Book review: Daemonic by Stephen Laws

Daemonic by Stephen Laws

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really loved this book, but it is a massive guilty pleasure. The storyline is completely unrealistic, the bad characters are pantomime villans while the good ones are out and out heroes. The idea is great: six people are brought to The Rock and have to fight for their survival from the man who sired them, meanwhile taking on daemons in Dragerman's studio sets. Apart from the Berserker, the daemons themselves are actually insignificant. They obviously play a part in the plot, but I would've like them to be specific to each person. Overall this would make a great film and it was something I really enjoyed reading. If I had nothing to read I would definately come back to it. I gave it a four because I did love reading it, and some points had me afraid to turn the lights off before bed, but the writing isn't perfect. There were also some points that niggled. Near the end of the book, when the tension was building, the writer would keep using 'as...' at the end of each chapter, obviously to string them all together, but it got on my nerves. Also, Laws opened some questions that he didn't answer. One of the characters asked why the lights were different colours in the corridors, and that was never revealed. I would recommend this to thriller readers, because those who are fantasy fans, may be disappointed with the lack of daemonic content.



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Book review: Prey by Graham Masterton

Prey by Graham Masterton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this, but I actually pleasantly surprised. I love the time-travel aspect of it, but I was a little confused about the old ones and all the other stuff. The writing was good, clear, easy to follow and as soon as I got into the book I couldn't put it down. But it wasn't the best thing I've ever read and the characters weren't particularly developed. I would've also liked to know more about DS Miller. Another thing that struck me were the mistakes. At some points, David had no surname, then it was Walker and then Williams, at first I thought it would be important to the plot, but it wasn't. The author also got Liz and Janie mixed up from time to time. Over all a good, easy read, with an exciting plot and the grab that an author needs to have.



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Book review: World Without End by Ken Follett

World Without End by Ken Follett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutley adored Pillars of the Earth and was very excited when I found out that there was a sequel, although I don't think that's the right word, as both books are practically unrelated apart from the town in which they are set.
I believe it makes a different to the reader whether they've read Pillars of the Earth. If they have, although the works of Ken Follett are absolutley genius, there are several similarities. For a start, Caris and Merthin are very close to the characters Aliena and Jack of the first book, in everything from their relationship, in that, they can't be together for a number of reasons, and their personalities and occupations. Like Jack, Merthin is an innovative architect and builder, whereas Caris, like Aliena, is strong and outspoken for her time. Merthin's brother Ralph is also similar to William Hamleigh, in his greed, his need to be nobility and the way he treats women. They both also have a child bride. The other thing I felt let this book down was the secret. In the first book, the big secret was relevant and had effects on characters within the story. In this one, it was almost an afterthought and had hardly any impact on the characters or Kingsbridge.
On the other hand, there were some parts of the book that were incredible. The descriptions of the plague and it's effect on Kingsbridge were brilliant, providing the reader with a vivid image. As always Follett makes the characters so real that you feel constant emotion, I have never read a book before where I felt such hate or love for the characters.
Overall, despite the disappointments, I'm still giving World Without End five stars, because although it's not as good as it's predecessor, these books are still a league above the rest.



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Book review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I saw the film before I read the book, so in terms of my imagination I didn't have to use it. Despite this, I thought the story was really good, I kept reading chapter after chapter. I didn't want to put it down. The feeling you have towards the characters is great, Alice Sebold writes them really well. Although there's no story in the normal sense, the events flow really well. The only reason I haven't given it five stars is because I didn't entirely believe the reaction of the children when their mother left, or that their mother would leave in such circumstances.



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Book review: The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Elly Griffiths is a genius! Not only does she write a great murder mystery that suprises you right until the end, she also writes believable, loveable characters. I couldn't put it down and I really wish I had the third book!



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Book review: The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When I bought this book on Amazon I had no idea that it was written in the present tense, not the past tense like most books. Although to begin with, that was a bit odd once I got into the book I forgot all about it. It's a great story and as well as the murder mystery you're introduced to Ruth's family and friends as well. The book is half murder mystery and half her story, so it's not for those who simply want a murder mystery to be solved, but I thought it was great. I even found myself laughing at some of the stuff she thought. The Crossing Places also has that grab. Even though not all the chapters ended in a cliffhanger I was eager to start reading the next chapter. I've already started reading the next one and it looks as though it'll be a five star now that I'm used to the tense.



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Book review: The Shining by Stephen King

The Shining by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Shining by Stephen King



I was expecting The Shining to be more of a horror book, than other Stephen King books, however I was a little disappointed. There were a few moments of tension but other than that, nothing that made me actually scared. The characters were well written with the small exception of Danny. The way he spoke was nothing like a five year old child, but it didin't really distract from the storytelling. The standard of writing was impeccable and as always King is a joy to read, however it did take me a while to get into this one, the build up was a bit slow. But by the end I was tearing through chapters, so it got better as it went along. It also had an actual ending which is uncommon in King books, so I was pleasantly surprised by that. Over all, four stars because it was a good piece of work by the master himself, but slightly disappointing.



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