Wednesday 24 April 2019

The Immortal City by Amy Kuivalainen

In the heart of Venice, a woman is sacrificed to a forgotten god, sparking a mystery lost for thousands of years.
Dr. Penelope Bryne is ridiculed by the academic community for her quest to find the remnants of Atlantis, but when an ancient and mysterious script is found at a murder site, she flies to Venice determined to help the police before the killer strikes again.
Penelope has spent her entire life trying to ignore the unexplainable and magical history of Atlantis, but when she meets the enigmatic Alexis Donato, everything she believes will be challenged. Little does she know, Alexis has spent the last three years doing his best to sabotage Penelope’s career so doesn’t learn the truth—Atlantis had seven magicians who survived, and who he has a duty to protect.
As Alexis draws her into the darkly, seductive world of magic and history, Penelope will have to use her heart as well as her head if she is to find the answers she seeks. 
With the new MOSE system due to come online, and Carnivale exploding around them, Penelope and Alexis will have to work together to stop the killer and prevent dark magic from pulling Venice into the sea. 
This book is definitely a piece of escapism and made a welcome change to the books I generally read.
It has its dark and grisly moments but also a sprinkling of romance with very interesting magicians.
The historical aspect is fascinating and very thorough and rich in detail.
The plot is fast and well developed, I was gripped from start to finish.
The characters are generally well developed, the romance between the hero and heroine perhaps a bit cliched but still a lot of fun.

A lot of work has obviously gone into this book and it brought back wonderful memories of Venice which is such a magical city it is the perfect setting for this book.
I would recommend as a book to get lost in, and aren't they the best?



My review of Pieces Of Her by Karin Slaughter


I'm a big fan this author's work, especially the Will Trent series, so I knew this would be good.
The story starts with a bang with chaos and conflict and continues pretty much like that right to the end. I had to keep reading to find out just what was the truth and what would happen next.
The plot and the writing are very clever, complex and full of murder, manipulation, and suspense.
The characters are well developed and three dimensional, the manipulative Nick particularly so.
I didn't take to Jane or her daughter Andy. Too much crying and Andy finding nothing to say and I could just never forgive Jane for letting someone do something so horrific to her and yet stay with that person. But not liking every character is part of the experience, I still loved the book.
It does switch back and forth between two different times and points of view, but the switch is clearly made and easy to follow.
A great read, very exciting page turner.