Book reviewer for all Genres

Don’t Date the Haunted by C. Rae D’Arc : A Book Review

Blurb: Does the heart beat faster from love or terror?

As a born-and-raised citizen of Horror, Pansy Finster has survived Hauntings such as mad killers and poltergeists by living her brother’s rules, including, “Avoid dolls, clowns, and masks.” But after the death of her fiancé, Pansy finds herself alone—which is a dangerous status in Horror. When she flees to Heartford, Romance, she’s startled that a masquerade has Regency ladies screaming… in excitement.

Culture-shocked, Pansy struggles to avoid any ill omens, such as repeated glances from the curiously handsome Lord Theo, from Fantasy. With a seemingly useless magical ability, he could be the Romance Pansy never knew she needed… or her most deceitful Haunting yet. Pansy must learn to love like a Romantic and teach her new friends to survive like a Horror before the masquerade becomes a massacre.

Follow Pansy Finster’s hauntings and romance in “Don’t Date the Haunted,” first book of the Haunted Romance trilogy, by C Rae D’Arc. If you like Seth Grahame-Smith, Isaac Marion or Christopher Moore, then this dark romantic comedy will keep you up! Don’t forget; it’s never just a power-outage.

My thoughts: Don’t Date the Haunted exceeded my expectations in every way. I was excited to read it based on the blurb so I happily accepted the invitation to review it; I just didn’t think it was going to be THIS good.

The concept is original and just mind blowing really. Even just 10% in to this book I was telling everybody about it. Just think of Earth and it’s continents but call Earth Novel, and call, let’s say the continent of North America Romance, with Canada possibly being Contemporary Romance. Then lets call the continent of Europe Horror, the continent of Africa Mystery…. you get the picture. Each continent is a genre!

Obviously just from learning this, I was invested. Like, who comes up with something like that? A bloody good author that’s who. The character’s didn’t disappoint either! The main character is Pansy Finster. She is from Horror but after a certain tragic event she decides to get out of Horror and heads for Romance.
Pansy is somebody who I would describe as anxious, nervous, paranoid and quirky but I can totally understand why seeing as she lived in a place where zombie plagues are the norm *shudders*. I hate zombies.
You then meet the Romantic’s. I would describe most of these people as your typical Hallmark cheese-induced ‘cheer-leader’ types but then you’ve also got some from other types of Romance such as Regency Romance as well. Then you’ve got those from Fantasy, mainly lords who, back in their country, would be fighting Dragon’s or on some sort of quest. Other characters from different genres are also introduced throughout the book and I just love that each of them as such a solid personality that you know and remember where they are from.

Throughout the book we follow Pansy and her new life in Romance. She attends University there and makes lots of friends with a variety of people from all genre’s. A love interest develops the story further mixed in with a mysterious detective and a haunting from her past. The story is gripping and ensures you continue to turn the page.

I would highly recommend this book and the bonus is, it’s actually a completed trilogy. I haven’t read the 2nd or 3rd book yet but they have been added to my TBR pile and moved high up the list. I need to know what happens next and if these books are anything like this one, the trilogy could be sitting on my ‘Best Books I’ve Ever Read’ shelf.

Don’t Date the Haunted is available on Amazon UK for free on Kindle Unlimited or on Kindle for £2.17 here – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Date-Haunted-Romantic-Romance-ebook/dp/B08HSWYRMN/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=dont+date+the+haunted&qid=1634585954&sr=8-2

or you can purchase it on Paperback here for £7.38 – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dont-Date-Haunted-Romantic-Romance/dp/B08JN58D6G/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634585954&sr=8-2

It is also available on Amazon US for free on Kindle Unlimited here or for $2.99 – https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Date-Haunted-Romantic-Romance-ebook/dp/B08HSWYRMN/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=don%27t+date+the+haunted&qid=1634586053&sr=8-1

and on Paperback here for $9.99 – https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Date-Haunted-Romantic-Romance/dp/B08JN58D6G/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634586053&sr=8-1

Thanks again for reading.

Gee Liz ❤

Killing the Reapers by Jeff Debing : A Book Review

Blurb:

Ross, a young paramedic, whose world takes a sudden tragic turn on what should be one of the best days of his life. Just as he is about to propose to his girlfriend, he suffers a massive heart attack and dies.

Ross awakens in the afterlife and learns that the Grim Reaper actually does exist, but not as the skeletal creature of mythology. Instead it’s a group of non-living individuals who look and act just like ordinary people. Essentially undead civil servants, they walk among the living, unnoticed, as they perform their grim work of reaping the souls of people when they are destined to die.

Ross discovers that his life has ended decades before he was supposed to die, due to a reaper’s tragic mishap.

As Ross and the Grim Reapers seek a way to return him to the life he was destined to live, fatal accidents suddenly begin to plague the reapers. When these suspicious mishaps prevent him from getting his life back, he realizes they’re not merely accidents and he must stop whatever is killing the reapers.

My thoughts: Killing the Reapers is a very short novella which I managed to read in a few hours over two sittings.

The story is divided in to chapters but each section which focuses on a different person/situation in each chapter has a number so it’s like chapters within chapters. Confused? Yeah, I don’t know how to explain it haha.

There are a lot of characters in this novella and they aren’t given much or any description or personality so it is difficult to keep up with who is who, especially when several characters are introduced at once just by name alone. The majority of the characters are introduced quickly in a short space of time too so again, it is difficult to keep up. The lack of character building and development was a big thing for me. I think it would have added a lot to this novella and made my score higher. I just didn’t feel like I could bond with any of the characters.

At a couple of points, the incorrect name was used in a sentence which shows that the book has not been edited well. I often let author’s off with a few grammatical and spelling errors but I think it is important to make sure that something such as who said a specific sentence is correct as this could potentially impact the story.

Now enough about the negatives, there are positives to this book hence the rating of 2.5 (which is still not bad, it’s average isn’t it). The story really has potential and I think if the author decided to world build and develop characters it could be a very popular book. It did have me interested enough to read it quite quickly and continue to flip the page. I wanted to know what was happening and I didn’t anticipate the villain at all. It was a really good twist. It does take a while to get used to how the book is written, it’s like a 3rd person, present tense way of writing but I kind of liked it as you don’t see that a lot.

Overall, I really do think that Debing definitely has potential. I would be happy reading any other work that he brings out in the future. First of all because I think he has a good story here, but also to see if his writing improves. We’ve all got to start somewhere haven’t we?

Killing the Reapers is available on Amazon UK for free on Kindle Unlimited here – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Reapers-Jeff-Debing-ebook/dp/B08XX1MCN8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=killing+the+reapers&qid=1633770991&sr=8-1

or you can purchase it for 77p.

It is also available on Amazon US for free on Kindle Unlimited here – https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Reapers-Jeff-Debing-ebook/dp/B08XX1MCN8/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=killing+the+reapers&qid=1633771066&sr=8-1

or you can purchase it for 99c.

Thanks again for reading.

Gee Liz ❤

Eyes (Half-Alive #1) by Nghich Tu : A Book Review

Blurb:

Spirited Away meets Coraline in the Suburbs of Hanoi, Vietnam with a twist to the genre. A heart-pounding journey of betrayal and bond, strength and perseverance, with the looming threat of ghosts, demons, and black magic… told from the perspective of a comedic protagonist!

An eerie children’s nursery rhyme lures Thanh – an intelligent college girl with an unnatural level of trust issues – into an adventure of her lifetime.

On this journey, she meets Điền Mục, a young ghost catcher who can’t see ghosts but was raised by a 500-year-old spirit and has about zero experience in human interactions.

The fates of two unlikely companions intertwine on the spider web of a criminal mastermind who has been evading arrest for the past 40 years.

Their lives are on the line; the trap has been set! Meanwhile, Thanh still hasn’t trusted Mục yet… But can you honestly blame her for not choosing a total stranger, and a weirdo no less, over people she’d known her whole life?

My thoughts: First off I would just like to say how impressed I was by the translation of this novel from Vietnamese to English. Though not perfect, it was pretty darn close and I’ve read plenty of English novels with more mistakes. One thing I do not agree with in the blurb is that the story is told from the perspective of a comedic protagonist. This novel is NOT 1st person, it is 3rd person.

I am not familiar with Vietnamese culture at all and I felt like I learned so much from this novel. I found the culture interesting and it’s made me want to continue learning more. What I loved about Eyes is that anything that the reader may be confused by (such as something associated with Vietnamese culture), a number was placed next to it and an explanation was provided in the back of the book.

Overall the storyline was good, the world building was solid and it and was filled with strong and likable characters with defining personalities. I definitely agree with the blurb – Spirited Away meets Caroline – 100%. I could actually see this novel being turned into a Studio Ghibli classic. It would be fantastic!

I enjoyed the book thoroughly until about 60% of the way in and then it became a bit tedious. I think it was because there was so much explaining to do about how things linked and I felt myself getting wound up at times as the characters would talk to each other for a long period of time even when they where in grave danger. Being in that situation, you would definitely keep your talking to a minimum and the enemy wouldn’t just stand around and let you have a chat.

It did pick back up at the end and become more enjoyable again. It felt slightly rushed towards the end but I think most of my questions were answered. The story ended with a cliff-hanger which has naturally left me wanting to read the next book. Even if it hadn’t finished on a cliff-hanger I definitely think I would read the next book.

This novel is available to purchase from Amazon Uk:

On Kindle for 0.99p – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyes-Half-Alive-Book-Ngh%E1%BB%8Bch-T%E1%BB%AD-ebook/dp/B099L8VBNJ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=eyes+half+alive&qid=1633696838&sr=8-1

and as a Paperback for £9.98 – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyes-1-Half-Alive-Ngh%E1%BB%8Bch-T%E1%BB%AD/dp/B093RPTMDD/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=eyes+half+alive&qid=1633696899&sr=8-2

In the US you can purchase from Amazon:

On Kindle for $1.35 – https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Half-Alive-Book-Ngh%E1%BB%8Bch-T%E1%BB%AD-ebook/dp/B099L8VBNJ/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=eyes+half+alive&qid=1633696955&sr=8-2

As always, thanks for reading!

Gee Liz ❤

Updated review: Weatherman by Price Doom

A few days ago, I wrote a review for Weatherman by Price Doom. I’m a busy little be at the moment as I am moving over 500 miles away on Tuesday and I’m currently still working a full time job! So, I know these are not valid excuses but I wrote my review for Weatherman fairly quickly before continuing to pack for my new life.

Since then, I have re-read my review and feel that compared to other 3 star reviews e.g. Ecclesia’s Table by Mason S Haynes, Weatherman was actually given quite a high rating. With Weatherman for example, I felt like I deserved more from the story and I was left disappointed overall whereas with Ecclesia’s Table, the story in general was absolutely fantastic, but some areas needed improvement.

I know this seems like a harsh thing to do, but I feel like I do need to change it so my reviews do genuinely reflect my thoughts.

If anybody has any questions or comments then please feel free to comment but please be kind.

Thanks for reading.

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Weatherman by Price Doom: A Book Review

Blurb:
Heart and her father are on the run from God. At least, that’s what her father, Sonny, tells her.

Young Heart believes Sonny’s stories of dying suns and scientists with tranquilizer guns, parachuting out of planes in pursuit of them.

Sonny believes only the elements in his body can save the sun, and Heart grows up in fear of the boogeymen from Sonny’s stories—and Sonny himself.

After years without proof and questions about Sonny’s mental stability, Heart makes her escape.

My thoughts: I was sent a free copy of ‘Weatherman’ by the author in return for an honest review.
This was a short novella which I managed to read in one sitting. The story was engaging throughout and I didn’t once feel like stopping reading and didn’t get bored throughout the entirety of the novella.

The story follows Sonny and his daughter Heart who are running from GOD. Apparently, Sonny has special powers and GOD is sending people after him because of this. He is not a likeable character at all but I think this is exactly what the author wants us to think. Something that did grate on me was the fact that he ended most of his sentences with ‘buddy’.
Heart on the other hand is quite a likeable character and loves her dad very much until we get to part 4 of the book (the book is separated in to 4 parts) where she suddenly doesn’t trust her dad, is asking lots of questions and doesn’t believe much that comes out of his mouth anymore. I think personally, I needed a little more explanation of this. Why has her attitude changed towards her dad?

With regards to the climax, I really enjoyed it but at the same time couldn’t help but be annoyed at Heart’s change of heart (is this a pun?). I don’t want to say too much as I don’t like spoiling the book for those that want to read it but you’ll know what I mean if you do read it.

I’m conflicted with this book as like I said, it was entertaining enough to read in one sitting, but at the same time I feel like I deserved more as a reader and there just wasn’t enough there to make me want to read it again or shout about it from the rooftops. I think if the novella was expanded on and turned in to a novel with more detail, explanations and information then this definitely could be a cleverly written piece of work.

This book is available on kindle UK for £2.15 – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weatherman-Price-Doom-ebook/dp/B08ZCGQM1W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=weatherman+price+doom&qid=1631996119&sr=8-1

and Kindle US for $2.99 – https://www.amazon.com/Weatherman-Price-Doom-ebook/dp/B08ZCGQM1W/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=weatherman+price+doom&qid=1631996179&sr=8-1

Rapunzel’s Tower by Wendy L Anderson: A Book Review

Blurb: This is a story about a beautiful princess. You may say this tale has been told countless times, the moral of the story learned, and the children entertained but you may not have heard the entire truth.

A cruel twist of fate caused the princess to be locked in a magical tower. Two princes, one from the east and one from the west, are set against each other and tasked with rescuing her.

How hard can it be to climb a tower?

At the end of their perilous adventure, the Princess will only be able to choose one Prince as her true love. Which one will prevail in winning her hand? A tale such as this made from legends incites our minds and imaginations, and tugs at our heartstrings while chilling our bones. This is not just a story of cruel fate, but the tale of true love and Rapunzel and her tower.

My thoughts: I devoured this book! I just could not put it down. I was late for work every single day since starting reading this book, I was late back to work when on my breaks, I stayed up later, woke up earlier, and I did not do any housework at all. All I could think was ‘I need to get back to Zander and Andres’ and it was often a ‘just one more chapter’ scenario.

It isn’t what I expected. I was only read the story of Rapunzel when I was younger and I can not remember it at all, and of course, I’ve watched Tangled too so in my mind, I thought this book was going to be a typical Disney light-hearted princess story. However, this story doesn’t follow the princess, it follows the two princes who are trying to rescue her. The princes are rivals but must work together to complete quests in order to reach Rapunzel at the top of her tower even though they know that only one of them will be Rapunzel’s true love.

The worldbuilding was fantastic and I was/am very impressed with the ability of the author to build so many worlds within one world (you’ll understand what I mean once you’ve read it). I would love to discuss this further with somebody so please message me when you’ve read the book so we can chat about it.

It can be quite dark at times and I felt myself holding my breath a lot and my adrenaline pumping along with Zander and Andres. I loved the characters and I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. If I was Rapunzel, I wouldn’t know who to choose myself. That would be a tough decision. I was also impressed with how the secondary characters stood out enough to be memorable especially the Dragons!

I feel like a lot of thought has gone in to this story and it has been developed so well. I am honestly so impressed by it. The thing about Wendy L Anderson is, she keeps writing these super impressive books that just keep blowing my mind, and I just do not know how I can continue scoring 5/5 when her story’s just keep getting better and better.

Now how long till the next one because I need it yesterday!

Yours on kindle UK for just £2.16 – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rapunzels-Tower-Wendy-L-Anderson-ebook/dp/B09G54DZRR/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=rapunzels+tower+wendy+l+anderson&qid=1631901941&sr=8-1

Kindle US – $2.99 – https://www.amazon.com/Rapunzels-Tower-Wendy-L-Anderson-ebook/dp/B09G54DZRR/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=rapunzel+tower+wendy+l+anderson&qid=1631901983&sr=8-1

Paperback US – $15.95 – https://www.amazon.com/Rapunzels-Tower-Wendy-L-Anderson/dp/1644563827/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1631901983&sr=8-1

Ecclesia’s Table by Mason S Haynie: A Book Review

Blurb: The world is a wasteland. It always has been. Moshe, Amaru, and Reenu have never known anything other than the desert wasteland that raised them. When the rumor arises that something other than barren landscape could be out there, the three of them make haste for an abundant future. Upon arrival at this established society, the group quickly learns how and how not to get along amidst group dynamics and seemingly sinister mystery. The trials and social politics that Moshe, Amaru, and Reenu face teach them that some rules are useful and some are meant to be broken. Have a seat at Ecclesia’s Table.

My thoughts: Ecclesia’s table is a dystopian novel that actually took me over a month to read which is a very long time for me to spend on a book. I’m really conflicted with this one because I thought it was an absolutely brilliant storyline but it took me so long to get through it that I didn’t feel 100% invested in the novel and lots of little bits that annoyed me about the book just decided to hover constantly in my mind. I think the easiest way to explain my thoughts on Ecclesia’s table is to divide this review in to positive parts and negative parts.

Positive

Cover – the cover of this book is really beautiful. I believe it was his friend, Rosalie N Aranda, who created this cover and I absolutely love that Haynie has acknowledged his friend both in the book and on Goodreads.
Acknowledgements – Talking about acknowledging his artistic friend, Haynie has dedicated a number of pages in Ecclesia’s Table to thank friends, family and fans that helped him along the way. It looks like he hasn’t forgot anybody. I love it.
LGBTQ+ inclusivity – I love Haynie’s has included an array of characters in this world. The use of pronouns ‘them/they’ is something I’ve not seen in a book before and I admire Haynie for this.
The story / world-building – Overall this was a very good story especially the build up. I was disappointed towards the end but I will bring this up later. The world building was phenomenal; I felt like I was there sometimes and could see it with my own eyes. I feel like I could draw Ecclesia and it’s surrounding areas on a map from the description. Even now, after reading it, I feel I could do it from memory. Very impressive.
The characters – The three main characters each have their very own personalities and what I loved is that I could see myself in most of them but especially Moshe. Moshe is more so your leader out of the group but has the tendency to be stubborn and a bit selfish. I love that he’s not perfect, none of the characters are and this is what makes it a more believable story. Amaru is hot headed and likes to ‘do’ first then think later where as Reenu is a bit, how do I describe him…that’s difficult really. At first, I think he is a bit of a wimp, a bit of a wet lettuce if you will and you think that he’s probably the weakest of the three characters both physically and mentally, and probably the most forgettable from a readers view. However, when you actually get in to the story, Reenu is the best character. He’s the most loyal, the most analytical, and the bravest really. You’ll see why if you read the book.

Negative

The chapters are UNBELIEVABLY long. This was a really big one for me as it wasn’t something I could just read quickly e.g. a quick chapter before work; a quick chapter before bed. I had to set a lot of time aside. I know this doesn’t work for a lot of people unfortunately and I think one of the most important things is shortening your chapters in a book. I probably could have read this in less than a week with shorter chapters.
When a character had a thought the sentence would literally just stop mid-sentence, the characters thought would be written and then the sentence would carry on. It happened throughout the entire book and I just didn’t get used to it E.g. Making my way downtown, walking fast, faces
*What the hell was that noise? Was it behind me or to the side of me?
pass and I’m homebound.
5 of the main characters had names beginning with A: Abigail, Amaru, Arah, Ambree, Adinah. I personally struggled with this.
I became confused towards the end with how technologically advanced the Ecclesian world is. In my eyes it was before electricity and other technology like that but yet they had a microphone which when you pressed the button it started to work. If there is a microphone that works like that and doesn’t require relatively new technology then please let me know so I can update this review.
Finally, throughout the book and particularly at the end, a big villain of the characters were wolves. Now, I’ve studied wolves, a lot. I did my masters dissertation on how the media portrays wolves and how this affects peoples perceptions on wolves. This book does not give wolves a good name. I’m not saying wolves are lovely creatures but wolves do not pack together and hunt people down like they do in the books. They are actually very much ‘flight’ animals and not ‘fight’ animals. They would also not kill somebody and then leave the body to then continue to chase somebody else down and kill them. Once they have ate their meal, they are done.

I’ve decided to give this book a 3 out of 5. This is a good rating as it is higher than ‘average’ or 2.5/5. It was really difficult to rate this book. As I said, I really did enjoy it and that’s why I have given it 3 stars but the negative’s were quite big negatives for me and that’s why I’ve taken the two stars.

This book is actually free on Kindle Unlimited! I can’t seem to find it on the US Amazon so please comment below if you can!

Uk – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecclesias-Table-Mason-S-Haynie-ebook/dp/B09197M6P4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=ecclesia+table&qid=1631523582&sr=8-1

Thanks for reading!

Gee Liz Reads ❤

Early Retirement by Luke Ethan Knight: A Book Review

Blurb: A lifelong production operator who’s been dragged from boiling-hot reactor cells to outdoor polar pipeline arrays, Cap Jenkins figures he’s seen just about every ugly thing that life on an extraterrestrial corporate mining colony has to offer. But when a fresh, unnervingly innocent young operator clocks in for his first night shift with no warning and no introduction, Cap and his small crew of surly workmen are quickly reminded that things can always get worse. As Cap’s woes progress from minor equipment failures to inexplicable and horrific happenings in the shadows, one thing becomes increasingly clear: there’s something very strange about this rookie.

My thoughts: I received a free copy of Early Retirement from the author in exchange for an honest review. Early Retirement is a short story which are still relatively new to me (I’ve only ever read a collection of short story’s and that was about a month ago). It is also of the horror genre which is again, relatively new to me. It is only 28 pages long but it feels longer as it tells such a good story. I read it in one sitting and my mind was solely focused on the story (which is rare for me seeing as I’ve got a list of ‘To Do’s’ as long as my arm).

From very early on, I knew where this story was going so it was a predictable, easy read. Easy in the sense of it was short, well written and flowed nicely. I had ‘Alien’ and ‘The Thing’ vibes from the start – Alien bored the life out of me as it was such a long film but The Thing is probably the most terrifying film I’ve ever seen, and I believe those that like to read horror and sci-fi-horror would really enjoy this short story.

I noticed during reading the story that I had that horrible feeling in my stomach – a mix of dread and butterflies. I could also feel that I was forgetting to breath at times so I think that the author has done really well in writing this horror story as all horror authors want their readers to feel this way.

What I found impressive, is that in 28 pages, Knight managed to create a decent setting, varied and well presented characters, and a compelling story. I’m hoping that Knight continues to write but I am looking forward to full length novels.

Early Retirement is available on Amazon UK for just 77p. Or Free on you have Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Early-Retirement-Luke-Ethan-Knight-ebook/dp/B091BR42J4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=early+retirement+knight&qid=1629186289&sr=8-1

For those in the US it is just 99cents: https://www.amazon.com/Early-Retirement-Luke-Ethan-Knight-ebook/dp/B091BR42J4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Early+retirement+knight&qid=1629186393&sr=8-1

As always, thank you for reading.

Gee Liz Reads ❤

God, Aliens, Death & Teapots by Andrew Ritchie: A Book Review

Blurb: An eclectic selection of seven short stories involving, as the title of the book suggests, God, Aliens, Death or Teapots. Oh, and there’s one about dogs as well…then again, come to think of it, two of them don’t really have God, aliens, Death or teapots in them at all. They’re more about space….
So a more apt title for this book could well be God, Aliens, Death, Dogs, General Space Stuff & Teapots.
Yeah, that just about sums it up (though it isn’t quite as catchy).

My Thoughts: I received a free copy of God, Aliens, Death and Teapots for an honest review. As I said in my previous reviews of Andy Ritchie’s books, Andrew Ritchie is my Uncle but that doesn’t change how I review his work – if it’s crap then I will say so!

This was a fantastic book containing 7 short stories which I have decided to name below and give my views on each.

Why Pandas Look So Sad – Very random. It is about Panda’s but not about Panda’s at the same time. It’s very clever actually and this story made me want to continue reading the other short stories.
The Man That God Forgot – A brilliant story that sent shivers down my spine at the thought of this happening to me, though I would act differently than the man in this story. I will note that there are a few potential triggers in this story specifically animal cruelty and suicidal thoughts.
Wrong Time, Wrong Place – Yet another fantastic read. It was quite sad though and makes you think.
The Teapots Are Coming – A very short story but it made me want a full novel / movie. I wanted a lot more backstory and to see what the outcome is too!
Notice of Sale – Another clever story and I actually learnt a lot about Earth in an interesting way.
Dies Caniculares – Now this one was phenomenal and at times I found I was forgetting to breath. After this one I had to have a few minutes to think of having to live through something like this and it just made me go and cuddle my dogs for a while (whether they liked it or not). Don’t take your dogs for granted people! Trigger warning with this one – Animal Cruelty (but a phenomenal and realistic read).
SoRaMA – Probably my least favourite of all the stories but still a cracker.

These are the first short stories I have read as I’ve never really been interested in them. How can you tell a story in just a few pages? Well in fact, you can, and now I want to read more.

I would highly recommend this book of short stories for everybody to read. The ONLY reason I’m giving 4.5 stars instead of 5 is down to my own personal opinion of animal cruelty being in the books I read. I personally get really affected by this sort of stuff but unlike some books I have read and marked harshly for this, there are REASONS why the animal cruelty takes place and therefore does add to the story. Unlike other books where the animal cruelty is there and if you had taken it out of the story, then the story would have been the exact same. I also actually really enjoyed the stories even though they contained the cruelty – I hope this makes sense and I hope you all understand my justification.

If you are in the UK this book is available here for either Free on Kindle Unlimited or £2.10 on Kindle: God, Aliens, Death & Teapots eBook : Ritchie, Andrew: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

If you are not in the UK I think you may still be able to purchase it from the above link but I may be wrong. Please let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading.

Gee Liz Reads ❤

The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read (Part 3) by Andrew Ritchie: A Book Review

Blurb: The fate of mankind hangs in the balance…and Jethro Postlethwaite is still keeping his diary.
He’s still on the run from THEM, but now he’s left Peterhead behind and is heading south for a meeting with The One.
He’s still experiencing someone else’s memories (some good, some not so good)…
…but he’s started to get a disturbing liking for classical music…
…and he’s learnt all about Emotional Energy and W.I.M.D.s…
…oh, and he’s been bitten by midges. He doesn’t like those.
At least he’s still got the camper van.

My Thoughts: I received a free copy of TBTTDNWYTR Part 3 for an honest review. As I said in my review for Parts 1 and 2, Andrew Ritchie in my Uncle but that doesn’t change how I review his work – if it’s crap then I will say so!

I’m writing this review whilst on holiday in not so sunny – but ever so beautiful – Scotland. I’ve literally just finished the book and just like the part 1 and 2, I could NOT put it down.

Part 3 is the final part of The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read. It continues with the same diary(ish) format written by JP and collated by the author. It continues being a believable sci-fi x thriller x british comedy book (which I’ve decided to call a thri-fi bromedy… that definitely needs work).

I loved how the story comes to an end in part 3. It was so clever and unexpected, so brilliantly written. However, I couldn’t help being agitated that some questions were left unanswered. Usually, this would really annoy me and likely make me give a review that is less than 5 stars, but on reflection, it actually just makes the story more believable. Throughout your life there are always questions that are left unanswered and when something happens you might not know all of the how’s and why’s so I actually think this is really clever. Additionally, there could potentially be another story that comes from this which I am definitely hoping for.

Jethro, the main protagonist and diarist continues to develop and I enjoyed seeing him grow from a boring, mundane character to somebody who takes no $hit. His language and personality reminds me of a typical middle-aged man – he doesn’t know what politically correct is! Though it’s funny that an Alien not from this planet chastises him about these things sometimes.

I’m really sad that this is over and I hope that it actually isn’t. I would really recommend this trilogy to you all. It’s just like nothing I’ve ever read. It’s bloody fantastic!

If you are in the UK this book is available here for either Free on Kindle Unlimited or £2.80 on Kindle: The Book That THEY Do Not Want You To Read Part 3 eBook : Ritchie, Andy: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

If you are not in the UK I think you may still be able to purchase it from the above link but I may be wrong. Please let me know what you think!

Thank you for reading.

Gee Liz Reads ❤