Book Review: The Gilded Cage by Camilla Lackberg

The Gilded Cage

by

Camilla Lackberg

Translated from Swedish by Neil Smith

Publisher: Harper Collins Australia

Publication date: 23^rd March 2020

Genre: Crime / Thriller

Pages: 352

RRP: $35.00 AUD

Format read: uncorrected proof paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Better Reading

 

People would kill to have Faye von Essen’s life. She lives in an ultra-swanky apartment in the most exclusive area of Stockholm, she has a gorgeous husband who gives her everything she’s ever wanted, and she has an adorable daughter who lights up her world. Faye’s life is perfect.

So how is it, then, that she now finds herself in a police station?

The truth is that Faye’s life is far from what it seems. The truth is that Faye isn’t even her real name. And now she’s been caught out. There’s no way she’s going to go down without a fight. The only question is – who will escape with their life?

 

Reading the Gilded Cage for me was much like coming across a train wreck. There was carnage everywhere and you don’t want to look but you just can’t stop reading.

The main character, Faye, had no redeeming qualities and even though the author revealed Faye’s troubled upbringing and over-bearing husband, it did nothing to endear me to her. She did too many horrendous things to ever be likeable.

The trope is a well used one; a tale of subservience, misogyny, betrayal, obsession and revenge.

The husband, of course, is a total low-life. We are not meant to have any feelings towards him except for maybe deep animosity. However there was one thing he was meant to have done, although predictable in a plot sense, was too unbelievable.

The big twist at the end was predicted half way through the story.

Even though the story included a host of unlikable characters (except best friend Chris) and the plot line was predictable, the story pulled me in and I couldn’t let go until the end.

Content: over use of coarse language & explicit sex scenes.

🌟🌟🌟

My rating  3/5

Camilla Lackberg is a worldwide bestseller renowned for her brilliant contemporary psychological thrillers. her novels have sold over 24.5 million copies in 43 countries with translations into 37 languages.

 

Book Review: The Neighbour by Fiona Cummins

The Neighbour

by

Fiona Cummins

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Imprint: Macmillan 
Publication date:9th April 2019
Genre: Crime / Thriller
Pages: 416
RRP: $29.99 AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

FOR SALE: A lovely family home with good-sized garden and treehouse occupying a plot close to woodland. Quiet, leafy road, good schools, close to the sea and commutable to London. Perfect for kids, fitness enthusiasts, dog walkers . . .

And, it seems, the perfect hunting ground for a serial killer.

On a hot July day, Garrick and Olivia Lockwood and their two children move into 25 The Avenue looking for a fresh start. They arrive in the midst of a media frenzy: they’d heard about the local murders in the press, but Garrick was certain the killer would be caught and it would all be over in no time. Besides, they’d got the house at a steal and he was convinced he could flip it for a fortune.

The neighbours seemed to be the very picture of community spirit. But everyone has secrets, and the residents in The Avenue are no exception.
After six months on the case with no real leads, the most recent murder has turned DC Wildeve Stanton’s life upside down, and now she has her own motive for hunting down the killer – quickly.

 

I almost gave up on this book at about 30 pages. It was dark and chilling, like a horror story and much too creepy for my tastes. After checking out a few reviews and finding they were all glowing 5 stars I decided to give it another 100 pages. Well I was hooked!

The darkness and horror dissipated and was replaced by a compelling mystery full of twists, turns and red herrings. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and they all have their secrets. Each characters story held my interest. I was double guessing all the way through as to who the murderer was and I was suspicious of everyone.

The story gives us multiple characters point of view but they are not telling everything. Everyone is holding something back. The chapters are short which makes for quick reading. I read this over two days!

Smoke, mirrors, secrets and lies makes for a compelling who-dun-it mystery.

And it has a map in the front! I just love seeing maps in books.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating   5/5

Fiona Cummins is an award-winning former Daily Mirror showbusiness journalist and a graduate of the Faber Academy Writing A Novel course. She lives in Essex with her family. The Neighbour is her third novel, following Rattle and The Collector. 

 





 

Book Review: Symphony for the Man by Sarah Brill

Symphony for the Man

by

Sarah Brill

Publisher: Spinifex Press 
Publication date: March 2020
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 256
RRP: $29.95 AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher  

1999. Winter. Bondi. Harry’s been on the streets so long he could easily forget what time is. So Harry keeps an eye on it. Every morning. Then he heads to the beach to chat with the gulls. Or he wanders through the streets in search of food, clothes, Jules. When the girl on the bus sees him, lonely and cold in the bus shelter that he calls home, she thinks about how she can help. She decides to write a symphony for him.

So begins a poignant and gritty tale of homelessness and shelter, of the realities of loneliness and hunger, and of the hopes and dreams of those who often go unnoticed on our streets. This is the story of two outcasts – one a young woman struggling to find her place in an alien world, one an older man seeking refuge and solace from a life in tatters. It is also about the transformative power of care and friendship, and the promise of escape that music holds.

 

I’m finding it hard to put my thoughts about this beautiful book into words.

Set in the winter of 1999 when the streets of Sydney were being cleaned up for the coming Olympics.

Symphony for the Man is a beautifully written story about a homeless man, living in a bus shelter in the seaside suburb of Bondi, and a young woman, an introvert, lacking direction in her life.

The woman see harry asleep in the bus shelter and wonders what she can do for him. She wants to do something that no one else has done. She decides to write a symphony for him.

I loved how Brill portrayed Harry’s thoughts. Every word was so real and utterly believable, from Harry’s compulsive clock watching every morning to his interactions with other homeless men and care worker Brian.

I felt more invested in Harry’s story than I did in the unnamed young woman. Although I did enjoy her growth once she had a purpose given to her by Harry, her life changed, she changed.

In this nuanced story Brill gives us the human side to homelessness and shows that there is compassion everywhere in the small acts of kindness that people preform everyday. Like the Vietnamese restaurant that gives Harry food after closing, the librarian that offers shelter and comfort, the cafe worker who without question gives Harry a coffee and Brian the care worker who trolls the streets at night looking out for the homeless never expecting a thanks.

Sparkplug Films have optioned the film rights for the book and I would love to see this on the screen. That closing scene would be amazing! There is plenty to be sad about in this story but there is also so much to take heart from.

If you have every passed a homeless man on the streets and wondered at their circumstances this is the read for you.

*Note: Must be read whilst listening to Beethoven’s Eroica.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating   4/5

photo credit: Spinifex Press

Sarah Brill grew up in Perth and began writing at the age of 15. She initially focused on playwrighting but also wrote for film and radio. She attended four National Young Playwrights Workshops before graduating to the National Playwrights Conference in 1994 

Her first novel Glory which dealt with anorexia was published by Spinifex Press in 2002. After the birth of her children Sarah became interested in sustainability and permaculture. In 2017 Sarah completed a Masters of Sustainable Built Environment and currently works in organics diversion. Sarah lives in Sydney with her partner and three sons. Symphony for the Man is her second novel. 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge 

and the Australian Women Writers challenge

 

 

 

Book Review: Esme's Gift by Elizabeth Foster

Esme's Gift

by

Elizabeth Foster

Publisher: Odyssey Books
Publication date: 30th November 2019
Series: Esme #2
Genre: Middle Grade / Young Adult
Pages: 266
Format read:  Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the author

In the enchanted world of Aeolia, fifteen-year-old Esme Silver is faced with her hardest task yet. She must master her unruly Gift – the power to observe the past – and uncover the secrets she needs to save her mother, Ariane.

In between attending school in the beguiling canal city of Esperance, Esme and her friends – old and new – travel far and wide across Aeolia, gathering the ingredients for a potent magical elixir.

Their journey takes them to volcanic isles, sunken ruins and snowy eyries, spectacular places fraught with danger, where they must confront their deepest fears and find hope in the darkest of places. Esme’s Gift, the second instalment in the Esme trilogy, is an enthralling fantasy adventure for readers 12 years and over.

Esme’s Gift carries straight on from Esme’s Wish. Esme returns home to try and convince her father to return to Aeolia with her. Fearing for her mental health he makes an appointment with a psychiatrist. Esme flees to Aeolia in a last bid effort to save her mother.

I really enjoyed Esme’s Wish and the second book in the trilogy didn’t disappoint.

Esme joins again with friends, Lillian and Daniel, on a dangerous quest to find the rare ingredients for an elixir to save her mother’s life. There are people that do not want Esme to complete her quest and she must decide who she can and cannot trust.

The city of Esperance, with it’s magic now returned, is preparing for a mayoral election. The magic gifts bestowed upon the citizens were imaginative and unique. There was also plenty of humour as the school students were learning to control their gifts.

The story has plenty of action and danger with splashes of humour interspersed throughout. As well as magic a slight paranormal element is introduced into the story.

The city of Esperance is well developed and exquisitely described.

Esme’s gift is another enthralling installment in the Esme series and I’m hoping for more inclusion of the dragons in the next book.

Age level 12+
Mild violence

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating  5/5

 

 Elizabeth Foster read avidly as a child, but only discovered the joys of writing some years ago, when reading to her own kids reminded her of how much she missed getting lost in other worlds. Once she started writing, she never looked back. She’s at her happiest when immersed in stories, plotting new conflicts and adventures for her characters. Elizabeth lives in Sydney, where she can be found scribbling in cafés, indulging her love of both words and coffee.

Click on the book cover to read my review

 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge 

and the Australian Women Writers challenge

 

 

Book Review: How it Feels to Float by Helena Fox

How it Feels to Float

by

Helena Fox

WINNER OF THE VICTORIAN PREMIER'S AWARD PRIZE FOR WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS 2020

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia 
Publication date:  23rd April 2019
Genre: Young Adult
Pages: 384
RRP: $17.99 AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

 Biz knows how to float. She has her people, posse, her mum and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface - normal okay regular fine.

How it Feels to Float is a heartfelt story of teenage Biz’s life with mental illness.

The story is told in the first person through Biz’s eyes, so we get to experience exactly how she feels. Her highs and lows.

Biz is a girl who thinks deeply and feels deeply. Her father’s death when she was only 7 years old has had an enormous affect on her and she seems to connect her inability to cope in some way with her father’s death and needs to bring him to life in her mind. There is an element of magical realism as Biz talks with her father’s ghost.

I usually find it hard to connect with a character with depression because I don’t understand it. I can't understand that darkness that envelops them. But what I ascertained from the story is don’t try to understand just be there for them and give support without advice or judgement.

This is the kind of unconditional support that Biz received from Jasper (a boy from school) and his grandmother, Sylvia.

Biz goes through a few ups and many more downs but she manages, sometimes with the help of professionals, to stay afloat.

How it Feels to Float is a story both heartbreaking and uplifting filled with despair, hope and love.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

My rating   5/5

Photo credit: Goodreads

 

 Helena Fox lives in Wollongong, Australia, where she runs creative writing workshops for young people. She’s a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina.
She has travelled widely, living in Peru, Spain, the U.K, Samoa, and the US. Of all her adventures, Helena is proudest of the work she has done helping young people find and express their voice.
How It Feels To Float is her debut novel. 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge 

and the Australian Women Writers challenge

#AWW #AusBookBloggers

 

Book Bingo - Round 3:Themes of politics and power #BookBingo2020

The Wolf Hour by Sarah Myles

This week I have chosen the category 'Themes of politics and power'.

The book I have chosen for this category is 'The Wolf Hour'.

Set in Uganda during the reign of Kony and the LRA kidnappings, Tessa joins a delegation on peace talks deep in the Congo. In a place where both sides won't give an inch Tessa's life is put into great danger and will be irrevocably changed forever.

Read my full review here 

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Book Bingo is a reading challenge hosted by Theresa Smith Writes , Mrs B’s Book Reviews and The Book Muse. The second Saturday of each month book bingo participants reveal which bingo category they have read and what book they chose.   

 

 

#BookBingo2020 

 

Bookish Blog Hops - A book that Scares You.

For the month of March I will be touring the web with my blogging buddies from The Bookish Blog Hops Facebook group. I know that it is Autumn in Australia but I am linking with bloggers all over the world and wouldn't it be nice if it was Spring now. 

Each day for the month of March we will be asking bloggers a question and show casing their answers on a host blog site.

On to today's question:

 A book that scares you. 

 For this I have chosen My Dark Vanessa, a heartbreaking story of manipulation and child abuse as a school teacher seduces his 15 year old student. This abuse has long term affects on Vanessa. Timely in the #MeToo era, these stories need to be told. It's no longer acceptable to turn a blind eye.

This book scared me with how easy it was for this teacher to have access to his students, single the vulnerable ones out and then play his game of victim blaming. And he did it again and again.
It wasn't an easy read but I'm glad I read it.


Read my full review here

Let's see what books scared our other bloggers: 

Stormi - Bewitched Reader Book Blog - www.bewitchedreader.com 

All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover is a book on my TBR that scares me. Not because the book itself is a thriller or horror novel, but instead because I’ve heard it’s a very emotional read. I’ve also heard the book is about a couple’s struggle with infertility, which is something I could potentially suffer with due to a medical condition, so this read may hit very close to home for me when I get to it.

Erica Robyn - Erica Robyn Reads- www.ericarobynreads.com 

Still Alice by Lisa Genova is a novel that I read and loved, but it also terrified me. The storyline was incredible-it was heartbreaking and difficult to read but also hopeful, filled with love, and just plain amazing. This novel is about a woman who is just beginning her descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease. As the story goes on, she struggles more and more. Reading about the character going through this really scared me. I can’t even imagine how difficult seeing someone you actually know go through this is.

Jo Linsdell www.JoLinsdell.com

We Don't Talk About Her by Andersen Prunty was really disturbing. It was like an episode of Criminal Minds but with only bad guys. There are literally no good guys in the whole story, and it leaves you thinking about which of the characters was the most messed up. Stalking, obsession, manipulation, sex with a corpse... this had it all. The really scary thing about it is that despite it being quite an extreme book there are people in this world that do the stuff that happens in the book. 

Leslie Conzatti www.upstreamwriter.blogspot.com

I don’t read a whole lot of horror or scary books--at least, I don’t really make a habit of reading disturbing literature. However, I am a big fan of thrillers, and the author whose sci-fi thrillers I will definitely read is Michael Crichton. I recently read one of his books, Prey--about a swarm of nanobots that gets released into the air over a desert in Nevada, originally intended to be a series of molecular cameras for medical imaging… but then someone gets the idea to weaponize the things, programming them with an artificial intelligence code derived from a predator stalking its prey… which then mutates with the nanobots’ design and they “learn” that living animals are the “prey”... and out in the desert, the highest concentration of living creatures happen to be the human staff in the remote lab… It’s creepy, it’s high-stakes, it’s mysterious and bizarre… and I quickly learned that this was not the book to read just before bed!

Laura Doherty - Tales of a Natural Spoonie - https://talesofanaturalspoonie.com

I hate horror whether it be film or book, in fact I dislike anything that causes a fear response in me. I find the feeling of being afraid really negative and it unsettles me for days on end. So much so that I avoid things that may trigger that response as much as I humanely can. This means I am struggling to think of a book that has given me a proper scare. I did read The Magic Cottage by James Herbert when I was a teenager though and that was pretty freaky.

Alix Maza- The Bookish Alix https://thebookishalix.com 

Thrillers, mysteries and suspense are my go-to genres so it takes a lot to scare me. That being said Rules for Vanishing, The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel freaked me out! Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall is a YA thriller/mystery with supernatural and down right creepy elements! The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is also supernatural and is the type that make you read in broad daylight and sleep with a nightlight. All are FANTASTIC reads!