Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta #1)

Well haven’t I been missing out by not reading any Cornwell books. This was an extremely good crime thriller. I’d go so far as to say it was one of the best I’ve ever read even.

Kay Scarpetta is a really solid decent character and you instantly warm to her from the beginning. I especially loved the parts with her and Lucy as it really showed the normal, human side to her. I also really loved Marino even though I don’t think we, as readers, were supposed to as Kay really hates him but I think he was a really good, tough-guy cop character and I enjoyed all the parts with him in them.

The plotline is good with a really evil, sadistic killer on the loose and Kay and the rest of the team are on the hunt for him. I loved the way throughout the book the author has us suspecting all the different characters as the killer. I think at one point I thought about it being nearly every character in the book but then something would happen and you’d start to doubt yourself again.

The only flaw with the book and it really isn’t anything that could have been improved as it was beyond the author’s control but because it was written in the early nineties its way behind in terms of the technology of today which can be a bit frustrating for the reader. For instance there is limited trust put in DNA evidence which as we all know from shows such as CSI and the like is the most indisputable bit of evidence that can be found at a crime scene. I found it mildly frustrating but I also found it really interesting to read a book written so long ago that you could see how they used to catch people old-school style! Great book will be investing in future installments in the Scarpetta Series.

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Frostbite by Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy #2)

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I found myself disliking Rose in this book which disappointed me because I adored her in the first installment. She came across as so self-involved and vain and cocky that she wasn’t likeable any more at all. Some of the comments she comes out with make me want to smash her face against a wall and I’m not usually a violent person… ‘I looked good in this dress, so much better than Moroi. I have curves in all the right places. I know I looked good in a bikini.’ I’m quoting loosely there but you get the idea, vain doesn’t even cover it.

She irritated me for the most of this book and not just because of her over-the-top cockiness but because she completely failed during most of the book to think about anyone but herself. Since she is training to become (and kind of already is) a Guardian to Lissa this posed a problem to me. She clearly doesn’t give a crap about Lissa. Yes she’ll mention every now and again how she would do anything to protect her but all we actually see is some weird jealousy she has towards Lissa’s boyfriend and a complete disregard for any rules that are in place so she doesn’t slip up watching over Lissa. I suppose you could argue that she is young and immature (and boy is she that) but the point of being a Guardian is that you have to grow up quick and be mature enough to put your feelings aside for the sake of your Moroi. She clearly has not quite grasped this concept yet.

However there were also good sides to this book and although unfortunately the whole book mostly centers around Rose we do get introduced to new characters and some of the original favourites are still around. I like Adrian, he seems exciting and has an interesting approach to learning his way around spirit magic. I’m glad that Lissa has found someone like herself. I also liked the turn-around that we saw in Mia’s character. She seems like she might turn out to be someone really interesting in future books. And as for Dimitri… He still turns me on that’s for sure, however now I feel like he could definitely do a hell of a lot better than Rose as she really is way too immature for him.

The plot was good, some parts were a bit slow but the ending made up for it. I thought this was a much better ending than the first book in the series and I really found it exciting and gripping. And thankfully the ending made me warm to Rose a little bit more than I had during the entire book so at least I set it down thinking her character could improve some bit instead of feeling like this series is a lost cause two books in. Since I’ve already got all the books in the collection I will be reading on in this series and I hope and pray that they will improve as they really did start out so promising!

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Lover Mine by JR Ward (BDB #8)

I was really looking forward to this book because John Matthew is one of my favourite characters in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and boy did it live up to expectations…

Of course no one in this series has had an easy ride to their penultimate happy ending and John is no different. We begin the story where Lover Avenged left off with Xhex abducted and being held against her will by Lash, the new Fore-Lesser in the Lessening Society who also happens to be the first half-vampire, half-lesser ever created. And man is he a cruel, evil, son-of-a-bitch. He does the unspeakable to Xhex and tears her apart both physically and emotionally. However she remains strong by some amazing inner strength that seems to have a lot to do with her sympath side and eventually as Lash begins to weaken some bit she manages to escape. The scene where John is in the room where she is being held captive but is unable to see her is heart-breaking by the way, be prepared.

When Xhex escapes John brings her back to the Brotherhood compound where she begins to heal both physically and mentally. And inevitably the love affair between her and John ensues in dramatic form! They are a couple so evenly matched in physicality and shared histories that it seems obvious to everyone but them that they are meant to be together forever. I found it great seeing a female who was more than capable of looking after herself in the battlefield. It was quite refreshing actually. So far we’ve seen strong, independent women but they were for the most part physically frail but not Xhex. She’s the full package.

The plotline is good, you really fall in love with John and Xhex and by the end I needed them to be together for my mental health! I loved the Lash story too, even though he is an evil bastard, it was really interesting and I’ve a funny feeling we might not have seen the end of him and a teeny tiny part of me kind of hopes not. He’s a really good evil character if that makes any sense.

The more minor subplots included the love triangle between Blay, Qhuinn and Saxton which was my favourite of the lot. I also need Qhuinn and Blay to be together and the sooner Ward writes a gay sex scene the better. There was also the story of Payne who is trapped on the Other Side with the Chosen and the Scribe Virgin. She seems interesting enough but quite similar to Xhex in that she is a fighter and a tough woman with no interest in love but I’m still looking forward to her story. Then there was the little flashbacks of Darius and Thorment. These were interesting as you got to see where Thor came from and more of a back story to the Brothers.

All in all Ward can do no wrong in my eyes and the longer she keeps writing these books the better in my opinion. Can’t wait for the next installment.

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Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This is a sweet children’s book and quite possibly one of the most long lasting story’s ever told. Lewis Carroll has an imagination to rival Tolkien’s just not quite as detailed. He sure knows how to create a world that’s different from anything we’re used to though and that can never be denied.

I’ve obviously read this years ago but thought I’d read it again and freshen my memory of the story. It’s just as good as I remembered but the first time will always be the best as everything is so shocking and new. Alice is a lovely, little innocent girl but her character is not the one that stands out in this book surprisingly enough. It’s actually all the minor characters that you can’t wait to meet like the Cheshire cat and the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts of course.

This is one of those storys that is implanted in everyone’s childhood memories and I hope and pray that it remains that way for the kids of today and is never forgotten! Off with his head!!

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Lifeless by Mark Billingham (Inspector Thorne #5)

Thank God this was much better than The Burning Girl. I had loved all of Billingham’s Thorne books up til the last book and I was a more than a tad disappointed with it I will admit. It felt disjointed and there was too much going on at times.

However Lifeless is back to his best. It’s gripping from the beginning and I just loved the insight that we get into life on the streets of London. In the beginning I wasn’t all too sure about Thorne being pushed to the side slightly by his superiors as he fights through the grief of losing his father but as the book developed I realised how much I was growing to love Thorne even more by seeing this softer and more vulnerable side to him.

As Thorne, who is always quite unorthodox in his methods as a policeman, takes on the undercover role as a homeless man living on the streets of London you really get a great knowledge of life as a homeless person and for the most part it isn’t pleasant. But there is a surprising community element too which I, at least, did not realise could be there.

The plotline was great too, really exciting and kept me gripped all the way through. Billingham back to his best!

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