Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) by Sarah J Maas

Synopsis :

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Times' bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart. 


This is what I say :

Book five of the Throne of Glass series can be considered the serious start for Aelin Galathynius in gathering up her army for the battle again the dark king.  It's nice to see the various characters coming together.  It's even more interesting to see unexpected characters pairing off with each other and changing the dynamics of all those in the book.

It's nice that the focus this time round is not just on Aelin but on the others as well especially on Lady Elide, the character that I am quite fond of.

The book ended with something unexpected and I am looking forward to seeing how it all play out.  Two more books to go.

Looking forward to book six, Tower of Dawn.

The Glass Lake by Maeve Binchy

Synopsis :

Kit McMahon lives in the small Irish town of Lough Glass, where everyone knows everyone; children who walk to school together grow up and become sweethearts and marry, people gossip and grumble and dream their lives away. For it is a place where change comes slowly. 

One day, Kit's mother disappears and the town gossips run wild with stories. The consequences for Helen's husband, her son, but above all for her daughter, Kit, are unimaginable and will leave not one of their lives unchanged. 


This is what I say :

I started this in mid 2019 and I only finish this towards the last day of 2019.  It certainly took me a while.

However, as any books by Maeve Binchy, reading The Glass Lake is rather relaxing and it's quite all right if you didn't read it at one go as reading it is like reading a letter from an aunt about her life and perhaps the lives of her friends.  Why the characters are generally normal people with normal lives and doing normal stuff like studying for exam and going to college, the author can draw readers into this normality and made it very cosy and you just want to know more about them!

However, I didn't like Kit, one of  the main character.  Why did she do what she did?  It's actually very 'kaypoh' of her as in busy-body as we say it as the letter was none of her business.  If  she didn't do what she did, the story line might go a different direction turn out to be different than what took place due to her 'kaypoh-ness'.  In that sense, she robbed her mother of her son and her brother of knowing his mother.  Is it for the better?  We won't know would we? due to what Kid did.

I think this is the last of my copy of titles by Maeve Binchy.  I seems to always say that but then a copy would then turn up somewhere in my shelf.  But seriously, I don't think I will be buying any of her titles as I am on a 'book-buying fast' this year.  hahah...

The Obsession by Nora Roberts

Synopsis :

“She stood in the deep, dark woods, breath shallow and cold prickling over her skin despite the hot, heavy air. She took a step back, then two, as the urge to run fell over her.”

Naomi Bowes lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods. In freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father’s crimes and made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness, she can’t outrun the sins of Thomas David Bowes.

Now a successful photographer living under the name Naomi Carson, she has found a place that calls to her, a rambling old house in need of repair, thousands of miles away from everything she’s ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude, but the kindly residents of Sunrise Cove keep forcing her to open up—especially the determined Xander Keaton.

Naomi can feel her defenses failing, and knows that the connection her new life offers is something she’s always secretly craved. But the sins of her father can become an obsession, and, as she’s learned time and again, her past is never more than a nightmare away.


This is what I say :

I can say this is one of the first titles that I read this year.  I actually started with another title but I kinda got stuck with that title and this seems to be easier to finish reading.

The Obsession, another romance thriller by Nora Roberts.  If you like romance and you like thriller, then you are already a fan of Nora Roberts and I don't have to spend time to convince you.

The book started off excitingly enough with twelve year old Naomi discovering the girl that her father held captive inside an abandon cellar and that's when she discovered that she's the daughter of a serial killer.

The writing is a bit one dimensional.  The author did not seems to care enough to create a more suspenseful atmosphere and seems to be keen to just keep things moving along.  Even then, it's a rather suspenseful read.  At one point, I did wonder where she is going with the story-line but still the book did capture my attention for the weekend I took to finish it.

I can imagine a Hallmark made for television movie adaption.  Is there one already?

Happy Chinese New Year 2020

Wishing all those celebrating...a very 

Happy Chinese Ratty New Year :)

May this year brings you good health and plenty of wealth...

Gong Xi Gong Xi

Stay safe and whenever you're tired of all the merry making...

read a book :)

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Synopsis :

"One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride..."

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.


This is what I say :

I read The Ghost Bride because I got to know of a Netflix 6 episode drama that is based on this title will be released this month.  I got to know of this in December last year so when I managed to get hold of an e-book, I spent the weekend the The Ghost Bride.

While it wasn't a great read, it wasn't a bad read either...in fact, it was quite entertaining.   The story line itself is not new for the Chinese culture but for those not from the same culture, the prospect of a marriage between the living and the dead is incomprehensible.  

There are the elements of ghost or spirit possessing a body (鬼上身). and also making of offerings to souls which is very much a Chinese belief of afterlife.

The Ghost Bride took elements of this culture and spin the tale of Li Lan and her ghostly suitor, her earthly suitor and her 'heavenly' suitor.  I certainly wish the focus would be more on the ghostly suitor as I find that more intriguing.  Her earthly suitor is rather boring whereas her 'heavenly' suitor is quite mysterious and more can be developed from that storyline too.  Perhaps a back story as nothing much is said as to why Er Lang is doing what he is doing.  Is it his 'job'?

I am looking forward to the Netflix drama.  

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

Synopsis :

Boston, 1870. When news of Charles Dickens’s untimely death reaches the office of his struggling American publisher, Fields & Osgood, partner James Osgood sends his trusted clerk Daniel Sand to await the arrival of Dickens’s unfinished novel. But when Daniel’s body is discovered by the docks and the manuscript is nowhere to be found, Osgood must embark on a transatlantic quest to unearth the novel that he hopes will save his venerable business and reveal Daniel’s killer.

Danger and intrigue abound on the journey to England, for which Osgood has chosen Rebecca Sand, Daniel’s older sister, to assist him. As they attempt to uncover Dickens’s final mystery, Osgood and Rebecca find themselves racing the clock through a dangerous web of literary lions and drug dealers, sadistic thugs and blue bloods, and competing members of Dickens’s inner circle. They soon realize that understanding Dickens’s lost ending is a matter of life and death, and the hidden key to stopping a murderous mastermind.


This is what I say :

It took me a rather long while to complete this. It was the end of the year and I have too many things on my plate so I have to forgo reading for quite a period of time and this is one casualty.  However, I managed to read this towards the end of nineteen twenty.

The Last Dickens wasn't an easy read.  Like I said above, maybe because I was distracted, I can't really focus on what the author is trying to tell in the story.  All I got was that the search was on for the missing last manuscript that Dickens wrote and which means a lot to the publishing world.  

I feel that perhaps as an adventure movie, it would fare better?  Anyway, It's over and done with.   

Welcome Twenty Twenty (2020)

Today is second days into the near year.  

Holiday's over so everyone's either at work or in school, right?

Taking the opportunity wish you a very Happy New Year Twenty20...  

While we wont know what the year will have in-store for each and everyone of us but we wish for the best for everything as well as the strength to deal with what comes our way.

I wish for everyone

Joy

Love

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Gentleness

Fruitfulness

Self Control

Happy New Year Everyone

Thank you for coming by...