Darlene

I’m not a huge fan of sci-fi but I am a fan of Blake Crouch having read Recursion and Dark Matter and enjoying them. His latest Upgrade is my favourite so far. What a trip this one was! Crouch tackles genetic alteration in this one and it is a subject that fascinates me!

Into the future we see that messing about with DNA and genes and the such has really thrown things into turmoil. In this future a Gene Protection Agency has been formed and Logan is an agent for them. During a raid on a gene lab Logan is attacked by a boobytrap. All seems well and he recovers but soon begins to notice some changes in himself. He finds himself stronger mentally and physically and he realizes that his DNA has been affected. He also learns he was targeted for this upgrade and that he is just the first. This sets Logan on a dangerous path that leaves him questioning himself and his beliefs.

It really is a fascinating topic. With the advances that we have and all that we don’t even know about you have to wonder just how far gene modification can take us. Can it make people stronger and faster? Smarter? And with all these ‘upgrades’ doesn’t it also stand to reason that many people will also be more dangerous. This is what I like about Blake Crouch and reading his novels. They always leave me questioning things and sparking conversations.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. For this type of novel I find audio the way to go. Upgrade was fast paced and listening to it adds so much to the overall effect of the book. It is narrated by Henry Levya who I haven’t listened to before. I enjoyed the tone of his voice though and thought he was well enough suited to this novel.

I recommend Upgrade to those who enjoy sci-fi but even to those who it may not be their preferred genre. You never know you might actually like it. It is fast paced and exciting and well worth a listen or read. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the next novel from Blake Crouch!

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are solely my own.

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I am a huge fan of Jennifer McMahon and snap up her novels as soon as I possibly can when they come out. Even better is listening to her books on audio. There is nothing better than a creepy and dark atmosphere for me to be sucked into hours of listening and The Children on the Hill delivered in a huge way in that regard. Once again McMahon comes up with a storyline that grabs you from the beginning and shocks you in the end.

The book is about Vi and Eric who, in 1978, live with their grandmother who is a brilliant psychiatrist. The children live a good life being homeschooled and having fun but then one day Gran brings home another girl named Iris. Iris seems in a bad way especially at first but she eventually warms to the two kids. A weird thing though is that Gran asks Vi to keep an eye on her and report back. Why? As the two girls become closer Vi begins to doubt her Gran’s story about Iris. Memory is an interesting thing and Vi is troubled by why Iris can’t remember anything and decides to do a little investigating of her own.

Fast forward to 2019 and we meet Lizzy Shelley who podcasts about the monsters among us. She heads to Vermont to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. Lizzy is driven to hunt down the monster. Why? Because Lizzy’s own sister is a monster. Will these two stories intersect somehow? Welcome to the great mind of Jennifer McMahon. I loved where this story ultimately led.

I listened to the audiobook and loved it. The narrator was Erin Moon who I haven’t listened to before but enjoyed. I wouldn’t hesitate to try another audio narrated by her. At pretty much eleven hours this audio held me in its grip from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

For fans of psychological thrillers you must give Jennifer McMahon a read or listen if you haven’t before. She’s’ amazing! As for The Children on the Hill – it’s one of her best! Highly recommended!

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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The Awoken is the debut novel of Katelyn Monroe Howes and quite impressive! The concept of cryogenics is fascinating to me although I can’t imagine being preserved and then awoken into world that would likely be completely foreign and terrifying to me.

Alabine Rivers is one of those people who chose to undergo cryogenic preservation when she died because of a terminal cancer diagnosis. Her hope was that sometime in the future a cure would be found and they will wake her up and she can carry on with her life. A century later though finds the world in turmoil over these people who have been frozen, dubbed the Awoken. Essentially a war on them is occurring all over and buildings where they are preserved are being destroyed. Alabine ends up being awoken into a world she doesn’t want to be in. A world where the Awoken are illegal beings and should be shot on sight. As Alabine struggles to figure out how to survive in this world she is also battling lucid memories of the man she loved.

I listened to the audiobook which is so well done! This is one of those novels that are so great in audio because the action packed scenes and the high emotions of everyone are brought to life in such vivid detail. The audio is narrated by Sarah Naughton who I have listened to many times and she was a perfect choice. She is very talented with different voices and the emotion she brings to the story and the characters captures the reader and lands them squarely in the story itself.

I very much enjoyed this book and I’m hoping for more from the author. I love the kind of story that speculates on the future of the world. This novel is one of turmoil, strength, perseverance, loyalty and love. The Awoken releases today and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it!

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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I have to say to start that I love this cover. It is dark and brooding and I’d love to be in that house on top of the hill. The Retreat is the second book in the Detective Elin Warner series although both books stand alone. The first book, The Sanatorium was a Reese’s Book Club Pick and I enjoyed it so I was anxious to listen to this one as well.

The Retreat finds Elin on an island retreat off the English coast. The retreat has a dark past , once being home to a serial killer. Elin is called there after a young woman’s body is found on the rocks below the yoga pavilion. At first Elin believes it to just be a tragic fall but then another guest drowns the next day. Of course it can’t be a coincidence. Something is going on and Elin begins to investigate. Why is someone targeting the guests? Can it be another serial killer?

I listened to the audiobook which is narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden. She is one of my favourites and narrated the first book as well. I know I’m in for a treat when I see she is the narrator. I love listening to her and she always makes a book that much better with how she portrays the characters and brings a story to life.

I enjoyed The Retreat although I think I’m still more fond of The Sanatorium. I adore the settings of these novels so Im looking forward to the third book to see where it takes Elin and her investigations. If you want a good mystery to immerse yourself in pick up The Retreat and be sure to add The Sanatorium to your reading list as well!

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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I have been a huge fan of Ruth Ware from the her first book to this one. She is an amazing storyteller and I always love that moment I settle in with her new book in audio or paper form. The It Girl was yet another novel of hers that had me in its grip from the first word to the last and I struggled to put it aside to take care of anything else.

There are several characters in this novel but Hannah is the narrator of the tale. The It Girl was her friend April when they were in school but tragedy strikes and April is gone. Someone is put in jail for her murder and years later, after Hannah is married, he dies and this sets off a chain of events due to a reporter digging into it again. This leaves Hannah questioning everything that happened. Did they arrest the right person? She doesn’t know. As she delves deeper and deeper into the past the one thing that becomes clear is that she never really knew the people who surrounded her that she called friends.

I listened to the audio format of course and it was fabulous! It is narrated by Imogen Church and she was amazing. I didn’t expect anything else as she is one of my favourite narrators. She’s great with portraying different characters and using different voices and it adds so much to the story. I always love any novel she narrates and she made The It Girl all the better!

If you love a good psychological thriller you’ve got to read one of Ruth Ware’s novels and The It Girl is a great place to start. It’s one of my favourites of hers so far!

Review copy provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

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