Murder In Absentia - Assaph Mehr

I was lucky enough to receive an ebook coy of Murder In Absentia directly from the author Assaph Mehr in exchange for an honest review.

Murder in Absentia is a crime story set in a fictional city called Egretia in ancient Roman times. The main character is Felix the Fox who is a private detective of sorts, who is called upon to solve the murder of the son of a senator. He must use all his cunning, wits and magic to solve the crime.

The story is fast paced and well written and is extremely enjoyable to read. The world is well built to fit into Roman times but without being tied to anything specifically historical that may affect how the story pans out. I like how the magic works within this world and how its explained throughout, a lot of time and thought have gone into making it a realistic and workable magic.

Felix is a fantastic character as he is a "good guy" but he has his own demons and struggles with them on and off throughout the story. I feel he is a very realistic character and he is easy to relate some part of your life to. I like the way he works even when he's in the shadier side of his business.

As well as mystery, murder and magic, there is action and there's just enough of it to make things interesting without it taking over the story. The action that occurs during Felix's travels across the sea is particularly well done.

The only thing I can say in complaint about this book is sometimes there is a whole heap of information and description given at once, it kind of overloads you. But this happens very rarely, so like I say, it is only a very small complaint.

I'd definitely recommend that you go out and try this book as it's something familiar in a different package and its very well done.

I started reading this book on the 27th of January 2016 and finished it on the 9th of february 2016
I gave this book 4 Stars on Goodreads

Books I Read - February 2016

My reading mojo continued into February and I've been really enjoying picking up books from my shelf and diving in. I completed some books for Finish It Feb which I'll cover in a separate blog post, which felt really great. I also finally started picking up graphic novels/trade paper backs again after what seems like an absolute age and I've been loving it.

My biggest bookish news during February was that I finally finished reading War and Peace and it was extremely emotional as I really felt that I'd accomplished something after struggling with it for so long. I wrote about my experience and I've linked that blog post in the list below.

I was also part of a blog tour which was very exciting as I absolutely loved the book and I was lucky enough to interview the author for my turn on the tour and she was absolutely lovely. Again I have linked that post and the review I did below.

Onto the books I read in February -

1. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol.4 by Tsugumi Ohba - 4 Stars
2. Murder In Absentia by Asaph Mehr - 4 Stars
3. War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy - 2 Stars
4. Star Wars: Jedi, Volume 1: The Dark Side by Scott Allie - 4 Stars
5. The Kill Order by James Dashner - 3 Stars
6. Sinking by Sarah Armstrong-Garner - 5 Stars (Blog Tour Post)
7. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller - 2 Stars
8. Batman: Hush, Vol. 1 by Jeph Loeb - 5 Stars
9. Batman: Hush, Vol. 2 by Jeph Loeb - 5 Stars
10. Superman: Last Son by Geoff Johns - 5 Stars
11. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 4 Stars
12. Clariel by Garth Nix - 4 Stars
13. JLA, Vol, 7: Tower Of Babel by Mark Waid - 4 Stars
14. Superman/Batman, Vol, 1: Public Enemies by Jeph Loeb - 4 Stars
15. MNJ Poetry by Meagan Jennett - 5 Stars

There are two more blog reviews coming up for books I read in February, so I will add their links once they are live. If you wanted to read any of my reviews that aren't on my blog, feel free to add me on Goodreads! My profile is here.

What has everyone else been reading? Let me know and if you have any recommendations for me that would be awesome!

Sinking - Sarah Armstrong-Garner

I was incredibly lucky to receive an  advanced reader copy ebook of Sinking by Sarah Armstrong-Garner direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Following my Sinking Blog Tour post on the 19th I promised a review of the book and I decided to bring it to you on the day of the books Facebook launch party and here it is.

Sinking follows the story of Jocelyn who is washed up naked, unconscious and with a severe case of amnesia on the beach of a small town in Ireland, she is found by and elderly widower who decides to take "ownership" of the girl and make plans for her.

Having amnesia, Jocelyn could have very easily have been a very bland character who went with the flow and didn't stand out in any way. However her character is written beautifully and her personality breaks through her lack of memories and shows you what kind of person she is, even if she doesn't know who she is. It's incredibly hard to get a character suffering from amnesia right, but Sarah Armstrong-Garner has done an absolutely amazing job of making it both believeable and interesting, Jocelyn comes across as a strong, confident and intelligent character and I really liked her from the minute she woke up.

Then we have Aidan  who is the main male protagonist and is a Captain who loves the sea and his ship equally. He is a traditional man's man, but has manners and is kind also which is a great combination. He meets Jocelyn on the beach one day and then is drawn into the old lady's plans as Jocelyn is to travel on his ship first to India, then China and onto England.

I don't want to give away any spoilers as the story is so brilliantly written, you need to go out and read this yourself, I will say that the story is incredibly clever and Sarah Armstrong-Garner's take on mermaids is the most interesting and exciting version that I've seen in a long time. I also thoroughly enjoyed the different locations travelled to so far in book one, you could feel the isolation and cruel beauty of the beach in Ireland and the colours and heat were so intense in India you could almost smell the wonderful aromatic spices.

My only complaint is that book two is not out yet (Sinking was released on the 23rd of February 2016) and so I couldn't immediately go on to find out what happens after this book ends on such a cliff hanger,

I started reading this book on the 14th of February 2016 and finished reading it on the 16th of February 2016.
I gave this boo 5 stars on Goodreads.

Sinking Blog Tour: An Interview with Sarah Armstrong-Garner

I am super excited to be part of the blog tour for the release of Sinking by Sarah Armstrong-Garner!

How stunning is this cover?

I do have a review of Sinking that I will be publishing on the day of the Facebook Launch Party on the 25th of February, but for now I have the pleasure of bringing an interview with the author!

This is Sarah

Nerdish Mum - The story is set in the eighteenth century, is there something about that particular time period that draws you to it?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - I love the magic of not having all the answers. Today we have the internet with endless knowledge, science that has discovered invisible to our eye molecules and almost every living animal has been discovered. Back in the eighteenth century our world was still being mapped out and discoveries were happening daily. 

Nerdish Mum - How much research goes into being able to set a story in that time period?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - A lot. I have stacks of history, marine life and folklore books on my bookshelves. I've watched an endless amount of documentaries and shows trying to submerge myself in the past. It's hard because I'm pulling from a time that I never lived in and our culture is completely different. 

Nerdish Mum - Ireland is a beautiful and magical place. Other than those reasons, why did you set your story there?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - With book two, Drifting, this question is answered. I don't want to give away the twist before you have a chance to read it. 

Nerdish Mum - Oooh that's incredibly exciting and cryptic! Onto the next question though, as a writer, do you put any of yourself into your characters? Is there any of your personality in Jocelyn and if so which part?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - Like children, an author gives birth to a character and raises them. But the characters have their own personality that grows into stubborn people to talk back and tell you how to write the story. I believe there are hints of me in Jocelyn, but she really is her own woman. 

Nerdish Mum - Sinking is your first published novel, but have you been writing for a long time?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - I've been writing since I was little, but didn't know I wanted to be a writer until I reached college. I studied screenwriting and fell in love with story. When I was developing Sinking, I wanted to go deeper into the characters than a screenplay would allow, so I began my first novel. It was a learning curve, because with screenwriting less is more and too much description can slow the story down. But with novels, you want the descriptions to create the depth of the world. 

Nerdish Mum - Do you have a writing nook or somewhere that you like to sit and write?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - Pretty much I can write anywhere as long as I have mu music and headphones. Most nights I write in bed as my husband sleeps, or when I have a babysitter, I go to my husband's work and sit in a gym and write. 

Nerdish Mum - The ocean/sea is a big part of the story. Are you a big fan of the water?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - I have a love-hate relationship with the ocean. I love the surreal beauty of the sea that makes my heart still with each wave, but am terrified by the vastness of its size and the creatures that live below the surface. 

Nerdish Mum - The cover is absolutely stunning, did you have a lot of say in its design o did they take your story and run with an idea?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - I was very lucky and was asked how I envisioned the cover before our amazing digital artist, Sara Helwe, began. On the first draft I was blown away, Sara had taken what I had seen in my head and made a beautiful art piece. 

Nerdish Mum - What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - When I'm not writing I am playing with my three kids. In fact after I'm done with this interview I'm going to play school with my four year old. 

Nerdish Mum - I won't keep you much longer then, one final question. Do you have a favourite book or author?

Sarah Armstrong-Garner - I adore Neil Gaiman and Eva Ibbotson. When I read "Neverwhere" I was hooked into Neil's world of fantasy and Eva's "A Countess Below Stair" stole my heart. 

Thank you so much to Sarah for answering my questions! I hope you enjoyed the interview and that this gives an insight into the person behind the book and makes you even more excited about reading Sinking. 

Don't forget to check out the Facebook Launch Party where there will be prizes (inlcuding signed copies of Sinking) and lots of other fun. Also check out Janeen Ippolito's review of Sinking which will be up on Monday 22nd February. 

Conquering My Everest - War And Peace

Before I get into the review or any of the details of my reading experience etc I would just like thank every single person who got behind me while I have been reading War and Peace. The people who have liked my tweeted updates or my daily updates on Goodreads. The people who have sent me encouraging messages and memes. And especially to my buddy reader who without her I would never ever have gotten through this book! So thank you F, you're amazing!!!

I started reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy on the Readathon Day 2015 which was held on the 24th of January 2015. The readathon was 4 hours long and I was really proud of myself as I managed to read 153 pages and though it was excruciatingly wordy, I was getting through it. As an example of the wordy-ness, this is a sentence from the top of page 6 "As she named the Empress, Anna Pavlovna's face suddenly assumed an expression of profound and sincere devotion and respect, tinged with melancholy, and this happened whenever she mentioned her exalted patroness" - I feel this could have been done in a much more succinct way and in a way that didn't make Anna's face sound like it was performing a drama.

So we move onto April and I finally get around to picking the book up to continue reading it and I manage three pages before I fall fully asleep sat on the sofa.  tried on and off until September and I kept managing the same three pages before falling asleep, whether I was tired or not. In October I had some success and I finally read 26 pages all in one go and then on another day another six, but I just couldn't do it any more. It was so painful to force myself to read it and to keep myself awake, especially as there are so many books that I want to read. So I made the decision that I was going to DNF (did not finish) my first ever book! I made my intention known on Goodreads and then from nowhere one of my Iggle (IGGPPC member) friends said that she had wanted to read War and Pace too and that she would get a copy and catch up with me and we would read it together! I jumped at this as I was upset that I was leaving a book unfinished and had let it beat me, so a few days later we started reading 10 pages a day until new year and then we upped it to 20 pages a day.

Having someone else reading this with me gave me the motivation I needed to get through this tome. It didn't seem as much effort to get through the pages and with deciding to read a set amount of pages a day, it really felt like I was making progress. I am eternally grateful to F for helping me out with this and I look forward to all out future buddy reads to get through books we want to read, because we should read.

Onto the review. I am being very, very generous giving this two stars instead of one. The only reason that I am doing this is that during the times of "peace" there were bits of scandal and gossip that kept me almost interested. There is a whole host of characters that come and go so often that you forget who they are as a lot of them have very similar names. Some characters disappear for a long time, only to come back and die in nothing more than a sentence. One character has more lives than a cat and is pronounced dead so many times, you just don't care any more. There was character that I did like and I was pleased that he got his happy ending that he deserved.

The sections which were from Napoleans point of view, to me felt like they were added as an after thought or were written at a different time by a different person as they read so different to the rest of the story, I discovered through F that War and Peace was originally released as a serial so it is actually possible that these parts were added as an after thought. Towards the end of the book, Tolstoy seems to forget he is telling a story and there is more than one chapter which are just his opinions on war and history. It's very jarring getting to these parts when the chapter before and after are jut continuations of the story as if the middle bit never happened.

As I've said at the start, I would not have got through this book without the support of my buddy reader and I really respect people who can do it alone (and enjoy it!) I'm proud we got through it and I'm certainly glad that I can honestly say that yes I have read War and Peace.

Have you ever read War and Peace? What was your reading experience and did you enjoy it?

I started reading this book on the 24th of January 2015 and finished it on the 10th of February 2016.
I gave this book 2 stars on Goodreads

Books I Read - January 2016

I just realised that we're part way through February and I haven't done a round up of the books I read in January!

I started off the year with quite a bang and I managed to read a whopping 12 books as well as continuing to read 20 pages a day of War and Peace (but that's a whole other blog that will be coming your way very soon)!

I read a really wide variety of books in January and it really kept me motivated to read the next book as I'm just picking up whatever I feel like reading at that moment instead of planning out in advance what I should be reading.

The books that I read in January are as follows

1. FullMetal Alchemist (3 in 1 Edition), Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa - 5 Stars
2. The Theseus Paradox by David Videcette -  5 Stars
3. After Anna by Alex Lake - 5 Stars
4. The Fall of Icarus by Ovid - 3 Stars
5. Pet- Friendly Francie Scores a Pooch by Kat E. Erikson - 5 Stars
6. Black Butler, Vol. 12 by Yana Toboso - 5 Stars
7. Black Butler, Vol. 13 by Yana Toboso - 5 Stars
8. Black Butler, Vol. 14 by Yana Toboso - 4 Stars
9. How to Survive a Sharknado and Other Unnatural Disasters by Andrew Shaffer- 5 Stars
10. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - 5 Stars
11. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - 5 Stars
12. Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 3 by Tsugumi Ohba - 4 Stars

Two of these books were ones I received for review and I have linked them to their reviews if you feel like going to check them out.

I'm looking forward to keeping up my reading momentum for as long as I can and having a productive February as I have a couple of books for review as well as taking part in a blog tour and having a go at Finish It Feb.

What have you been reading recently? Have you read any of the books that I read in January and if you have, what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Finish It Feb 2016

Hello! I'll start off by apologising for such a long gap between blogs. I got hit by the flu quite badly and I just haven't been up to much at all recently, but fingers crossed I'm finally getting my energy back to get stuff done and I can go back to my regular posts, I've a couple of reviews coming up and I'm part of an exciting blog tour in February.

Anyhoo, though as of yet I'm not participating in any specific challenges this year, I have decided to take part in Finish It Feb where you concentrate on finishing books you're half way through or finishing off series that you're part way through reading. It's being hosted by Faye over at A Daydreamer's Thoughts.

I do have a lot going on in February with reviews and blog tours etc but I am planning on trying to read some more books in series that I have started but haven't got through yet. I have a ridiculous amount of series that I have started and then I've been distracted by starting reading another series and I'd just like to at least get to the stage where I've read the books in the series that I own.

I feel this challenge will work well for me as I have a nice variety of books and genres to choose from so I should be able to match my reading mood without feeling restricted. I will be posting a picture of the books I have chosen to pick from for the month on my Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on Monday and I'll also update this blog with the list too at that time, so keep your eye out for all of those! At the end of February I'll do a wrap up of how I managed and if I got any completed.

I'm really looking forward to all the exciting things coming to my blog over the next couple of months and I really hope you enjoy them too.

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So the complete list that I have to choose from are:

Cress by Marissa Meyer
The Kill Order by James Dashner
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas
Clariel by Garth Nix
A Dance With Dragons: After the Feast by George R.R. Martin
I Am Dead by Gareth Wiles
Icon's Request by Gareth Wiles
A Matter of Dark by Gareth Wiles
Where the Birds Hide at Night by Gareth Wiles
Death Note: Black Edition, Vol. 4 by Tsugumi Ohba

As I said a nice varied selection to choose from! Here's hoping that I can get through a good chunk of them. I've linked each on to their Goodreads page so if you want to check any of them out you can do.

Pet-Friendly Francie Scores A Pooch - Kat E. Erikson

I was lucky enough to receive an e-book copy of Pet-Friendly Francie Scores A Pooch direct from the author Kat E. Erikson in exchange for an honest review.

I read a lot of children's books having two nerdlings and so I thought it would be really interesting to actually review one. I'll also be adding a mini blog at some time in the future with my 7 year old's own review of it which I think is going to be really fun.

The story follows Francie Waggit and her dad after they meet a stray dog at a 49ers game and they are giving Scrimmy (the dog) a trial period. There are a lot of fun hi-jinx throughout and all the characters are extremely loveable. As a parent I found the writing really easy to read both in my head and aloud, which I think is a great aspect of any children's book even if they are aimed at the slightly older child. There were also a lot of lessons which can be learnt throughout the book, which I will go into more detail in a moment,

I liked that the book covered things like the fact that Francie's mum was working abroad and so she had been away for around 4 months at the time of the book and how Francie and her dad dealt with her absence and the feelings about it, without going into too much depth. It also covers the fact that the family had to make sacrifices (renting out the top of the house) to be able to live the way that made them happy and do the things they wanted to do as well as working hard.

Pet-Friendly Francie as I said previously teaches a lot of lessons, there are the real knowledge lessons given by the teacher about dogs and wolves and their packs and then there are the life lessons. Francie shows kindness and love for all animals and humans (diversity is covered) and how it is good to be nice, even if it's to a bully as they might have their own problems. All of this is fantastic and covered in such a way that a child can understand and learn from it while it all being a very fun story to both tell and read,

I really enjoyed this book and I will be telling my other mum friends about it. My 7 year old loved it too and I'm going to let her write her own review when she's finished re reading it so you can see from a child's perspective what she picked up and what she thought of everything.

I started reading this on the 10th of January 2016 and finished it on the 12th of January 2016.
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

A non spoiler review of The Theseus Paradox by David Videcette and a GIVEAWAY! (now closed)

I was extremely lucky to receive an e-book copy of The Theseus Paradox direct from the author David Videcette in return for an honest review.

I said to keep your eyes peeled for something exciting this week and this is it, there is going to be a non spoiler review and then at the end there is going to be a chance to win a paperback copy of The Theseus Paradox direct from the author!

I'll start by saying I loved this book! It's fast paced, gritty and feels incredibly real. The tag line is "I can't tell you the truth, but I can tell you a story,,,"and what a story Videcette tells.

The main character is DI Jake Flannagan and we follow him and his team as they scramble to find out who was behind the 7/7 London bombings and what the reason was behind them. I think Jake is a very marmite character and you're either going to love him or hate him. I personally both loved him and hated him in equal measure. He's a great policeman but not such a great person and sometimes those lines blur and even full on disappear. Jake will shock you to the core and then shock you some more. His sidekick Lenny is a great policeman, a great friend and he adores his family. He is the perfect contrast to Jake to ensure it doesn't become too fraught with drama.

While reading this book, I had to remind myself at times that it was a story and not a biography or factual book of some kind as it's all very REAL. The police terminology used and all the places mentioned are all things that I know and recognise. I also think that because Videcette has the background of being a policeman, he knows how investigations work and what really happens behind the scenes so his descriptions of things bring you right in as if you were in the room.

When a book is so fast paced and brilliantly written, the ending can sometimes let them down, not in this case however as the ending was fantastic and shocking and just made so much sense! I would love to know just how much is truth and how much is fiction in this book, but on the other hand it may just be too terrifying to actually find out. I am thoroughly looking forward to continuing to follow this series as it comes out.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves crime novels and probably true crime as well.

I started reading this book on the 2nd of January 2016 and finished it on the 6th of January 2016.
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads,

Now onto the giveway! Below is a rafflecopter link with ways of getting entries into the competition to win a paperback copy of The Theseus Paradox. For my international readers, I do apologise that for this time, the winner can only be a UK resident, but keep an eye out for opportunities in the future.


a Rafflecopter giveaway
The following terms and conditions apply

- No purchase necessary
- Ends midnight (GMT) on Sunday 31st. Entries must be received by this time.
- Prize is one paperback copy of the new detective thriller "The Theseus Paradox" by David Videcette (RRP £14.99)
- UK residents only please (winner must have a valid UK-based postal address which is able to receive a paperback book via Royal Mail standard postal service)
- Prize draw excludes employees of the promoter, the sponsor, their families and anyone else professionally connected with this promotion.
- Winners will be notified within 28 days. Prize may be withdrawn if (i) winner does not posses a UK-postal address, (ii) winner is unreachable within the 28 day period or if )iii) prize is undelieverable
- Over 18s entrants only please (book contains adult content).

My Kind of Justice: How Far Would You Go For Justice - Col Bury

I was extremely lucky to receive an e-book copy of My Kind of Justice: How Far Would You Go For Justice direct from the author Col Bury through his publisher Caffeine Nights Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

My Kind of Justice is set in Manchester, which is a city in the North West of England and quite literally on my doorstep. I've spent a lot of time in Manchester over the years and so it was really good to be able to recognise a lot of the places and the accent and the dialogue was all really familiar to me. Most books I read are set in America or fantasy lands and books that are set in England are set in London or Scotland so I genuinely loved it having a local feel to it. It is however set on the "wrong side of the tracks" and is extremely gritty and full of course language which adds to the dark feel of the book.

The main character is called DI Jack Striker which is seriously one of the coolest police names I've come across so far. He just sounds badass before you even get to know him. He's a guy who has changed his life around from running with the wrong crowd as a teenager to making something of himself as a police officer as an adult. There is your usual rogues gallery of characters from the old time, say what you want policeman to your hard nosed, cold woman who got to the top not through hard work but other means and your new policeman who is willing to do anything to prove himself. Each one though is done extremely well and I grew to love Bardsley in particular. The only character that I really didn't think much of at all was DC Lauren Collinge, her personality just didn't come through in this book, though she may come into her own in future books.

The story revolves around catching the "Hoodie Hunter" who seems to be on some sort of vendetta against criminals with ASBOs and is killing them off, mixed into this is some sort of link to the past of Jack Striker. I don't want to go too much into detail as I don't want to give away spoilers, but the story is very well written and everything weaves together beautifully,

The only reason I'm not giving a full five stars to the book is due to some editing issues throughout the book, one bit in particular that stood out to me so much that I actually had to go back and check that I hadn't read something wrong.

Overall a great first book and I will be picking up the next books in the series when they come out, to follow the story of Jack Striker and his team members.

I started reading this book on the 27th of December 2015 and finished it on the 31st of December 2016.
I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

Ghost Light - LeeAnne Hansen

When I finished Yonder by LeeAnne Hansen, I definitely wanted to read more of her work and am excited for her next novel, so I was incredibly lucky in that LeeAnne sent me an e-book copy of her debut novel Ghost Light in exchange for an honest review.

Ghost Light starts off with a scene from a play and it really sets the tone for the rest of the book. I really felt it sucked you in and made you want to find out more about what the scene was foreshadowing. I also thought the scenes throughout the book really added to the atmosphere and mirrored the goings on in "real life", it was a story within a story.

The plot follows Fiona and a troupe of  stage actors,writers, directors in the 1920's and what happens when they receive a summons to an extremely remote village in Scotland. I really don't want to give away too much about the story as everyone needs to go out and read this book so you can find out yourself what happens.

Ghost Light has to be one of my absolute top books that I read in 2015, I've been thinking about it for days after I finished it as the story has really stuck with me. It is beautifully written and the haunting is subtle but poignant and with purpose. I did guess who the ghost was quite early on, but this took away absolutely nothing from the goings on and I did not know what was going to happen.

There is a love triangle which is done incredibly well as I was really routing against one of the leading men in Fiona's life, but by the end I was hoping against hope that she chose him. This surprised me as I normally choose who I like and then I stick with them through thick and thin, so to have my mind changed was a nice touch.

The atmosphere is thick throughout and you really feel that you are there in both time and space and I needed my blanket to curl up under it while reading it. I can honestly say I loved this book (I may have already said this more than once!) and I stayed up extra late on Christmas day just to finish it as I needed to find out how it ended.

Hopefully you can see the review through my gushing and that it makes you want to pick up Ghost Light so that you can let me know what you think.

I started reading this book on the 22nd of December 2015 and finished it on the 26th of December 2015.
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.