Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth Review

Tales of Terror From The Tunnel’s Mouth

-          Chris Priestley

Publisher: UK – Bloomsbury

Robert Harper is going back to school, and it is the first railway journey he has ever made alone. And it is not a very usual sort of railway journey. The train stops at the mouth of a tunnel and in order to help while away the time a strange woman dressed in white tells Robert stories. But these are not the kind of stories normally told to a child. soon Robert is both entranced and terrified by the strange woman and the macabre stories.

Once again Chris Priestley has managed to create an enthralling collection of tales that feels both fresh and inherited from the Victorian era. Every story feels like a ghost tale you used to tell at sleepovers to scare your friends with each one attempting to top the last. At the same time each story feels unique and original, painting some truly macabre images in your mind. At least one will have you wondering about some of the everyday elements in your life and giving them a second glance...the crack in my ceiling has suddenly turned menacing rather than another DIY chore...

The thread pulling these stories together this time is a boys train journey and the mysterious woman in white who entertains him while they are held up at the entrance to the tunnel. Once again the teller of tales feels just as intimidating as the tales themselves which I enjoy as it makes me not only anxious to see what the next story is about but wanting to know what the point of the stories is.

There is a strong moral core to these stories with the wicked, impatient or lazy punished – adults and children alike this time. Firmly set in the Victorain era, the morals can still be relevant today – tell the truth, respect the dead, don’t steal, be good to your parents.  Having read two other tales of terror I also enjoyed the subtle nod to the other books in the epilogue and suggested that perhaps there is a link between them all.

In all this was a fun read for the dark evenings and cold weather, which make an excellent background to these spooky stories. Extra marks for some beautifully spooky covers in this reprinted selection!

Recommended for fans of Christopher Pike and LJ Smith. 7.5 out of 10

Throwback Thursday #42 - Nightfall

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while and I wanted to jump on board! There are plenty of books out there I desperately want...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves?

 

Nightfall - Ellen Connor

Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.
The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong. When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.

 

This book is co-written by one of my new favourite authors (New as in I've only discovered her in the last year and haven't read everything she's written yet!) - Ann Aguirre. Along with Carrie Lofty, Ann has written this post-apocalyptic series that I want to start reading as I like action films and can't help feeling this is an action blockbuster in book form! But alas, other books have come between me and the end of the world...

 

Has anyone read it? Am I correctly in my blockbuster assumption? :)

 

PS - Ann and Carrie's author name was named after two kick-ass Sci-fi heroines - Ellen Ripley from the Alien films and Sarah Connor from the Terminator films

Guest Review: Wither

Once again Sarah's here to share her latest read...

Wither
- Lauren DeStefano

Publisher: Simon & Schusters Children's Publishing

By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape. Her husband, Linden, is hopelessly in love with her, and Rhine can't bring herself to hate him as much as she'd like to. He opens her to a magical world of wealth and illusion she never thought existed, and it almost makes it possible to ignore the clock ticking away her short life. But Rhine quickly learns that not everything in her new husband's strange world is what it seems. Her father-in-law, an eccentric doctor bent on finding the antidote, is hoarding corpses in the basement. Her fellow sister wives are to be trusted one day and feared the next, and Rhine is desperate to communicate to her twin brother that she is safe and alive. Will Rhine be able to escape--before her time runs out?

Wither is a dystopian YA book, set in a post-apocalyptic world where only North America has survived (guess the nationality of the author!).  The human race is left battling against a terrible, genetically created virus that kills every man at the age of 25, and every woman at the age of 20.  In order to keep humanity alive teenage girls are often captured from their homes, and married off to become, essentially, baby-making machines. 

One of these abducted teens is Rhine, a 16-year-old feisty blonde, who is torn away from her male twin and married, with two other abductees, to Linden – a sweet, deluded, rich 21-year-old, who is grieving the death of his first wife, and true love.  Battling to hold on to the memory of who she is and where she came from, Rhine refuses to accept her virtual imprisonment, especially as Linden’s father Vaughan (one of the only older people left alive)is a shadowy, secretive scientist seeking a cure for the virus by any means necessary.

Rhine forms a strong, wonderfully believable bond with her ‘sister wives’ despite her refusal to accept their situation, and her interactions with Vaughan inject a strong sense of peril into the novel.  The world that has survived is familiar enough to sit easy within the story, yet wonderous enough for us to share in Rhine’s awe at the life the remaining rich people live.

It’s not all perfect though – a lot of questions are left unanswered, and not always in a good way!  Why Rhine never chooses to enlighten Linden as to his father’s true nature is beyond me, as is the murder of unwanted brides.  The love triangle that develops is totally believable for once branch, but perplexing for the other.  I also have to admit, I really don’t like, or get, the cover-art. All in all though an excellent start to The Chemical Garden trilogy, and one I shall be continuing with. 

One for fans of Divergent and The Forest of Hands and Teeth, 8 out of 10.

GIVEAWAY: Rivers of London/Moon Over Soho

View of London over the Thames

I love London. I love reading. My favourite reads? London based books - and having just finished Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch I wanted to share this fabulous book with you lovely people. :-) So I'm giving away a copy of Rivers of London to one lucky person - or if like me you already have Rivers, I'm happy to get you Moon Over Soho instead, the second book following London's latest constable, Peter Grant and his introduction into the magical side of London policing...

Rules: (without which there will be chaos!)

- Fill in the form below

- One extra entry if you want to tell what is so fabulous about London (All cities have crowds, rude people occasionally and traffic but I want to focus what is positive and unique) And don't worry if you've never been to London - just tell me what you most associate London with or what part of London you would like to visit the most!

- Closes at Midnight 25th February 2012
- Open Internationally (as long as The Book Depository ships to your country)

- If you win, you'll have 72 hours to reply my email, otherwise I'll pick another winner
- You don't have to be a follower, but I won't object if you are! :)

<<GIVEAWAY CLOSED>>

Rivers of London Review

Rivers of London (Peter Grant 1)  

-          Ben Aaronovitch

Publisher: UK – Gollancz

Published as Midnight Riot in the US

Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic

It’s not a secret that I love London and I always have a soft spot for books set in my home town. I love finding good books set in London – and with Rivers of London, I not only got a good book, I got a great book with a panorama of one of the best cities in the world! J

Peter Grant is probationary constable in London, just about to be transferred to an office assignment when he interviews a ghost at a murder scene and suddenly finds himself assistant to the most unusual and secret part of the Met police. Add to which a ghost serial killer who can infect anyone, a long standing dispute between Mother Thames and Father Thames and coming to grips with the magical, mystical side of England’s capital city, Peter could be in over his head...

So many things I loved about this novel – the police procedures surrounding the murders feels realistic – more so than CSI ever has. The characters of Peter Grant, his fellow constable Lesley, his new boss all have distinct personalities and act more like real people do than book characters. I loved the humour that jumps out at you from the first page – very real humour. I’m used to snarky comments, but this isn’t snarky, it’s real without being overtop and very recognisable for any Londoner. Peter’s use of magic isn’t instantaneous but requires hard work and study – and the use of many apples!

The plot flies along at a cracking pace, with many areas of London easily recognisable and for me at least, easy to picture. And this does dive into some of the murkier aspects of the city as well as the tourist parts. I loved the dispute between the two parts of the Thames – country verses city, old verses new. While there are many elements to this book, with the Rivers dispute and ghostly killer for Peter to deal with as well as his training in magic and personal life it all hangs to together and makes for a layered, but delicious taste of London life – rather like a cheesecake!  

This is a story for those who like realistic, intellectual Urban Fantasy with humour and a dog thrown in. I can’t recommend this enough! I’m really happy I already have Moon Over Soho to look forward to reading soon.

Recommended for fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Kevin Hearne. 9 out of 10  

**Check back tomorrow where I have a Special Giveaway!**

My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to! And I've been so good this week - I've not spend any money but I do have a good selection of books to add to my TBR pile!

Raised By Wolves - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Egmont

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs. But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

I honestly have some of the best friends. One of them after seeing this on my wishlist a couple of weeks ago, bought it for me for no reason other than she is one of the best people I know. Plus she also baked yummy cupcakes! Love ya Karen!

Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunters 3) - Nalini Singh

Publisher: UK - Gollancz

An ancient and malevolent female immortal is rising in Manhattan to reclaim her son, the archangel Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena Deveraux, a vampire-hunter-and Raphael's lover.

I confess I still haven't started reading this series, but I picked this up in a swap last week in the eternal hope that when I do get round to reading it, I will love it!

Black Night (Madeline Black 2) - Christina Henry

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

Madeline Black is an Agent of death, meaning she escorts the souls of people who have died to the afterlife. Of course, not everyone is happy to see her...
If obstinate dead people were all that Maddy had to worry about, life would be much easier. But the best-laid plans of Agents and fallen angels often go awry. Deaths are occurring contrary to the natural order, Maddy's being stalked by foes inside and outside of her family, and her two loves-her bodyguard, Gabriel, and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-have disappeared. But because Maddy is Lucifer's granddaughter, things are expected of her, things like delicate diplomatic missions to other realms.

This is another series I haven't started but again I was the given the opportunity to pick it up in a swap and I love the sound of the series. Hopefully I will pick up book one, Black Wings soon as this does sound like a good series.

The Darkening Dream - Andy Gavin

Kindle Book

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand. With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.

I picked this up when it was on Amazon for free during the week. I'm not sure the cover matches the storyline much - but it does look interesting and I love a bargain! :)

What have you picked up this week? :)

On My Wishlist #74

This is a meme from Book Chick City. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! I haven't read any fantasy fior a while - I think I may be in withdrawal! Perhaps these will help me back into the fantasy groove...

The Hob's Bargain - Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

To save her village from ruthless raiders, Aren of Fallbrook strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, humanlike creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob will exact a heavy price to defend the village--a price Aren herself must pay.

I do love Patricia Brigg's Urban Fantasy books and I did enjoy her Raven duology so I want to read some of her other fantasy books like this stand alone...

Theft of Swords - Michael J Sullivan

Publisher: UK - Orbit

Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles—until they are hired to pilfer a famed sword. What appears to be just a simple job finds them framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a tiny kingdom.
Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires in order to keep a secret too terrible for the world to know?

A couple of my favourite bloggers have raved about this series - so I have to check it out! :)

Bitterblue - Kristen Cashore

Publisher: Penguin

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I really enjoyed Graceling and Fire so will be waiting to get my hands on Bitterblue when it comes out...

What are you wishing for this week?