Tag: book blog

Book review: Friend Request by Laura Marshall


Book Cover

Title: Friend Request

Author: Laura Marshall

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Sphere

Publication date: 27th July 2017

My rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Summary:

Louise Williams receives a shocking friend request on Facebook from an old classmate who disappeared years ago and is presumed dead. Maria Weston was last seen alive at the school leavers’ party so who is playing tricks on Louise?

My review:

I enjoyed this book and the unexpected turn of events at the very end. The author makes an excellent effort to continuously surprise us with the steady pace and the well developed characters. I liked the in-between chapters with the reveal of how each character has transformed from the horrid events at the school leavers’ party in 1989 to today. I found that I didn’t care much for any of the characters and was suspicious of nearly all of them, an easy mistake to make when the author exposes how each one was involved in the turmoil of that night. However, each character is unique enough to suggest that they could all be involved in the game played on Louise, creating a tense and uneasy atmosphere that only escalates with each chapter.

The author explores controversial current topics that surround society nowadays with ease and a lot of focus. I especially admired the discussion on bullying, fitting in and the notion of how we change (or not) as we grow up. However, the emphasis on Facebook was sometimes too overstated and I felt that the story was exciting enough even without it. I realise that it may be an unpopular opinion because many of us enjoy books where life on social media is analysed, but I personally did not find it as engaging as other readers may do.

Friend Request is a gripping read that kept me guessing until the very end. The final chapter was completely unexpected but very satisfactory and upon reflection makes a lot of sense when considering Maria’s character and the difficult events she lived through. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an exciting psychological thriller, but perhaps not to those readers who do not enjoy the mean girl vibe that is prominent throughout this book.

 

The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae


Book Cover

Title: The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae

Author: Stephanie Butler

Genre: Romance

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication date: 19th April 2018

My rating: ★★★★★

Summary:

Ailsa has never had a chance to fully live, struggling with a life-threatening heart condition and watching her closest friend die. Now Ailsa finally has the chance to experience life’s little treasures after receiving her new heart. From her strained relationship with her mother to her romance with Seb, Ailsa bravely steps into the real world and learns what it means to truly live.

My review:

This was a simply marvelous read and I thoroughly enjoyed discovering the courageous and quirky Ailsa Rae. The author has developed a very likable character in Ailsa and it was a pleasure joining her in her adventures such as learning to Tango, discovering love and finding her father. Despite the tough subject matter, the author explores Ailsa’s courage through her positive stance in receiving her new heart by fearlessly throwing herself into all life has to offer. I especially liked her dedication to her blog and the connection she developed with her followers, basing each decision on their comments but also enjoyed her persistence and willingness to make her own decisions as her confidence grew.

Seb plays an interesting part in this book and I enjoyed seeing his friendship with Ailsa flourish. Although their mutual condition of post-operation recovery originally unites them, it soon becomes clear that there is a romantic touch to their relationship that they are keen to explore. However, I still don’t believe that the romantic part of this book overrides the other predominant themes and I would struggle to mark this book as romance only.

For me the most appealing part of the book is the need to find your true self and live life to the fullest. The author took a very difficult subject and presented this concept beautifully through Ailsa’s character which made this book even more engaging and enjoyable to read. I think I will remember it for a very long time and I am glad to have stumbled across it.

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A River in Darkness

Book Cover

Title: A River in Darkness

Author: Masaji Ishikawa

Genre: Autobiography

Publisher: Amazon

Publication date: 1st January 2018

My rating: ★★★★☆

Summary:

Born in Japan to a Korean father and Japanese mother, Masaji Ishikawa learnt how to prepare for the worst possible scenario at a very young age. Broken promises and false hopes by the Communist party in Japan enticing his family to move to North Korea prompted a difficult life with corruption, starvation and hopelessness.

My review:

This was an incredibly tough book to read but so powerful and vivid that I managed to finish it in one sitting. The first person narrative added a very intimate touch that made his story feel even more heartbreaking. Gripping from the very first chapter, I was immediately drawn into his worries of moving to North Korea and shortly after the struggles his family faced to survive. The narrative feels extremely real and the events so disturbing that it is almost unbelievable how bad the totalitarian regime in North Korea is.

It is probably of no surprise that what I most enjoyed in this book is the end where Masaji shows courage and an exceptionally strong character by trying to escape from North Korea. This was perhaps where the story took a turn for the better and we followed a much more promising, although still rough, journey through Asia to safety. His will to survive is overwhelming and it puts everything into perspective, celebrating the little things in life that we often don’t realise we have.

My only criticism would be the very abrupt end and lack of narrative following his life to date. No information of the author’s life is available online and it is unknown how this story was published or who helped him in writing this book, an important detail that I wish was shared with us, although I feel that this was done on purpose to protect him. Nevertheless, this book is a real eye-opener and I highly recommend it to everyone.