Book Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the fact that it was like playing the board game "Clue". I figured out half of the solution before the end of the book. The plot isn't too deep, but I think that adds to the fun of the book. It's a quick read and very fun. I'd recommend this book to anyone that likes a good "who done it" type book. The characters are very likable and the story telling is done in a great way. It's not a five star book for me, but it's pretty close to it. It's definitely worth the read.

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Book Review: The House with the Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs

The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a well written book that was a lot of fun to read. I enjoyed the story line and the characters. The author does a great job of painting scenes in the book. It's got magic, mystery, and suspense. It also deals a little bit with a child new to an area that struggles to fit in. I think this book will appeal to a wide range of audiences. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I'd say read the book first, it's much better!

Overall, I give this book at 4/5

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Book Review: Camino Island by John Grisham

Camino Island by John Grisham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always enjoyed John Grisham's books. This one was no exception. I really enjoyed that one of the main characters was a book store owner. I've always been fascinated with that profession so it was fun to read a book with that being such a central part of the plot. As with all the Grisham books that I have read, this one had a wonderful plot and fantastic characters. I enjoyed the world of Camino Island. I found it very easy to be transported to the cottage, the beach, and Bay books. I found the supporting characters to be fun and colorful. It's just a very well written book and it made me remember why I like to read at least one Grisham book a year. I would highly recommend this book.

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Book Review: The Library at Mount Char

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting read for me. I'd never heard of this book and saw it on Reddit via a post there and decided to give it a read. For a book that has so many subplots running through it, it was surprisingly easy to read. I didn't find that I was at any point lost in terms of the story line. Having said that, there were some plot twists that kept me guessing through the whole book. The characters were...eccentric, but very well written. The story is so outlandish, that it's absurd at some places, but hey that makes for a fun read. I would recommend giving this book a read. It flows by really quickly and it's a fun story.

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Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my TBR for a long time. Overall, I was fairly happy with it. It was slow in some parts as the plot was developing. I really enjoyed the photographs that were spread throughout the book. I think they added alot to the story.

The characters seem to be well rounded. I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop throughout the other books in this series. I wish there would have been a little bit more about Grandpa at the beginning of the book, but that's just personal preference.

The world building is good in this book. The author takes great care in describing all the places in this book. I didn't have any problems coming up with a mental image for the various settings. This is something that I really enjoy about a well written book.

The plot is developing nicely. I'm interested to see how it's going to be spread out over the entirety of this series. I'm imagining there will have to be some side plots to go along with the main one, but we shall see.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars. I think it's a great book for middle grade readers on up. It's a quick read and would be a great one for the month of October as people are looking for spooky books to add to their TBR.

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Book Review: Broken by John Rector

Synopsis: 

Trust becomes a fatal mistake in this shocking thriller by the international bestselling author of The Ridge.

Welcome to Beaumont Cove, a slowly decaying tourist town at the edge of the world, and the place where Maggie James’s worst fears for her estranged twin sister, Lilly, have come true.

Lilly is dead, and Maggie has arrived to identify her body.

Lilly’s husband, Mike, is in custody for her murder. With his long history of abuse, no one in town is surprised at the inevitable end to their stormy marriage, least of all Maggie. All she wants is to clean up her sister’s affairs, see Mike punished, and get out of Beaumont Cove.

With the help of the local sheriff, a retired private investigator, and a strange but friendly carnival psychic, Maggie begins to uncover the truth about what really happened to her sister. But the truth comes at a price, and soon Maggie finds herself walking a dark path toward the same deadly trap that killed Lilly.

The more Maggie discovers about her sister’s final days, the more she realizes that nothing is as it appears in this strange boardwalk town.

*Synopsis taken from netgalley.com

It's been quite a while since I have read a good mystery/thriller book. I have to say that I enjoyed this book very much. I found Mr. Rector's writing style to be top notch. He did a wonderful job on world development and character depth. I was able to get a wonderful mental image of the town of Beaumont Cove. It was almost like I was there. The other thing that I really appreciated about this book was the attention to detail that Mr. Rector has for his writing.  There would be parts written in that didn't have a lot to do with the overall plot, but added an amazing amount of depth and texture to the book. 

The relationship between Mike and Lilly was so well written that I found myself hating Mike. That is the mark of a good book to me when it can trigger such a base instinct inside of me. 

Overall I though the plot was well developed and it had me guessing all the way to the end. Sometimes in these books I can spot the end a mile away, but not so with this one. It was very refreshing as a reader. 

Overall I would give this book a solid 4.5/5 stars. I would absolutely recommend reading it, especially if you are a fan of this genre of writing. It is well worth the time and it reads very quickly. 

Book Review: Wynter's Discontent by Nigel Draper

I enjoyed this book from the very beginning. I'm a big fan of books that switch from one character's point of view to another. It's a bonus when it is done well. That is the case with this book. The chapters float seamlessly from one character to another.

I'm also a big fan of the plot of this book. It's like your getting an inside look into the mind of a con man, and then you throw in the aspect of the secret service and that makes it even more interesting.

For me, world building and character development are a vital part of any story. The character development in this book is very well done. I was particularly a fan of Wynter and of Meredith. Those characters were both very compelling to me and I couldn't wait to hear what happened to them throughout the book. The author does a great job of working subtle details into the character descriptions. There were many times where there would just be short little descriptors of a character's demeanor that would totally put that character into my mind's eye. It was like I was standing there in the room with them. The world building is equally well done. I could see the scenes in vivid detail in my mind. To me, this is the mark of a really well done book.

The readability of this book is very good. It's a quick read and it keeps you engaged from start to finish. There is no slow build up at the beginning, you just jump right in and before you know it you are at the end.

I would recommend this book to anyone. I think it is a book that can appeal to a wide range of readers. It's well worth your time and I have no doubt you will enjoy it as much as I did.

My rating: 4/5