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"The Two Lost Mountains" by Matthew Reilly - Review Contributed by Melanie Delaney

This review contains no spoilers or trigger warnings. Thank you so much for contributing your review, Melanie! *smiles* -Melanie FINICKY FYCTION STAR RATING SYSTEM * Ugh. I just cannot with this book! ** Oy – not a fan. DNF’d before page 50. *** It’s a good story in general. **** Great read – highly recommend! ***** OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH I WANT TO LIVE IN IT! Another stellar installment by the master of high-octane action-adventure. *No Spoilers The Two Lost Mountains is the 6 th book in the Jack West series. The novels are a cross between Indiana Jones and Jason Bourne, complete with ancient treasures and conspiracies all rolled into one. The scope and grandeur of the settings are phenomenal and the clever way legends, ancient cultures, and buildings are woven together make me sit back and marvel at the level of research it must take to make it all believable. You need to strap yourself in when you read any Matthew Reilly book, and this one is no exception. J

"A Discovery Of Witches" by Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Finicky Fyction Book Reviewer Rating: ***/* 3.5 Stars ***/* It’s a good story in general, and there were times when I couldn’t put the book down! *This review contains no spoilers. Diana Bishop is a witch. However, she’s not just your everyday, run-of-the-mill, all-gothed-up and brewing potions type of witch. If you were traipsing through the corridors of Oxford College in England, Diana Bishop wouldn’t look any different from the faculty, staff, and students going about their day. And whether Diana likes it or not – and she really does not like i, at first – she is a very different type of witch, indeed. It isn’t long until Diana finds herself digging into her past, a past that was supposedly buried along with her parents after they were killed in a car crash. This chapter in Diana’s life begins when Ashmole 872 – an ancient text on alchemy, which is said to hold the key to the creation of wit

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Review Contributed by Taya Rune

This review contains no spoilers or trigger warnings. Thank you so much for contributing your review, Taya! *smiles* -Melanie FINICKY FYCTION STAR RATING SYSTEM * Ugh. I just cannot with this book! ** Oy – not a fan. DNF’d before page 50. *** It’s a good story in general. **** Great read – highly recommend! ***** OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH I WANT TO LIVE IN IT! I was surprised I loved this book as much as I did. A must read. *No spoilers Evelyn Hugo is a flawed protagonist who at times you will struggle to connect with. Evelyn yearns to be a movie star and she won’t hesitate to use anyone and everyone to get what she wants and then discard them when they no longer serve her purpose. Yet throughout the novel you are drawn to her and can almost forgive her behaviour. Taylor Jenkins Reid is adept at writing a mystery, meshed with an enduring love story and a strong character arc which left me in tears at the end of the novel. The writing is clever, the characters superbly dev

Why I've DNF'd 2 Books in January

FINICKY FYCTION STAR RATING SYSTEM * Ugh. I just cannot with this book! ** Oy – not a fan. DNF’d before page 50. *** It’s a good story in general. **** Great read – highly recommend! ***** OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH I WANT TO LIVE IN IT! *sigh* I hate to start a new post off this way, but I have to be honest. I have two titles that I Did Not Finish (DNF) this month, and I’m quite disappointed that these particular titles were added to that category of my Read books for 2021. What are those two books, you ask? The first is The Lake House by Kate Morton, and the second is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I’ll try not to be too long-winded, but I also won’t tip-toe around my reasonings for adding these titles to my DNF list. A shared complaint for both works is the amount of factual information that is included within the narratives. Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m totally okay with true facts being included in fiction. HOWEVER, I don’t wa

"Gabriel's Inferno" (Book 1) by Sylvain Reynard - Review Contributed by Taya Rune

This review contains no spoilers or trigger warnings. Thank you so much for contributing your review, Taya! *smiles* -Melanie FINICKY FYCTION STAR RATING SYSTEM * Ugh. I just cannot with this book! ** Oy – not a fan. DNF’d before page 50. *** It’s a good story in general. **** Great read – highly recommend! ***** OMG I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH I WANT TO LIVE IN IT! Enjoyable for the right audience. *** 3/5 Stars *** Let me start out by stating clearly that I don’t like ‘Alphahole’-type male protagonists. Mr Grey, while I appreciate his character arc, was a troublesome love interest for me. Professor Gabriel Emerson has the same qualities: overbearing, domineering, and exceptionally controlling. The Professor, an expert in Dante, has long term demons that he is striving to overcome by being cold and keeping everyone at a distance. Oh, and don’t forget he is rich and holds many secrets! Enter Julia Mitchell, a university student who couldn’t afford to go to her school of ch

"The Woman in the Window" by A.J. Finn

Greetings, Bibliophiles! Welcome to Finicky Fyction! The book I'm raving about straight out the gate is The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn*. *Fair warning: there ARE spoilers ahead! Trigger Warning: Mental illness is heavily referred to in this novel, specifically agoraphobia. Also, the main character is an alcoholic with a pill addiction as well, not adhering to the recommendations of her psychiatrist. If you or someone you love suffers from one or more mental illnesses and you feel they are not using the appropriate coping skills available to them, please research the National Alliance on Mental Illness for resources on how you can help your loved one find their light. Also, there is a scene that involves animal abuse near the end of the story. That is not discussed in this review - it's just a heads up in case that is something you may not be able to handle reading. Published in 2018, this twisted story could easily be categorized with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl a