Book Review: Shadow City by Natalie Conyer

Shadow City is my first book by Natalie Conyer and as soon as I'd finished I was searching out more of her work.

Shadow City is set in both Sydney, Australia and Cape Town, South Africa. Conyer keenly portrays her characters' love for their hometowns and expertly depicts how hard it is to leave your home even when the situation is dire.

 

DS Jackie Rose is called after the discovery of the body of a young woman. The death is at first thought to be a drug overdose but as the pathologist examines the body it becomes clear this is a case of ongoing abuse and questions of people trafficking and enslavement arise.

Veteran Detective Schalk Lourens, disillusioned with life, and suspended from duty pending an ongoing inquiry, decides to visit his daughter in Australia. A friend asks him if he can look into the disappearance of a young South African woman who went to Australia a few months ago on a scholarship. Schalk is then introduced to Jackie and her team in Homicide.

 

I was swept away with this whole story. The police procedural was compelling and moved along at a fast pace as they pieced together snippets of information and CCTV footage.

 

I loved that the story wasn't all about the crime. We got to know the characters on a personal level and I enjoyed that lovely bit of chemistry between Schalk and Jackie.

Conyer has a sharp instinct for character rendering them real and likeable. I could see how I was cleverly steered to like or dislike the characters.

 

I was impressed by how Conyer adds diversity to her story and characters without it ever feeling contrived.

 

Shadow City always has plenty happening which keeps the pages turning and I have to say, 'I couldn't put this book down!"  The suspense builds slowly and the atmosphere sizzles with menace making Shadow City an utterly addictive read.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

Content: There are mentions of people trafficking, enslavement and abuse however it isn't overly graphic.

 

Publisher: Echo Publishing

Publication date: 3rd September 2024

Genre: Crime / Suspense

Pages: 325

RRP: AU$32.99 (paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Book Review: The Medusa Situation by Gabiann Marin

 Lovers of Greek Mythology will probably get a lot more from this humorously witty story than I did. However, even though I'm not totally clued up on Greek Mythology I still know enough to see how funny The Medusa Situation by Gabiann Marin was. Google helped me out with some of the gods' back stories.

 

In The Medusa Situation Gabiann Marin places the gods of old in today's world, living out their immortality in Western Sydney whilst watching reality TV. They still have their differences and petty battles but life isn't as luxurious as when they were revered by mortals.

Medusa's head has been stolen and her sisters ask Hera for help to find who stole it. What follows is a hilarious romp through different realms uncovering the regrets, animosity and squabbles of the top echelons of Greek gods.

 

Gabiann Marin uses an omniscient narrative style which is so well executed the story flows effortlessly.

The Medusa Situation is Greek Mythology with a feminist twist. This very witty, humorous and ungodlike satirical take on Greek Mythology will appeal not only to mythology enthusiasts but anyone with a sense of humour.

My rating 4 /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher: Clan Destine Press

Publication date: 1st July 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 260

RRP:AU$36.95 (paperback)

Source: courtesy of the publisher

 

 

Book Review: The Leaves by Jacqueline Rule

The Leaves

by

Jacqueline Rule

Publisher: Spinifex Press

Publication date: 1st May 2024

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 176

RRP: AU$26.95 (paperback0

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: The Leaves

Thank you to Spinifex Press for sending me this unforgettable debut novel; The Leaves by Jacqueline Rule.

 

Faith and Evelyn are close friends, neighbours, and single mothers of Luke and Mitch - and both bear the scars of trauma of the stolen generations. When Faith dies unexpectedly, a chain of events unfolds that will forever alter the lives of those left behind.

 

The Leaves follows the life of Luke and the events that pull this, much loved, little boy away from his heritage and into a spiral of cruelty in the broken social welfare system as he goes from foster care to being homeless then to a youth detention centre. By the age of 15 Luke has been in 18 different foster homes whilst all this time his mother's best friend Evelyn has been denied care. Evelyn never gives up the fight until Luke is completely lost to her in the system.

 

Jacqueline Rule's writing is evocative and poetic. Beautiful in its execution, devastating in its content. Much of the novel is written in poetry.

 

Luke is not just one boy but an embodiment of hundreds of boys and girls being failed by the system. 

Even though The Leaves is small at 176 pages it had a massive impact on me. Luke's story is one that will stay with me forever.

My rating 5 / 5  💔💔💔💔💔

Whilst working at a legal organisation Jacqueline Rule became aware of the frequent interrelation between the foster system, homelessness and imprisonment. She hopes The Leaves might play a small role in advocating for a more empathetic and humane approach to how our society reforms young offenders.

The Leaves can be purchased from Spinifex Press: https://www.spinifexpress.com.au/shop/p/9781922964021

 

Book Review: The Seachangers by Meredith Appleyard

 The Seachangers

by

Meredith Appleyard

It's never too late for a new beginning.

Publisher: Harlequin Australia

Publication date: 4th September 2024

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 400

RRP: AU$32.99

Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 

Review: The Seachangers

The Seachangers by Meredith Appleyard is a beautiful story about ageing, retirement and new beginnings.

 

Ruth is in her early 60's and after 5 years running Rosie's Cafe in Cutlers Bay she has become tired and worn down. She is reluctant to retire, as all her money is tied up in the cafe, but can't see herself continuing at this pace without her health being compromised.

 

Hamish, now retired, has a big flash city apartment and plenty of time to play golf but finds himself bored and lonely. When his father dies he travels to Cutlers Bay to clear out the house and sell it. Being back in the house brings back memories and regrets but he also finds a friendly atmosphere in the town he's never felt in the city.

 

The Seachangers is a clever and engaging story about life's problems and how we cope with change as we age.

 

Meredith Appleyard highlights the difficulties faced with self-employment, especially in the hospitality industry when patrons expect you to be open everyday, and the difficulty of finding reliable staff in a small town.

 

I loved that there was a romance element with an older couple. The romance evolved slowly and natural with no gushing or angst, making it very believable. 

 

The Seachangers is a wonderful contemporary fiction story that delves into the everyday questions of when to stop working, do I have enough money and what to do after retirement.

I know some of my friends are grappling with this right now.

 

My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book Review: The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods

 The Venice Hotel

by

Tess Woods

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Publication date: 3rd September 2024

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 380

RRP: AU$34.99

Source: Own purchase

 

Review: The Venice Hotel

I loved the setting of The Venice Hotel! Tess Woods takes her readers on an evocative tour of Venice whilst also including the environmental concerns of the citizens with rising water levels and pollution from cruise ships.

 

The Venice Hotel is told through multiple narrations.

Sophie, a writer for a food magazine, is in Venice to interview Loretta Bianchi, owner and celebrity chef of the Hotel Il Cuore.

Loretta at 66 dedicates her whole life to the hotel and its guests and she has no plans of retiring.

Elena has returned to Venice with her Australian husband to attend her father's funeral.

Gayle and her husband have travelled from America to spend Christmas in Venice.

 

There was way too much drama in this story for me. Every character had some sort of drama going on in their life. There was lots of Christian bashing. The Christians in the story were either fire and brimstone, hypocrites or homophobic. The protagonist was even named Christian!

Maybe I'm being too sensitive but it got my ire up.

 

I did love that the women banded together to help each other and there was a little side romance story.

 

There are lots of 5 star reviews for this one but it was just an okay read for me.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

Book Review: The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley

 The Hidden Girl

by

Lucinda Riley

with Foreword by Harry Whittaker

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Publication date: 10th September 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction / Contemporary Fiction

Pages: 576

RRP: AU$34.99

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 

Review: The Hidden Girl

I wasn't quite prepared for how dark The Hidden Girl was. I have read a few books by Lucinda Riley and I don't remember them having so much heavy content.

 

The Hidden Girl is narrated through multiple timelines and multiple characters spanning generations.

 

Present Day: Rose and David are estranged siblings however reconnect when David asks Rose to take his 16yo son for the semester break. Brett has a brief holiday romance with village girl Leah who years later will take the modelling world by storm.

The Hidden Girl is a generational saga going back to David and Rose's parents, the concentration camps of WWII and to the present day.

From Yorkshire to London to the catwalks of Milan then on to New York, the hectic and not so glamorous life of a top model is riddled with competition, obsession and sabotage.

The Hidden Girl is a big book, over 500 pages, refreshed and updated by Lucinda's son Harry Whittaker. There is also an informative foreword by Harry.

With themes of the concentration camps of WWII, murder, allusions to child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, obsession, suicide,  male dominance, servitude, gaslighting and rape. The Hidden Girl is not for the faint hearted.

 

I have to say though, the story had me glued to the pages even though I was continually shocked by the content, the twists were many and just when I thought I couldn't be shocked anymore I was hit by another twist.

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐

 

 

Book Review: Murder by Milkshake by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

 Murder by Milkshake

by

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Publisher: Self Published

Publication date: 15th July 2024

Series: Sweet Dreams Mysteries #1

Genre: Cosy Crime / Mystery

Pages: 220

RRP: AU$4.44 (kindle)

Source: Courtesy of the author via WOW! Women on Writing

 

Review: Murder by Milkshake

Murder by Milkshake is the first in a cosy murder mystery series set around an ice-cream parlour.

Genevieve Winterland is our 17 year-old amateur sleuth who decides to investigate the disappearance of her favourite teacher.

I really like the relationship between Genevieve and her best friend Brandon. It shows teens that girls and boys can be friends without any romantic attachment.

Murder by Milkshake is a very sweet read and Genevieve is a likeable protagonist. I didn't know before I read it that it is a young adult read and it is perfectly suited to this age group of 12 - 18 years. Perfect for readers who like a sweet mystery with a spoonful of suspense and an extra scoop of ice-cream.

There are lots of mentions of ice-cream flavours focusing on Genevieve's work at the ice-cream parlour and how she mixes her own flavours. I would have liked some of Genevieve's secret recipes, they sounded delicious.

Light themes of following your dreams and teens as carers. A few red-herrings are included to throw the reader off the trail.

If you are after something not too taxing Murder by Milkshake is the perfect read; light and cosy it can be read in one sitting.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ages 12 - 18 years