Urania

Review: Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

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18920446Okay, so this is soooo not a typical Stephen King book. Reading this novel I suddenly understand why authors use pseudonyms. I mean, I loved this story from page one….but the entire time I was reading it, I kept thinking, “this isn’t like any Stephen King book I’ve ever read”….

This actually distracted me a great deal…I mean, I would have entire conversations inside my head…..

“Why does it matter if this is different, you like it, right?”

“How can it not be a SK book when SK wrote it, Idget!”

“Who are you to say what A SK book should be written like?”

“Of course he didn’t use a pseudonym AGAIN….been there….done that….got the grief for it tee-shirt”

I mean, it would go on for 20 minutes at a time…..

Yes….my life is indeed this sad….

This is a novel WRITTEN BY STEPHEN KING about a retired detective…..The detective is contacted after his retirement by a killer he was never able to capture whilst on the job…..The contact wakes up the detective from his numb numbing simply existence….Suddenly the retired detective has a reason to live again……along the way he recruits a few unlikely heroes to help him….

Stephen King has said that this will be a trilogy and I have to say that although I’m not 100% keen on the detective, that I absolutely love his recruits! I can’t wait to see them in the future books.

The one complaint I have over this novel is I can’t believe how far the retired detective pushed the limits. I found it hard to believe that he went so far out on his own without involving the current *real* police. I found it hard to believe that he didn’t turn over information when so many lives were at stake. Especially since the Detective was so highly decorated whilst he was on the force. He wasn’t known as someone who worked outside the law. He didn’t seem like the type of officer that had such little confidence in fellow officers or the system. He worked 40 years at a job and yet, didn’t involve them or seek their help. He even outright lied and withheld information AFTER an innocent victim was killed…..It didn’t make sense to me….

Having said all of that, even with those bits gnawing at me, making me almost feel like I needed to suspend reality for a bit….well, I still loved the secondary characters enough to forgive SK this….ESPECIALLY since this isn’t his normal type of novel…..bwhahahhaahahahahaha

Highly recommend…and I’m not even really bothered about having to wait for the other books…..these characters were worthy of remembering well past the closing of the last page…..

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Review: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley

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Dead in their valted archesOkay, so I know this is book 6 in a series, but alas, it’s where I started. I know I need to go back and read the earlier books in this series. Regardless of all of that, there is no doubt that Flavia is a delightful character! So lovely! Spunky! Quirky! Clever! I adored her! Are you looking for a new mystery series? Well look no further! She’s only 11, but this is a book that can entertain you no matter how young at heart you are! This is the type of book that will appeal to a vast audience. Teens, as well as adults of all ages. I imagine my grandmother would have loved Flavia. I think my 16 year old daughter would love Flavia…and yes, I love Flavia too!

In this novel we have Flavia finally reunited with a mother she no longer remembers. We have plenty of opportunities to see just how clever and industrious little Flavia is. There’s lots of interactions with family members to keep you entertained. And lest we forget…there is a mystery that Flavia is determined to solve.

Once again, I am reminded just how many great series of books are out there and I can’t help but wishing there were more hours in each day to read. This type of book just goes to prove that there are tons of great books out there that are clean wholesome fun….but more than that, they are entertaining as well!

I can’t wait to see where Bradley takes this series…there are definitely big changes in store for Flavia and her family after this book….

Until next time….

Urania xx

Review reading copy provided by NetGalley

Buy it now The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley

Reveiw: The Bees by Laline Paull

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TheBeesI was excited to get this one. The story line really intrigued me. I love bees.

After reading this one….well…..I’m not sure if it’s suppose to be a YA novel or not. If not….well….it should be (although, there are a few points that felt like a Disney movie…you know when you’re watching a movie with your kid and you both find a part funny….the kid…well who knows why, but you, the adult, get the hidden meanings in a joke)….I can’t really say that I enjoyed “The Bees”. I didn’t hate it….I just didn’t enjoy it. The writing style (to me) seemed very simplified. Although it has over 300 pages, it seemed like it was a very simple story. The main character never seemed to develop. By that, she seemed very naive and childlike….and by the end of the novel, even though she was much older….well, she still seemed very childlike and naive.

I would also like to point out that I’ve always imagined bees as being very intelligent and social insects. This book, in my opinion, portrayed them in one of two ways….blind and brainwashed, always following without question or as complete back-stabbing, evil, vindictive assholes. No in-between….and honestly, there isn’t much to cheer about with either type.

I’m not at all sure that I learned anything new about bees in this novel either….of course, it’s not a documentary on bees…I mean, seriously, even I didn’t believe that bees could talk or anything….it’s just I kinda hoped that I would learn more about these fascinating insects….instead what we have is a story about a bee that changed her bee busy hats on a daily basis…one day she was this, the next day she was something else….often changing back and forth, supposedly from one group to another….

So I feel silly saying it, but the way the main bee jumped about and how one-dimensional the characters were made it a very unbelievable book for me….yea yea yea….I *do* realise that this isn’t suppose to be real…but still…..I like to pretend sometimes and this book just made it impossible to do so…..

and whilst you’re laughing at that last bit, I want you to think back to “Charlotte’s Web”….yea….that’s right….go on and tell me Wilber wasn’t real!!!!!! Go on then!!!!!!!! Pssssffftttttttttt….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Bees by Laline Paull

Review: Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand

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beautifulI wasn’t going to review this one, even though I so enjoyed it. However….after my decision, I read the first few reviews listed on Goodreads….and I felt a bit irritated! So here I am….So many of the 2 star reviews were from people who have read Elin Hilderbrand in the past and just didn’t think this one was as good as the some others….several said, “good characters, good story, good writing, but I liked x or y better”…..So this kind of validates Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee’s decision to never write a second book, eh? Ha Ha! I jest! I jest! Of course this isn’t a masterpiece. I’m not trying to imply that! I’m sure Hilderbrand didn’t mean for this to measure up to a renowned classic….My point is that, not all books are the same….not even the ones written by the same author! How boring would that be? Now, I confess….there are tons of books/authors just like that. I for one, usually grow tired of these very quickly. I guess some don’t….not only do they not grow bored, they almost expect it. Again, this is my first Hilderbrand novel…but if this is her worst….hey ho! I am so excited to read the others!

The second group of people who rated the book low were those that said the story was boring. That the characters were not likable….HELLO!!!!????? That’s exactly why I liked it. I confess (this is not the first time I’ve confessed this) I am not the biggest HEA fan. Life is NOT always a HEA ending wrapped up in huge pretty bow. Life is full of people just like those you will find in this novel. In real life, we often find ourselves out of sorts with those we love the most. To me, THAT is HEA!!!! When we can see something not pleasant about those around us….yet, at the end of the day….no matter how upset we are…..no matter how much something seemed so wrong….no matter how unattractive we found a trait in someone we love….well…at the end of the day, we still love them….we are still committed to them…..a place where we face our mistakes….and we pick up and we move on….NO ONE IS PERFECT!!!!! How frustrating would that be? I mean seriously….if my spouse (I love you, J.) were perfect, I can’t even begin to tell you how annoying that would be! There’s only room for one of us to be perfect! bwhahahhahaha…I jest I jest! Seriously though, isn’t it when we are at our maddest….our most annoyed….where we are looking at someone and wondering WTH did this person come from? and then something happens and we laugh….well….that is the times when we know it’s all worth it, isn’t it?

This is a story that takes place during the last few days before the wedding of a youngest daughter….The story is mostly told in the oldest daughter’s voice….but we also have many others that pick up the story as well….including a notebook left behind by a mother that passed away several years earlier….

There isn’t a person in this novel that I loved completely…..but they weren’t my family…..This novel shows us what *real* life is like….how special events bring together all sorts….You have extended families….you have broken families….you have personalities of all sorts…and for a few days….or a few hours….you throw them all together and then you are forced to sit back and pray for everything to go smoothly…..it very often does not! Here, Hilderbrand presents all of these personalities….often giving them a voice at some point….current spouses, past spouses, children, step children, absent parents, adulterers and innocent bystanders!

I loved this story simply because it didn’t have a clean HEA ending wrapped up in a clean bow. All of the story lines weren’t finished in the end….but we all know that some people live for drama and as their stories started long before the wedding, it’s only fair that they continue on indefinitely as well….I suppose that’s why I don’t care for so many HEA books…. I realise that some people need them in their life…they need everything to be settled and happy at the end…but my life has never been that way….I need to believe in a story a bit (yes, even the fantasy stuff I read from time to time)…..I believed in this one…..

okay….my rant is over…..I think you should give Hilderbrand a try….I know I shall be trying more of her books…..

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand

Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

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Half a kingI’ve been meaning to read Joe Abercrombie for ages…I’ve heard so many great things about this writer. So when NetGalley had his first YA available as an ARC I thought I would apply. I am so glad I did! What a fantastic novel!

I have somehow convinced myself that I am not a fan of the fantasy genre. However, every time I talk myself into trying one I often find myself with a novel that I love. I am flummoxed trying to express just how much I loved it. This is one of those novels.

Here we have a young man with a deformed hand. He is passed over to be the next King and instead is to become a minister. Circumstances come about that change everything and the young man is indeed, offered up as the next King. This is a position that he has never wanted. He is just a young boy that lacks the strength and confidence to be a leader of men.

As often happens with kingdoms and politics, the young man finds himself betrayed and left to fend for himself. Armed only with only his wit he must now try to reclaim his rightful inheritance. He finds his champions among the lowest of men and they set out upon a quest to set the kingdom to right.

This is classified as a YA novel and I can understand that. I would caution that it needs to be mature YA. There is some violence within these pages. I think any novel such as this might appeal “out of the box” to young males. There are kingdoms, high seas and sword fights abound. However, I must give major props to Abercrombie here….even though the “hero” of the story is a young man, some of the strongest characters within these pages belong to not men, but to women and young girls. Abercrombie does a fantastic job of erasing all gender bias lines. The strong women in this novel are not “out of the norm”. No one even takes notice of them as females. They just *are*. There are enough of these strong females that there is little doubt that in Abercrombie’s fantasy world they are not a rare occurrence. No one looks twice at them or questions their power just because they are females. The men just follow them as they would any leader….it’s a nice thing that you don’t often find in popular novels. Strong independent women should not be a thing that one should even feel the need to comment on or point out….but sadly, I do feel that need…..and I find it refreshing to find these leaders of men in YA novel. Bravo, Abercrombie.

I am hard pressed to pick a favourite character out of this novel. There are just too many great ones to try to pick from. Abercrombie places this young man in just the right circumstances to not only build a weak boy into a strong man….but he does so with such finesse that lessons learned build up his character as well. He also places just the right mix of good and bad people in the young mans path to enable this wonderful transformation to occur. These lessons and the transformation are not without heavy personal and physical price. If you’re looking for a feel good happy story full of kitten whiskers and puppy tail wags, you are best to go elsewhere….

I can’t wait to read the next installment in this series. There are so many ways that this story can twist and turn….it will be a grand adventure for sure…..

And I can say that I have moved Abercrombie’s other books up my TBR list as well…..

Bravo! Bravo! Job well done, Mr Abercrombie!

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Buy it now Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Review: Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen

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underOh dear…where to start? When I first started this book I feel in love on the first page. I was so intrigued. It was a mystery that I wanted to solve page by page. I wasn’t in a rush, it was one of those warm glows that feels oh so very lovely that you just want to savor it bit by delightful bit! I still felt this way at 30%. If anything, I was even more smitten with this novel. I loved Sophie, the main character, despite her naivety. I loved Jag. I loved India and all of the settings….The Palace. The romance. The women’s quarters. I even loved the mother’s cruelness. Not that I liked her personally, I just liked the elements she brought into this story. The layers she brought forth were yet another mystery for me to be intrigued by and a mystery to solve….

At about 40%…..well…..I realised that all of my love was based on appearances. Oh come on now….don’t act like that….you know we’ve all done this…..don’t lie! Who hasn’t fallen in love from the first moment and imagined it to be all of these wonderful things….and you dig and you dig…and then you realise….well, hell’s bells….this isn’t as mysterious as I had hoped. This isn’t as complex as I had hoped…..sigh….

Now don’t get me wrong….this isn’t a short novel….It’s a nice 400 pages….you should be able to fit a lot into 400 pages! Right? Yet, I felt that this was just a rough draft. It was missing bits I needed. There just was too much missing. Why didn’t Sophie fight? How did she end up where she was? Why did she leave India when she didn’t really have to?

I still loved this book. I am just a bit disappointed in Alison McQueen. I mean, she had everything here before me. She dangled this beautiful setting….these star crossed lovers….this wonderful story right in front of me face! She had me salivating! I mean, I had to wipe the drool off of my face. I had to try to control me glee. I bragged to everyone I could once I reached 30%…….and then….alas…..she broke my heart. It’s like being promised a homemade cheesecake after having a sunday roast……Looking forward to it all week with promises of how lush it will be…then the weekend comes….things get hectic…..and on Sunday you’re handed an instant turkey roast meal with special offer cheesecake flavoured biscuits! Yes, it has enough flavour for you to appreciate it. Yes, you are thankful for it…..yes, it did fill you up…..however….all you can think of is just how much more wonderful it could have been…..

so yea, I’m mad at you Alison McQueen. I KNOW you can do better than this….this was a 800 page novel that you chopped down to 400…..and yes, the shell is there….and yes it’s beautiful….but damnit….I want me meaty bits…..I not only want your words to feed my body…I wanted them to feed my soul as well….

Don’t get me wrong, I loved it from the start…..and I didn’t mind the ending…..I just missed the middle….

Sigh……Maybe next time…..

Until next time….

Urania xx

Review Copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Buy it now Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen

Review: The City by Dean Koontz

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thecityIt’s been many years since I’ve read any Dean Koontz….okay…by many I mean at least 20….oh dear, I am getting so old! Without going into just how stupid I am, I was a bit confused at the start of this book….this was in NO WAY Koontz’s FAULT….it was my own….When it started to make sense to me…well….I still wasn’t swept away with the story. It was interesting….but a bit long-winded to me…However, at about 30% into it, I fell in love. This goes to show that it doesn’t matter what the story is…..how bad it is….how good it is…..if a character wins your heart…well….the book owns you….

Don’t get me wrong…this isn’t a bad story….there is one bit that doesn’t really tie in for me….The mysterious lady from the 6th floor really is never fully explained to my satisfaction…and no, I won’t go into this as I hate spoilers!

However, the tenant from the 4th floor absolutely won my heart over….He wasn’t the main character….but he was the one that completely owned my heart…

I enjoyed this story, but I can’t say that it really reminded me of the Koontz that I used to read…and if not for the love I felt for the gentleman I have mentioned, I believe that I would have liked the story alright, but could not have been motivated to review it or to give it a second thought after finishing the final page….

There is a bit of the supernatural going on in the novel, but it is not heavy…and it’s certainly not horror….more suspenseful than scary….

This is a story told Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk……yes…..that’s correct….please don’t make me repeat it….let’s just make it easier on all of us and say Jonah….

Jonah is an older man when this story begins…it begins when a friend tells him he needs to talk about his life…..he asks if this includes “the dark stuff” and is told that “the dark stuff” needs to be included as well…..so Jonah starts to tell his story….he mostly goes back to when he was 9-11 years old and the events that occurred during this time…We meet his parents, and his grandparents and many others that reside in “The City”…..in the end we learn that it is not really the buildings and the location that makes a true city….A city is made up by the people who live within it….

I realise that this might sound very simple….and kinda boring…..but hey ho….weren’t you paying attention at all when I said that there is a character in here that makes the entire book worth your time? Go on…..stop reading this looking for spoilers….you won’t find any here…..all you’ll find is my recommendation that you should give this one by Koontz a read…..move on now…nothing more for you here…..go get the book…..go on…move it…..shoo….

Until next time….

Urania xx

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review

Buy it now The City by Dean Koontz

Review: Our Happy Time by Gong Ji-young

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ourhappytime***This book will be released in the USA on July 1, 2014***

Wow. This was a gem of a read for me. I am so glad I stumbled across this novel. If I were the type to read book descriptions I would have more than likely passed. This is a novel that has strong religious tones. The exact type of novel I avoid. However, this was so much more. This is a novel about acceptance. Acceptance not only of others, but also yourself. It’s a story about finding oneself. It’s a story about looking beyond your past and trying to imagine a future. A future where you find the strength to want to go on. It’s also about forgiveness. Of asking for it, and of accepting it as well. There is just so much contained within these covers of this book.

I really admire Gong Ji-young for not taking this book and trying to turn it into a prettily wrapped happily ever after book, although the reader will surely wish for this to book to end happily. I’m not saying there isn’t a HEA, I’m just saying that sometimes just getting though another day must be enough. As Ji-young points out more than once, “instead of saying you want to die, you should instead be saying you want to live better”.

Here you have a young, beautiful, affluential woman. She’s a professor, a world traveler and a past singing sensation. She comes from a *perfect* family. However, we find out throughout the story that she has not really bothered to enjoy life or to even live for the last 15 years. The woman the world sees couldn’t be further from whom the woman actually is.

As this point the young woman joins her Aunt, a nun, to weekly prison visits of a man on death row. This man makes no excuses for what he has done. He does not deny anything.

All of a sudden both the woman and the man are forced to see the world though someone else’s eyes. Once this occurs, there is no turning back. Suddenly, one must realise that no matter how alone you have felt your entire life, there are others out there in the world as well. Suddenly you must realise that if continue to focus on only yourself and your experiences…well, you are missing out on everyone else’s experiences.

Ji-young has some real zingers of some quotes in this book. Some of what she wrote had a profound effect on me.

This is one book that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. I won’t forget the characters. I won’t forget the quotes. And I certainly won’t be forgetting the the feelings she evoked or the message that I received. I hope you give this book a chance and feel the same….I so loved it…

Until next time….

Urania xx

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Buy it now Our Happy Time by Gong Ji-young

Review: Echo Boy by Matt Haig

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echoboyWhat does it mean to be human? Is it merely to be made up of flesh and bone? Is it the structure of our DNA? Is having a soul what makes us human? Or is it more than that? Perhaps it is our actions? No matter how you answer, there is some way that one can dispute your answer. Isn’t an evil person human? Do they have the correct DNA? Aren’t they made up of flesh and bone? A stone cold killer can be classified as human, although their actions might say otherwise….

Here we have the future. A world where continents can be visited within seconds…even the moon within hours. Boundaries between places that we know now are smaller and less apparent. It is a world that is now made easier by the help of Echoes. More or less computers made of flesh and bone that are there to look like humans….perform as humans….teach humans….do the work of humans….look after the young of humans….protect the humans….but to never, ever, be human. They are highly intelligent. They excel at whatever they are programmed to do….but they will never have the emotional capacity that humans possess.

Or can they?

Here we can have a look at the path that we are currently heading down….One where we (the human race) are able to jump into a pod and be transported to our love ones in a blink of an eye. One where we communicate more by machines than by touch. One where we can learn everything we *need* to know without ever really leaving our homes. Ones that although the boundaries of the past seem nonexistent, they are in fact even greater….

You might wonder what I mean by that….but look at your grandparents. How hard would it had been for them to facetime with someone in another country? How many friends did they talk to daily from foreign countries?

Now stop and think….makes you think that we’ve come a long way, eh? But wait……those same grandparents….did they spend hours a day locked inside their houses? Glued to their phones? Worried about the latest technology? Or did they truly interact with others? Did they learn about life virtually or by reality? How are you and the younger generation learning such things today?

It really gives you something to think about, doesn’t it?

Now back to what makes us human…..

This novel will give you much to ponder here….

Some of the humans portrayed have no real value of other human life….They are not thoughtful of other humans…..some of them, really, have no idea how to even interact with other humans…..

So when we isolate ourself from other humans….at some point do we lose some of that which makes us human? At one point does this happen?

So if we have no value of other human lives, does that make us less human? Again, at what point does this happen?

Finally, is it possible for *something* not fully human….something made of flesh and bones….something with some DNA…..something supposedly *without* a soul….something made in a lab….programmed….but made with love and hope and devotion……a machine that cares about the value of human life…..a machine that does not seek to isolate itself……to become human? Again, at what point does this happen?

Matt Haig, might not have written the best literary work of all time here….but hey ho….how many people can? However, what he has done is given us much to think about……and much to be watchful of…..

This book was left with an ending that can no doubt be picked up and continued on with further novels….I hope we get at a least one more…..

I really enjoyed this novel, as I have Haig’s other works…..I’m sure you won’t be disappointed…go on then….go see what the future has in store for you and I……..buy the book…..

Until next time….

Urania xx

Review copy provided by Netgalley for an honest review….

Currently available to buy in the UK Echo Boy by Matt Haig

Review: China Dolls by Lisa See

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ChinaOh. My. Great. Goodness….and breathe….

Lisa See has really outdone herself with this one. I’m not at sure if she shouldn’t just put up her pen and call it a day…..this book was just so wonderful! I seriously wonder how she can ever top it….Most people if asked what this book was about would automatic reply with it’s about some Chinese and Japanese girls in San Francisco at the time leading up to, during and after WWII….But it’s not. To me, that’s the whole point. This is a story about 3 Americans from Chinese and Japanese descent. These ladies are every bit as American as any one else born and raised in the USA. Although your ancestry might help shape you, it does not define you. This is also the story of how people are judged and sometimes defined by their looks. This is the story of a great friendship. One that is true to life….but only if we are lucky. Yes, perhaps there will be parts that make you mad and wonder how anyone could call someone like that a friend, but this book broke my heart. It made me….no….it DEMANDED that I set my judgements aside….to leave them at the door and try to view the situation from someone else’s eyes. It made me seriously try to put myself in that time period. To imagine what it was like around me. The paranoia. The resentment. The sense of survival. Trying to maintain trust whilst everyone around you is pointing fingers. It reminds me that for some, trying to make peace with what you know, what is expected of you, what you want, and your own past…well, sometimes these things will never be reconciled. Sometimes the battles we fight in silence, within ourselves….well they are the bravest….and often the ones that are never celebrated.

When will any of us be judged solely on their own merits? By only their own actions? I know that’s a Pollyanna view and an unrealistic desire….but why? Why must we judge on the colour of skin? On our family? On our ancestors? On our Country? On all of the very things that we are powerless to change? Yet, the things within our power….those are the last things to come to be judged by…..

Yes, I won’t say that parts of this book didn’t just break my heart. That it didn’t depress me. It did. However, these characters were so rich to me. I fell in love with so many of them. I understood so many of them. I admired so many of them. I could sympathize with so many of them….even the ones I was angry with. By the way Lisa See presented them to me, well, even though I knew they were unyielding in their actions, even though I was angry and upset by this….I understood why they were that way….even if I didn’t agree or like it. However, the main characters of this book….wow…just wow….I can’t imagine going through what any one of them endured. Let alone coming out like they did. The courage they displayed. At their tenaciousness. How easy would it have been for any one of them to just throw in the towel and to despair at life. How easy it would be to just look at the actions of others and to toss them aside and never give them another thought….instead of looking at only actions, each one found it within themselves to try to understand the reason for the actions…Some would argue that this makes them too soft-hearted and gullible. I disagree. It is, in fact, much harder to set aside our own feelings and try to understand another’s…..

We should all be so lucky to have people around us like this….

No one ever does something without a reason…..nothing ever happens just “out of the blue”. Our past does define our future…..This doesn’t forgive anyone of any wrong doing…..but if we are to be judged by circumstances that are completely out of our control, shouldn’t we at least be forgiven for those within our control that we try to set right?

Read this book. Please. But leave your preconceived ideas of “china dolls” at the door. For me, this was not a novel about some night club dancers. That couldn’t be further from the truth….

I realise that my review might not convey how much I loved this book….

Let me set the record straight….right here….right now….

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book…..I already miss Grace, Ruby, Helen and Eddie…..because they are no longer in my current read, I will gladly just keep them in my heart and hope they continue to encourage me to look deeper….

Until next time….

Urania xx

Buy it now China Dolls by Lisa See