The First Day of Spring by Nancy Tucker

Synopsis:

Chrissie is eight and she has a secret: she has just killed a boy. The feeling made her belly fizz like soda pop. Her playmates are tearful and their mothers are terrified, keeping them locked indoors. But Chrissie rules the roost -- she's the best at wall-walking, she knows how to get free candy, and now she has a feeling of power that she never gets at home, where food is scarce and attention scarcer.

Twenty years later, adult Chrissie is living in hiding under a changed name. A single mother, all she wants is for her daughter to have the childhood she herself was denied. That's why the threatening phone calls are so terrifying. People are looking for them, the past is catching up, and Chrissie fears losing the only thing in this world she cares about, her child.

Review:

The synopsis for this book makes you want to hate Chrissie. She sounds awful, like she knows exactly what she’s doing. I to be fair I felt like hating her myself – bossy, unruly, not a care in the world, a bully to her best friend and others and the list could go on. Just not a nice child – and to top it all off she kills a three year old boy Steven – and it makes her feel powerful.

And then you get introduced to Julia – grown woman with a little girl called Molly – and absolutely terrified of losing her. When she starts getting phone calls and Molly gets hurt and social worker arranges an appointment, Julia panics and leaves for her hometown, where her mother moved back to whilst she was in a children’s home (instead of prison).

The book alternates the story of eight year old Chrissie and those parts are written in a simpler language that Chrissie would use at that age – it’s a clever way to make the story more authentic. So we find out more about her life as a small child, while adult Julia visits her old home town and decides what to do next.

I can’t hate her – I have a lot of sympathy for her. When her childhood is revealed along with her understanding of life, death, role of a mother and father and everything that shapes a person at that age – how could you not sympathise. It’s a controversial feeling, but the more I knew about little Chrissie the more I wanted to give her a hug and hope that as Julia, she will be ok. Julia is clearly good mum, giving her little girl everything, whilst not asking anything in return, even love.

I am so glad to have read this. It’s thought-provoking, difficult, and definitely a book that will stay with me for a while.

Thank you to TBConFB for this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Redemption by Jack Jordan

Synopsis:

Aaron Alexander has just been released from jail after serving eleven years for causing the death of Joshua Moore in a hit-and-run. Now a free man, all he wants to do is stay on the straight and narrow and leave his troubled past behind him.

But for Joshua’s mother Evelyn, eleven years in jail isn’t nearly enough. Consumed by grief and rage, she has been waiting for Aaron’s release, counting down the days until she can exact the revenge he deserves. And now that time has come.

However, as Evelyn and her husband Tobias embark on a road trip to track Aaron down, they soon find themselves caught on two different sides of a gripping game of cat-and-mouse. Because Tobias knows what Evelyn is planning, and he will do anything to save her from herself. Even if it means protecting the man who killed their son.

Locked in a collision course set in motion eleven years ago, Aaron, Evelyn and Tobias are about to find out whether the road they have chosen leads to retribution . . . or redemption.

Review:

Aaron has just been released form prison after serving 11 years for a hit and run incident that killed a boy named Joshua Moore. 11 years that Evelyn Moore, Joshua’s mother, spent planning his murder and 11 years that Tobias Moore, Joshua’s father, spent looking for the wife he loved in the woman he lives with, never losing hope.

Aaron just wants to stay of the radar and get on with his life, he is clean of drugs, has a job and flat above a shop and a rekindled relationship from the past. But with Evelyn determined and ready to strike, he has no hope of a quiet life.

Tobias knows that if Evelyn gets her wish and kills Aaron, he will lose his wife forever. As Evelyn sets off to finally serve her justice and leaving destruction in her path, Tobias sets off to stop her and help the one man, he never wanted to meet.

This is a proper cat and mouse book. Aaron and Tobias are very likable characters and I really enjoyed the relationship they create out of desperation and fear. Tobias is a kind man, that sees when a person never had a chance of normal life and where innocence still exists. Evelyn on the other hand is awful, unlikable and to me unrealistic. It was all too much – all the things she did to other, to herself and still carried on – I just felt it was too far-fetched.

I liked the writing style, the pace of the story, the surroundings and I would happily read another book by this author. It was a proper, grown-up story of grief and revenge.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 4/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

 

The Day the Earth Turned Book Four: Spring by Chantelle Atkins

Synopsis:

The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed. As Mother Nature pursues her latest cull, the children of Heron Village are hanging on by a thread.

Traumatised by the reign of David, Gus, Chess and Charlotte enlist the help of a bigger and better organised group from London – a group who want to rebuild the world the way it was before.

When David is dethroned, it seems fresh hope arrives with the spring – yet they have not found his body. Is he still out there?

Reuben remains suspicious of the London groups intentions and is becoming more animal in nature. Is his the only way forward? And as spring breaks and the snow thaws, a brand new world lies on the horizon…

Review:

Fourth and final instalment in the series and what an ending. I just want more – I have all these questions in my head that I need answer to.

The world the author built in this series is one of fear, hope, cruelly and friendships, world full of two sides of a coin. Survival is of the utmost importance, but it needs to be a survival of the future. Some believe Mother Nature has had enough and has finally taken back what’s hers, giving humanity the biggest warning of their generation, killing almost every adult human and passing the world to younger generations in hope they built a new world that lives in harmony with nature.

The last book takes off where we finished, with Reuben at the edge of death, and the Heron kids fighting against David, the only adult alive. But that seems to be the easy part. Next comes the group from London, trying to restore the old world of justice, politics, money and mass farming. And Reuben is the only one who can try and convince them this is not the right path to take.

I absolutely swallowed up this book and thoroughly enjoyed the whole series. It’s one big warning to us all.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

 

The Descent by Paul E Hardisty

Synopsis:

A young man and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet to uncover the origin of the events that set the world on its course to disaster ... The prescient, deeply shocking prequel to the bestselling, critically acclaimed Climate Emergency thriller, The Forcing.

Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the world on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, now long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, The Forcing.

But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, he knows that it is time to find out for himself.

Determined to learn what really happened during his mother's escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku's father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.

The Descent is the devastating, nerve-shattering prequel to the critically acclaimed thriller The Forcing, a story of survival, hope, and the power of the human spirit in a world torn apart by climate change.

Review:

The Descent is a prequel/sequel to The Forcing and joins the Ashworth family descendants in The Hope on the coast of Australia. Kweku and his brother Lewis with their families. Their father, The Teacher, has passed away and his sons are carrying on his legacy, transmitting his book The Forcing to the world, to anyone who would listen.

This is how we meet the character Sparkplugs – a woman’s voice through the radio, filling the gaps of the world doom story and how it all happened in the first place. Sparkplug tells the tale of working for The Boss and being privy to all the machinations of world’s richest people, working hard to ensure they survive what is coming.

And then a tragedy occurs, someone wants them to be quiet. Kweku looses most of his family and his little niece his abducted – only bloodied playing cards with Alpha Omega symbols on them are left behind as a clue.

Kweku sets off around the world with his wife Julie and son Leo to find what really happened to the world, his family and to find his niece Becky and bring her home, if there is one left at the end. 

This book is amazing – it is a real warning to us regarding our actions against the natural world and should be read by everyone. It is an amazingly woven story of the past and present and is certainly a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

 

The Day The Earth Turned Book Three: Winter by Chantelle Atkins

Synopsis:

The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed. Relentless storms have left carnage in their homes flooded, precious resources ruined, missing children…The two warring tribes of Heron Village are now united against a bigger threat. Chess is missing. Was she lost to the storm or has David, the enigmatic man in white, taken her?

Former enemies, Gus and Reuben work together to find the truth and rescue their friend; downing their weapons, ending their feud and confronting the leader of the town community. While Gus is taken under David’s wing, Reuben discovers how dangerous the man in white really is, and as the storms and floods finally abate, a brutal Winter sets in, making survival almost impossible…

Review:

Third book in this fabulous series and I already cannot wait to read Spring part. We are back with the three groups of survivors: group lead by an adult David – who is using God and religion to put fear into children in order for them for follow him; Heron groups with a kind of failing leader Gus and Pig Shoot Lane group led by Reuben and his grandad John.

All three groups are still facing the wrath of nature, this time unstoppable rain and floods and whilst two groups agree to work together to find new shelter, one group wants it all and won’t stop until they get it.

With Chess and Grace missing, Gus and Reuben team up together and hatch a plan to infiltrate David’s group, but are faced with starvation and violence.

This book was fast-paced with tragedy, drama and consequences of certain actions and the story just keeps getting better with a tiny light of hope that there might be some saviours coming.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

 

The Storm by LK Chapman

Synopsis:

I've fled my wedding... I've stolen my wedding car... now what?

When Emily makes a snap decision to run away from her wedding, she gets caught in a summer storm where a chance encounter and a terrible accident throw her into a nightmare.

Oh, and not to mention the wrath of a jilted groom.

Review:

Very short, very faced-paced story. But well written to keep you on your toes and a good introduction to a new author for me - certainly going on my list to read more. The story was creative enough to keep the reader on the edge of the seat and had enough time to hate the male character called Bryn and it also just shows it takes a split second to make a decision in your life that can change your whole future.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 4/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

The Day the Earth Turned Book Two: Autumn by Chantelle Atkins

Synopsis:

The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed.

Two groups of teenagers are locked in a territorial war over resources while the very land under their feet seems keen to devour them...

Reuben believes the animals are trying to tell them something, while headstrong Gus is sticking to 'kill or be killed'. And as tensions continue to rise, both sides resort to spying on the enemies for information.

When Grace is sent into town she discovers a new, larger and far more powerful group is emerging with it's own agenda which could spell disaster for the warring tribes of Heron Village.

And as the brutal summer draws to an end, the relief of rain is short-lived when storms and floods become an even bigger threat to survival...

Review:

Second instalment in this series and it keeps getting better. Another cracking book from Chantelle Atkins. Food for thought, cleverly written story that keeps you going. I love the short chapters written from the point of view of various animals, it adds fab atmosphere to the books.

The series carries on with the story of two groups of children left behind in a world where a virus has wiped out most of the adult population. They have to learn to hunt, grown food and look after livestock whilst defending their territory from anything unknown. The story is shown from two sides of the human character – one, the Carters and friend, being sympathetic with nature, understanding the damage we have done to it ad making amends meaning a simple life co-habiting with plants and animals. The other group, Gus Beckett and his followers, are the fighters – shooting animals out of rage, hunger and fear – fighting amongst themselves, thinking they have no other choice but defend with violence.

And then the third group get thrown into the mix – the religious group, led by one more surviving adult. Charming, dressed all in white, separated into groups by gender, age, and looks and led by bible preaching David. They overtook the whole town with all it’s supplies of food, so they seem to have the upper hand.

This is though provoking, quick-read, that makes you really think – which group would you belong to – and what chances do they all stand against the angry earth that seems to want to take itself back. I cannot wait for the third book!

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

 

The Day the Earth Turned Book One: Summer by Chantelle Atkins

Synopsis:

The adults are all dead. Society has collapsed.

Two groups of teenagers emerge on either side of a rural village, traumatised, bereaved and determined to survive. As tribes form and territorial lines are drawn, can they overcome their differences and find a way to rebuild? Or will gang warfare end this emerging new world before its even begun?

Each of them have their theories about what killed the adults and as the dust settles on the old world, a far bigger, darker, and angrier threat is bursting to life all around them.

Review:

Another cracking book from Chantelle Atkins. And what a food for thought; especially due to most recent world events.

The book is following groups of children left behind in a world where a virus has wiped out the adult population. They have to find a way to fend for themselves whilst burying the dead, looking after the younger siblings, ensuring food and water are plentiful and they have supplies to make their survival as easy as possible. Some are in shock, some in denial and some quick to take the opportunity to become leaders and dictators.

The new world is quick to show the ones with skills and good mindset, the ones with eye for farming and long-term survival. But it also shows how quickly gangs are formed and how dangerous the struggle for power can be. And when nature itself seems to fight back – only the strongest and smartest will survive.

Fantastic book and definitely one that makes you think a lot.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

 

Days End by Chantelle Atkins and Sim Alec Sansford (Fortune's Well #3)

Synopsis:

All things must come to an end…

With the Organisation hot on their trail and their powers growing stronger by the day; JJ Carson and Darcie Duffield are more determined than ever to save Fortune’s Well from the looming darkness.

But when history threatens to repeat itself, and an unseen foe is watching their every move, who will make the ultimate sacrifice to save them all and bring about the end of days?

Days End is the highly anticipated conclusion to the Fortune’s Well trilogy.

Review:

After escaping the tunnels, JJ and Daisy decide to keep their friends close and enemies closer and work things out whilst trying to lead a normal life. That, unfortunately doesn’t work for long. JJ feels like he’s going crazy, Daisy feels the presence of an unseen force and their families are being watched and attacked from all sides. Decision to explore the tunnels reveals more secrets and put them in further danger. Not knowing who they can trust makes things just a tad more complicated.

Emotions are running high for JJ and Daisey but with the help of new friends, Jenna and Henry they might just beat the odds. This is a fabulous finale to a great series and I would love Netflix to pick this up and do some magic with it, it would make a great tv series.

I cannot wait to read more books by the authors. I thoroughly enjoyed the series and would recommend to anyone that likes supernatural, YA, drama and more.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

 

The Forcing by Paul E Hardisty

Synopsis:

Lured by rumours of tropical sanctuary, a disparate group of men and women escape their inhospitable exile to seek freedom, in a near future where civilization has collapsed. A cataclysmic, clarion-call climate-change thriller from one of the world's leading environmental scientists...

Civilisation is collapsing. Frustrated and angry after years of denial and inaction, a 'government of youth' has taken power in North America and deemed all those older than a prescribed age responsible for the current state of the world, and decreed they should be 'relocated', their property and assets confiscated.

David Ashworth, known by his friends and students as Teacher, and his wife May, find themselves among the thousands being moved to ‘new accommodation' in the abandoned southern deserts – thrown together with a wealthy industrialist and his wife, a high court lawyer, two recent immigrants to America, and a hospital worker. Together, they must come to terms with their new lives in a land rendered unrecognisable.

As the terrible truth of their situation is revealed, lured by rumours of a tropical sanctuary where they can live in peace, they plan a perilous escape. But the world outside is more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And for those who survive, nothing will ever be the same again...

Review:

This was an incredible book and I was hooked from start to finish. I cannot imagine a world in which younger generations would openly blame and the older generations for global warming and the demise of the planet, however, I think books like this can come as a warning to us all to take some action and change our ways.

David’s journey is a hard one and I really appreciated the changes of timeline to current day and the past as it broke up the harshness with hope. At first I found David slightly weak, as if he has given up, but the love for his wife and hope for better life spurred him on.

This is exactly the sort of book I enjoy, enough to be fiction but also enough to come as a warning to what could happen if we don’t open our eyes to reality. And it is exactly the sort of book, everyone should read and kids should be taught about at secondary school.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

 

The Attic at Wilton Place by C.E. Rose

Synopsis:

A perfect life in a perfect home – but what secrets lie beneath?

Ruth Parker is desperate for love and attention. Overlooked as a child by her cold and hostile mother, Joy, in favour of her older brother, her pain manifests in loneliness and a crippling lack of self-esteem. When her mother’s close childhood friend, glamorous actress Vanessa, shows an interest in her, Ruth basks in the blinding light of her attention – to her mother’s disapproval.

When Ruth escapes to university in London, Vanessa invites her into her stunning home in Belgravia, Wilton Place. Slowly, she begins to blossom under Vanessa’s guidance, living a perfect life in a perfect home. As Vanessa begins to mould Ruth in her own image, Ruth finds herself seduced by the hypnotic, luxurious confines of Wilton Place.

But when Ruth finds a locked attic in her new home, she discover that Vanessa and Joy are hiding the darkest of secrets from their childhood, secrets that threaten everything Ruth knew about her mother. How far will Ruth go to find the truth - and how much does she really want to know?

Review:

This novel moved at a slightly slower paced than some of the author’s other books, but still a great, mysterious novel with new revelations round every corner.

I disliked Ruth’s family right from the start, her awful mother, weak father and selfish brother. And then when she finally escape them, she finds everything but peace.

It’s a great book, with mystery and great characters and if you like all of the above – this book is certainly for you.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 4/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

 

Project Pandora by Chantelle Atkins and Sim Alec Sansford (Fortune's Well #2)

Synopsis:

Evil doesn’t stay buried forever…

A few weeks have passed since that nightmarish summer, and for JJ Carson the future is uncertain.

Thrown into care and banned from seeing his uncle, the strange mist that follows him around has become his one and only companion. Each day it grows stronger and more powerful, but that only draws the attention of a strange doctor with an even darker plan.

As for Darcie Duffield, life is back to normal, as she returns to school and desperately tries to forget the boy she met at the river, and the mysterious power he possessed.

But when her friend goes missing, and a ghost from the past returns, Darcie realises she’s barely scratched the surface of Fortune’s Well’s hidden secrets, and the sinister truth that lies beneath.

Review:

Second book in Fortune’s Well series and a brilliant carry on from where we left the story of JJ and Darcie.  

JJ hasn’t spoken to Darcie since the social services took him away from his uncle but doesn’t blame her anymore. His uncle is trying to stay clean to get JJ’s care back and, in the meantime, JJ has to keep his head low, whilst living with his foster family. JJ has learned how to control the mysterious mist that flows from his body too.

Then everything changes when the ‘police’ knock on his door and take him away. When JJ wakes up, his life has changed again and not for the better. Now he’s stuck in a room, handcuffed and drugged and the mean lady knows about his powers – he has nowhere to hide, just hoping Darcie and his uncle don’t give up looking for him.

And as for Darcie – well, she uncovers more secrets than she’s bargained for in this fast paced second instalment.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 5/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Hangman's Revenge by Chantelle Atkins and Sim Alec Sansford (Fortune's Well #1)

Synopsis:

In the town of Fortune’s Well a dangerous storm is brewing, and two unsuspecting teenagers are standing right at the heart of it.

For JJ Carson, life has not been easy. His father is dead, his mother arrested for the murder, and he has been forced to live on the farm with his alcoholic uncle, Henry. Just when things could not get any worse, JJ discovers his living situation is not the only thing that makes him different from the other kids. A dark, swirling mist has made itself at home inside him and it is slowly changing him from the inside out.

Enter Darcie Duffield. Beautiful, popular, and incredibly misunderstood. Darcie is sick of the status quo and wants to make a difference. After a chance meeting with a strange boy at the river she becomes tangled in a web of lies and deceit as she tries to help save him from the darkness lurking within.

Why is this happening?

Where has it come from?

And why is Darcie the only one who can see it?

Review:

First book in Fortune’s Well series and a great start what I feel will be a fab YA/supernatural world series. I still love reading stories aimed at a young audience, especially those that combine the world of magic and mystery with reality of the challenging world of growing young adults.

Darcey grew up with a wealthy family, has trendy friends and seem to have it all. Underneath, she is hurt, fragile, struggling to fit in anywhere in the world since the death of her favourite Aunt Jenna. On top of that she is dealing with an eating disorder.

Until her life clashes with the boy from the river – in comes JJ Carson. Mysterious boy always sketching on his pad, bullied by all the locals. The boy, whose mum murdered his father in cold blood. JJ lives with his father’s brother Henry, who himself struggles with alcohol, running a farm and looking into the eye of a boy that reminds him too much of his brother’s killer. And most of all, Henry worries, JJ will end up like his crazy mother.

And amongst all of this we have the mysteries grey fog, Hangman’s Cottage with it’s own dark secrets and a whole world of weird that JJ and Darcey unwillingly enter when they meet and it’s up to them to figure a way out and quickly.

Fab start, cannot wait to read the next book.

Thank you to TBConFB and the author for access to this book.

Rating: 4/5

Available from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US