Sam's Fireside - Cosy Book Reviews & Recommendations

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.  This review is for  The Dark Web Murders (Inspector Sheehan Mysteries #4)  by Brian O'Hare which I reviewed in  February 2021 for Online Book Club . I was hooked from the Prologue and just had to keep turning those pages.  The Dark Web Murders  details a series of killings by someone who, it is evident from the outset, is some sort of psychopath. There are a wide variety of characters in the book, and you need to be on your toes to remind yourself who they are and what relevance they have to the story. However, a list of characters has been provided at the beginning of the book if the reader wanted to check back at any time. As the author takes the reader on an incredibly descriptive journey, Chief Inspector Jim Sheehan and his Serious Crimes Unit set out to identify the killer. The author’s descriptive writing entices you further and further into the story, and much of it is extremely dark, with each killing outlined in minute detail by the ki...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for The Given (Interland Series Book #1) by Gary Clark . I was given this as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) by the author, and it was a privilege to read it. I reviewed this in February 2021. Described as a Young Adult dystopian fantasy novel, it drew me in from the outset, and I couldn’t put it down, turning the pages with enthusiasm as I needed to see what happened next! Jay has just turned 18, and her powers are becoming stronger. She isn’t yet aware of all this entails, however, she is aware that in the society she lives in, having the powers she does isn’t a good thing. Jay and others like her have enemies who are known as Readers, and her Dad, who also has some level of power, is arrested by the Readers and taken away from his family. As the Readers also become aware of Jay, she has no alternative other than to go on the run, and try and find the Interland - the place of legends that her Dad is convinced exists, where she will be safe. Along with her brothe...