Mini-Reviews

I read a lot of good book in January and wrote a lot of reviews for them. Here are two more books that I highly recommend you get on your radar if you haven’t already.

The Wood by Chelsea Bobulski

Publication Date: August 1, 2017

“There’s a quiet strength in a person who can go on and do what needs to be done even when all hope seems lost.”

I really enjoyed this book with its eerie atmosphere and interesting characters. I loved the idea of the woods, with the portals leading to other times. Winter was a wonderful character, she has a solid sense of duty and doesn’t make decisions lightly. She has a lot of common sense even though she has a lot of responsibilities since her father disappeared. She also does a nice job of juggling her duties with the woods and her life as a teenager. Henry was also a dear, and I loved how he marveled at all of the modern things he saw, but could still figure out a rubrics cube in a few hours.

The story was very interesting as well and quite complex for such a short one. I loved the whole concept of the woods and the fae that helped the humans take care of it. There are some good twists and turns in the story and some pretty scary bits, but nothing too overwhelming. Although the ending was good, I wanted a slightly happier one. The writing was also very well done, although there were a few spots where it dragged a bit.

I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out the author’s other book Remember Me as soon as I can. That one also sounds really good.

The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’Donnell

Publication Date (US): January 12, 2021

If you like historical mysteries with a touch of the paranormal, then you should pick this one up. It has two wonderful narrators and a spectacular array of quirky and creepy secondary characters. It is also wonderfully atmospheric and gothic in its story and writing.

Gideon is a lost young man who is desperate to find his place in the world. He does eventually when he meets up with Inspector Cutter. Gideon has a sweet soul and wants nothing more than to rescue his sweetheart. He has a keen mind and a knack for observation, although Cutter is always reminding him not to talk to much.

Octavia Hillingdon was also quite a good character. She is strong willed and not one to be put off by things that are gruesome and at times hard to explain. Loved her brother as well. They made a good pair of investigators as well.

The plot and writing were suburb, and had a lot of false turns and twists that just kept you reading to find out more. I unfortunately picked this up at a bad time when there was a lot of other things going on that kept my mind from focusing on the story. There was a lot to keep track of, and I did feel a little lost at times, but I really think it was me, not the book.

I think this is a stand alone, but I am certainly hoping to see another story featuring Gideon, Octavia and Inspector Cutter. In the meantime I will be picking up his first book The Maker of Swans as soon as I can get it from the library.

I hope you found these two reviews helpful and have now decided to add these two books to your already long TBR’s! I promise you won’t be disappointed in either of these.