Hollowland (The Hollows #1) – Amanda Hocking

Started – 12/5/13

Finished – 16/5/13

Format – Kindle e-book

Synopsis – Hollowland – the first book in the young adult dystopian series The Hollows..

“This is the way the world ends – not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door.”

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way – not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

My Thoughts – I downloaded this book when i got my kindle a couple of Christmas’ ago as i went on a bit of a spree and it was free at the time.

I downloaded it because i saw ‘young adult dystopian series’ in the description and this is my favourite type of book so what could go wrong?

This book is about Remy who we meet in a compound that is under zombie attack. The end of the world is upon her and all she is interested in is finding her younger brother whom there is some mystery about. She mangages to avoid getting bitten by the zombies and her begins her journey to find her brother who she believes has been taken to another govenment compound.

She meets other people along the way, a doctor, a young girl that comes out of the compound with her, a former rock star and some other surviours.

Well i did enjoy this book, kinda. I have realised that I’m not a huge fan of zombie books now, well you live and learn, as i found them quite gresome for my liking. I thought the story was a bit to simular for my liking. Everytime they met the zombies it was very predictable what was going to happen. I wasnt overally keen on the writing style either, it was a bit too raw for my liking.

This is not to say that its a bad book because it wasnt, it just wasnt a book for me. i dont think I’ll read anymore of this series but this book does end on a big cliffhanger so I can see why others might want to continue the story.

Rating – 3/5

The Woman in Black – Susan Hill

Started – 30/1/13

Finished – 1/2/13

Format – Kindle e-book

 

Challenges – Ultimate Teen Book Guide Challenge

 

Synopsis – Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral Mrs Alice Drablow, the sole inhabitant of Eel Marsh House, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. The house stands at the end of a causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but it is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black – and her terrible purpose.

 

My Thoughts – I read this book as part of the February Reading Circle and its a book that ive always wanted to read and having got the chance to i was very excited to read it.

 

This book is about Arthur Kipps a young man who is a junior solicitor and as part of his job role he has to attend the funeral of an eldery client and sort through her house to get her affairs in order. While attending the funeral he sees a mysterious woman in black and having mentioned this to various people in the town they react quite badly. Its not revealed until the end of the book why this is the case, but i did find this part of the book the most upsetting, that is the part with the children.

 

While trying to sort out all the paperwork Arthur decides that it would be better for him to stay overnight in the house to get things sorted quicker, this is when the creepy things start to happen.

 

I did really enjoy this book however i didnt find it at all creepy or scary which did surprise me. I dont like scary movies and have stayed away from the genre as i thought that it might scare me but having read this book i think i will read more.

 

I also liked how the book started off in the present and events happened in the past which proved that nothing bad happened to the narrator.

 

This book is good, quite short but i liked it all the same.

 

Rating – 4/5

On The TBR – The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

On The TBR is a new thing I’m trying out on my blog to try and keep a record of the books i buy and download this year.

I’ve downloaded The Woman in Black by Susan Hill as its the choice for the Reading circle choice for February, not only that its a book that I’ve wanted to read for a long time and I’m glad that I’ve been able to bump it up my reading list a bit.

I havent read any of this authors books before but I’m looking forward to it as many people have said they have enjoyed it. Once i’ve read the book I’ll be able to watch the film based on the same book, starring Daniel Ratcliffe.

Synopsis – Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral Mrs Alice Drablow, the sole inhabitant of Eel Marsh House, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. The house stands at the end of a causeway, wreathed in fog and mystery, but it is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of the woman in black – and her terrible purpose.

I cant wait to get stuck into this book, perfect for these cold dark nights.

Shades of Grey – Michael Cargill

Started – 23/5/12

Finished – 30/5/12

Format – Kindle e-book

Synopsis – John is not a very nice man. He works for the government. So who has tied him to a chair and what do they want?

James is a British soldier during WWII. Tom is a young boy with a terrible secret.

Three stories. Three very different people. All of them battling to survive.

My Thoughts – I won this book in a givaway from the lovely Becky at her blog a few weeks back. Now before i start I’m just going to state that this is not a book like the one that has a very simular name.

This book is a collection of three short stories, and as the synopsis above states, the main theme through the book is survival. I did think that it was war to start with, but the last story really didnt fit the theme.

The first book in the collection was Shades of Grey. This is about a man called Jack, who we find tied to a chair. His thoughts go from the present, being surrounded by people with sniper rifles, and going back to the past where he found his wife in bed with his neighbour. I liked how these two halfs of the story fitted together and it really worked for me.

The second book in the collection was There and Back Again, I just couldnt get The Hobbit referance out of my head all through this story! However in my opinion this was the best story out of the three. This is about James, a foot-soldier during the first world war in France in the trenches. In this he faces his first battle and kills a man for the first time. I liked the emotion behind it and how he still had time to write home to his mum and dad back in England.

The final book in the collection was Down the Rabbit Hole, the title for me reminded me of Alice in Wonderland a little bit. This book is about a little boy called Tom who has a toy rabbit called Borger. He gets abused by his father and is unhappy. Now the bunny starts to talk to him and gets him to do quite horrible things if I’m honest. I didnt like this story at all, I’m not a fan of horror books and for me this is exactly what it was. I am a little uncomfortable to read about a little boy doing all those horrible things.

Now the book as a whole. I enjoyed this book, but to be honest it isnt one of my favourites. I liked the first two stories, but the third for me really put me off. I also thought that it was very gorey in places, which for me at least does put me off a little.

I would recommend this book for people that like crime/thriller/horror books, but for me the last story didnt hook me in as the others did.

Rating – 3/5