Review… Before I Let You In – Jenny Blackhurst

 

Karen is meant to be the one who fixes problems.

It’s her job, as a psychiatrist – and it’s always been her role as a friend.

But Jessica is different. She should be the patient, the one that Karen helps.

But she knows things about Karen. Her friends, her personal life. Things no patient should know.

And Karen is starting to wonder if she should have let her in . . .

Jenny Blackhurst’s book, How I Lost You is my number one book to recommend to friends looking for a new read, so when I found out she was publishing a new book, it went straight to the top of my (VERY long) TBR.

As with How I Lost You, this is a perfectly crafted book full of mystery and suspense. The book as a whole is good. The end third however is really what sold it for me.

Being truly honest I started confused. There are quite a few characters and the viewpoint kept changing quickly. Whilst I know this is quite a popular writing style, and one I’m fond of, it just took me that little bit longer than normal to get used to this time.

The characters are well written and very believable, especially when exploring the psychological and emotional passages of the book. I love that each of the three friends have their own chapters but immediately the reader starts to suspect something is up as  some chapters are written by an unnamed individual. These chapters are far darker, far more troubled but oh so critical to the plot. I constantly changed my mind as to who the unnamed author would be. Of course I remained wrong the entire time – but that’s the sign of a great book!

Being truly honest, I preferred How I Lost You. I felt it was far cleverer, far more surprising and I was completely consumed by it from start to finish. BUT that doesn’t detract from the fact that Before I Let You In is great in its own way. THEREFORE…

5 stars for a very thrilling read… (I need to get far more critical. I’m throwing 5 stars out far too much lately. At least I’m not wasting my time on rubbish books I guess!)

The Midnight Reader xo

Review… Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II – J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

“The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.
Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne,Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.”

I should probably start this review stating that I wish to give nothing away – no spoilers and no clues. This book is FAR too overdue to give even the slightest spoiler. So please … read on!

As a massive Harry Potter fan I was both excited and sceptical about the release of the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The script has turned out to be the marmite of the book world. You either LOVE IT or HATE IT. Whilst I am doubtful as to how much J.K. Rowling herself contributed to the book, the characters definitely are portrayed through the script in a similar manner as to the original 7 books and give a similar vibe.

As I’ve mentioned (and I’m sure you’ll be aware), the book is written as a script. Whilst I didn’t know how I would feel about this, I actually enjoyed it as a pleasant change to the normal densely written novels which seem to fall into my lap and found it made for very easy reading.

Whilst I bet the stage show itself is nothing less than fantastic, the script lacked a certain J.K. Rowling quality where she weaves her usual intricate and clever aspects weaved into the storyline.

I’m probably being very generous with this, but 4 stars due to a life long love of Harry Potter…

Would be very interested to hear what you thought of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child if you’ve read it?

The Midnight Reader xo