I had considered leaving this until next week, but at the rate I am reading the post would have been far too long! Since the last Reading Roundup, I have read some really fabulous books, thanks to our local library service’s ebook and print book collections.

Last Breath by Karin Slaughter

My first book of the week was an ebook prequel to Karin Slaughter’s The Good Daughter called Last Breath. This is the blurb:

Protecting someone always comes at a cost.

At the age of thirteen, Charlie Quinn’s childhood came to an abrupt and devastating end. Two men, with a grudge against her lawyer father, broke into her home – and after that shocking night, Charlie’s world was never the same.

Now a lawyer herself, Charlie has made it her mission to defend those with no one else to turn to. So when Flora Faulkner, a motherless teen, begs for help, Charlie is reminded of her own past, and is powerless to say no.

But honour-student Flora is in far deeper trouble than Charlie could ever have anticipated. Soon she must ask herself: How far should she go to protect her client? And can she truly believe everything she is being told?

This was a very quick read and here is my four star review from Goodreads:

I had just finished The Good Daughter when I found this as an ebook. It was a quick and enjoyable read and gave more insight into some of the characters in the main book. I think it was really meant as a kind of taster for the main course, but I am glad that I read them this way round.

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

The second book of the week was a library request: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff. I had found the sequel, Godsgrave, on the ebook catalogue first so then decided that I should really read the books in order. I am so glad that I found this series!

Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.

Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.

But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.

The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.

The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.

Here is my response (I wish I could have given the book 4.5 stars!):

I have never read anything by Kristoff before, but I will now hunt out his other books at the library. In fact, I had already found part two of this series as an ebook and requested this book so that I could read it first. Having had a quick glance through the reviews, I can see that this is a marmite book! One star reviews followed by the full five stars. Well, it fell just short of five for me. The plot was great, the characters varied and interesting, the writing somewhat overblown, but I loved it as I am all about stories and Kristoff certainly weaves a great story here.

Oh, and as a former school librarian I don’t think I would categorise this as YA. Coming of age stories aren’t necessarily aimed at the young and I think this is for an adult reader. Just the thought of a Year 11, or younger, student asking me my opinion on the taste of…… well, I won’t go any further with that thought!

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

After reading this, I devoured the sequel in one go on Christmas Day! Here is the blurb for Jay Kristoff’s Godsgrave:

Assassin Mia Corvere has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry think she’s far from earned it. Plying her bloody trade in a backwater of the Republic, she’s no closer to ending Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo, or avenging her familia. And after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.

When it’s announced that Scaeva and Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself to a gladiatorial collegium for a chance to finally end them. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold within the collegium walls, and the body count rises, Mia will be forced to choose between loyalty and revenge, and uncover a secret that could change the very face of her world.

I just had to give this five stars and tag it as a “favourite”:

Picture me sitting in bed, on Christmas Day, with my face twisted in a mixture of shock, amazement, admiration, shock and more shock. No, I am not talking about presents, or food or booze or Elf on a bloody Shelf, but this incredible book. I loved the first book in the series, Nevernight, but Godsgrave surpasses it. How can a writer do this? To pull you into a world with characters and a plot like this? I am incoherent and cannot write a review for toffee.

And this writer loves books and libraries and, perhaps, librarians. What more could you ask!

This book helped to rescue me from an unpleasant Christmas Day (ASD and special days or events often don’t mix well). I now cannot wait for the sequel!

As you can see from the above review, Kristoff makes a great deal of libraries, librarians and books in his two novels. I don’t care if he is sucking up to our profession and when he makes a statement like this one… well, I totally agree:

I hope to write the next Reading Roundup next Wednesday, if all goes well. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2018!

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