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12/31/2018

Byebye 2018 – Hello 2019

2018 has been a cruel one, personally spoken. We lost someone to the extreme heat we had during the very long summer. The old heat record is history. And we got to know the evil face of a long-lasting drought and that we cannot take everything for granted.

Keep reading to see what else happened or is planned in 2019.

As always, I had not really set any New Year´s resolutions for me by the end of 2017. I am not the kind of person who can make them real, spoken about health, fitness or other things. Though I changed some of my old habits a bit.

When it comes to books, bookish things or my reading habits, I have to say that I didn´t read as many books as I´ve done the year before. Somehow it took me sometimes longer to read a book or to write my review about it.

But I don´t see that as a negative thing. Not at all. Reading is still my biggest passion, among music, painting and other things. But I stopped seeing it as a competition. Sure, it still feels weird when I see other book lovers who have read more books than I have. But on the other hand, the books they read are sometimes way shorter than the ones, I am reading, so it isn´t really a negative thing for me.

I finished my New Release Challenge Lexxie at (un)Conventional Bookworms is hosting, with more books read and reviewed than I thought I would and signed up for the same challenge next year.

And I decided to do three other challenges as well.

One is the Library Love Challenge, which is - as the name says - about all the books I will borrow from my library. It is hosted over at Angel´s Guilty Pleasures. I am sure the one or the other new release will be among those books so I can work two challenges at the same time. At least, I hope that will happen. But it did during the past twelve months, so why not next year too?

I also signed up for the Backlist Reader Challenge. Which is hosted by The Bookwyrms Hoard. My TBR is huge, and if I don´t want to get into huge trouble with my family, I NEED to get that pile DOWN A BIT. I pray to the god of books that I will be successful in that field *sigh*

For some reasons, I bought some new audiobooks in 2018. All of them are still unheard. As a result of that, I decided to do the Audiobook Challenge Kimberly at Caffeinated Bookreviewer is doing again. I saw that challenge last year already but didn´t sign up for it. That will be different next year. And hopefully, I will be able to listen to some of them.

One of the positive things during the past year was, that I could manage to change some of my eating habits a bit to the better and that I didn´t gain much weight. Which I see as a positive thing.

Further changes are in order next year additional to those I already made during the past year. I am not vain, not by any means. But I need to feel good in my own skin. And with the fact that I am not getting younger, and don´t want to feel old, some changes are necessary.

Who else will be able to change that, if not me? Hopefully, I can discipline myself enough to do a bit more sport. I am not a runner, but I like to do a strong walk, like Nordic walking and I thought about going back to doing Pilates a few times a week. We´ll see how things will turn out next year. But I am confident, that I can do some of the things I plan to do.

And of course, I will be reading books. Not sure how many, but I will read. That has become a kind of addiction – a good one.


Happy New Year







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12/31/2018

2018 New Release Challenge – Wrap-Up


My wrap-up post for the New Release Challenge in 2018 will give you a bit of an insight into my goal and if I reached it or even went beyond it. My goal this time was to become a New Release Newbie and maybe gain the next level as long as the year is still going on. To be clear. I only counted and used the reviews I posted here on my blog for this challenge. I did it the past years and see no reason why I should change that. Though Lexxie is giving us the possibility to use our Goodreads account, too.

The challenge is hosted by Lexxie at (un)ConventionalBookworms.

My reading contains English originals as well as German editions. Therefore, it can happen that you´ll find books on my blog or in the Link-up over on (un)Conventional Bookworms, that show the cover of the German edition that came out in 2018 though it´s English edition was already being published the previous year or earlier. It depends if I got the book from a publisher or bought it myself.

Due to the fact, that the levels got changed over the years and newly arranged, I am unable to reach again or defend my once reached New Release Enthusiast. I hit that in 2016 when the book numbers were way lower per level.

I am not complaining, not at all. This challenge is fun, every year no matter what level I reach. And that is what counts.

The books I read are 250 pages strong and longer. And despite being a fast reader, it is impossible for me to achieve a goal of 100+ books.


In 2018 I reached my goal of becoming a New Release Newbie and went beyond it with a total of forty-six (46) reviews and by hitting the level of a New Release Pro here on Inkvotary.

If you go on my blog´s homepage and click on the tag/label 2018NewReleaseChallenge you can find all the reviews I wrote for the challenge.


Happy reading







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12/30/2018

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black


I never thought that I would read another Holly Black book. Not after my reading experience with a title I had read and disliked in 2017. But this one? Holy smokes! Forget about fairy being nice. In this book they are cruel, full of hatred, they lust for punishment, the fear of others, and rather kill each other than see the crown on someone else´s head. Why haven´t I read this any sooner? Can you believe it – it was on my TBR since early January 2018, but it took me almost a year, A YEAR, to read it! And that with all the thrilling things I had heard about it over the past few months.


The Cruel Prince
by Holly Black
The Folk Of The Air #1
Publisher Little Brown Books For Young Readers on January 2, 2018
Genre Fantasy
Pages 370
Format Hardcover
Source Purchased
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶½

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered, and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of the Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him – and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
Story
Jude has watched the cruel assassination of her parents with shocked eyes. But she´d never thought, that she would spend the next ten years living under the same roof as her elder sister´s father and murderer of her parents. It is him, Madoc, who teaches her how to fight with a sword, that strategy is the most important thing at war and how to think things through. But all his lessons seem to have been for nothing, when Jude realizes almost too late, how things really are at the High Court and that loyalty and faerie don´t go well together.

Style
Holly Black doesn´t bother with huge explanations. Yes, you get some hints about her figures through their actions and she lets you know what the look like, but only with a few sentences. I like that very much. Her fantasy is incredible, at least in this novel. I could literally see Hollow Hall or Madoc´s place where Jude lives with him and the others. And it was kind of fun to imagine Cardan with his one earring – reminded me more of a pirate than a prince. But we are in faerie land, so nothing is as we know it from the mortal world. The more I read into the story, the more intense it became. I could literally see the scenes right before my eye, could smell the wood, the soil, or the food they were eating. All that managed the author by using very few words but with the utmost feeling. 

Characters
What a badass Jude is. One with some charm, the heart in the right place, and a desire that makes her human in the best way. Yes, she wants power above all else. And she finds a way, though she isn´t looking for it, to get it. But why not. A powerful figure can do many good things. It may take her a bit to see everything through, to understand what she sees and hears, but when she gets it, she shows her smartness and that she is more of a faerie than her elder sister Vivienne. Her power is one, others underestimate and that´s her big advantage. I was fascinated by the way how Holly Black has created her faerie figures. They are colorful, exotic, show extreme emotions, hate everything that´s mortal but need it to keep existing, and are merciless if they have the chance to gain power one way or the other. But when it comes to family, they show very familiar values as we mortals do. The family comes first, loyalty to your family is everything and you safe and protect them at all costs. Well, most of us at least.


Conclusion
That book was great to read. I am not happy with everything that had happened. But the surprise the author presents her reader and one of her figures, in the end, holy cow! This novel is a pure reading pleasure and has made me a Holly Black fan. At least, when it comes to her Folk of the Air books. 



Happy reading







Holly Black
Holly Black ©Simon & Schuster Inc




Holly Black is the author of bestselling contemporary fantasy books for kids and teens. Some of her titles include The Spiderwick Chronicles (with Tony DiTerlizzi) and The Modern Faerie Tale series. She has been a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award, a finalist for an Eisner Award, and the recipient of both an Andre Norton Award and a Newbery Honor. She lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. 

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12/29/2018

2019 Audiobook Challenge Sign-Up


The audiobook challenge is mainly hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer and this time it will be the 7th year in a row that they are doing the challenge. And since I can use titles, I haven´t heard yet, but on my audiobook TBR for what feels like ages now, I thought why not join in and see how far I´ll come? Me and audiobooks, well, that´s a story that IS actually NO story. Or better said, it is an on/off kinda thing that I have going on for years now.

The audiobook challenge is hosted by Kimberly at Caffeinated Reviewer and Hot Listens.

Years ago, I signed up with the then young and independent company audible (had nothing to do with the big retailer it is owned by now), only because I was curious, and they were offering a device too with the membership. Yup, you guessed it right, I needed the device to be able to listen to the audiobooks I was buying with the credits I got every month.

I do have quite a mountain of audiobooks though, mostly unheard, since the company offers from time to time a cheaper membership that is affordable for every purse. But I have barely time to listen to them, except when I go power-walking or am on my way to the grocery store. But at home, while doing my household? No chance. And shortly before sleeping no good idea either.

Despite that, I got some great audios from authors I love, and because of them and the ones I own since ages, I am signing up to try this challenge and see what happens.

I am aiming for the


Newbie, I´ll give it a try with 1-5 titles.





Challenge Details

  • Runs January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019. You can join at any time.
  • The goal is to find a new love for audios or to outdo yourself by listening to more audios in 2019 than you did in 2018.
  • Books must be in audio format (CD, MP3, etc.)
  • ANY genres count.
  • Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
  • You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
  • If you´re a blogger grab the button and do a quick post about the challenge to help spread the word. If you´re not a blogger you can help posting on Facebook or Tweeting about the challenge.
  • Updates plus a giveaway will be hosted twice during the year. The first update will be June 30, 2019, and the last update will take place on December 15, 2019.


Achievement Levels

  • Newbie (I´ll give it a try) 1-5 my goal
  • Weekend Warrior (I´m getting the hang of this) 5-10
  • Stenographer (Can listen while multitasking) 10-15
  • Socially Awkward (Don´t talk to me) 15-20
  • Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
  • My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30+
  • Marathon (Look Ma No Hands) 50+


Now, let´s see how things will go for me and my audiobook pile.



Happy listening







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12/28/2018

Precious Thing by Colette McBeth


The cover caught my attention first. The cold blue, the plants, the water bubbles I couldn´t imagine what they had to do with the thriller content. And the summary sounded very haunting. Despite the fact, that the author was new to me, I was going into this read with curiosity, and no expectations at all. All I hoped for was to be well entertained.


Precious Thing*
by Colette McBeth
Publisher Headline Review on August 1, 2013
Genre Thriller
Pages 352
Format Paperback
Source Publisher*
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶½

Remember the person you sat next to on your first day at school? Still your best friend? Or disappeared from your life for good? Some friendships fizzle out. Rachel and Clara promised theirs would last forever. They met when Rachel was the new girl in class and Clara was the friend everyone wanted.  Now in their late twenties, Rachel has everything while Clara´s life is spiraling further out of control. Then Clara vanishes. Imagine discovering something about your oldest friend that forces you to question everything you´ve shared together. The truth is always there. But only if you choose to see it.
Story
Rachel has not seen her best friend Clara in ages and wanted to meet her in a small-town club. Instead, she meets some former schoolmates there – no sign of Clara. Shortly thereafter, Rachel has to realize with horror that her friend has disappeared and is being sought by the police. A murderous cat-and-mouse game takes its course, during which Rachel has to realize in shock that she has fallen victim not only to a cruel plan but also that from once infinite trust, has become absolute hatred. 

Style
The protagonist seems to conduct a kind of monologue with Clara without her being there, reminiscing-albeit in a negative way. In the course of the plot, a brutal truth comes to light that almost disrupts Rachel´s sanity and lets her life fall apart piece by piece. Colette McBeth writes refreshingly, unfussy, and simple. Her vocabulary is gorgeous and incredibly varied. The author has a very individual character to describe the scenes and places. I could smell the stifling air of the house where Rachel lived for a while, the way I saw the perfect sterility of her London apartment in front of me, or the storm-swept beach in the night as she braced herself against the gusts of wind, and finally stood in front of one of the beach huts. Although Colette McBeth has a strangely restrained way of describing things, and Rachel recapitulates everything with a peculiar mixture of sarcasm and irony, her memory reminded me of everything very clearly. Nevertheless, I could not help feeling that I experience it all with a strange detachment and yet – grotesquely – in the action are fully in it. Sure, I did read each line carefully, but the thriller content did not really touch me. Maybe it was just this distance that did not let me put the book out of my hands – so fascinating was the content. Does that make sense?

Characters
Colette McBeth throws her characters into a murderous psycho game in which it is not always clear who is good and who is evil. Every character convinces and looks like taken from life. There is the surgeon´s daughter Clara, who missed the mother in her life painfully and shows this in a corresponding behavior. Rachel grew up without a father and suffers from her mother´s alcohol excesses for as long as she can remember. When the two girls meet at school, the spark immediately jumps over, and a drama takes its course, which has a lot in it. Anyone who thinks that adult psychopaths are already dangerous has never seen such a teenager – and certainly not a female one.

Clara is a beauty as she is in the book. Her charisma and charm bring even the driest character to their knees. But she is also depressed and unpredictable. Must always be in the center of attention under all circumstances. She needs the submissive and admiring nature of Rachel. When Rachel eventually frees herself from the forced role and goes her own way, Clara does not fit at all and reacts accordingly. 


Conclusion
A bizarre and thrilling story that tells of abysmal hatred and boundless trust, but also of perfidious revenge plans and the dark reasons of a female psyche. An incredibly fresh and eloquent novel. Psychology is brilliant and the plot extremely sophisticated. If you like to read a thriller that is a bit different from all the others, this is your book.



Happy reading












*I read the German edition released by Blanvalet on November 25, 2013 


Colette McBeth
Colette McBeth ©Paul Curran



Colette McBeth is the critically acclaimed author of psychological thrillers Precious Thing, The Life I Left Behind and An Act of Silence. Colette was a BBC TV News television correspondent for ten years, during which time she covered many major crime stories and worked out of Westminster as a political reporter. In 2011 she won a place on the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course and started her first book Precious Thing. Although she´s Scottish, she moved to England as a child and now lives in Hove with her husband and three children. 

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12/27/2018

River´s End by Nora Roberts


Since a few months, I have my own copy of this novel and am very happy about it. I read it years ago, but its plot is timeless and though you can tell that it was written in the ´90s it is still a wonderful read. The cover of the German edition, a beautiful picture showing a blue sky, some clouds, trees, and a river caught my eyes years ago. It literally spoke to me and turned out to be one fantastic read. And if I may say so, one of the authors best books ever.


River´s End
by Nora Roberts
Publisher Berkley on September 6, 2011
Genre Novel
Pages 433
Format Paperback
Source Purchased
Goodreads

✶✶✶✶✶

Olivia´s parents were among Hollywood´s golden couples – until the night a monster came and took her mother away forever. A monster with the face of her father … Sheltered from the truth, an older Olivia only dimly recalls her night of terror – but her recurring nightmares make her realize she must piece together the real story. Now, assisted by Noah Brady, the son of the police detective who found her cowering in her closet so many years before, she may have her chance. Noah wants to reconstruct the night that has become an infamous part of Hollywood history. He also wants to help Olivia and heal the longing in her lonely heart. But once the door to the past is opened, there´s no telling what´s waiting on the other side. For somewhere, not too far away, the monster walks again …
Story
Livvy lives a life like a princess. She lives in a big house, has toys and dolls in abundance and her parents love her to the moon and back. But one night it´s over with the familiar family idyll. Shocked, Livvy watches as her father brutally and cruelly kills her mother. Hollywood is in shock. Her grandparents decide to take her to River´s End in the state of Washington so she can grow up quietly away from all the hustle and bustle. But the pictures of the night do not leave Livvy alone, and it takes her years to free herself from it. So she believes. For years later, when she discovers a chest of pictures and newspaper articles about that cruel night in the forbidden attic, everything is back.

Style
At a brisk pace of reading, it goes through a sensitively and effectively written plot that reveals the language and writing style of Nora Roberts unmistakably in every word and sentence. During the course of the story, the reader makes a leap in time from 1979 to 1999, where the tension of the story finally comes to a head and ends with an absolutely surprising twist in the end. The reader is puzzled to the end whether Livvy´s father has really killed her mother or not. But this puzzle is by no means a hindrance to the plot or makes it appear illogical or less exciting and enthralling. But on the contrary. I was rarely so fascinated and immersed in the action as in this one.

Characters
I was thrilled with the way the author uses her characters, how she makes them live and feel, and what subliminal tones she keeps shining out, which inevitably asks you as a reader when these will burst forth and if they ever will. Livvy goes through hell and the descriptions Nora Roberts gives of her character are rather brief. It is the behavior rather than the non-behavior of the characters that clearly shows the reader how they are in character and what they look like. Nora Roberts leaves much of the reader´s imagination without taking their depths or making them implausible. The plot itself also benefits unbelievably from this scope of the reader. In an impressive way, Nora Roberts makes it clear what it means when a child is too much protected. Which conflicts can subliminally emerge from this and how difficult and painful it can be if the so overprotected child wants to free himself in order to continue to live. Add to that the love for a man who does not belong to the family, then a situation arises, which feels at first not up to Livvy. A love that becomes a nightmare for her when she realizes that Noah told her grandmother the truth when he says that Livvy if she had to decide, would choose her grandmother instead of him.

Noah brings unbelievable openness, determination, and willpower to the plot and is so incredibly sensitive that it is a real pleasure to pursue and experience it. He´s the only one who dares to tell the truth to the family, who charmingly challenges her and brings the facts to the table, forcing grandparents, as well as his own parents, to see reality and what is really going on in Livvy and accept.


Conclusion
River´s End is a fantastic novel. Enthralling and with a dash of a thriller. Sensitive and full of passion, drama, and hate. From my point of view one of the best novels, the author has ever written. Definitely read!



Happy reading







Nora Roberts
Nora Roberts ©Bruce Wilder




Nora Roberts, born in Silver Spring, Maryland, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels. During the now-famous blizzard, she pulled out a pencil and notebook and began to write. It was there that a career was born. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by Silhouette in 1981. Having spent her life surrounded by men, Ms. Roberts has a fairly good view of the workings of the male mind, which is a constant delight to her readers. It was, she’s been quoted as saying, a choice between figuring men out or running away screaming. Nora is a member of several writer’s groups and has won countless awards from her colleagues and the publishing industry. Recently The New Yorker called her “America’s favorite novelist.” She is also the author of the bestselling futuristic suspense series written under the pen name J. D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.

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12/24/2018

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays


The Christmas holidays are the perfect time to gather the family, enjoy the cookies we made over the past few weeks and eat special food like a dug, or other things we like to cook and enjoy over the holidays. Decorating the Christmas tree is one of our beloved traditions along with wrapping up little sweets in silk paper that find their place on the decorated Christmas tree. For most of us, those days mean being together with our loved ones, thinking of those we lost and enjoying new arrivals.

Life is precious and during the festive days, it becomes even more important to celebrate life and spending time with each other. Though not all of us can be together with their families for one reason or another.

Some of us will go to church, while others like to stay at home. In some parts of the world, they don´t even know that we celebrate Christmas over the next few days.

But no matter what you will do over the holidays, I wish you all the best and hope that you stay healthy and can bring some joy to others.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all.







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12/22/2018

Sleep No More by Aprilynne Pike


Okay, this time the original cover looks way better and secretive than its counterpart. Nonetheless, I got curious while reading the blurb and asked the publisher for it. And what a great read it was! Holy smokes. The mixture of paranormal fantasy, thriller, and mystery gave me the chills – but in a good way. If you don´t know the author yet, go and get her books.


Sleep No More*
by Aprilynne Pike
Charlotte Westing Chronicles #1
Publisher Harper Teen on April 29, 2014
Genre Children 13+
Pages 352
Format Hardcover
Source Publisher*
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶✶

Charlotte Westing has a gift. She is an Oracle and has the ability to tell the future. But it doesn´t do her much good. Instead of using their miraculous power, modern-day Oracles are told to fight their visions – to refrain from interfering. And Charlotte knows the price of breaking the rules. She sees it every day in her wheelchair-bound mother and the absence of her father. But when a premonition of a classmate´s death is too strong for her to ignore, Charlotte is forced to make an impossible decision: continue following the rules or risk everything – even her sanity – to stop the serial killer who is stalking her town.
Story
Charlotte has been haunted by visions since early childhood. Nothing bad, if they would not be incredibly painful and most of the time very cruel. One of them gets her as a little girl to break one of the most important rules and thereby kill an innocent person. From then on, her aunt Sierra introduces her to the life of an Oracle – for that is Charlotte. And her aunt demands nothing less than that Charlotte not only gives her best but also outgrows herself. But when a powerful vision simply sweeps away her protection and shows her that a schoolmate will be cruelly murdered, Charlotte begins to doubt the inexorable rules and regulations. 

Style
Aprilynne Pike has a great way to bring a novel to life. Charlotte is an Oracle but she´s forced to deny that. Her aunt taught her as long as she can remember that whenever she feels a vision coming, she needs to block her - because visions are dangerous in many ways. But one day Charlotte isn´t able to do so and has no other choice but to let them unfold. That´s painful and rips her off her feet. She knows it´s totally against the rules, but when she sees that a girl, she knows will be brutally murdered, she decides to let the visions unfold their power and hopes that she can save a life. Her struggle with the following incidents shows the author in a beautifully written and very sensitive way. This captivating thriller is written from Charlotte´s point of view and puts the reader in a world where love is one thing but bringing that love into danger is a completely different story.

Characters
It´s not easy to be an Oracle at all – even when you haven´t discarded the test yet. And certainly not when you get involved with the evil and don´t know it. But Aprilynne Pike uses that to her advantage and created with Charlotte a character who learns from her mistakes and who puts the strong bonds of a family above everything. When she starts to realize what she´d done by dropping her shields, she no longer obeys and starts to work out a plan to bring evil to justice. The way how she begins to understand why her aunt lives the life she lives, why she is the way she is, and what she does to prepare her family to prevent them from harm – all that shows a strength which is just incredible. 


Conclusion
The author uses a great legend in her story and puts that with wonderful words on paper. This paranormal thriller that lays between children and YA fiction is the first one I´ve read from this author, and it was worth every minute I spend with it. 



Happy reading













*I read the German edition by cbj on March 30, 2015. Now, see what I mean with the cover?


Aprilynne Pike
Aprilynne Pike ©Georgina Cranston Gypsy Rae Photography



Aprilynne Pike has been spinning stories since she was a child with a hyperactive imagination. She completed her BA in creative writing at the age of twenty at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho and later joined the same group of writers as Stephenie Meyer. Before her literary debut, she has worked as a waitress, a restaurant manager, a slush-pile reader, an editor, a childbirth educator, and a doula. Aprilynne lives with her husband and their four children in Utah, Arizona. 

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12/21/2018

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown


The cover design of the German edition was giving me the chills already just by looking at it. So, no question, I had to have and read it. You can see the cover at the end of my review. I don´t know exactly when I became a fan of the author, but with her style being different from those other thriller authors have (each of them is great in their own way) she has been a guarantor for great stories over the years. The author knows how to balance perfectly between an almost obscene language and being blunt without losing her high level. And that´s what I admire about her work the most.


Chill Factor*
by Sandra Brown
Publisher Simon & Schuster on August 1, 2006
Genre Thriller
Pages 360
Format Paperback
Source Publisher*
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶✶

Five women are missing from the sleepy mountain town of Cleary, North Carolina, and a blue ribbon has been left near where each woman was last seen. Lilly Martin has returned to Cleary to close the sale of her cabin. But when her car skids and strikes a stranger, Ben Tierney, as he emerges from the woods, they´ve no choice but to wait out a brutal blizzard in the cabin. And as the hours of their confinement mount, Lilly wonders if the great threat to her safety isn´t the storm, but the stranger beside her …

Story
For two years, the Cleary police tried to capture the girl murderer Blue, but so far in vain. As the young Millicent disappears, police chief Dutch Burton comes under pressure, especially now that the FBI is also in and a blizzard is forcing a temporary break in the search operation. In the midst of these brutal weather forces, Lilly Martin, the ex-wife of Dutch, meets the somewhat mysterious Ben Tierney and they must seek shelter in the lodge of Lilly. At first, the forced get-together in the hut works, but when Lilly finds a blue tie in Ben´s clothes she is seized with panic.

Style
Sandra Brown speaks in this thriller in a very direct, almost obscene language, but without lacking in style or being mediocre. The excitement awakens the author through the events that are gradually taking place and through a clever psychological cat-and-mouse game between the characters and the weather, then magnifying them brilliantly, chapter by chapter, until the final showdown. I particularly liked the fact that it is almost impossible to anticipate the killer quite early or even to have a guess.

Characters
The author has described her characters in a concise, clear, and very succinct manner, demonstrating with them how life in a small American town goes. The emotions range from desperate anger, boundless hatred over spurned love to absolute obsession. It is unbelievable what a feeling these characters generate when reading. Especially the figure of Lilly Martin stands out. Not only because she lives through a sensory roller coaster, which does not leave a person, who has a feeling in the body, cold. But also, because it arrives so real and strong to the reader, that while reading, I already thought that I AM the one who is gasping for breath and completely gray in the face.


Conclusion
An extremely brilliant and captivating thriller in which not only the weather has brute force. Wonderfully enthralling.



Happy reading













*I read the German edition Eisnacht by Blanvalet on October 12, 2009


Sandra Brown
Sandra Brown ©Gregory Heisler Studios




Sandra Brown is the author of 63 New York Times bestsellers. Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV´s Murder by the Book premiered the series in 2008. She appeared in 2010 on Investigation Discovery´s new series, Hardcover Mysteries. In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression. Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University where she and her husband Michael Brown, have instituted the ELF, a scholarship annually awarded to a student pursuing a fiction-writing career. In 2008, she was named Thriller Master, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer´s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America´s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011 she and four colleagues went on a week-long USO tour to Afghanistan, meeting with service members on numerous bases. Sandra is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America in 2012. She lives in Arlington, Texas, with her husband, Michael Brown.

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12/20/2018

The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid


For whatever reason, I am not reading this series in its chronological order. Usually, not my style, but this fantastic crime novel was absolutely worth it breaking with my habits. The fascination Val McDermid brings with her writing style and her crime novels are fascinating. Don´t ask me WHY that is. The author has a way that catches you no matter if you want it or not.


The Skeleton Road
by Val McDermid
Inspector Karen Pirie #3
Publisher Little Brown on September 11, 2014
Genre Crime
Pages 406
Format Hardcover
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶✶

When a skeleton is discovered hidden at the top of a crumbling, gothic building in Edinburgh, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is faced with the unenviable task of identifying the bones. As Karen´s investigation gathers momentum, she is drawn deeper into a dark world of intrigue and betrayal. Meanwhile, someone is taking the law into their own hands in the name of justice and revenge – but when present resentment collides with secrets of the past, the truth is more shocking than anyone could have imagined …  
Story
Karen Pirie has to investigate the finding of a skeleton, that was found in a building in Edinburg. She has no idea where to start, but her instincts show her that something is very wrong. And that someone has started a revenge trip, leaving a trail behind.

Style
In this crime novel comes a war into the game, which left many scars and even more dead. Val McDermid uses a clear but powerful language her writing is simple but effective and she has a brilliant way to get the reader into the pages. This crime novel is very haunting, full of great dialogues and scenes and shows a psychological finesse which is extraordinary. There is no word wrong placed, no line too much, or something missing at all. From the first till the last line your captivated and every page brings something new, something that makes it even more captivating and thrilling. 

The Balkan Wars brought, like every war, a lot of pain, loss, cruelty, and other crimes to the people. But when a man gets to know, that he is the reason innocent people had to die and he does what he has to do, it becomes even worse. All those feelings, the hate, the absurdity, and the incredible rage and wrath when a country has to learn that those, who were responsible for that war weren’t to be punished or lived a life with special treatment in prison after all that horrible things they´ve done I only know from the perspective of a few people I know for real in life. And from what I could hear in the news. But to read about it, to see some real historical facts brought into a crime novel that is part fiction and part real – that was incredibly amazing to read. Yes, I have the distance a reader has who had never to experience the cruelty of war (and hopefully never will!) but that doesn´t change the fact that Val McDermid has used it as a great plot. 

The author writes with style, grace and shows the horror of that war as well as the horror it still brings to the people even after all those years. And what it looks like when someone uses that war as an excuse to do revenge for something that had actually nothing to do with that war at all.

Characters
No matter what kind of character the author brings into her story, they all have one in common: they convince without question. There is a depth in some of them, a dark side, and don´t dare to hurt them – it won´t become you. 

Prof. Maggie Blake was left by the love of her life without a warning from one second to the other. But she never gave up the hope that he´ll come back one day. When she has to learn the truth, she´s devastated and as well relieved. But when she gets to know that the person who was responsible for his death, and that she trusted that person with her life, something makes click inside her. Believe me; you will feel the chill running down your spine the moment she gets the important fact about the murderer.

Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is very good at what she does. Even when her boss thinks otherwise about that, but he´s got no proof to get her out of his office. She knows how to fight him, how to handle him and she knows exactly what to do, and when to do. But when some men start to interfere and ask her a lot of questions she gets pissed. She agrees with gritted teeth to work with them, but under her conditions and they´re not at all what those two men thought they´d have to deal with. Yes, she plays with them and is always one step ahead of their work. 


Conclusion
This crime novel is phenomenal good! The art of crime at its best and in a perfect performance presented to the reader - no doubt about that. For me a fantastic read! I am absolutely thrilled, shocked, and fascinated at the same time. That was one heck of a brilliant novel. So, one reason more, to publish my review about this crime novel here on my blog. 



Happy reading







Val McDermid
Val McDermid ©Thomas Duffé




Val McDermid is a No. 1 bestselling author whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages and have sold over fifteen million copies. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009, was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2010 and received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award in 2011. In 2016, Val McDermid received the Outstanding Contribution of Crime Fiction Award at the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In 2017, she received the DIVA Literary Prize for Crime. She writes full time and divides her time between South Manchester and Edinburg where she lives with her partner and her son. 

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12/19/2018

Waiting On Wednesday #82 – Der Schwarze Thron Die Kriegerin by Kendare Blake


is a weekly event that was originally hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy.

There are a lot of new books coming out each year and some of them catch my attention and will get a spotlight in my Waiting on Wednesday post. While some of them will finally end up here at my place, others won´t. I am joining Tressa at Wishful Endings and her meme Can´t-Wait Wednesday.

Of course, I have to have and read this third book of the Three Dark Crowns series. Not only the cover looks great but the summary also sounds very haunting. And before you ask, which one I prefer, cover spoken, I can´t say. They all look great and fit perfectly into the all-over cover design.

Good, there are voices saying that after the second book the story was done and some of Kendare Blakes´ fans were not really happy with the fact that a third book was in the making. I am not one of them. I always wanted to know more about Katharine, Jules, and Arsinoe and it seems that I will get that with this book. Besides, I LOVE the mix of three different figures, nature, ancient traditions, and some magic.



                         
Der Schwarze Thron-Die Kriegerin
Author Kendare Blake
Three Dark Crowns #3
Publishing Date March 25, 2019
Publisher Penhaligon
Format Softcover
Goodreads

Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There´s also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead – or if they´re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne. Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn. Jules, too, is in a strange place-in disguise. And her only confidant, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can´t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine´s doorstep. This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed-or expected.






And what are you waiting for? Let me know your thoughts about this one or leave me the link to your WoW and I check it out.


Happy reading & waiting on

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12/18/2018

Echo Killer by Christi Daugherty


At first, I wasn´t sure what to think of this thriller. The book is different from her other books I know so far, which means mainly her Night School books, and yet the style is undoubtedly C. J. Daugherty. Good, it takes you some pages to get into everything the author provides you. No matter if it is the main figure itself, the plot, or the story.  But then …


Echo Killer*
by Christi Daugherty
Harper McClain Series #1
Translation Inka Marter
Original Title The Echo Killing
Publisher rororo on October 23, 2018
Genre Thriller
Pages 442
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads
✶✶✶✶✶

A woman in her mid-thirties, naked and stabbed on the kitchen floor – found by her 12-year-old daughter. When police reporter Harper McClain sees the scene, she has only one thought: The cruel scenario is identical to another murder. The one on her mother. For fifteen years she has been tormented by the idea that the killer is still at liberty. Now he seems to have struck again. There are no fingerprints, no DNA, no traces. Harper is determined to finally bring the truth to light. But that has its price. (personal translation by ©Vi at Inkvotary)

Story
Harper has her very own way when it comes to doing her job. She doesn´t care about being nice and friendly. Or holding back her thoughts. When she hears that a murder has happened, she wants to be the first at the scene. Her fascination for killed people or a crime scene is almost morbid. Always the thought in mind, that her mother´s killer never got caught. 

Style
The tone is solid, the plot kind of gripping, and the figures well thought through. It took me some time to get used to this kind of plot, though I could easily see the C.J. Daugherty writing-style.
Good, it isn´t a YA novel and for sure not with the plot her Night School books have, but still when you know the author´s work you are able to tell that this is from her as well. But I am not happy with the cliffhanger. Oh yes, you´ll get an answer to who the murder was in the new case, but the question Harper is asking herself for over ten years remains unsolved. I can only guess that this will become the central theme besides Harper´s daily work in this series and that it will be solved one day.

Characters
From the first moment, you can see that the main figure isn´t a woman who needs a man by her side to be able to go through life. Harper is sharp-witted, smart, and does often things that are close to the edge of illegality. Which causes her some trouble along the way. But she just can´t stop. When her instincts kick in, she has to do what she does to find the truth. A truth that sometimes isn´t what she thought she would find. Harper is often close to being disrespectful while talking with her editor. And she gets away with it. Her work speaks for herself and shows that she knows what she is doing, despite skipping rules sometimes. Her compulsion to find answers, to get facts to light is wonderful to watch.


Conclusion
Some questions I have are still not answered, and probably never will. Not sure if I like that thought. During reading somehow, the author got me. The more I read the more intense the feeling became, and I was eager to find out more. Harper´s way of handling things is quite fascinating, though I am not sure if I would have a colleague like her. But this is fiction and her behavior brings some action and tension to the thriller. 



Happy reading







*This book was kindly provided to me by rororo in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.









*The book was published The Echo Killing by Minotaur Books on March 13, 2018 


Christi Daugherty
C.J. Daugherty ©private




Christi Daugherty/ C.J. Daugherty is an international bestselling author and former newspaper reporter and crime writer. Her Night School series has been translated into 22 languages and has been the number 1 bestselling young adult book in Germany, Poland, France, and Israel, topping charts in countries around the world. She lives in the south of England with her husband Jack Jewers and a menagerie of pets.

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I am an avid reader, book blogger, and painter who loves to talk and write about books. A day without one in my hands is a wasted one. Skilled florist with a degree in writing - oh yes, that works! I like many genres, but horror is nothing for me. Here on Inkvotary I will show my love for books, things that move me and what´s going on off the blog - called life. The personal as well as life in general.

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