Category: Book Review

Bobby & Morph by R.E. Fisher [BOOK REVIEW] Bobby & Morph by R.E. Fisher [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Bobby & Morph by R.E. Fisher [BOOK REVIEW]

innah961 Comment

★★★★

I am so grateful that I have won a giveaway and received Bobby & Morph by R.E. Fisher, illustrated by Bryony James. This book is so heartwarming and beautiful, and every child should be able to read it and become friends with Bobby and Morph.

My Thoughts:

Bobby & Morph is a collection of ten stories for children, all featuring the dogs Bobby and Morph as they go on their adventures and learn valuable lessons along the way. With a total of 104 pages, and each story around 10 pages each, with beautiful illustrations, the stories can be divided and read for a longer period of time, never becoming boring!

I loved the friendship Bobby and Morph share, and how they always stick together and learn new things. The illustrations are so precious too, perfectly representing the beautiful moments and adventures these two dogs find themselves into. The stories also have parts where there is a poem that rhymes, and the whole book follows a funny tone, with beautiful and simplistic writing.

“The owls taught him a lesson, the only one you’ll need,
that the power of friendship overcomes greed.”

With them, the children reading this will learn about kindness and the importance of being polite. To help people in need and say please and thank you. When they meet Sonny, they will teach us that it’s very important to be yourself, and the right people will come your way.

In the story where they find a new toy, we come across a familiar situation that I believe most of the parents and children can relate to. Through this story Bobby and Morph play together with the new toy and are able to share it between themselves. But one day, Morph accidentally broke Bobby’s toy. And he was so afraid to tell Bobby, because he was afraid that he will lose him as a friend. But he was brave and honest, and told Bobby the truth and apologised. And Bobby forgave him. But Bobby also expressed himself that he still feels sad because he lost his toy.

And I can’t express enough how great I believe this lesson is for children. Because we know it was an accident and Bobby should forgive Morph, which he does. But he is also allowed to express his feelings of loss, and be able to grieve for his toy. This is how we learn emotional intelligence and learn to cope with bigger losses later in life.

I can recall many of the lessons we learn, like the importance of keeping the house tidy, and the importance of sleep and listening to our parents when they tell us it’s time for bed. And the beauty of all these lessons is that Bobby & Morph find these lessons by themselves, rather than someone telling them what’s right and what’s wrong.

I cannot recommend this book enough! If you are looking for the perfect Christmas present for a child, this is definitely the one you need to get. With many stories and many lessons, it is very educational and will keep the child occupied for a long time. And the illustrations are also adorable, and you will also enjoy reading the book alongside the children.

Get the full collection of 10 stories from Bobby & Morph’s official Etsy shop – HERE.

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Shiver by Allie Reynolds [BOOK REVIEW] If you love winter, snowboarding, thrillers and people keeping secrets, you shouldn't miss this one! Shiver by Allie Reynolds [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Shiver by Allie Reynolds [BOOK REVIEW]

innah9616 Comments
Shiver by Allie Reynolds [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★★

Shiver by Allie Reynolds is one of the most intense thrillers I have read this year, and I am so glad I came across it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher – Headline, for approving me the ARC copy. Also thanks to the team at Tandem, for letting me join the readalong and chat with amazing people while reading the book.

Synopsis:

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can’t seem to let go.

The five friends haven’t seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realise they don’t know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.

In a deserted lodge high up a mountain, the secrets of the past are about to come to light.

My Thoughts:

Shiver is set in two timelines; one in current day, and the other 10 years ago. The story is told from Milla’s point of view, but we get to read about all the other characters in great detail. As you dive into the book, you start to get a very good idea of what goes in people’s heads and what they are like.

I used to be a professional karate athlete for the Macedonian team for many years. This experience made me feel connected to Shiver in a much deeper level. The competitive spirit, the rivalries, the effort they put into everything they do – it all came back as a deja-vu to me. Even their fears of failing and their anger when injuries prevented them from competing.

The winter setting is so well written.

I could picture them on the snow so easily, imagine their jumps and their warm sports gear. The snowboarding setup for the competitions, the people watching, the ice rink, and the glaciers – it was so vividly written!

“There’s something about fresh snow that brings your inner child to the surface.”

The mystery was amazing as well, and it was also my favorite part of the book. To gather a group of people and be around them alone. All while knowing one of them is capable of doing horrible things is quite scary. And this feeling lingered throughout the whole book. I had many different theories of the ending and the reveal, and they kept changing as I was reading. In the end, I did manage to predict it, but it still caught me off guard when the reveal happened.

I also enjoyed the romantic element in Shiver as well. I didn’t expect a romantic part, but it was quite pleasurable to read about. It brought a nice balance between the many intense moments. And it wasn’t too much as well, which I also liked.

I loved Shiver and would never have guessed this was Allie’s debut novel. If you love winter, snowboarding, thrillers and people that are quite good in keeping secrets, you shouldn’t miss this one!

Purchase Links:
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A Knight Before Christmas by Ric Lumb [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

A Knight Before Christmas by Ric Lumb [BOOK REVIEW]

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A Knight Before Christmas by Ric Lumb [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★

I was very lucky and won A Knight Before Christmas by Ric Lumb through a Twitter giveaway. As soon as the book arrived, alongside with 5 cute illustrated pins, I couldn’t resist and opened it immediately.

My Thoughts:

A Knight Before Christmas is a truly beautiful Christmas story. Even though the main story is about Christmas, it also has a medieval England element to it. Santa comes across a dragon that keeps eating the presents, and is in a help of a Knight, in order to save Christmas. The dragon, the knight, the king and queen and the jester made the story much more interesting and brought adventure to it. I loved how this was combined with Santa and Christmas and elves, and it turned out great! I am sure your little ones will enjoy it a lot!

The illustrations inside are very interesting, with simplistic features of the characters, thick lines and bright colours, which makes it appealing for children and catches their attention.

The text itself is quite easy to read, and rhymes well. I would recommend reading it aloud to a child, or if they are big enough, prompting them to read the book aloud, so they can fully enjoy the rhymes and how it sounds when narrated. The only small critique I had was regarding the grammar. There were many instances where a full stop was missing at the end of the sentence, when quotation marks were used.

The Knight Before Christmas is a beautiful children’s Christmas book, and I truly recommend it!

Purchase Links:
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Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay [BOOK REVIEW]

innah9616 Comments
Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★★

Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay has one of the most intriguing urban mystery storylines I have encountered so far. It had amazing characters and kept me on edge until the very end, and I really enjoyed it!

Synopsis:

The terror starts on a Monday, when four people get into an elevator in a Manhattan office tower. They each press their buttons for their floors, but the elevator continues going to the top, without stopping. Once it reaches the top, it pauses for a few seconds, but the doors don’t open. Instead, the elevator starts to go down. And then it plummets.

Right to the bottom of the shaft.

It seems to be a terrible accident, but on Tuesday, it happens again, in a different skyscraper in Manhattan. And then it happens on Wednesday too. In three days, this city that represents the capital of media, finance and entertainment is in chaos.

Nothing is random about these events. This is clearly a very calculated attack. And it works. Thousands of men and women that work in the offices across the city refuse to leave their lives in fear. Economy starts to slow down. Emergency calls to the top floors of the apartment towers go unanswered.

Who is behind all of this, and why are they doing it? Are these terror attacks connected to a body that was recently found? Two New York detectives and a journalist that doesn’t hold back will race against time to try and uncover the truth, before another accident happens again.

My Thoughts:

Believe it or not, this is the first book I read by Linwood Barclay. Listened to, more specifically. I have realised during lockdown that I love listening to audiobooks a lot more than usual. But I also realised that my preference with audiobooks seems to be the mystery genre. This may be the first, but it certainly won’t be the last book by Linwood Barclay that I will pick up.

I have always had a thing for elevators. The closed confined space, where you have nowhere to go once you’re inside. The random people that walk inside the elevator and that you may never see again. And the fear of “what if”. What if it falls today? What if those big chunky wires that hold the big cart in place and move it around one day snap, and I happen to be inside. And that random scene from the Resident Evil movie, where one member of the group loses their head trying to climb out from the stuck elevator, and it suddenly starts moving.

From the first moment I read the synopsis, I knew this book was for me. And it didn’t disappoint me. I loved the descriptions of the elevator falls, and the search from the detectives. I also loved the journalist, Barbara, and her daughter Arla. Even though a mystery, this book was focused a lot on the characters, and I think that added up to the richness and beauty of the story. I loved how different side characters were included in the story often, and by the end of the book they ended up having crucial roles to the climax.

The suspense in Elevator Pitch was a bit on the low side, in my opinion, and I think that was the main reason why this book wasn’t a 5 star. Whilst the accidents and mystery itself was quite intriguing, there weren’t any nail-biting moments, except for the very last few chapters of the book. The book prepared us very nicely for that, and that part was really suspenseful and very well-written. I wish that the previous events were more suspenseful too.

The ending was magnificent and so well done. The reasoning behind the who and why was so satisfying in the end, and as soon as you find out the answers you were waiting for, you will feel the relief and satisfaction flowing through you. And if that’s not a sign that this book is a very good thriller, then I’m not sure what is. I definitely recommend Elevator Pitch, a true gem!

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After We Collided (After #2) by Anna Todd [BOOK REVIEW]
Book Review · Books

After We Collided (After #2) by Anna Todd [BOOK REVIEW]

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After We Collided (After #2) by Anna Todd [BOOK REVIEW]

★★★

We have gathered here today, because I somehow ended up loving After by Anna Todd, despite some issues I came across. And naturally, I had to continue with the series and read After We Collided. This review may contain spoilers from the first book, so if you’re new to this series I suggest you check out THIS REVIEW of After instead.

Synopsis:

After Hardin did something terrible to Tessa, and the first book ending with an obvious cliff-hanger, we start where we left off. Tessa is upset and angry, and both her and Hardin are living separate lives, therefore the After We Collided title. But even though in their separate worlds, they still miss each other, and can feel that void every second of the day.

When a couple of random (or maybe not so random) circumstances bring them back to each other’s lives, it’s time for a test. A test of their love, their trust for each other, and their ability to grow in this relationship.

Is Hardin really sorry for what he’s done, and is he ready to change? Does Tessa loves and trusts Hardin enough to fully forgive him and give him another chance?

My Thoughts:

Honestly, I enjoyed the first book way more! Perhaps it was due to the fact that I expected both Tessa and Hardin to grow as characters, but they didn’t. At least not as a couple. They acted as if they haven’t learned anything from what happened before. And in After We Collided there was way less drama compared to the first book, which I felt was missing. Mostly, I expected more from Hardin. He was behaving like a small child (again) that didn’t get his pudding after dinner. And Tessa being Tessa, allowed for him to come into her life again and keep hurting her.

However, all things considered, their relationship is what a typical teenage relationship is all about. Lots of drama, jealousy, tears, words said without meaning, battle of the egos and lack of communication. The only part I still don’t like is how Tessa is presented to be unable to have a normal and happy life if Hardin is not in it. No, Tessa, you don’t need a man to be happy. Well, apparently, you do.

I liked everything else though.

The part where we meet Hardin’s mum. I really love that woman, and she’s probably the best side character in the books so far. The babysitting and Hardin bonding with the little kiddo. I even loved the scenes when Tessa was at work. Even the scenes with Trevor. I quite like him, and would love to read more about him.

Even though Tessa and Hardin couldn’t grow as a couple, they did grow a bit as individuals. I am quite excited for book 3 – After We Fell, and I will probably read it very soon. I am very invested in this relationship now, and I really hope the next book will make me believe in #Hessa a little bit more. Right now, I am not so convinced they are meant for each other. And as always, big thanks to my sister, for sharing her After series with me, without the need to bribe me (yet).

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