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??