Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Monday, 13 October 2014
Review | Blood Sinister by Celia Rees
by Celia Rees
My Rating:
Ellen Forrest is sick, she feels as if the life is being sucked out of her. The doctors think that she is suffering from a disease of the blood, and she has been sent to her grandmother's house to rest, but she seems to be getting worse, not better. Can it have anything to do with the diaries she has found in the attic? Diaries written in Victorian times by her great great grandmother. Diaries that describe an encounter with a handsome young Count who comes from the Land Beyond the Forest.
Ellen likes a vampire story, who doesn't? The difference is that this one just happens to be true…
Ellen likes a vampire story, who doesn't? The difference is that this one just happens to be true…
Celia Rees was the first author to whet my appetite for historical fiction during my early teens, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet her more than once through Litfest. It was during a Litfest event all about Gothic YA Fiction that I first came across Blood Sinister.
Both our protagonists in Blood Sinister share the name Ellen. In the 1990's we have Ellen Forrest, a sixteen year old who is very ill with a blood disease her doctors have been unable to diagnose and are struggling to treat, and in the 19th century we have Ellen Laidlaw, her great great grandmother, who is the daughter of a doctor well known for his advancements in the treatment of blood diseases. Their stories collide when Ellen Forrest discovers her great great grandmother's diaries, written when she was sixteen, detailing the strange events that followed the arrival of a pair of mysterious family friends with an aversion to sunlight...
It was a short, quick read which was just what I was in the mood for, but sadly it was nothing spectacular. It's forgettable, with a rather weak ending, and for someone who's loved Rees's works for so long that was a disappointment.
Having said that, there were elements of the story that were a lot of fun. Rees played around with vampire stereotypes; stereotypes she could play around with because Ellen Laidlaw lived and wrote her diaries before the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula, therefore it was believable that she and her friends and family would never even think to suspect their mysterious guests of vampirism.
I thought it was a wise choice to give the story two protagonists, though I'm still undecided as to whether or not I liked that they were both called Ellen. Historical fiction is one of the most common genres in which you'll find novels with two protagonists; setting one character in the past and another either in or nearer to the present day, who is usually researching the person from the past, is a good way to involve people in the story who are unfamiliar with historical fiction. A lot of people think they need to be a history expert to enjoy historical fiction, and that's just not true.
(If you are one such person and you'd like to read some historical fiction that is told through the eyes of two protagonists, then give Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong, Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and Kate Mosse's Labyrinth a try!)
However, both Ellens were also forgettable. I didn't dislike them, but I didn't connect with them or particularly care if they lived or died either. It was great to see, through Ellen Laidlaw, a 19th century heroine pursuing medicine and being supported in that pursuit, but sadly it was this Ellen who also suffered from "not like other girls" syndrome. She was better than the other women around her, who only cared about marrying well and having babies and looking pretty, and I really dislike women who are portrayed this way. There's nothing wrong with wanting to marry well, have babies or look pretty, just as there's nothing wrong with wanting to pursue medicine, and I'd like to see more heroines in fiction - particularly YA fiction - who are aware of this.
Blood Sinister is just okay. It's unlikely to be something I remember in a year's time, but for a quick, tongue-in-cheek Halloween read it was fun, and despite my lower rating I'd recommend it to anyone out there who's looking for something fast and easy to read as Halloween approaches!
Both our protagonists in Blood Sinister share the name Ellen. In the 1990's we have Ellen Forrest, a sixteen year old who is very ill with a blood disease her doctors have been unable to diagnose and are struggling to treat, and in the 19th century we have Ellen Laidlaw, her great great grandmother, who is the daughter of a doctor well known for his advancements in the treatment of blood diseases. Their stories collide when Ellen Forrest discovers her great great grandmother's diaries, written when she was sixteen, detailing the strange events that followed the arrival of a pair of mysterious family friends with an aversion to sunlight...
It was a short, quick read which was just what I was in the mood for, but sadly it was nothing spectacular. It's forgettable, with a rather weak ending, and for someone who's loved Rees's works for so long that was a disappointment.
Having said that, there were elements of the story that were a lot of fun. Rees played around with vampire stereotypes; stereotypes she could play around with because Ellen Laidlaw lived and wrote her diaries before the publication of Bram Stoker's Dracula, therefore it was believable that she and her friends and family would never even think to suspect their mysterious guests of vampirism.
I thought it was a wise choice to give the story two protagonists, though I'm still undecided as to whether or not I liked that they were both called Ellen. Historical fiction is one of the most common genres in which you'll find novels with two protagonists; setting one character in the past and another either in or nearer to the present day, who is usually researching the person from the past, is a good way to involve people in the story who are unfamiliar with historical fiction. A lot of people think they need to be a history expert to enjoy historical fiction, and that's just not true.
(If you are one such person and you'd like to read some historical fiction that is told through the eyes of two protagonists, then give Sebastian Faulks' Birdsong, Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and Kate Mosse's Labyrinth a try!)
However, both Ellens were also forgettable. I didn't dislike them, but I didn't connect with them or particularly care if they lived or died either. It was great to see, through Ellen Laidlaw, a 19th century heroine pursuing medicine and being supported in that pursuit, but sadly it was this Ellen who also suffered from "not like other girls" syndrome. She was better than the other women around her, who only cared about marrying well and having babies and looking pretty, and I really dislike women who are portrayed this way. There's nothing wrong with wanting to marry well, have babies or look pretty, just as there's nothing wrong with wanting to pursue medicine, and I'd like to see more heroines in fiction - particularly YA fiction - who are aware of this.
Blood Sinister is just okay. It's unlikely to be something I remember in a year's time, but for a quick, tongue-in-cheek Halloween read it was fun, and despite my lower rating I'd recommend it to anyone out there who's looking for something fast and easy to read as Halloween approaches!
J.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Review | Printer's Devil Court by Susan Hill
by Susan Hill
My Rating:
A mysterious manuscript lands on the desk of the step-son of the late Dr Hugh Meredith, a country doctor with a prosperous and peaceful practice in a small English town. From the written account he has left behind, however, we learn that Meredith was haunted by events that took place years before, during his training as a junior doctor near London’s Fleet Street, in a neighbourhood virtually unchanged since Dickens’s times.
Living then in rented digs, Meredith gets to know two other young medics, who have been carrying out audacious and terrifying research and experiments. Now they need the help of another who must be a doctor capable of total discretion and strong nerves.
Living then in rented digs, Meredith gets to know two other young medics, who have been carrying out audacious and terrifying research and experiments. Now they need the help of another who must be a doctor capable of total discretion and strong nerves.
What's this? A book review on a Sunday! I know I don't usually post anything during the weekend, but I finished this little book this morning and found myself reviewing it over on Goodreads so I figured I might as well share it here, too. Especially as Halloween is approaching!
I like Susan Hill. I first came across The Woman in Black when I was about 15 and it scared the life out of me. When it comes to the traditional ghost story, Hill is up there with the best. Sadly, this story really disappointed me.
I hadn't realised Hill had released a new ghost story until I stumbled across it in my local library, and as Halloween is approaching I figured now would be the best time to borrow it. I'm a big fan of Gothic Literature that deals with themes such as re-animation and medical advancement gone wrong, like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Body Snatcher, so I was excited to read Printer's Devil Court and be thoroughly creeped out.
Sadly, it just didn't work for me. I didn't find the story spooky in the slightest, though there were some parts that made me a little sad. For the most part I was just bored. It isn't a long story at all, and yet it took me two days to get through it because I didn't feel like I had to know what was going to happen next. In fact if it were any longer I probably would have given up because I found the narrator so dull - he could have been any narrator from any story and I wouldn't have noticed the difference - and there was also the unfortunate inclusion of the "beautiful dead woman", which is a trope I am so tired of seeing in stories. Especially stories with male protagonists. It's creepy, and frankly if I saw someone dead or almost dead my first thought wouldn't be to mention that they're hella cute.
On top of that the edition I read had quite a few mistakes and typing errors throughout that just threw me off. I don't expect to find so many mistakes in so little a book, especially not when it's been published. That's more the editor's fault than anyone else's and I know it doesn't really affect the story in any way, but I found it distracting.
Sadly, it just wasn't for me, but I'll still read more Hill in future.
I hadn't realised Hill had released a new ghost story until I stumbled across it in my local library, and as Halloween is approaching I figured now would be the best time to borrow it. I'm a big fan of Gothic Literature that deals with themes such as re-animation and medical advancement gone wrong, like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's The Body Snatcher, so I was excited to read Printer's Devil Court and be thoroughly creeped out.
Sadly, it just didn't work for me. I didn't find the story spooky in the slightest, though there were some parts that made me a little sad. For the most part I was just bored. It isn't a long story at all, and yet it took me two days to get through it because I didn't feel like I had to know what was going to happen next. In fact if it were any longer I probably would have given up because I found the narrator so dull - he could have been any narrator from any story and I wouldn't have noticed the difference - and there was also the unfortunate inclusion of the "beautiful dead woman", which is a trope I am so tired of seeing in stories. Especially stories with male protagonists. It's creepy, and frankly if I saw someone dead or almost dead my first thought wouldn't be to mention that they're hella cute.
On top of that the edition I read had quite a few mistakes and typing errors throughout that just threw me off. I don't expect to find so many mistakes in so little a book, especially not when it's been published. That's more the editor's fault than anyone else's and I know it doesn't really affect the story in any way, but I found it distracting.
Sadly, it just wasn't for me, but I'll still read more Hill in future.
Friday, 10 October 2014
Stories & Songs #3
Today it's my birthday so I'm here with another installment of one of my personal favourite posts, Stories & Songs! You can find the previous posts here and here, and all of the songs mentioned can be found in this playlist!
by Daphne du Maurier
"Legendary Lovers"
Katy Perry
Take me down to the river
Underneath the blood-orange sun
Say my name like a scripture
Keep my heart beating like a drum
Legendary lovers, we could be legendary
La la la la la
Legendary lovers, we should be legendary
La la la la la
Go down in history
Go down together,
Into infinity,
Forever
Your Cleopatra
Your blushing Juliet
Anything for your love
by Marissa Meyer
"Cosmic Love"
Florence + the Machine
And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat
I tried to find the sound
But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness,
So darkness I became
The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out
You left me in the dark
No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight
In the shadow of your heart
I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map
And knew that somehow I could find my way back
Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too
So I stayed in the darkness with you
by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
"Sinéad"
Within Temptation
I've gotta try
It's not over yet
No signals of love
Have you left
My heart is bleeding just for you
Bleeds only for you
And it hurts to know the truth
Are you looking saviours
Chasing a dream
Love turned to hate
Now I'm crossing the border
See then I fade
But I'm not afraid
Oh Sinéad,
For the first time
Life is gonna turn around
I'm telling you
You will like it, I know
Oh Sinéad,
It's the first time
Only you can set it free
Oh Sinéad
Come break away with me
by Mira Grant
"Read All About It, Pt. III"
Emeli Sandé
At night we're waking up the neighbours
While we sing away the blues
Making sure that we're remembered, yeah
Cause we all matter too
If the truth has been forbidden
Then we're breaking all the rules
So come on, come on
Come on, come on
Let's get the TV and the radio
To play our tune again
It's 'bout time we got some airplay of our version of events
There's no need to be afraid
I will sing with you my friend
Come on, come on
I wanna sing, I wanna shout
I wanna scream 'til the words dry out
So put it in all of the papers,
I'm not afraid
They can read all about it
Read all about it, oh
by Susan Fletcher
"Wild Child"
Enya
Ever close your eyes
Ever stop and listen
Ever feel alive
And you've nothing missing
You don't need a reason
Let the day go on and on
Let the rain fall down
Everywhere around you
Give into it now
Let the day surround you
You don't need a reason
Let the rain go on and on
What a day
What a day to take to
What a way
What a way
To make it through
What a day
What a day to take to
A wild child
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Top Ten Tuesday | Character Driven Novels
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week you compile a list of books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find out everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week's theme is 'Top Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels', so let's dive in!
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson: A gorgeous book that not enough people have read. The story is narrated by a former pornographer who survives a car crash, brought on by drunk driving, that leaves him horrifically burned. It's stunning, please read it.
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: One of my favourite classics, and believed to be the very first English detective novel. The Moonstone's dense, but it's worth getting through; it has a brilliant array of characters, some you'll love and some you'll hate, who really drive the story forward.
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë: Another of my favourite classics which, like the majority of the books on this list, has a spectacularly ordinary story. There's nothing groundbreaking about the plot, but Agnes brings this story to life. Highly recommended!
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood: For the most part this book tells us a story that we already know - or at least one that we think we know - but what makes it so fun to read is Penelope's narration. A great read for any lovers of Greek mythology.
Persuasion by Jane Austen: Honestly I'm not a big fan of Austen, but there's no denying that in terms of plot Persuasion is probably the weakest of her novels. The story is very basic, but many Austen fans still love this novel dearly because of its character development.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë: If you ignore the odd twists and turns in the plot of Jane Eyre, it's actually a fairly ordinary story. What makes this novel so popular is Jane herself.
Corrag by Susan Fletcher: Another horrendously underrated novel. This book is beautifully written and stars one of the most endearing heroines I've ever come across in historical fiction. It's slow and unassuming, but it's so worth the read.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier: I'm currently reading Rebecca for the first time, and even though I'm only around 20% of the way through it's already a quiet, claustrophobic read. It's up to the reader to decide which character is driving this novel: is it our narrator, or is it Rebecca?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë: Just like Agnes Grey and Jane Eyre, when you strip Wuthering Heights down to the bare bones there isn't all that much to it plot-wise. It's a story that can be easily summed up in a few sentences, but what makes it fascinating to read is its unapologetic protagonists, Cathy and Heathcliff.
The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown: I have a lot of bookish friends, and through the blogosphere I know readers all over the world too, and yet I've never met a single person who's read this book. It's a traditional fantasy book; there are knights, witches, dragons and unicorns, and I love it. While it is a story about a quest, it's not a quest to save the world; the only thing at stake is the protagonists' happiness. If you're a fan of traditional fantasy then I highly recommend this book!
Which books made your top ten?
Monday, 6 October 2014
Jess Suggests | Halloween Reads!
Halloween is on its way, so it's time to crack open the spooky and creepy reads on our shelves. Here are just five books I recommend reading at this time of the year!
by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Living a lonely existence in a remote schloss in Styria, on the border of Austria and Hungary, Laura and her father play host to an unexpected guest, the beautiful young Carmilla. Her arrival is closely followed by an outbreak of unexplained deaths in the area, while the young women's growing friendship coincides with a series of nightmares and mysterious nocturnal visitations, and a gradual downward spiral in Laura's health. A chilling tale of the un-dead, Carmilla is a beautifully written example of the gothic genre. Believed to be the inspiration for Bram Stoker's gothic masterpiece 'Dracula', written over twenty years later, Carmilla stands out as an all-time horror classic.
by Robert Louis Stevenson
'All human beings, as we meet them, are commingled out of good and evil: and Edward Hyde, alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil'
Published as a shilling shocker, Robert Louis Stevenson's dark psychological fantasy gave birth to the idea of the split personality. The story of respectable Dr Jekyll's strange association with damnable young man Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; and the final revelation of Hyde's true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil.
Published as a shilling shocker, Robert Louis Stevenson's dark psychological fantasy gave birth to the idea of the split personality. The story of respectable Dr Jekyll's strange association with damnable young man Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; and the final revelation of Hyde's true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil.
by Thomas Harris
A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname-Buffalo Bill-is stalking women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter-Hannibal the Cannibal-who is kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
Dr. Lecter is a former psychiatrist with a grisly history, unusual tastes, and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of The Silence of the Lambs-and ingenious, masterfully written book and an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.
Dr. Lecter is a former psychiatrist with a grisly history, unusual tastes, and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of The Silence of the Lambs-and ingenious, masterfully written book and an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.
by Sarah Waters
"Now you know why you are drawn to me – why your flesh comes creeping to mine, and what it comes for. Let it creep."
From the dark heart of a Victorian prison, disgraced spiritualist Selina Dawes weaves an enigmatic spell. Is she a fraud, or a prodigy? By the time it all begins to matter, you'll find yourself desperately wanting to believe in magic.
Set in and around the women’'s prison at Milbank in the 1870s, Affinity is an eerie and utterly compelling ghost story, a complex and intriguing literary mystery and a poignant love story with an unexpected twist in the tale.
Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London's most notorious gaols. Surrounded by prisoners, murderers and common thieves, Margaret feels herself drawn to one of the prisons more unlikely inmates – the imprisoned spiritualist – Selina Dawes. Sympathetic to the plight of this innocent-seeming girl, Margaret sees herself dispensing guidance and perhaps friendship on her visits, little expecting to find herself dabbling in a twilight world of seances, shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions.
From the dark heart of a Victorian prison, disgraced spiritualist Selina Dawes weaves an enigmatic spell. Is she a fraud, or a prodigy? By the time it all begins to matter, you'll find yourself desperately wanting to believe in magic.
Set in and around the women’'s prison at Milbank in the 1870s, Affinity is an eerie and utterly compelling ghost story, a complex and intriguing literary mystery and a poignant love story with an unexpected twist in the tale.
Following the death of her father, Margaret Prior has decided to pursue some 'good work' with the lady criminals of one of London's most notorious gaols. Surrounded by prisoners, murderers and common thieves, Margaret feels herself drawn to one of the prisons more unlikely inmates – the imprisoned spiritualist – Selina Dawes. Sympathetic to the plight of this innocent-seeming girl, Margaret sees herself dispensing guidance and perhaps friendship on her visits, little expecting to find herself dabbling in a twilight world of seances, shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions.
by Shirley Jackson
Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and light-hearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable noises and self-closing doors, but Hill House is gathering its powers and will soon choose one of them to make its own...
What are you reading this month?
Friday, 3 October 2014
Reading Wrap-Up | August + September 2014
After a little hiatus my reading wrap-ups are back, and today I'll be sharing with you what I read in August and September. Considering I was finishing up my MA portfolio and just generally stressing out throughout both of these months I got more reading done than I expected!
History has never been so horrible!
by Katherine Howe
My Rating:
Connie Goodwin should be spending her summer doing research for her Ph.D. dissertation in American History. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she's compelled to help. It's not long before the time she's set aside for research is instead spent sorting through her grandmother's ancient possessions, discovering a woman she barely knew. One day, while exploring the dusty bookshelves in the study, Connie discovers a key hidden within an old bible. And within the key is a brittle slip of paper with two words written on it: Deliverance Dane. Along with a handsome steeplejack named Sam, Connie begins to dig into the town's records, looking for references to Deliverance Dane. But even as the pieces begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the witch trials so long ago, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past than she could have ever imagined.
The first book I read in August was a re-read for me. I first discovered The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane in my local library and enjoyed it that much that I had to get my own copy. It had flaws in places - the villain was a little too obvious and the ending felt a little rushed - but I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it. Connie's a very relatable heroine and I love her mother, too. Not to mention Sam, the love interest, who I certainly wouldn't kick out of bed.
by Terry Deary
My Rating:
Want to know:-- who invited Queen Elizabeth I to visit his brand new toilet?
- what you get when you sew the front of a chicken to the back of a pig?
- how to catch jail fever if you've never been to prison?
Read on for amazing information about the good times and the gory - from the fabulous fun of the great goose fairs and the harmless horrors of Shakespeare's plays, to the vicious variety of painful punishments and the terrible trickery of the ruthless royal family.
- what you get when you sew the front of a chicken to the back of a pig?
- how to catch jail fever if you've never been to prison?
Read on for amazing information about the good times and the gory - from the fabulous fun of the great goose fairs and the harmless horrors of Shakespeare's plays, to the vicious variety of painful punishments and the terrible trickery of the ruthless royal family.
History has never been so horrible!
I grew up on the Horrible Histories books, they might be non-fiction but this series was one of my absolute favourites when I was little and I devoured them. Over the past few years it's garnered a whole new fanbase following the success of the show on CBBC and new, bright editions of the books have been released for a whole new generation of kids to enjoy. But I will always love the editions I grew up with which I sadly lost some years ago (I have a feeling my Mum donated them to charity), so when I discovered an entire box of the books in the editions I grew up with on a market stall there was no way I was walking away empty-handed. They were only 70p each, so I ended up picking up some of my favourites, including this one! One night I couldn't sleep, so I read this and it was really comforting. I love these books.
by Mira Grant
My Rating:
Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organization he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn't seem as fun when you've lost as much as he has.
But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.
Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.
But when a CDC researcher fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun has a newfound interest in life. Because she brings news-he may have put down the monster who attacked them, but the conspiracy is far from dead.
Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.
The last book I read in August was the second book in Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy. As expected, it was amazing and I loved it and I had to start the third book, Blackout, straight away. I haven't had much of a chance to really get into the third book yet, but I'm hoping to complete the trilogy this month! If you haven't picked up this series yet then frankly I don't know what you're doing with your life.
by Daphne du Maurier
My Rating:
The Restoration Court knows Lady Dona St Columb to be ripe for any folly, any outrage that will relieve the tedium of her days. But there is another, secret Dona who longs for a life of honest love - and sweetness, even if it is spiced with danger. Dona flees London for remote Navron, looking for peace of mind in its solitary woods and hidden creeks. She finds there the passion her spirit craves - in the love of a daring pirate hunted across Cornwall, a Frenchman who, like Dona, would gamble his life for a moment's joy.
In September I finally read my first Daphne du Maurier book! I was going to read Rebecca, but I've heard such amazing things about it that I didn't want to read Rebecca first and ruin du Maurier's other books for me. Being the lover of historical fiction that I am I decided to pick up Frenchman's Creek instead, and I really, really enjoyed it; it was just the kind of fun adventure/romance story I needed after finishing up my MA, and now I can't wait to read more du Maurier!
by Celia Rees
My Rating:
Ellen Forrest is sick, she feels as if the life is being sucked out of her. The doctors think that she is suffering from a disease of the blood, and she has been sent to her grandmother's house to rest, but she seems to be getting worse, not better. Can it have anything to do with the diaries she has found in the attic? Diaries written in Victorian times by her great great grandmother. Diaries that describe an encounter with a handsome young Count who comes from the Land Beyond the Forest.
Ellen likes a vampire story, who doesn't? The difference is that this one just happens to be true…
Ellen likes a vampire story, who doesn't? The difference is that this one just happens to be true…
I wanted to cross at least one book off my Autumn TBR in September, so considering Blood Sinister isn't even 200 pages long it seemed like the perfect choice. It was okay. It wasn't the worst book I've read, but it wasn't particularly special either, although it was fun to read about people watching videos - you just can't beat the '90s! If you're in the mood to read something easy this Halloween then I recommend you pick it up, but don't expect to be wowed.
What have you read recently?
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