for Samantha you can feel it and it feels raw. Although every moment was vital to the story their really wasn't too much about the actual crimes committed, just paragraphs and mentions and yet the murders I believe have an impact on the reader, maybe because in the midst of all the character development throughout the book, there is death and lose and that can be a shock to the system.

The clues presented by the killer were smart, as well as mind boggling. Although I must admit I did guess who did it before Gill or Micky or even Rebus knew however it was thrilling to see them get to it and pursue the killer. 

My favourite part of this book would have to be Part 4 - The Cross, chapter 22. 

Side Note: I enjoyed the book being split up into 5 separate parts, each with a theme in itself. The understanding of the characters, the development of the crime, more clues, the last piece the suddenly makes everything fit together and the PURSUIT.

Back to my favourite part, this gave the characters as much a the reader a much deeper understanding of the reasons for the crimes being committed, as well as showing us a side of Rebus that we hadn't previously seen. Altogether this was a very impactful chapter and although it certainly didn't bring me to tears it was heart wrenching in a very emotional way. 

For the first 100 pages I could not put this book down, and only did when I felt my eyes drooping (I had started to read it quite late.)

I was recommended this by someone and will recommend it to anyone who will listen.

9/10 xo

Book First Published 1987

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie Review

The first Miss Marple mystery, one which tests all her powers of observation and deduction. “Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe,” declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, “would be doing the world at large a favor!” It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth. And one which was to come back and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later—when the Colonel is found shot dead in the clergyman’s study. But as Miss Marple soon discovers, the whole village seems to have had a motive to kill Colonel Protheroe.

I find Agatha Christie to be a genius in her writings, and loved almost every Poirot book I read so far. This is the first Miss Marple I've read and I must admit it was fantastic. And although this is the first of a series the Miss Marple's, like the Poirot books for that matter can be read individually, in any order or in the right order, it's entirely up to you.

When Vicar Clements comes home to the Vicarage he finds a Colonel with a bullet through his head, him and the rest of the village set out to find out who murdered him.
As someone who has never read a Miss Marple before I truly loved her character, she saw everything, and knew everything in the village but I don't think she was actually nosy. She has a hobby and that's something that in a small village you need to have or you will go slowly crazy (and I'd know). I also loved the character who's POV it was, Vicar Clements, with a wife of 25 years of age. I am not religous and although I do recpect them, I don't have any kind of particular love for vicars, I think however that has changed to a certain extent. Clements was smart and constantly in the center of attention, which he didn't particularly seem to like very much. But I suppose when someone dies in your study, what can you do but investigate. Another character who I found to be very interesting throughout the book was a Lawrence Redding, an artist. I guessed almost at once his relationship to the Protheroe, and who he "admired", it was really quite obvious. Unlike the murder which I mention later, had me looking every which way.
Christie has a way of giving each of her characters their own unique personality, I believe it comes from being someone who has really lived life. Something that I found frustrating in this book was that all the women mentioned in this book seemed to blur together at times, making it hard for me to know who had said what at any given time. The three women that I often confused were Miss Wetherby, Miss Hartnell and Mrs Price Ridley as they were basically the three gossipers of the village along with Miss Marple but I knew precisely who she was as she was the detective of the book. Not knowing Miss Marple or confusing her with the other women in the book would be like confusing Sherlock Holmes with DI Lestrade, it just isn't to be done. If you have ever read a Christie book, you'll know that the aim of the book is not to solve the crime but make it so utterly impossible to understand and yet so simple that when you know the conclusion you are both impressed and left with the need to kick yourself for not realizing it all the moment all the facts were presented to you. I couldn't stop guessing and I am sure at one point or another I suspected every character in the book, including Colonel Protheroe...
Quite frankly I've missed reading Agatha Christie books with there smart and unexpected endings and this one was definitely in the top ones I've read along with The Murder of Rodger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None. I am really very glad that I have six more on my shelf, however no more Miss Marple's for the time being. (But Christmas is coming!!)
I would recommend this to everyone and give with a 9/10, because despite how fantastic it was I don't get confused by characters very easily but I did in this.

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Nov 13, 2017 at 10:35am PST

Book First Published 1930

I See You by Clare Mackintosh Review

Every morning and evening, Zoe Walker takes the same route to the train station, waits at a certain place on the platform, finds her favorite spot in the car, never suspecting that someone is watching her...

It all starts with a classified ad. During her commute home one night, while glancing through her local paper, Zoe sees her own face staring back at her, a grainy photo along with a phone number and listing for a website called findtheone.com. 

I am going to start this review by saying that the blurb of this book isn't nearly as exciting as the content. This book is about stalkers, murders, rapes and altogether things that make you scared to walk alone at night, by the time I'd finished this book it was past midnight and I needed a drink of water. I have never ran so fast or been so scared about going downstairs to my own kitchen, though by the time I woke up this morning I was fine. I am thankful that I didn't start reading this book until I was on the train leaving from London, this book is not only based in London but in the South of London where I've been staying for the past two weeks, I'd never have been able to leave the house. 

The two main characters in the book is Zoe Walker a mother with two children over 18 and a PC Kelly Swift, and although both these characters were quite something and developed a lot throughout the book neither was my favourite. My favourite character was actually Katie Walker, Zoe's 19 year old daughter, the reason she was my favourite character in this book was that I can relate to her at this point in my life, her a wannabe actor and me a wannabe technician. But this isn't about me. Both Zoe and Kelly have back stories that are necessary to the plot but seem slightly unrealistic in some of the ways Mackintosh linked the past to the present. However the characters themselves felt real, and during the climax of the story (the last few chapters where shit goes down) I felt like I was each character in turn, feeling the fear and betrayal that came with the story.

Side Note: I feel there is a certain art to making the reader feel exactly what the characters feel.

I am the type of person that enjoys working out a problem so the favourite part would have to be the conclusion, the catching of the bad guy (I'm using the word 'guy' in a gender neutral manner) but because it is the conclusion and the catching I can reveal very little. Though I can tell you that a was shaking, inches away from tears and frankly I was so caught up that my house could have burnt down and their is a very high chance that I would not have noticed, the story had twists and turns and I spent the whole time accusing every person that was mentioned. 

I will admit, it was a very slow start but once it picked up it didn't stop. And as I mentioned earlier I had some issues with how the past of the characters fitted perfectly with the events that were happening now, it just felt unrealistic. But of course I have never been a policeman or a victim of stalking, rape or murder so for all I know links between the past and the present happen all the time.

One last thing that I will mention before I finish is that I like how the chapters were set up, it would start with Zoe in first person then for the next chapter it was switch to Kelly's story but in third person, then ever five or so chapter you'd get narrative from the bad guys (again gender neutral) perspective. I will tell you know that narrative chilled me to the bone. If you are reading a book in the middle of the night and you turn the page to find the first line saying "I see you. But you don't see me. You're engrossed in your book..." Then believe me you will be chilled.

I would and will recommend this to anyone who will listen.

9/10 

xo

A post shared by |wonderland| (@book.monkey) on Nov 10, 2017 at 4:18am PST

Book published April 2017