Song of the crimson flower by Julie C. Dao

Note: Song of the crimson flower follows on from the events in Forest of a thousand lanterns and Kingdom of the blazing phoenix but it can be read as a stand alone novel.

Lan is a young woman waiting for the day that she marries Tam, the young man she has been promised to.  Tam is her perfect match, he may not be a nobleman and the son of a minister like she is, but his father is a physician and equally wealthy.  She has known Tam her whole life, and has come to enjoy the secret visits he makes at night to play her a special song on his flute.  Tam is so much more than Bao, the orphan taken in by Tam's family - a man child who is all awkward manners and gangly limbed.  Lan tries to be patient as she waits for Tam, but when Bao professes his love for her and tells her a startling truth Lan lashes out at Bao and sends him running straight into a terrible fate.

While running from Lan's anger and her hateful words Bao runs into the mythical river witch and when he asks her to help him forget she curses him instead.  Bao is tied to his bamboo flute in the most brutal way possible and he is doomed to fade into the instrument forever - unless someone who truly loves him can save him in time.  Wracked with guilt about her hateful words towards Bao, Lan is desperate to set things right and when Bao reappears and tells her about the curse she is determined to help free him from his fate - even if it means defying her father and travelling to a far off city.  As they journey towards their destination they find new friends, uncover secrets, and discover more about themselves than they would have ever thought possible.

Finding authors with a fresh voice can be challenging, especially when you read a lot - so it was a real treat to discover Julie C. Dao and her Forest of a thousand lanterns duology.  It was a world that was well developed and had a sense of 'realness' that partly came from Dao drawing on her Asian heritage.  When I discovered Song of the crimson flower I was a little reluctant to pick it up as I was worried that a single, stand alone novel would not be able to deliver the power and strength of the original duology - but was I ever wrong.  Although the cast of characters may be smaller for Song of the crimson flower, that smallness improves the story rather than taking away from it.  All the rich background mythology is there, the relatable characters are there, and the sweeping story is there - it is just a more intimate experience rather than a sweeping epic story.  

There is a certain amount of predictability to the storyline because that is the nature and style of the story, but there are surprises along the way and it is so well written that you don't really notice.  Updated fairytales and traditional stories has been a popular genre over the past few years and it is a real treat to find a story that is both familiar and richly reimagined with a mythological/cultural background that makes everything fresh and new again.  Hopefully this is not the last we have seen of Dao and her world building.

If you like this book then try:

• Kingdom of the blazing phoenix by Julie C. Dao
• A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J. Maas
• Girls of paper and fire by Natasha Ngan
• Spin the dawn by Elizabeth Lim
• Sea witch by Sarah Henning
• The glass spare by Lauren DeStefano
• The girl of fire and thorns by Rae Carson
• Not even bones by Rebecca Schaeffer
• Court of fives by Kate Elliott
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• Warrior of the wild by Tricia Levenseller

Reviewed by Brilla

The one by John Marrs

Welcome to the new world, where a simple test will connect you with your perfect match through the MatchYourDNA website.  It seems too good to be true, finding the perfect match, but that is exactly what a scientific break through has allowed us to do.  Ten years ago scientists discovered that everyone has a gene they share with just one other person - their perfect genetic match.  A simple DNA test lets you find the one person in the world for you, and reports show that people who meet their Match for the first time feel an undeniable spark and connection.  Millions of people have taken the test and paid the modest fee to find the details about their perfect match - including Mandy, Christopher, Nick, Ellie and Jade.

Taking the test is supposed to make things easier - but only if your perfect match is in the database.  Being a perfect match doesn't make the other person perfect though.  Mandy already has one failed marriage under her belt so the promise of her perfect match is too good to resist - but then she discovers she is too late, which could lead to heartache but instead leads to something else, something more.  Christopher is working on a project with single minded focus until he is matched with Amy - a match that is highly ironic considering what his special project is.  Will Amy be his perfect match or will it lead to disaster?  Nick is content with his fiancée Sally, but she wants to do the test to make sure.  Sally and Nick should have left well enough alone because you can't keep secrets forever.  Jade has always played it safe and resented it so racing off to meet her Match goes against everything she has held onto - and what she discovers will change everything.  Ellie is always guarded and controlled, so when she finally receives her Match she is surprised and treads carefully, but then her romance blossoms and she starts bringing down her walls.  What would you risk to find your one true love?

Speculative fiction is challenging to write - you have to create a world that feels like ours, but just a little bit more than ours.  John Marrs has tackled the challenge and pulled it off very well indeed.  Some people may find the constantly changing point-of-view frustrating but it is this technique that builds rapport with the characters quickly and allows you to see the world and understand it without being buried in too much information right from the start.  Reading this addictive (best read in one sitting) book it is very quickly apparent why it was adapted into a television series on Netflix.  Marrs not only creates a world where science has discovered something amazing and believable, he also creates characters that are perfectly flawed like all of us are - they seem real because everything about them could be about you, or a family member, or a friend.  

I've been saying this a lot lately, but this is a highly recommended read and I look forward to reading more books by Marrs in the future.  Even if The one doesn't sound like something you would normally read - give it a go, because it combines elements of other genre together into a very nice package indeed.

If you like this book then try:

• The dolls by James Patterson and Kecia Bal
• The runner by Stephen Leather
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• The Store by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
• Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
• Kill a stranger by Simon Kernick

Reviewed by Brilla

Then she was gone by Lisa Jewell

Ten years ago Ellie Mack walked out the door on her way to the library to study and never came home - leaving her family behind, frozen in time and grief.  There was a flurry of activity when she disappeared, but over time the Police concluded that she ran away, and the case was forgotten by everyone except her family.  Her mother Laurel has never been able to move on, she has never believed that Ellie ran away, and when a special programme airs around the tenth anniversary of Ellie's disappearance she has a faint hope that she might find out what happened - but she never expected them to find Ellie's remains a few months later.  After ten years of existing rather than living, Laurel now has the concrete proof that her golden girl will never be coming home.  

With her two other adult children keeping her at a distance, it is no surprise that Laurel is swept up rather quickly by the attention from a charming and charismatic man who crosses her path at a local café.  Floyd is intelligent, interesting, and has a daughter named Poppy who has an uncanny resemblance to Ellie.  Swept off her feet in a whirlwind romance, Laurel takes chances and starts to blossom again, and the more time she spends with Floyd and Poppy the more she sees a resemblance with her missing daughter.  As she starts poking around in their lives, Laurel uncovers some startling connections to her own life and that of Ellie - and soon she will make the most startling discovery of all.

Picking up books to read based on their blurbs can be a risky gamble - most of the time the blurbs are pretty accurate but sometimes the book and the blurb seem to have nothing in common - that was definitely not the case with Then she was gone.  I was absorbed in the story quickly and read the book in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down.  The characters are the biggest part of what makes this story so good - you connect with them, empathise with them, care about them, and experience the story through their eyes.  There are parts of the story that are somewhat predictable (especially for readers who read a lot of crime/thrillers like I do), but Lisa Jewell handles those (almost) clichés well.  

Reviewing books like Then she was gone is always tricky because you want to share how great it was - while also not spoiling any of the things that make it such a good read.  I have to confess to having a tendency to like books that would make great movies or television series and this is one of those books that reads like it could be made into either easily - there's nothing challenging about the text to slow you down with complications and overly flowery descriptions, but the characters are well developed and easy to connect with.  Highly recommended read, and I can't wait to read more from the author.

If you like this book then try:

• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
• The nowhere child by Christian White
• The half sister by Sandie Jones
• Hidden lies by Rachel Ryan
• When I was ten by Fiona Cummins
• Before she was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney
• My best friend's murder by Polly Phillips
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• Either side of midnight by Benjamin Stevenson
• Two wrongs by Rebecca Reid

Reviewed by Brilla

Broken wish (The Mirror) by Julie C. Dao

It all stated with a simple kind gesture, a gift left for a neighbour - but it leads to a friendship and so much more.  When Agnes and her husband Oskar move to a small cottage near Hanau it is a chance to start a new life together, and Agnes gives small gifts to their neighbours which leads to a friendship between Agnes and Mathilda.  Mathilda is not popular among the people of Hanau, they call her a witch and say she has cursed people who have crossed her - but Agnes has trouble seeing evil in the woman who gives her thoughtful gifts and heartful letters.  Oskar, who is desperate to have a good standing in the community feels that keeping the friendship is dangerous, but Agnes tries to keep hold of it as long as she can.  

When Mathilda offers to help her have the child she desperately wants Agnes and Oskar agree to try - but Oskar insists that she drop the friendship as soon as she is pregnant.  Agnes wants to be a good friend, but she wants the child more, even though it will mean breaking a promise that is part of the spell.  When Agnes follows though with her promise to Oskar and breaks off the friendship with Mathilda she has no idea of the true cost.  Years later Oskar and Agnes are well respected in their community, but their daughter Elva seeks out Mathilda because she has a magical gift that she can not control and has almost exposed her to the people of Hanau.  This is a chance for Elva to change her fate and the fate of her family but is it too late?  Mathilda has a lot she can teach Elva, but she has to let down her walls first and that could lead to more pain than she is willing to face again.

Broken wish is the first book in a series written by four different authors and will be followed by - Shattered midnight by Dhonielle Clayton - Fractured path by J. C. Cervantes - and Splintered magic by L.L. McKinney.  If the rest of the series is as good as the first this is going to be a real treat.  Broken wish is one of those rare books that will appeal to a wide age range because it is not particularly challenging to read (making it easier to enjoy for younger or less confident readers), it doesn't have particularly adult themes (making suitable for younger teen readers), and it has great character development and world building that will appeal to teens and adult readers.  There are echoes of the great traditional stories here, a nod to the brothers Grimm, and hopefully the other three authors will be able to keep that spark through their part in the story.  This is an intriguing way to write a series and I look forward to reading more.  Highly recommended.

If you like this book then try:

• The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland
• Pangur ban the white cat by Fay Sampson
• Princess of the midnight ball by Jessica Day George
• Finding the fox by Ali Sparkes
• Hollow Earth by John Barrownman and Carole Barrowman
• Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell
• The girl of fire and thorns by Rae Carson
• Walk on Earth a stranger by Rae Carson
• Ella enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
• Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Reviewed by Brilla

Either side of midnight by Benjamin Stevenson

Sam Midford is the presenter of the popular Midnight Tonight current affairs show, a charming smile and witty lines wrapped up in an attractive package with wide audience appeal.  He is cool calm and collected under pressure, except for tonight - the crew saw a ring in his dressing room and think he is going to propose to his long time girlfriend in the most public way possible, but Sam does something else instead.  When his nerves seem to have reached an absolute peak he pulls out a gun, points the gun at his head and pulls the trigger.  Thanks to the wonders of modern TV the delay of several seconds is enough for the nation to avoid seeing the violent result, though people searching online manage to uncover unedited footage.  Such a dramatic and public death makes headlines around the country, so when Sam Midford appears to talk to disgraced and incarcerated television producer Jack Quick there is a certain amount of confusion - which only slightly lessens when Jack discovers that the man he is talking to is in fact Sam's twin brother Harry.

Harry is a man on a mission, convinced that his brother was murdered - that he was forced to pull the trigger.  Jack isn't convinced, but when Harry offers him a lot of money to look into the case it is an offer he can't refuse.  Everyone has secrets and demons in their lives, and apart from his battles with food and bulimia, Jack is haunted by his older brother who lives in a permanent vegetative state that requires expensive care … and the money is running out.  It seems like an easy case to explore, Harry has promised to accept the results of Jack's investigation, but Jack is not convinced he is ready to hear the truth.  But as Jack digs into the case and the twins background, he discovers that they have both been keeping secrets and that something that happened in the past has a resounding echo in the present.  Will Jack be able to solve the case - or will he become another victim of the twisted web that surrounds Sam Midford?  It seems that everyone in Sam's life had secrets to keep, some of them just kept them better than others.

I picked up Either side of midnight after seeing it on a new books list and it was only after reading the whole book that I discovered that it is the sequel to Greenlight (also published as She lies in the vines) which was disappointing as I like to read books in series order if possible.  I was not disappointed with the book itself however - Either side of midnight was a rare find for me, a book that was original and kept me guessing what was happening.  The characters were interesting and easy to connect with, and as a New Zealander it was nice to read a book set over the 'ditch' in Australia.  This was a great find and highly recommended reading.  See if you can figure out what is happening before the explosive ending.

If you like this book then try:

• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• When I was ten by Fiona Cummins
• Breaking Creed by Alex Kava
• Safe by S.K. Barnett
• Good me bad me by Ali Land
• Rattle by Fiona Cummins
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
• Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
• The coast to coast murders by James Patterson and J.D.Barker
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• Killing trail by Margaret Mizushima
• Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza
• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano

Reviewed by Brilla

The half sister by Sandie Jones

Sunday lunch is a family tradition for Kate and her family - a tradition that feels more like a chore since her father died ten months ago.  Spending time with her mother is uncomfortable, their relationship strained since Kate was young - and spending time with her sister Lauren and her three children is a strain, and a reminder of the child she so desperately wants.  Going through yet another round of IVF is exhausting and stressful, so the sudden arrival at Sunday lunch of a young woman claiming to be their half sister is a shock that Kate doesn't need. 

 
Lauren takes Jess at her word, that she is their half sister, but Kate refuses to believe that their father cheated on their mother all those years ago.  As Lauren tries to form a relationship with Jess it drives a wedge deeper into her relationship with Kate.  The sisters have never really seen eye-to-eye, with Lauren and their mother forming a tight relationship on one side, and Kate and her father forming a tight relationship on the other.  As Kate digs into who Jess really is and what she is trying to achieve, she starts uncovering long buried family secrets that shake her certainty about her life.  As Jess worms her way further and further into their lives she has no idea that their lives are about the change forever.

The half sister is a deftly written novel that weaves together strands of family drama and psychological suspense into a deeply addictive read that deserves to be read in one sitting.  I recently read The other woman by Sandie Jones and was deeply impressed with the writing style and the way Jones developed the story and let in unravel.  Jones brings that same skill and style to The half sister, creating characters and a situation that is instantly relateable, while also bringing a strong psychological thriller element that makes you question what you know or what you think you know.  Kate and Lauren as both real people on the page, everyone would either relate to them directly or know someone just like them - and the roadblocks and challenges they have experienced.  A fantastic find, and hopefully there are many more to come.

If you like this book then try:

• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
• Hidden lies by Rachel Ryan
• When I was ten by Fiona Cummins
• Before she was Helen by Caroline B. Cooney
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• Either side of midnight by Benjamin Stevenson
• Two wrongs by Rebecca Reid

Reviewed by Brilla

My best friend's murder by Polly Phillips

Bec and Izzy have been best friends since school - a friendship that has seen them through good times and bad.  When Bec's mother died Izzy stuck by her, when all the other kids at school avoided and shunned her because they didn't know how to deal with the death of a parent.  Through thick and thin they have been together, and it seems like nothing is going to change that.  Bec has seen Izzy marry Rich and have their beautiful daughter Tilly, and now she is engaged to Ed and looking forward to starting a family of their own.  It's only natural that Izzy and Rich through an engagement party for Bec and Ed, but it seems as though the good deed is not going to go unpunished.

Bec's brother Rob isn't shy about challenging her relationship with Izzy, he's never been shy about saying the relationship is toxic - but Bec has never seen it before, until now.  Suddenly little things pop up that make Bec question their relationship, is Izzy really her friend or their relationship something else?  When Izzy is discovered at the bottom of the stairs, inches from death, Bec can barely believe it when the Police swoop in to search for a killer.  What really happened to cause Izzy to fall, and what part did Bec play in what happened?

My best friend's murder is a psychological thriller that is challenging to review because I don't want to risk revealing clues or spoilers about what happens.  The relationship between Bec and Izzy is a interesting one, and I would bet that most people have had a similar relationship at some point in their lives - a relationship where one of the friends plays second fiddle and seems to be a way to make the other person feel better about their life.  Izzy is, on the surface, the dominant friend - she is successful and seems to have the perfect life, and she's not afraid to show Bec how much Bec depends on her.  In contrast Bec is the grateful friend, who owes her sanity and success to her friend - or does she?  

My best friend's murder is well written and I was compelled to read it in one sitting to keep pace with the story.  As you read their story you uncover layers of their friendship and history that make you question what you know about Bec and Izzy - their friendship, their present lives, and their motivations and secrets.  There are some interesting twists and turns through this character driven story, and I am not going to spoil them for you.  A fantastic find, and hopefully Phillips will be continue to write similar books as well written psychological thrillers are hard to come by.

If you like this book then try:

• The vanishing season by Joanna Schaffhausen
• The nowhere child by Christian White
• Good me bad me by Ali Land
• Crimson Lake by Candice Fox
• Vodka doesn't freeze by Leah Giarratano
• The coast to coast murders by James Patterson and J.D.Barker
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• The tattoo thief by Alison Belsham
• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• The liar's daughter by Claire Allan
• Safe by S.K. Barnett

Reviewed by Brilla