Book review: Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Sunday, August 28, 2022 Permalink

I must begin my review of Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney by saying how much her writing blew me away. I was only 9 pages in and realised I’d flagged quotes I’d like to use – either beautifully written prose or casually delivered poignant insights – and almost filled a page of the notebook I keep beside the bath (where I read).

I sometimes assume the writing in plot-driven books should hover in the background. Unnoticed so as not to distract readers from the unfolding action, but the seemingly effortless eloquence (I very much noticed here) did not detract at all from the plot.

Continue Reading…

four-stars

Book review: The Inheritance by Gabriel Bergmoser

Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Permalink

I started reading The Inheritance by Gabriel Bergmoser before realising it featured a character who’d appeared in The Hunted, released in 2020. It’s certainly not a sequel however, and previous knowledge isn’t required.

I didn’t like The Hunted as much as most because it dipped a little too much into the horror genre for my taste. I can cope with books about serial killers and psychopaths but Bergmoser has the impressive (if not entirely welcome to me!) talent of putting readers amidst action; which is often very violent and visceral.

Continue Reading…

three-half-stars

Book review: The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

Friday, May 21, 2021 Permalink

Thankfully I’d read a number of reviews of The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward before I started reading it. It’s clever and well-written and some of the prose is quite magical. But I would have put it down just a few chapters in had I not known that it was worth ‘hanging in’ for.

In all honesty this book is a bit of a mind-f*ck. We know from the beginning that all is not as it seems. Our lead character Ted has (ahem) issues. Another narrator is a cat. Perhaps. It features much f*cked-upedness. But – once you get past the first few chapters it’s oddly compelling.

Continue Reading…

four-stars