Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 416

Book: For Review*

Genre: Horror, Historical, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death, Mild Swearing, Drug and Opium References

No Alcohol References

Author's Site: Chris Priestley

Author's Blog: Chris Priestley

Keep an eye out for the awesome guest post Chris has written for us as part of his blog tour!  It'll go up tomorrow, and there's a giveaway involved!

Can a monster and a boy ever really be friends?

1818.  London.

Billy is a street urchin, pickpocket and petty thief.

Mr Creecher is a monstrous giant of a man who terrifies all he meets.  Their relationship begins as pure convenience. 

But a bond swiftly develops between these two misfits as their bloody journey takes them ever northwards on the trail of their target… Victor Frankenstein.

Review:

Billy is a thief.  Mister Creecher is an outsider, a freakish giant with a monstrous face, who while on the trail of mysterious Frankenstein, saves Billy from death.  To begin with, their relationship is pure convenience.  Creecher needs Billy to follow Frankenstein.  Billy needs Creecher for protection from other thieves.  But soon a bond forms between the two, as they realise they may have more in common than they first thought.

But as they follow Frankenstein, can their friendship last?  Or will it end up as bloody as their journey?

I read and loved Priestley’s The Dead of Winter, and I love Frankenstein so I of course had to me hooked from the start. A story about friendship in the unlikeliest places, it was bothget my hands on this one!  And it did not disappoint!  Creepy, suspenseful and thrilling, it had  beautiful and horrible.  I can’t wait for Priestley’s next book! 

15-year-old Billy was a boy who had seen a lot, been through more and lost more still.  He had the feel of a street child – one from Dickensian novels.  He was sneaky, brilliant at observation, with the occasional snarkiness and was just a really resourceful and smart-thinking boy.  But he had this resentment in him: he was withdrawn, cut off because of everything that had happened to him.  And he felt really real to me, even if I wanted to yell at him at times!

Mister Creecher was a very complicated and odd character, one I did feel sorry for.  He knew how his looks made others think of him, and was sure he could never by happy. He was strangely vulnerable, sweet hearted, and desperate for love.  Yet he wasn’t afraid to kill.  He may not have been wholly human, but he had desires and longings, just liked humans.  Was he bad?  Good?  I think he was both. 

And I loved Billy and Creecher’s relationship, how it changed.  It slowly shifted and I just loved how Priestley did this.  The friendship that blossomed felt natural to me.  Creecher was the only true friend Billy had ever had and vice versa.  Although everything changed again, they truly were friends. 

I adore Chris Priestley’s writing: oddly beautiful, lyrical, creepy and utterly addictive.  He doesn’t shy from the gore, the suspense.  I was completely absorbed in the story, under its spell.  It was shocking, creepy, beautiful, bloody and spooky.  The plot was equally amazing, and so unexpected.  I really had no idea where the story was going.  And the end… God.  I never saw it coming!

The setting was just amazing – London, 1818.  It was so vivid, so lifelike – it jumped off the page and into my head.  Priestley has a real talent for creating gritty and vivid settings that make me feel like I’ve gone back in time.  Or they’re so real it feels like I’ve picked up a Dickens novel.  And he truly made London back then creepy, gothic and spooky: I loved it! 

I loved how the story tied in with Frankenstein and another novel from around that time, one I didn’t realise was more than just an influence until I looked the book picture up and stumbled across an award.  Until right toward the end, I didn’t even know how much Book 2 tied in with the story.  I almost felt like smiling as it was revealed.  In a strange, horrible and rather shocking way, it was perfect.  It was so unexpected.  Which made that final twist all the more brilliant.

Creecher kills and Billy steals.  Both should be Bad.  Both should be Not Liked.  But… I couldn’t hate them.  Creecher was looked upon in horror, so he became what was thought of him.  Billy stole because he had to, to survive.  Creecher loved to read and just didn’t want to be alone.  Billy wanted a family, a friend.  Although they should be bad, I couldn’t hate them.  They were human.  While both had their downfalls, they also had redeeming qualities.  Good is in all, even ‘monsters’ and thieves.  They made me question everything.

A book of contradictions, friendship, betrayal, murder, science and the search of happiness, Mister Creecher was one heck of a book, a gothic horror story, full of twists and chills, with the most amazing setting and beautiful writing.  I could go on forever, so all I shall say is READ THIS!  You will not regret it.  It’s a horror story that makes you think, especially about one question: Nature Vs Nurture.  Perfect.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Wolf Blood by N.M. Browne

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Published: 1^st March 2012

Shadow of the Hawk by Curtis Jobling

Series: Wereworld, Book Three

Publisher: Puffin

Format: Paperback

Published: 5^th January 2012

Number of Pages: 448

Book: For Review*

Genre: Action-Adventure, Fantasy, Thriller, Suspense, Magic, Horror, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, YA

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains: Violence, Death

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Wereworld Books 

Drew Ferran, the rightful king of Westland, is trapped.

Enslaved by the Goatlord Kesslar, young Werewolf Drew finds himself on the volcanic isle of Scoria, forced to fight in the arena for the Lizardlords.  With the help of an unlikely ally, he must find a way to break free – but who has ever managed to escape?

Meanwhile, Hector the Wereboar flees the forces of the Catlords.  Now on board the pirate ship Maelstrom, the enemy’s net is closing in.  Haunted by the spirits of the dead, Hector is soon left wondering who the true enemy is…

                                                                   Review:

A brave hero, a band of gladiators, an imposter king, a vengeful knight, a world full of Werelords and Wereladies, Wereworld is a place like no other, a world more fantastical and magical than any I’ve read about for a long time…

Drew Ferran, rightful heir to the Westland throne, is a prisoner.  The Goatlord Kesslar has the young Werewolf in his possession, taking him to the land of the Lizardlords.  There, Drew will be forced to fight as a gladiator, and make unlikely alliances in order to escape alive, from a place no one has broken away from before…

Hector the Wereboar, Vega the Sharklord and Werestag Manfred are fleeing from the Catlords, aboard the notorious pirate ship Maelstrom.  But as the spirits haunting Hector grow stronger, he is left wondering whether the true enemy is closer than they thought…

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting when I started this – especially as I haven’t read any of the other books in the series.  A cross between Narnia and Teen Wolf perhaps?  I don’t know.  Most definitely not the fantastical, action-packed, magical, pure awesome book that was Shadow of the Hawk.  From the word go, I was sucked in.  I fell totally and completely in love with the world.  I just could not put it down, in a constant adrenaline rush from start to finish.  I know I have to get my hands on the previous two books in this series: I want back into Lyssia!  ASAP!

Drew Ferran, the last Grey Wolf of Lyssia, was smart, fast and strong, willing to do anything to survive.  I found him proud, kind, good, loyal and giving, with a good heart.  Drew was just really noble: a real king.   His thinking was inspiration and he always spoke his mind.  And while he wasn’t afraid to use violence, he preferred to talk things out.    Drew was a king of old, honourable, brave, defiant and passionate.  And I fell in love with him from the word go!

Baron Hector, Boarlord of Redmire, was haunted by “Vincent-vile”, the spirit of his dead twin.  He really missed Drew, and he had a good heart.  But the black spot on his hand, that grew every time he “dabbles in communing” with spirits, showed that something was wrong...  And the Vincent-vile was just horrible, always saying cruel things.  All he wanted to do was help Drew, but he was truly out of his depth…

Count Vega, a Sharklord, the Pirate Prince.  To start with, I felt Vega was heartless, that he killed too easily.  But soon after, I started swaying, changed by his snarky humour and the care he showed towards his crew and the Weres on it.  And, before long, I had decided that I loved him.  Ok, so he’s a pirate – a Were pirate at that.  But he has a good heart.   He was really rather sweet, in a piratey way.  He soon turned into an unlikely favourite of mine, one I was always happy to see.

Trent Ferran, Drew’s brother, who was in the Lionguard, hunting Drew.  He wanted his brother dead more than anyone…  Of course, as I loved Drew, I instantly hated Trent for hunting Drew down.  But as I saw his reasoning, and what he was like, I grudgingly admitted he wasn’t too bad.  He was quite honourable and very determined.  I think he will come into himself in Book Four, and I’m looking forward to that. 

All the other characters were equally well padded and thought out.  One of the ones I hated most was Count Kesslar, a Goatlord and slaver.  He was a selfish, greedy coward, who I loathed from the moment I met him.  On the other hand, I loved Duke Manfred, the Werestag of Stormdale: he was really level headed, proper and kind, always seeing the good instead of the bad.  The character who creeped me out the most was, without a doubt, Slotha, the Walrus of Tuskun.  She was (to quote from the book): a “notoriously ill tempered, violent woman”.  And her city?  Eek, it came me the creeps, and so did she.  She really was horribly vicious, and the fact she was a Werewalrus made her even scarier.  (If you want to find out more about Slotha, check out Curtis’ guest post on when it comes up tomorrow.)

May I just say, I am in love with this world.  The various Werelords, all the different ‘species’.  The change, the characters: everything was so vivid.  I love the twist Jobling has put on the lycanthropy mythology: silver, shifting…  It was all just so cool!  I loved learning all about the Therianthropes, and meeting the various other characters.  I was over the moon to see Sirens as well – again, I adore the twist!  But: it got better:  Weremammoths.  So cool, right?!  I loved this book, the action, the fantasy, the characters.  And by the end, I was left going crazy for more.  

The action had a huge part in that: it started from the word go, sucking me straight in.  And even though I hadn’t read any of the previous books, I felt… invested.  And I understood everything, all the backstories.  And, blimey, the action was non-stop!  There were the most amazing battle scenes, that really got the old adrenaline flowing.  I loved the action – and I’m not normally one who likes violence.  All reluctant readers could really get into Shadow of the Hawk in my opinion – it’s like a film: I could see everything in my head as I read. 

And that was thanks to the writing: it was just amazing.  It had me totally hooked.  It was lyrical, powerful, descriptive.  I could see everything – every character, every setting, every battle.  And I loved that we got to see into all of the characters’ heads, got to see all the action.  There was never a dull moment.  Throughout the whole book, I wasn’t bored from a millisecond.  This series, this book, this world is so utterly addictive it’s untrue.  I loved every moment, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the other books!

I loved this book, the action, the fantasy, the characters.  By the end, I wanted more, more, more!  In other words:

I.  NEED.  THE.  NEXT.  BOOK.  NOW!

Star Rating:
4¾ Out of 5 

Read this book if you liked:

Wereworld Series by Curtis Jobling

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tokien (Same Epic Fantasy)

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

British Books Challenge 2012 (Hosted by The Overflowing Library)

Megan

* This book was received from Puffin in exchange for an honest review

Happy Reading

The Game of Pawns by Leonard D. Hilley II

 Series: The Darkness, Book Three

Publisher: Self

Format: Kindle

Published: 29^th April 2010

Number of Pages: 354

Book: For Review From Author*

Genre: Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Action-Adventure, Police Drama, YA, YA-Adult Crossover

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains Lots of Violence, Death, Mild Swearing

No Alcohol, Drug References

Available From: Kindle, Nook: Leonard's books are priced at $2.99 at the moment to raise money for his old school's library.  More information: here
Author's Blog: Deimosweb

PAWNS ARE EXPENDABLE . . .

Twelve execution-style murders have occurred in Newark, New Jersey, in less than a week. Each murder has a calling card - a red pawn on each corpse. Kat Gaddis and Lucian investigate the homicides and discover the last four victims were employed by GenTech, a company that recently merged with Mech Cybernetics. After FBI director Mike Carpenter shares evidence with Kat, they soon discover political ties and corruptions that place Kat's life in direct danger. New players emerge and what seems like serial murders suddenly becomes a struggle for biotech knowledge and power. Kat is thrust into their game - The Game of Pawns.

Review:

Murders have been happening all over New Jersey, each with a common thread: a red pawn left on the bodies.  Kat and Lucien investigate the murders, and discover that they’re all connected to one genetic company or another.  And then… a new side comes into the light, leaving black pawns behind on the corpses.  In the biggest adventure yet, our characters have to fight against corruption, politics, new scientific creations and dangerous players who believe that human-pawns can be killed for their own gain…

This is one of my favourite thriller series out there, and I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do without it!  All three in the series so far have kept me up late, so full of adrenaline I can’t get to sleep for hours afterward.  Leonard D. Hilley is one of the most amazing thriller-suspense writers I’ve ever read, and I honestly do not think he gets the attention he should. 

My favourite characters are all back, and just as strong as ever.  There are even a few new additions including talking rats!  (I know: cool, right?)  They were a welcome breathe of humour throughout the non-stop suspense.  Oh, and I love Kyle and all the awesome psychic stuff he can do.  Plus, characters who have only been in the background before now have bigger roles: Carpenter, Typhis… I could go on, but I guess unless you’ve read the book (which you should do), none of these names will mean anything to you… 

What I really liked about The Game of Pawns is that was far more emotional than the others in the series.  Plus there was lots of humour, generally in the form of Morton (a talking cat) and the gang of talking rats.  And yet, I was still scared out of my mind, constantly looking over shoulder.  The suspense and action is just so addictive: completely, overwhelmingly, truly.  I was unable to put my kindle down, reading far too late into the night.  

The characters, plot, and world were all so unbelievably believable, if that makes any sense.  It’s a terrifying thought, but oh-so true.  So much thought went into all aspects of the book, and if I closed my eyes, I could see the plot playing in my mind, could see all the characters.  I have less than no idea how Hilley manages to make the connections and lives so realistic, but I love that he does. 

The Game of Pawns was the biggest, hardest, more exhilarating adventure in the series so far.  It answered many of my questions.  And left dozens more in their place.  I can’t wait to see where Leonard D. Hilley takes the series next: this one ended on the worst cliffhanger yet!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

The Darkness Series by Leonard D. Hilley II

Anything by Steven King

Blood Ties/Blood Ransom by Sophie McKenzie

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
A-Z Reading Challenge (Hosted by Book Junky)
2011 e-Book Challenge (Hosted by The Ladybug Reads)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from the author in exchange for an honest review

House Trap by Mike Mauthor

Publisher: Self

Format: Kindle

Published: 7^th May 201

Number of Pages: 120

Book: For Review*

Genre: Realistic-Ficion, Science-Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Horror, Action-Adventure, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Death

No Alcohol, Drug References
Available On: Amazon (US) and Nook
Author's Blog: NovelPro

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Rachel Evans is a sixteen year old overachiever who would take nothing less than to achieve her goal of getting into Dartmouth College. But Rachel’s life would never be the same once she stepped into the house of Alicia Hausefalle, the most popular girl in Wedds High School. Rachel was there to tutor her. She never expected to meet two strangers who were ready to end her life.

Review:

This was sent to me by the author to review, and as I love a good thriller I said: Yes Please!  So thank you Mike!

Rachel just went over to Alicia’s house to do a little tutoring.  She would go in and out, and would then be free to get on with her dream of going to Dartmouth.  She knows Alicia’s father is the renowned inventor of House Trap, a device designed to protect the inhabitants inside the home against everything.  But... what do you do when the house goes into lockdown mode... and the killers are stuck in with you...?

The story started with a double murder, and just got more suspenseful and action-packed from there.  The characters felt real, the story was not written in a way that slowed down the pace and the fear and creepiness were palpable all the way through.  Plus there was that brilliant little twist that makes all good thrillers. 

Rachel was believable and relatable.  I found myself comparing her to me: I was always the girl that took Dickens or text books with me on school trips as well.  She was determined, academic and couldn’t care less about what others thought of her.  As I read, I couldn’t help thinking “good for you”.

The rest of the characters were also well thought out, but it was the suspense that made this story special.  It had break-neck speed (although that admittedly didn’t start from the word go), numerous twists and, of course, a few deaths.  I don’t like it when characters die.  But are thrillers truly thrillers without a little violence?  And it made me fearful for my characters, wondering who’d get out, rather desperate to know.  Plus, the basis of the story was terrifying.  A home-safety system that ends up being a cage... with the murderous lunatics inside?  Honestly, I will never look at the things the same way again.

The one thing I can complain about is the way the focus jumps suddenly between the characters, leaving me a little confused.  One minute it’s Rachel, the next the bad guy.  It threw me, but maybe that just added to the break-neck, thriller effect?  Plus, some of the grammar was incorrect, but I’ve seen that in a fair few eBooks, so I don’t really notice that anymore, and it didn’t distract me much at all.

Although this book was only 120 pages long, I could have read many more.  I do love me a good thriller once in a while... 

So, a suspense-ridden story with well-padded characters and murderous lunatics trapped inside a house, with a security system ironically called “House Trap”.  What more could you want?

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:
I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan
Silent Night Series by R.L. Stine
The Midnight Club by Christopher Pike

 

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
2011 e-Book Challenge (Hosted by The Ladybuy Reads)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review