Review and Giveaway: Snow Day by Dan Maurer

Snow Day reads like an old campfire story, and that is what the author intended. Billy, our narrator, tells the story of how, as a child, he stumbled into a horror story which left another boy dead and gave him nightmares every snow day since.

Snow Day is a novella, only 100 pages long, but that is the perfect size for this story, as any longer and it would loose the thrill with too much detail. If anything, it could have been a little shorter, as I felt the first section dragged and, whilst building the background of the characters, wasn't needed in a story so short. The first few pages also revealed a bit too much for me, as horrifying as they were. These two small points were the reason I didn't award it the full 5 stars - but they should not put off a potential reader, as they are soon forgotten as the rest of the book unfolds.

Although short, the story is substantial, and leaves the reader with a satisfied feeling when you finish the book, rather than feeling like there could have been more. The writing is elegant in its simplicity, and the innocent but slightly cocky voice of the narrator takes you back to a much simpler time, and also makes the story that much creepier. There is even a surprise twist at the end.

A great read when you want to finish a story in one go. I very much enjoyed it, even though I usually steer clear of novellas.

Snow Day is available from Amazon for £1.32 as a Kindle e-book. There is also an audio book version available. A sample chapter can be found here.

Giveaway: The author is currently running a giveaway (ends Sep. 28th 2013) to win a Kindle Fire HD and copies of the audio book. Details can be found on his website here. Note: Tomes of the Soul is in no way associated with the giveaway.

[A review copy was provided by the author]

Review: Click: An Online Love Story by Lisa Becker

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Review: Long Gone by Alafair Burke

Alice Humphrey, fiercely independent daughter of a movie tycoon, gets her dream job after months of searching. It all seems too good to be true, well, that’s because it is. When her manager is found dead in the gallery, in the midst of accusations of child pornography, Alice suddenly finds her life turned up side down and discovers years of deceit has led to her being the police’s number one suspect in her bosses death.

Alafair Burke’s latest offering starts slowly, and it did take me a while to get into it, especially with the constant switching between characters during the first short chapters. However, it soon gets going and it becomes a gripping read. What really sets this book apart is that it doesn’t go for the ‘easy’ plot option, instead an idea is dangled in front of the reader then snatched away; the plot turns are unexpected which makes the novel even more suspenseful.

Overall a fantastic thriller, with many twists and turns, and a very surprising ended.

Long Gone will be released on the 21st July (28th July for the e-book version) and will be available from Amazon UK for £4.49 and from Barnes and Noble for $11.99.

[A review copy was provided by Avon]

Review: The Transformed by Raphael Hirsch

The Transformed had me gripped from page 1, and I read it in one sitting. It follows scientist Doctor Newman, who is obsessed with finding the cure to his sister-in-law’s genetic condition. His research, on which he has worked tirelessly for years, is nearly complete when he is attacked by a woman who has woken from a coma shouting the strange word Sartan. One attack from a demented patient can be explained away, but when he is attacked again by someone shouting Sartan he starts to get worried. But what has an ancient Hebrew word for cancer got to do with the attacks.

From Amazon

There are so many ways The Transformed could have gone wrong. The back story about the dead wife and her ill sister is clichéd, but is written beautifully and believably, and provides a ticking clock that drives the story along. Similarly I nearly stopped reading when it became obvious what Sartan was, but I’m glad I pushed on, as the story, while taking on a sci-fi plot nearer the end, is very gripping and well written.

For fans of medical thrillers, this is a fantastic read. Raphael Hirsch is a well known scientist, and as such the scientific detail in the novel is of the highest standard. The back story of Sartan is also believable, although maybe too 'out there' for some medical thriller fans. Apart from the heavy sci-fi plot near the end of the book, which stretched believability, it was a great book and an author I’ll will be watching.

The Transformed is available from Amazon UK for just 69p. 

Review: Life Games by Trine Daely

I must admit I'm not a fan of poetry but this book stood out for me as it reminded me of my mother, so I gave it a go. I am very pleased that I did. The collection spans a number of years from 1989 - 1998 , the poetry, whilst in places dark, shows glimpses of the author's hope and often weaves these two together in a remarkable way, like in the poem Orphan's Lighthouse, my favourite from this collection.

From Smashwords.com

I personally find it very difficult to communicate my feelings on poetry, as I believe it's interpretation is individual to the reader, so instead I have selected some of the parts that spoke most deeply to me, these are only extracts the full poems are much longer:

Lean into the wind

and wed with a nod

Your body turns cold

as you dote on the sod

            Wendigo

He showed to me the future,

he showed to me the past

Where the greatest knowledge could be found

and the greatest treasures stashed.

          Down to the River 

I lay waiting, fearfully at times

he is coming tonight

Like he does every night

he waits while my candle burns

he waits in the kitchen

at every corner I turn

He is quiet but

his laughter

rings loud in my head.

He is the one that you

have always known

yet come to know that

you can never really know him

             He is the darkness 

The fire that killed us moves on in strife

now we rejoice, for in death we found life.

        Orphan's Lighthouse

 As I have said before I am very glad I took the time to read this, as I usually skip past poetry collections. It is well written and contains some beautiful and emotional pieces. I debated weither to rate the work due not to it's quality or my enjoyment, but because perceptions of poetry are very individual. In the end I decided to rate it and would implore others, who maybe are not regular poetry readers, to take a chance on something a bit different and to share how the poems made you feel. 

The book is currently discounted to only 99 cents (59p in the UK) from Smashwords. To take advantage of the offer click here and enter coupon code EX45P at the checkout. This code will work until 24th May 2012.