Book review | April 2018

I hadn’t yet updated you on the books I read in April, so it’s high time I did that. In April I read a total of 4 books, which was actually quite good seeing I was super busy. I spent all of April going from work to party to birthday and I spent little time at home. But despite that I got quite a bit of reading in, because none of these books were thin ones. I read two books of 600+ pages, one over 400 and one just under 400. So all in all, I didn’t do too shabby.

Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere
V.E. Schwab – A Conjuring of Light
Oscar de Muriel – A Mask of Shadows
Amy Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – Obsidio

Neil Gaiman – Neverwhere

Richard Mayhew is leading the standard City life. Living in London, with an insufferable fiance with no regard for others, he is a bit of a softy, who really just wants to help people. One day, his charity leads him to save a young lady who ends up being trouble. She contaminates him and he ‘falls through the cracks’. No one sees him, hears him and gradually he is introduced to ‘Neverwhere’: the London UNDER London where all the people go who have nowhere else to go. There, he first has to overcome his disbelief, before he has to embark on an epic journey.

I loved this book! It is very Neil Gaimain which means it always on that edge of what’s real and possible with lots of whimsical elements to it. This would be great for lovers of Alice in Wonderland because it has a very similar feel to it, but much more updated and without an obnoxious main character that is not likable. Richard is that character that up to the moment we meet him simply chose everyone else over himself and that doesn’t really get him anywhere. His character has a great arc and there is a bit of an adventure story to it as well with lots of dark humor to it. Highly recommend.

Amy Kaufman & Jay Kristoff – Obsidio

The third and final book in the Illuminae Files is all a series finale is cracked up to be. After Heimdall is destroyed, the survivors only have one more option left: head back to Kerenza and hope that they can use Beitech’s portable wormhole to jump to the other side of the universe and hopefully escape. In the mean time, Beitech has invaded the planet and either killed or enslaved everyone left. But as Beitech fixes their spaceship, rebellion is brewing and ready to step up and takeover.

This third book was another wild ride and a great conclusion to this series. I got to read all three books pretty much back to back and I would recommend that as each cast of characters is carried over into the next one. By book three the cast is expanded even further, which makes it more interesting but also harder to keep track of who is who and where everyone is. This book definitely had some moments where it was slower because all the action had to be set up and with a vast cast of characters the time spent doing that can feel a bit long-winded. Still, this was a very enjoyable read with lots of action and some great character.

V.E. Schwab – A Conjuring of Light

Another third and final book in a series, this time the Darker Shade of Magic series. Now that destructive magic has found its way into Red London, Kell, Lila, Alucard and Prince Rhy have to do everything to make sure that the kingdom does not crumble. They have to travel to the end of the earth to get the one thing that might rid the world of the dark magic, while the homefront is doing everything they can to keep the wards up and protect as many citizens as possible.

Another great read! I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads because I thought it was captivating and not sentimental. This is a fantasy series where the stakes are truly high, not everyone gets out unscathed and there are real consequences to people’s actions. Whether it is becoming King, getting to know their power or losing a bit of theirs: each character has to make decisions that aren’t easy and that means this book has some great character arcs. I especially enjoyed learning more about Holland and Rhy and getting to know them better.

Oscar de Muriel – A Mask of Shadows

AAAND another third book in a series. Seriously, I swear I did not plan this. This is the third installment in the Frey and McGray series. After seeing off his sister to be brought up north, McGray is even more obsessed and crazy. When a troupe of actors comes to town to perform The Scottish Play, their performance is steeped in mystery and intrigue, including fortunetelling banshees and scary hellhounds. Of course in the end, Frey and McGray find the culprit in the end, but the mystery of how, what and why is kept hidden well until the end.

A great detective series set in Victorian Edinburgh that I have loved every minute of so far. I gave this book 4 stars, because I felt it to be a bit slow and meandering at times. There are quite a few plot threads that aren’t used and that feel superfluous, but maybe that will be brought back up in the next book? That should be coming out later this month and I can’t wait. The banter between the two main characters is exquisite and I love a detective story that isn’t too obvious. A great read!

What did you read last month?