The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- The Christmas Murder Game

Author- Alexandra Benedict

Series- N/A

Published- 2021

Page Count- 353 pages

Publishing House- Bonnier Books

Genre- murder mystery, Christmas 

Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Author

A K Benedict read English at Cambridge and Creative Writing at the University of Sussex. She writes in a room filled with mannequins, clowns and teapots.

Her debut novel, The Beauty of Murder (Orion), was shortlisted for an eDunnit award and is in development for an 8-part TV series. Her second novel, Jonathan Dark or The Evidence of Ghosts (Orion), was published in February 2016 and The Stone House, a tie-in novel for Doctor Who spin-off Class, was published by BBC Books in October.

Taken from Alexandra's website. 

Plot

Follow the clues. Find the fortune. Solve the Mystery. This Christmas is to die for. Let the game begin...

'Endgame has kept our secrets for half a century, now it's time for it, and its secrets, to have a new owner.'

When Lily returns home to her aunt's manor house, she discovers that in order to inherit, she and her estranged cousins must stay together over the Christmas week and take part in a family tradition: the annual treasure hunt. But as they are drawn deeper into the game, the clues seem to point not to the deeds to the manor house, but to the key to a twenty-year-old mystery: what really happened to Lily's mother?

As a snowstorm cuts them off from the village, it becomes apparent that the game has turned deadly and that Lily is fighting for more than just an inheritance: she is now fighting for her life. Does she have what it takes to survive? 12 clues, 12 keys and 12 days of Christmas for the heirs of Endgame House to find their inheritance, but how many will die before Twelfth Night?

Taken from Goodreads

Opinions

I bought this on a whim at work because I wanted something festive to read as I really wasn't feeling festive. I had seen this on the shelf and thought it looked interesting. With hindsight, I wish I had read more reviews of it as I probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. 

I think the best way of summarising how I feel about this book is that I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I enjoyed it. It was easy and fun to read. I read it in a few days when I wasn't feeling well and was having to commute for work, so it was nice to have something to take my mind off everything. There were also some great descriptions, such as "she tutted like a pissed off clock", which really made me chuckle. I thought that was a great description. Without looking too closely at the plot or the writing, this was actually an okay book. I originally gave it 3.5/5 stars, but after some consideration I decided to deduct the half star as it didn't feel right.

Now let's get to the other hand. Let's start with the quality of the writing. It wasn't that good. The author seemed very fond of odd similes that didn't quite work. It was good that they were thinking out of the box with their description, but the similes were really odd and ended up detracting from the point. The plot was also kinda predictable. I figured out quite early on that Tom was the murderer because it's always someone close to the main character. He was just a bit too nice and obsessed with Lily. Then there was the incest between cousins (which I think is a thing), that didn't sit well with me. Lily was also kinda a dull protagonist. She just kept on doing stupid things that put her in danger. 

This book did have good LGBT+ rep, with gay and bisexual rep. It also called out biphobic people, which you don't often see. Overall, while this was a fun and easy read, I had a lot of problems with it and I wanted to write a quick review about it. 

This is my last blog post of 2021, which is crazy to think. But to whoever is reading this, thank you for reading my little blog. I've had a lot of fun creating content this year and can't wait to see what I create in 2022!

What did you think of the Christmas Murder Game??  

tick, tick...BOOM! Film Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Google Images

Title- tick, tick...BOOM!

Creators- Lin-Manuel Miranda and Steven Levenson 

Cast- Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry and Judith Light with an ensemble cast

Genre- biographical musical drama

Length- 2 hours

Platform- Netflix

Rating- 5/5 stars 

Plot

Tick, Tick... Boom! (also stylized as tick, tick... BOOM!) is a 2021 American biographical musical drama film directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda in his feature directorial debut. Written by Steven Levenson, it is based on the stage musical of the same name by Jonathan Larson. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Robin de Jesús, Alexandra Shipp, Joshua Henry, Judith Light, and Vanessa Hudgens.

Opinions  

tick, tick...BOOM! was a film I have wanted to watch for a while. I'm a big fan of Andrew Garfield, after his work on Angels in America (my favourite play) and I love Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda, so this was a must watch for me. I have watched the trailer more times than I care to admit, already impressed with Andrew Garfield's performance. I watched this shortly after it came out and I was blown away. An easy favourite for the year. 

Taken from Google Images

He's been praised so many times for his performance as Jonathan Larson, but Andrew Garfield was just incredible in the lead role. It was like it was created for him. I have seen Andrew Garfield in a lot of things, but this was easily one of his best performances. His singing was so good, and his acting was up to his usual standards. I believe he deserves some awards for his performance because he really knocked it out of the park. I would love to see him do some musical theatre roles after this as he would excel in them. 

When I say I have been listening to the soundtrack repeatedly after watching this film, I am not joking. In fact, I got the CD of the soundtrack for Christmas and I cannot wait to listen to it all the time. My favourite song would have to be Therapy because it's very clever and kinda manic. The whole cast are incredible. These songs have a way of getting stuck in your head. I have random lyrics rattling around my head. 

You can tell that so much love went into this film. Of course Lin-Manuel Miranda's directorial debut would be a film like this. It was a love letter to theatre and the great Jonathan Larson. I didn't know much about Jon before watching this film, other than he wrote Rent and he died young. This film radiates love from the writing, to the directing, to the performances, to basically everything. The cameo's throughout were amazing. The one from the late Stephen Sondheim was particularly touching. I also enjoyed Lin-Manuel Miranda's cameo, it was very well done. 

This film has made me miss live theatre a lot. It's been almost two years since I sat in a theatre and was engrossed in a play/musical. It highlighted everything I loved and a lot of feelings I've been feeling myself. I will be rewatching this over and over. Just a beautiful film. 

What did you think of tick, tick...BOOM!?  

The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- The Wolf Den

Author- Elodie Harper

Series- The Wolf Den trilogy

Published- 2021

Page Count- 451

Publishing House- Head of Zeus 

Genre- historical fiction, feminist

Rating- 4/5 stars 

Trigger warnings- sexual assault, violence and offensive language 

About the Author

Elodie Harper is a journalist and prize-winning short story writer. Her story 'Wild Swimming' won the 2016 Bazaar of Bad Dreams short story competition, which was judged by Stephen King.

She is currently a reporter at ITV News Anglia, and before that worked as a producer for Channel 4 News. Her job as a journalist has seen her join one of the most secretive wings of the Church of Scientology and cover the far right hip hop scene in Berlin, as well as crime reporting in Norfolk where her first two novels were set – The Binding Song and The Death Knock.

Elodie studied Latin poetry both in the original and in translation as part of her English Literature degree at Oxford, instilling a lifelong interest in the ancient world. The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels about the lives of women in ancient Pompeii.

Taken from Elodie's website.

Plot

Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den...

Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she despises. Sharp, clever and resourceful, Amara is forced to hide her talents. For as a she-wolf, her only value lies in the desire she can stir in others.

But Amara's spirit is far from broken.

By day, she walks the streets with her fellow she-wolves, finding comfort in the laughter and dreams they share. For the streets of Pompeii are alive with opportunity. Out here, even the lowest slave can secure a reversal in fortune. Amara has learnt that everything in this city has its price. But how much is her freedom going to cost her?

Set in Pompeii's lupanar, The Wolf Den reimagines the lives of women who have long been overlooked.

Taken from Goodreads.

Opinions  

I think this came out at the beginning of the year just as we went into Lockdown because I remember seeing it in the windows of bookshops and thinking it looked interesting. I was quite surprised by how quickly this came out in paperback as it can usually take 9-12 months for a book to come out in paperback. I bought a copy in Oxford during my birthday bookshop crawl in August. I am a big fan of historical fiction, I'd say it's one of my favourite genres. I tend to read a lot of Greek inspired historical fiction, so I was excited to read a Roman inspired one. 

At first, I struggled with the cast of characters. I did read this book while I had a bad head cold, so I found concentrating on all the names and remembering who was who a bit challenging. However, these characters grew on me. No one was good or bad. They were just people, trying to survive in the brutal world they found themselves in. The protagonist, Amara, did some questionable things at times, including hurting the people she loved, but it was so she could live to see another day. Felix, the manager of the brothel, was set up to be this horrible person, but when you learnt of his backstory, it was clear that he was just filling the role that had been given to them. Everyone had layers and I enjoyed how realistic they felt. They were a very strong set of characters, wonderfully crafted by Elodie Harper.

One of the things I wasn't the biggest fan of was how Amara seemed to bounce from man to man. It felt like by the end of things, she had too many love interests (which is completely the wrong word, but I can't find the one I'm looking for). It seemed that nearly important man she met fell in love with her. It's a trope that gets used a lot and is personally not a favourite. This was one of the few qualms I had with this book.

I felt that this book captured the brutality of the situation the characters found themselves in. Elodie Harper really didn't shy away from throwing everything she possibly could at her characters. They went through so much. The two character deaths of Cressa and Dido were gut wrenching. Especially as Dido's came so soon after Cressa's. I think saying I liked how brutal this book was is the wrong way of phrasing it, but the honesty and brutality throughout this book kept you hooked. I had to know if the characters were okay. Yes, it did take me ten days to read this book because of how busy I was, but I made time to read it because I cared about these characters.

This is the first book in a trilogy and I am now impatiently waiting for the other two books to come out in paperback so I can inhale them. I love historical fiction with strong female characters, so this ticked all my boxes.  

What did you think of the Wolf Den??

The Outlaws TV Show Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Google

Title- The Outlaws

Creators- Stephen Merchant and Elgin James

Cast- Christopher Walken, Stephen Merchant, Rhianne Barreto, Gamba Cole, Clare Perkins, Darren Boyd and Eleanor Tomlinson with an ensemble cast 

Genre- comedy, crime, thriller

Length- 6 episodes

Platform- BBC iPlayer

Rating- 5/5 stars

Plot

The story follows seven strangers from different walks of life forced together to complete a Community Payback sentence in Bristol. However, their luck changes when they discover a bag full of money, unaware that some dangerous people are looking for it.

Taken from Wikipedia

Opinions

The Outlaws had been on my radar for a while for a number of reasons, but one of the top reasons was that it was set in Bristol, which is where I went to university. After spending most of my final year at home, it was so nice to see Bristol on the screen. Another reason was that I had seen some interviews with show creator Stephen Merchant and it just looked like a good show. I wasn't wrong. This was a funny, entertaining show from beginning till end. That doesn't mean it didn't tackle some series issues, such as racism, family dynamics and societal expectations. The Outlaws was a well rounded show that balanced the comedy and crime/thriller tones brilliantly. 

Probably one of my favourite parts of this show as the friendship between Greg (Stephen Merchant) and Gabby (Eleanor Tomlinson). It was one of those unlikely friendships that just worked. They complimented and supported each other so well. I would happily watch a spin off about the two of them going on a holiday or a day trip together as it would be brilliant. They had each other's back when it mattered, even if they did have arguments. We love to see friends that support each other. I hope we get to see more of their relationship in series two. 

Another brilliant thing about this show was how it subverted the stereotypes in the main characters. The main seven characters were incredible, they worked so well together as an unlikely group of characters. Similar to the friendship between Greg and Gabby, John (Darren Boyd) and Myrna (Clare Perkins) had a strong relationship that took time to develop. They clashed for so long and then suddenly they realised that they could be friends. When they stood up to Christian (the real Christian) at the end, it was a very touching moment. I hope they continue to subvert the stereotypes as it was refreshing to see some of the topics and ways they handled it. 

I think it goes without saying that I am very excited for series two. I want to find out what happens to Ben (Gamba Cole) and who this mysterious Dean is, played by Claes Bang. I have a feeling series two might be the last one as if they tried to extend it too much, this show would loose it's charm. I would like to see it go out with a bang and have a great ending. The writing, directing, performances and setting were fantastic. An easy favourite of the year as my family and I flew through it. 

What did you think of The Outlaws?? Are you excited for series two??

 

Once Upon a Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Asha's twitter

Title- Once Upon a Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology

Author- edited by H.L Macfarlane

Series- N/A

Published- 2021

Page Count- 369 pages

Publishing House- Macfarlane Lantern Publishing 

Genre- anthology, short stories 

Rating- 3/5 stars

About the Antholgy

A list of stories and contributors to the anthology:

The Biting Cold by Josie Jaffrey
The Match Girl by Rebecca F. Kenney
Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bharat Krishnan
A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart
The Snowdrop by H. L. Macfarlane
Silverfoot’s Edge by Ella T. Holmes
The Storm Hags by Caroline Logan
The Boggart of Boggart Hole Clough by Jake Curran-Pipe
Around the Hawthorne Tree by Jenna Smithwick
The Best Girl this Side of Winter by Laila Amado
The Snow Trolls by S. Markem
Lord of the Forest by Katherine Shaw
Queen of the Snows by Joyce Reynolds-Ward
Long Meg and the Sorcerer’s Stones by M. J. Weatherall
The Frost of Mercy by A. J. Van Belle
Wintercast by R. A. Gerritse
You Can’t See Me by Kate Longstone

Taken from Amazon

Plot

Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Under the blanket of night they were exchanged between children, and passed on to their children, and their children after them. Details were altered from one generation to the next until thousands of tales existed where once there were few.

In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Winter, a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 17 authors across the globe. It covers the Gothic, the romantic, the whimsical, the frightening and everything in-between, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.

The first of four planned seasonal anthologies from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Winter is sure to have a story for just about everyone. Grab your copy in time for Christmas today!

Taken from Amazon

Opinions

I'd like to start this blog post by thanking the team at Story Origin for sending me a digital proof ahead of publication to read. They were a really nice team to work with and it was easy to apply to receive a copy. As a small blogger/content creator, it can be hard to get to this stage with a company, so it was lovely working with them.

I found this anthology through Twitter, after seeing someone I follow rave about it. I don't normally read anthologies or short story collections, but this sounded like something I would enjoy. There was mentions of fantasy and queer characters, which are two things I enjoy reading about. One of the big things going for this collection was the wide range of stories featured in it. From how the authors approached the theme, to the age range of the intended audience, I felt that there was something for everyone. They all felt like very original takes on the fairy tales included. I particularly enjoyed the environmental theme throughout this anthology. It felt very relevant at the moment. 

My favourite story in the collection, without a shadow of a doubt, was A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart. I liked the mythology of the world, the characters and just the story in general. It really stood out to me within the collection.  I would actually like to read more about this particular world as I could see these characters having a lot of fun going off on different adventures. I would also be interested in reading more of Adie's work. It was a fun, light hearted, feminist and queer story. So it ticked all my boxes. 

Personally, I struggled to connect with most of the stories in this collection. There was so much potential, but it often felt rushed or lacking in world building. At 369 pages, this is a very long anthology. I read it during a very busy period of my life, and I thought it would be something I could easily dip in and out off, but it took me almost two weeks to read it. While there was a wide range of stories, I think it could have done with a bit of tailoring as at times it felt like the target audience was adults, then YA and then for children. All the jumping around made it hard to follow. I can see why people have enjoyed it, but I think it just wasn't for me in the end. 

   

What did you think of Once Upon a Winter??

My December Posting Schedule| CarenzaOnBooks

Today's post is another quick update about what to expect from me in December when it comes to content creation. I feel I need to make this post because of how busy I'm going to be in December and I want to make sure that I don't vanish from social media. So let's get into it!

The short answer is that in December you can expect less content from me. Having completed my first three weeks at work and it's already quite busy, I have a feeling December is going to be even more busy than these past weeks. So rather than put a lot of pressure to continue at my normal rate of content creation, I've decided that it's better for me to take a little step back. It gives me a chance to still create content and give myself a break on my days off. 

Here are my plans for each platform I currently post on. On here I'm going to go to one post on Monday's. They're probably going to be mostly reviews as I have a lot of proofs to read and post reviews for. I am going to try and create at least one Christmas themed post. On Instagram, photos will be on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's, while reels will just be on Sunday's. Finally on Twitter, I'm going to go to three tweets a day as I'm currently alternating between 3 and 5 a day. I'll still be active on my stories on Instagram and I'm going to try to get back on top of my Goodreads reviews. 

I'm hoping to be back to normal content creation in the New Year and will update you guys then. I'm excited to still be able to make content, but make sure I have time to rest and read during this chaotic month.   

That's It, I'm Going on a Book Buying Ban| CarenzaOnBooks

Today's post is a small post about why I am going on a book buying ban and to make it actually official. As of this post going live, I am going to go on a book buying ban until I have made a significant dent on my TBR. I fully intend to stick to it this time. The only exceptions to this rule are for new books in series I'm already reading, so I can continue them, and special editions I'm worried I'll miss out on. Even then, I am going to be super strict about this list. 

The reason I am going on a book buying ban is because I have reached maximum capacity for my TBR books. I have almost 200 on my Goodreads list, which is more than enough to keep me busy for the foreseeable future. From 2017 till the start of the pandemic, I actually had a very strong control on my book buying habits. I was at uni and a student, so I had limited resources to buy books. However, since the pandemic started, that restraint went out of the window. I don't regret my decisions because these books have provided me with so much joy during a terrible time, but now it's time to stop. 

By writing this post, it's something I have to hold myself accountable for. It will make sure I actually stick to this book buying ban. And it's not like I'm short of books to read. I have plenty to keep me busy, probably enough to read for the entirety of 2022, seeing as my average is around 80 books a year. I also think that by having this ban, it will encourage me to tackle my backlog so I can then make space for the new books in the future. My TBR piles around my bedroom are getting out of control and it's time to tame them. I want a collection of books I've read, so I can go, look at all the books I've read and loved! 

So this was just a small post to say it's time for my book buying ban to begin. I will resist temptation, especially from work as I'm surrounded by books all day. So if you follow me on other social media platforms and you see me talking about books I've bought, you have my permission to shout at me because I need it.  

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Title- Detransition, Baby

Author- Torrey Peters

Series- N/A 

Published- 2021

Page Count- 340 pages

Publishing House- Serpent's Tail

Genre- feminist, LGBTQIA+, contemporary

Rating- 3.5/5 stars

About the Author

Torrey Peters is the author of the novel Detransition, Baby, published by One World/Random House, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She is also the authors of the novellas Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones and The Masker. She has an MFA from the University of Iowa and a Masters in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth. Torrey rides a pink motorcycle and splits her time between Brooklyn and an off-grid cabin in Vermont.

Taken from Torrey's website. 

Plot

A whipsmart debut about three women—transgender and cisgender—whose lives collide after an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront their deepest desires around gender, motherhood, and sex.

Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.

Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?

This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel. 

Taken from Goodreads.

Opinions 

I borrowed this from my local library after stumbling across a copy while looking for something else. I had wanted to read this after seeing it was nominated for the Women's Fiction Prize, which some people challenged as Torrey is a trans author. Having read it, I can say that I believe it deserved to be nominated as it tackled important issues for women and was written by a woman. I felt that this had a strong start, I was immediately hooked in and wanted to find out what happened next. 

The premise was very strong. The discussions around what it is to be a mother or a parent in the modern age was interesting. I liked that we had three very different perspectives on womanhood from three people who experienced it differently. I felt that bouncing between Ames and Reese's perspectives helped with what the other was saying. I would have liked a bit more insight into Katrina's perspective as it wasn't always easy to connect or sympathise with her. We got to see what Ames and Reese were thinking, where as we didn't with Katrina. I think it would have added something to the story.

I loved the three main characters. They felt so real, raw and chaotic. Reese in particular, with some of the decisions she made, felt like someone you will probably meet at some point in your life. Her emotions and life were always all over the place. Even though we are told she had everything, we got to see that she didn't and that she was just human. I think I enjoyed reading from Ames/Amy the most. He felt grounded in reality, with all the different stages in his life. His journey from when he transitioned to Amy and then back to Ames was an interesting one. I personally like reading about flawed characters with engaging backstories and I certainly got this with this book.

I didn't like the ending. I found it too rushed and it wasn't quite what I wanted from this book. We've spent all this time reading about these people becoming ready to be parents, only for it not to happen. I would have loved to see them form a queer family and raise this child. We spent so much time reading about them wanting to be parents, all those decisions and then Katrina's choice to have an abortion, kinda came out of nowhere. I felt let down by the ending, as otherwise I would have given this 4 stars.

A small qualm I had with this book was that I found the chapters too long. I would have preferred shorter chapters, especially as they were covering quite large amounts of time. I'm someone who likes to read to the end of the chapter and then finish my reading sessions, but the longer chapters in this made it difficult. This is a personal preference, but did impact my reading experience.   

 

What did you think of Detransition, Baby??

What We Do in the Shadows Series Three TV Show Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Google Images 

Title- What We Do in the Shadows 

Creators- Jemaine Clement (based on the 2014 film of the same name)

Cast- Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen and Mark Proksch

Genre- mockumentary, sitcom 

Length- 10 episodes, three series 

Platform- BBC iPlayer (UK)

Rating- 4/5 stars  

Plot

Set in Staten Island, What We Do in the Shadows follows the lives of three traditional vampires, Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja; Colin Robinson, an energy vampire; and Guillermo, Nandor's familiar. The series revolves around the centuries-old vampires interacting with the modern world and other supernatural beings.

Taken from Wikipedia

Opinions

Taken from Google Images

After adoring the first two series, I was desperate to watch this series. There was quite a long gap between them, partly because of the pandemic and partly because the UK gets a delayed release date. I believe this series started in like August-September in the US, but only came out earlier this month in the UK. I watched in about three sittings because it was so fun and I needed to know what crazy things these guys would get up to this time. 

Taken from Google Images

I feel like this series they really went all out, especially with the storylines and comedy. It's been a while since I watched them, I haven't seen the first series since 2019 and the second one since September 2020. I remember them being good, but this one felt different. It feels much more established and easier to connect with the characters. My favourite character would have to be Nadja because she just gets stuff done and bosses the men around, which is great. The plot line with her and Gail was so funny. I also really liked Guillermo this series, he's grown so much as a character compared to the others and feels well developed. I'd love an episode just focusing around him and his non-vampire related life as I think that would be great. 

Taken from Google Images

Probably my favourite set of stories from this series was Nandor's storyline. I did not expect him to go down the path he did. I liked how they tackled mental health and made it link to the vampires, but also got the balance between funny and series right. I think the other characters reactions were great. Nandor just wanted to find love, but it kept going wrong for him. He had the strongest and most engaging storylines this series as we got to see some personal growth.  

Taken from Google Images

Sadly, I already knew about the big twist for this series, which was that Colin Robinson died towards the end. I had accidentally seen a spoiler that he died, which was sad. However, I did not expect that he'd come back as this weird baby thing, that scared me when it sort of jumped out of the crib. Colin is a character that you love to hate and hate to love, so it was shocking when he died so quickly.

I am so excited to see what happens in series four, which has already been confirmed. My theories so far are that Lazlo is going to be looking after the weird Colin Robinson baby, Nadja and Guillermo are going to have a great time in London and bond, while Nandor is going to somehow end up stuck in New York. I just wish that series four was already out as I am desperate to see it, just like I was with this one. I know it's going to be brilliant.

A Little Life Update| CarenzaOnBooks

Today's post is a bit different from normal, because I wanted to do a very little life update. I have some very exciting news to share. This is a post about jobs and the future, content creation, and just a little catch up.

So the big news is that I am currently working as a Christmas Bookseller at my local Waterstones! This is a temporary position, but I couldn't be happier working here. After applying for jobs for 5 months, on my 25th application, I got lucky. I'll be working at Waterstones for the next few weeks during the Christmas period. I've had my first day as I'm writing this and honestly, I can't wait to go back and be surrounded by books again.

As I'm now working, I have less time to create content. Which leads me onto my next point. I might have to change my schedule across my three main platforms. I currently post on Instagram 5 times a week, with daily stories. I tweet every day and I'm writing two blog posts a week. As I get busier in December, I'm planning on going to one or two posts a week on here. I might also go to one reel a week as filming more than that (especially in winter with limited day light) is going to be a challenge. So, if my content schedule changes, that's why.

This is just a little post to say that I'm working as a bookseller (and loving every second) and that things might change. My priorities will be work, reading and then content creation as if I'm not reading, I can't do my job or create content. But, I am one happy bookworm. There's now a million books to add to my TBR. Working in Waterstones has been a dream of mine and I can't believe it's actually happened.   

Why I've Decided to Use a TBR Jar| CarenzaOnBooks

In October, I decided to make myself a TBR jar with almost all the books on my TBR in the jar. At the time of writing this, I have 98 books on my main TBR shelves. This does not include the books I want to borrow from my family, my miscellaneous books and releases/books for review. Basically, I have a lot of books on my TBR and I want to start to tackle them. This post is about why I've decided to use one to help me do that. 

How Did I Make My TBR Jar?

I started by writing out the almost 100 books I have on my main TBR on pieces of paper. I then cut them up and sorted them into three categories. These categories are green (books I want to read in the next month/couple of months), orange (books I want to read within the next six months) and red (books I'm not too fussy about when I get to them). Once I had them sorted into these three categories, I put them in my jar, ready to pick my November TBR.

So, Why Did I Make a TBR Jar?

The short answer was to help me get to the books I will still have on my TBR in a year or two's time. These are the ones I've had for the longest and are starting to gather dust. Most of these are classics or sci-fi/dystopian as they tend to be the books I gravitate towards the least. I want to make sure I do actually read them at some point. My plan is to pick one of each colour every month so then I can have a range of books to read.

So for November by green book was the Loki comic I got for my birthday, my orange book was The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper and my red book was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnet. I also have some books I need to read for review and a couple of library books, which is why my use of the TBR jar was so small. 

Without a TBR jar, I would probably continue to avoid reading certain books as I have others I'd rather read. This will help me to make sure I do read them and that I can expand my reading beyond my comfort zone of fantasy and historical fiction. There's also something fun about having no idea what books I'm going to read each month. 

So this is a short post about why I'm going to be using a TBR jar to tackle my ever growing TBR pile. I'll probably do an update about it in the future.

Do you use a TBR jar??  

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton Book Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

 

Title- The Devil and the Dark Water

Author- Stuart Turton

Series- N/A

Published- 2020

Page Count- 548 pages (UK paperback)

Publishing House- Sourcebooks Landmark

Genre- murder mystery, supernatural, crime and detective

Rating-4/5 stars

About the Author

Stuart lives in London with his amazing wife and daughter. He drinks lots of tea. What else?

​When he left university he went travelling for three months and stayed away for five years. Every time his parents asked when he’d be back he told them next week, and meant it. Stuart is not to be trusted. In the nicest possible way. He’s got a degree in English and Philosophy, which makes him excellent at arguing and terrible at choosing degrees.

Having trained for no particular career, he has dabbled in most of them. He stocked shelves in a Darwin bookshop, taught English in Shanghai, worked for a technology magazine in London, wrote travel articles in Dubai, and now he’s a freelance journalist. None of this was planned, he just kept getting lost on his way to other places.

He likes a chat. He likes books. He likes people who write books and people who read books. He doesn’t know how to write a biography, so should probably stop before he tells you about his dreams or something. It was lovely to meet you, though. Stuart's debut novel is called The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the UK and The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in the US. They're the same book. Don't fret.

Taken from Goodreads.

Plot

A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent. But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel. Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes? With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

The breathtaking new novel from Stuart Turton, author of the The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award.

Also taken from Goodreads.

Opinions 

In 2018, I was trying to find a copy of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I stumbled across the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle instead. I realised it was not the same book, but the blurb intrigued me, so I bought it. I read it and I knew that this was an author I wanted to read from again. Stuart Turton is a very clever writer. He crafts these clever mysteries that feel fresh and unique. I'd highly recommend reading his first book as it's an incredibly good mystery. So when I saw he had written another book, I patiently waited for it to come out in paperback. I thought this was as good, if not better than his first book.

I just kept on wanting to read more. There were so many layers to this mystery that it kept you hooked from beginning to end. You had to know if each mystery was connected and what lay around the corner for these characters. I read it in 8 days, some days I would easily read almost 100 pages, where as others I would read a chapter or two. I think for a book of this size and complexity, I'm happy with how quick I read it. It's always a good sign to me if you want to read more and have that "one more chapter" mentality with a book. 

I adored the enclosed setting of this book. Aside from action at the very beginning and end, this mostly took place on a ship. That really added to the mystery and creepy elements of this book. The ship was the perfect location for a mystery like this as while it had limited places for the action to take place, there was also enough variation in the settings. You really felt trapped alongside those characters and that danger was lurking near by. Some of the action, such as the leper appearing outside Sara's cabin, was so good because until it was revealed how it was done, you genuinely couldn't figure it out as a reader. 

Speaking of the characters, I really liked Sara and Arent. Let's talk about Arent first. He was definitely the John Watson to Sammy Pipps' Sherlock Holmes. Yet he also felt like his own character. Like Turton's mysteries, his characters also have layers. The backstory of Arent's father and his time as a soldier really added to his character. He also felt real because he was balanced in believing in his own abilities and experiencing periods of doubt. I also really liked Sara. She was a strong, practical woman, but she was also a realist. In a time when a woman's role was to raise children and do her duties to the family, she had just enough spark to feel bright, but also knew when to be sensible and look out for herself and her daughter. She always put her daughter's interests first, even if that meant having to encourage her to hide her intelligence. Sara and Arent compliment each other nicely, making for an excellent detective duo. Their romance was a bit rushed, but as they worked well and seemed to care for each other, I didn't mind as much.     

Probably the main reason I didn't give this book five stars was that I didn't really like the ending. I had personally been holding out for a big supernatural reason as to why these terrible things had been happening and in the end it came back to the people on the ship. The reveal that Sara's best friend killed her husband because she was one of the wronged people from the witch hunter past was okay. What I didn't like was that Sammy was actually her brother. He was a very interesting figure as a detective, but to learn that he had done all of that so he could get back at someone didn't sit right with me. I did like the idea of them going off and righting more wrongs as a little team. But the overall reveal as to why all these things happened and so many people died didn't blow me away. I just wanted something a bit spookier and I didn't quite get those vibes. 

I am very excited to see what Stuart Turton will write next as he just keeps on bouncing from strength to strength and having such interesting ideas. I wasn't a big murder mystery fan before this, but if there are more mysteries to read like this, then I will be reading them. He has become an auto-buy author for me.  

What did you think of The Devil and the Dark Water??

What I've Been Reading Recently- Winter Edition 2021

2021 really has flown by and suddenly we're into the final two months of the year. This means it's time for my "what I've been reading recently this autumn" post. Across September and October, I read 14 books. This was a step down from my summer reading, but I'm still happy with what I've been reading. Here's to hoping the end of 2021 will be as good as the last few months as I'm well on my way to hitting my Goodreads challenge.  

September 

In September I read 6 books, two of which were rereads. September ended up being kinda of a busy month as I went on a mini-holiday with my family, which meant I didn't have much time to read. 

The Foundling by Stacey Halls 

My first read of September was a book I was excited to read and had been leftover from my August TBR. You might have seen in my last what I've been reading recently post, that I loved The Familiars by Stacey Halls. So much so that I immediately bought her second book to read. Sadly, I didn't end up enjoying this one as much. I really didn't like one of the characters and struggled to connect with the story. I have a full spoiler filled review, which you can read here. I gave it 3/5 stars. 

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This book had some of the most beautiful writing I have ever written. SMG has become someone I am dying to read from again. Thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the story and the setting. My only qualm with this book is that the main character could be a bit annoying and repetitive at times. I will be making my way through her other books as that was just some of the best writing I have ever read. I gave it 4/5 stars.

  

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

The first book I reread this month. After really enjoying the TV show adaptation, I have been giving the books a second chance. I wasn't wowed by the SoC duology when I first read it in 2019, but I'm happy to say I enjoyed it a lot more this time. It still didn't quite live up to the hype for me, but you can really see the improvement in the quality of writing and characters. I cared a lot more this time, perhaps because I knew what was going to happen at certain points. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

My other reread was the other half of this duology. Again, this book grew on me with this reread. I can see why it's so beloved. I am interested as to why it's getting a sequel, as I felt the ending was strong. It would take away from some of that mystery. I'm now interested in reading the Nikolai duology, which I'm finally going to read at some point. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Autumn by Ali Smith

I have wanted to read this series for a while and am so happy that I've started this. At first, I wasn't sure about it, but I ended up really enjoying it. I liked the intertwining storyline. I liked the themes being discussed and how Ali Smith approached them. It was a nice, short and easy book to read. I am looking forward to continuing this series throughout the year. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

My final read of September was the prequel to The Hate U Give. I was looking forward to this as Angie Thomas is such a good writer, however this ended up being my least favourite of her books. I found Maverick a hard character to connect with and this didn't add much to what I already knew from THUG. It was an important story to tell, but just didn't have the same emotional punch as THUG. I gave it 3/5 stars. 

October

During October, I participated in Spoopathon, a month long readathon for Halloween. This really helped me stay motivated with my reading and I managed to read 8 books this month. Most of them were for Spoopathon, but I did fit in three non-Spoopathon books. 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

I decided to join the new local book club in my town and the pick for October was this. It's a translated fiction book and I did not like it. I didn't like the characters, I found them too similar and whiny. I didn't like the story. I just didn't like it. I don't think I'm the target demographic for this book, especially as I'm the youngest in the club by 10-15 years. I would not recommend this book. I gave it 2/5 stars.  

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

On the other hand, I would highly recommend this book. I read this in one sitting and I adored it. It has such a sweet message at it's core. The artwork is beautiful. It's one of the most heartwarming books I've ever read and I wish I could read it for the first time again. I loved it. An easy 5/5 stars from me. 

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

This book was so hyped and beloved, that I had wanted to read it for a few months. In short, this book just wasn't for me. While I liked the characters, I didn't like the story or the writing. I think this is a case of a celebrity getting to write a book. This was a murder mystery and I still don't know who committed which crimes. I won't be continuing with this series and I'm going to give my copy away. You can read my full spoiler filled review here. I gave it 3/5 stars. 

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

I adored Stuart's other book, the Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, so I was excited to read this as it was finally out in paperback. This did not disappoint. This was another clever murder mystery. I liked the characters and I loved the confined setting of the ship. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, but aside from that, I had a great time with this book. I cannot wait to see what Stuart Turton writes next. I gave it 4/5 stars.

Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw

This book had a very rocky start, which meant I leant towards giving it 3 stars for most of my time reading it. However, it grew on me. I liked Mina as a character, she felt realistic. I wasn't convinced by the instalove storyline. Overall, this was quite a fun and easy read. I do plan on reading the sequel when it comes out next year. I gave it 3.5/5 stars.

Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

This was probably one of the most disappointing books I have read. I went in expecting spookiness and witches and I did not get that. I didn't like the characters or the story. This reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing, which was another book I didn't like. I will not be keeping my copy as I was just so disappointed by it. I gave it 3/5 stars.

Mouseguard: Autumn 1152 by David Petersen

If you are looking for a fun, fantasy graphic novel with mice in it, then I'd recommend this. I liked the world building and the premise of this. I also really enjoyed the artwork. I struggled with working out which character was which at times as some of the mice looked similar and you could only tell by the colour of their cloak, which they wouldn't always wear. I am interested in continuing this series as it was entertaining. Kinda like a mice version of Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. I gave it 3/5 stars.

The Places in Between by Rory Stewart

The final book I read in October was the November book club book. This was a non-fiction book about a guy walking across Afghanistan in 2002. I don't read much travel writing, it isn't a genre I naturally gravitate towards. I found Rory a difficult narrator to connect to. A lot of what happened became quite repetitive. The only thing I really liked about this book was the parts featuring the dog he adopted along the way as I wanted to know if it was okay. I gave it 3/5 stars. 

So those conclude my reads for autumn 2021. What books did you manage to read this autumn??