The Fifth Horseman by Jon Smith

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Balkon Media 

Released: 7th of February 2023 

Internationally published bestselling author Jon Smith makes his adult debut with The Fifth Horseman, a modern light-hearted fantasy that rides roughshod over established mythology and the rules of life… and death.

The Fifth Horseman is a darkly comic tale of two thirty-somethings caught between our world and the afterlife, who must embrace their role as reapers to prevent the End Times. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Father Ted, perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Terry Pratchett, and Neil Gaiman.

Death is just a day job you can’t quit…

Emma and Mark had a bad day. The worst part of it was dying. But, according to Death, the Rider on the Pale Horse and first horseman of the apocalypse, things aren’t that simple. Turns out the sand in their hourglass is stuck in place. Somewhere between life and death, they’re put to work as Death’s assistants, reaping the souls of the living until it’s time for their final clock out…

To compound matters, despite their omnipotence, the four horsemen are facing an existential threat – one they’re ill-equipped and ill-prepared to combat. They’re suddenly getting old, weak, and succumbing to illness. What has brought on this uncharacteristic frailty? Does Charon, the ferryman of the River Styx, have more up his sleeve than just the coins proffered by the dead to secure passage to the afterlife? And why do you never see baby pigeons?

Emma and Mark must reap like their afterlives depend on it, to help prevent the End Times – even if it means scuppering the one opportunity they have at being granted a second chance at life.

Filled with humour, romantic tension, and suspense, Jon Smith utilises a witty, lightly sarcastic ensemble of flawed but loveable characters. It will appeal to mainstream fantasy readers and hopeless romantics, as well as those who enjoy a good story, a good laugh, a few tears, and a happy ending.

TW: Child Death, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Violence, Death, Injury,/ injury detail, Suicide and Suicide attempt 

What I Have to Say 

I don't think I can put into words how much I hated this book. First it went straight into someone trying to commit suicide with no warning. I wasn't ready for that kind of content. Then it was just boring. It was meant to be funny, but I didn't really think it was to be honest. But most of the book was just one death after the next, just one reap after the other. There were different conditions and at some points he tried to get philosophical but it just felt really repetitive. 

Then there was the misogyny. I'm not even gonna go into the fact that he had War as a woman because that's apparently all that men fight about. But the main character Emma was treated terribly. The entire "romance" in this book was Emma being pursued by Mark who just can't take no for an answer. And of course because this is written by a man, we all know how it ends. Also at every tricky death, she wavered and Mark stepped in and made the hard choice because apparently men are better at this sort of thing. 

The ending came out of nowhere. I thought I could see how it was going to go but then something completely different which wasn't really foreshadowed happened instead. 

To say this book wasn't for me is putting it really really lightly. Do not read without checking the trigger warnings. 

 

How to Kill Men and Get Away With It by Katy Brent

Pages: 352 

Publisher: HQ Digital 

Released: 12rh of October 2022 

Meet Kitty Collins.

FRIEND. LOVER. KILLER.

Have you ever walked home at night, keys in hand, ready to throw a punch in self-defence? That’s how it all started. The killing spree, I mean.

I sort of tripped into this role… Literally. The first one was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone. I pushed him, he stumbled, and fell onto his own broken wine bottle. Oops. It was such a waste of a good house white.

But now I can’t seem to stop and nor do I want to… I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.

What I Have to Say 

This book is perfect for any feminist who loves a good contemporary story. If you are angry and upset about any of the misogyny in the world and want to live vicariously through a funny and lighthearted novel, this is for you. 

I loved how it didn't take itself too seriously. Kitty is an influencer. She an instagram star and is vegan. Vegan but gets her thills from killing men in a variety of ways. And despite the subject matter it was a very easy to read, quite cosy book. It was really nice to sink into and have something that was relatable and just not too realistic. 

The characters were probably a bit shallow, but in this sort of book, that didn't really matter. They weren't meant to be really deep, thought out characters, it's just not that sort of book. 

This book was just exactly what I needed right now. 

 

My thanks go to HQ Digital and Negalley for gifting me this copy for review. 

 

The Battle of the Beetle Trilogy (Beetle Boy, Beetle Queen, The Battle of the Beetles) by M.G. Leonard

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 336

Publisher: Chicken House  

Released: 3rd of March 2016

Darkus is miserable. His dad has disappeared, and now he is living next door to the most disgusting neighbours ever.

A giant beetle called Baxter comes to his rescue. But can the two solve the mystery of his dad’s disappearance, especially when links emerge to cruel Lucretia Cutter and her penchant for beetle jewellery? A coffee-mug mountain, home to a million insects, could provide the answer – if Darkus and Baxter are brave enough to find it … 

Pages: 352

Publisher: Chicken House

Released: 6th of April 2017

Cruel beetle fashionista, Lucretia Cutter, is at large with her yellow ladybird spies - and she has a devious plan. Darkus, Virginia and Bertolt are determined to stop her, but Darkus's dad is dead set against their involvement. Hope rests on Novak, Lucretia's daughter and a Hollywood actress, but the beetle diva is always one scuttle ahead ...



 Pages: 304
Publisher: Chicken House
Released: February 2018

Darkus and his friends continue their unforgettable adventure in this final instalment of the Beetle trilogy. Arch-villainess Lucretia Cutter has a secret Biome hidden in the Amazon rainforest: can Darkus and his friends, human and beetle alike, find it before it's too late? If they can't stop Lucretia, she will release her hoard of giant Frankenstein beetles, and the planet will never be the same again ...

What I Have to Say 

Even those who are not fond of beetles will have plenty to enjoy in this series. I have a quite sizable fear of creepy crawlies and I have to say, the Battle of the Beetles series endeared me to them and made me want one of my own (even though I would still be terrified to go near it). Every word in the series shows a love and admiration for all beetles and what they give to the world. 

The characters are vivid and so memorable from the comedic villains to children that will warm your hearts and their beetle companions, it would be hard to read this book and not find at least a handful of characters you like. Though the comedy was not quite my style, even when I was a kid, it is a type that may kids love and will definitely find a good audience. 

This series is full of twists and turns and parts that will leave you with held breath right until the end, because you just want all the children happy and all the beetles alive and well back in their mountain, with the world saved from Lucretia's evil plans. But the ending is very satisfying and I promise you won't be disappointed. 

If you haven't picked this series up by now, what are you waiting for? 

My thanks go to Chicken House for providing me with a copy of Battle of the Beetles for review. 

It Started With A Tweet by Anna Bell

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 419

Publisher: Zaffre

Released: 7th of December 2017 

Daisy Hobson lives her whole life online. A marketing manager by day, she tweets her friends, instagrams every meal and arranges (frankly, appalling) dates on Tinder. But when her social media obsession causes her to make a catastrophic mistake at work, Daisy finds her life going into free-fall . . . 

Her sister Rosie thinks she has the answer to all of Daisy's problems - a digital detox in a remote cottage in Cumbria, that she just happens to need help doing up. Soon, too, Daisy finds herself with two welcome distractions: sexy French exchange-help Alexis, and Jack, the brusque and rugged man-next-door, who keeps accidentally rescuing her.

But can Daisy, a London girl, ever really settle into life in a tiny, isolated village? And, more importantly, can she survive without her phone? 

What I Have to Say 

I thought this book would be a funny, intelligently written look into digital addiction and a nice romp in the countryside. I knew it would go into the way that people spend all their time on their phones, but considering this is written by an author with a twitter account, being given out on a digital review website and basically being sold to members of the digital age, I didn't expect it to be quite so anti-phones and social media. 

That's not to say that I didn't like the book, but that was the feeling that I took away from it, which isn't what you really want when you're a blogger who uses twitter and social media a lot to do that. I think I would have preferred it ending on a softer note, with a reminder to leave your phone behind every so often and enjoy life, but focusing more on a balance between the two. 

There were lots of things I liked though. I liked Daisy and Jack. I liked the dog and his habit of chasing pigeons into barns when he shouldn't a lot. It made me laugh a lot and I had a lot of sympathy for most of the characters. 

It just felt a bit preachy at the end and I don't think that it was the authors intention to give across that feeling. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for providing me with this copy for review