Clare Reviews: Fell by Jenn Ashworth

Title: Fell

Author: Jenn Ashworth

Source: Received from publisher for an honest review

Publisher: Sceptre

Pages: 362

Rating: 2.5/5

Blurb: When Annette Clifford returns to her childhood home on the edge of Morecambe Bay, she despairs: the long empty house is crumbling, undermined by two voracious sycamores. What she doesn't realise is that she's not alone: her arrival has woken the spirits of her parents, who anxiously watch over her, longing to make amends. Because as the past comes back to Jack and Netty, they begin to see the summer of 1963 clearly, when Netty was desperately ill and a stranger moved in. Charismatic, mercurial Timothy Richardson, with his seemingly miraculous powers of healing, who drew all their attention away from Annette... Now, they must try to draw another stranger towards her, one who can rescue her.

This story is told from an unusual perspective - that of two "ghosts" who speak in the second person as though they are a joint unit. They are the parents of Annette who has just returned to the family home following the death of her stepmother. 

Her return wakes the spirits of her parents who proceed to watch her. All the time. It makes for, at times, a very slow and even dull read. As ghosts Netty and Jack don't do a whole lot. They follow Annette around the house and have frequent flashbacks to the summer of 1963. It's in this time that most of the story takes place. The perspective then flips around a lot, at times in second person and then in third - something I found disorienting but others might find a draw. From the blurb I was expecting some kind of thriller aspect - the charismatic stranger turning out to be evil. And it wasn't quite like that. He was charismatic and opportunist but not exactly a looming threat. 

This character, Tim, was the most interesting of the four. He was very interesting and if the book had delved more into his "powers" and his mindset I might have found it more gripping. Instead we spend a lot of time inside the, frankly boring, head of Jack and some time inside Netty's. We don't, either, spend a lot of time with Annette who I had thought would be the main character of the novel. Apart from a few scenes in the present day where she... takes a bath and tries to cut down a tree, we don't see her that often. Which may be a reflection on the abandonment of her parents in that summer. We also get hints that Annette may have picked up (by osmosis I assume) the powers of Tim. But, again, this is never really gotten into and apart from those few hints and a couple of "power of persuasion" moments which could just be charisma we don't really get to see anything come of this. 

Perhaps my main problem when getting through this book was that it couldn't decide whether it was a supernatural novel or a corporeal one. Which, I know, is kind of the point - blending the corporeal and the spirit worlds. But the spirit world, including Tim's mystical powers - don't really achieve much over the course of the novel. If this had been a ghost story with characters who could do "magic" I might have enjoyed it more. Or if it had been entirely set in the 60's and there was more doubt over whether Tim was truly a healer or possibly a con man, again I might have enjoyed it more.

Ultimately I think this wasn't for me. I was let down by my own expectations (which is my own fault not the books), but I also feel like this was two good stories that, in blending, lost some of their impact. I do feel like this is a book that plenty of people will enjoy. It was both evocative and original, as promised by the blurb, and it would make a great book club read. I just didn't personally enjoy it. 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Sunday Post 30th October 2016

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader. As always you can click on any of the pictures to be taken to the Goodreads page for that book if you're interested in finding out more about it.

Ah the end of October!! Do you have any Halloween plans? I am sticking with my Tremors marathon and I am not sure yet what Ann is planning to do. It's finally (finally!) started to feel like Autumn here which I love - the leaves are falling and so, thankfully, are the temperatures! 

Last Week on the Blog:

• Clare Reviews: The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola
• Top Ten Creepy Reads on My TBR
• Wednesday Catch-Up
• Top 5 Favourite Spooky Settings
• November Releases
• Friday Reads
• Blog Tour: The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland

Books We Got This Week:

So many books... So many. I bought all of these and in my defense the majority of them were from charity shops or just a really good deal! 

 Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas: This was supposed to arrive last week but Amazon Prime delivery failed me and wasn't expecting to deliver it for at least a couple of weeks so I cancelled that order and got this from Book Depository instead. I am so, so excited for this. It's one of my most anticipated of the year.
Autumn Thorns by Yasmine Galenorn: I received the second book in this series for review last week so picked up a copy of the first book so I can read this series soon.

Florence Grace by Tracy Rees: I loved Tracy Rees' first book Amy Snow, which wound up being one of my favourite historicals, and I am hoping to enjoy this as much.
The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee: I have heard very mixed things about this one. But it was in the 3 for £10 section and it's such a pretty book. Besides, a futuristic Gossip Girl-esque book sounds very interesting.
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows: Another one I've heard mixed things about, and I really am not a huge fan of this cover. But the paperback was in 3 for £10. I've heard this is very funny and I am looking forward to reading it.

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis: Oh this book! I have been so excited to read this for the longest time! I can't even believe how long it took me to get a copy! 

Searching for a Silver Lining by Miranda Dickinson: I've read every Miranda Dickinson book so this was basically an auto-buy when I saw it in Tesco. Not even sure what it's about but I am sure I will enjoy it.

Victoria by Daisy Goodwin: So, so excited for this one. Daisy Goodwin wrote My Last Duchess which was great and worked on the TV show Victoria so I am confident this will be amazing.

We Were on a Break by Lindsey Kelk: Lindsey Kelk is up there with Sophie Kinsella and Gemma Burgess as one of my favourite chick-lit writers of all time so I am excited for this as well.
A Most Novel Revenge by Ashley Weaver: I loved the first two books in this series last week so I definitely needed to buy this. I have some pretty high hopes.

The Gypsy Madonna/The Italian Matchmaker/The Summer House by Santa Montefiore: I am a huge fan of Santa Montefiore and so is my best friend. I am going up to see my friend in December so will read these before then and take them up to her.
Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman: The hardback of this is insanely cheap so I had to?? I don't know. Pirates and historical and super beautiful cover so...

Reading Update:

Ann:
I have not managed to read anything this week as it was my school holiday this week so I was just relaxing and playing the xbox with my family!

Clare:

White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz: 3 stars, This was a quick and enjoyable read. I didn't find myself sucked into the story and I felt like the relationship moved too fast into love but the mystery element was interesting and reading about psychics is always fun!

Next Week on the Blog:

• Top Ten Books to Read if You're Book Club Likes ...
• Wednesday Catch - Up
• Top 5
• Clare's October Wrap Up and November TBR
• Friday Reads
• Ann's October Wrap Up and November TBR

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Blog Tour: An Extract From The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland

Today I am delighted to welcome Karen Maitland to the blog for the Halloween Blog Tour for The Plague Charmer which was released on 20th October! You should definitely also check out the Plague symptom checker which I will admit I have been having a lot of fun with! I've been a bit ill all week so wanted to see what kind of plague I had! (Pneumonic if you're wondering).

The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland:

Riddle me this: I have a price, but it cannot be paid in gold or silver.

1361. Porlock Weir, Exmoor. Thirteen years after the Great Pestilence, plague strikes England for the second time. Sara, a packhorse man's wife, remembers the horror all too well and fears for safety of her children.
Only a dark-haired stranger offers help, but at a price that no one will pay.

Fear gives way to hysteria in the village and, when the sickness spreads to her family, Sara finds herself locked away by neighbours she has trusted for years. And, as her husband - and then others - begin to die, the cost no longer seems so unthinkable.

The price that I ask, from one willing to pay... A human life. 

Prologue

The storytellers say that . . .

Once, long ago, in the land of the Celts, a boy was born who was possessed of great power and strength. From a small child, Cadeyrn could transform himself into a bear and in that form he would pass through the Gate of Mist to journey into the realms of darkness and light. The druids recognised special gifts in the boy and were determined that he should become one of them, perhaps even the greatest among them. But Cadeyrn was also skilled with the axe and the sword, and others foretold he would become a mighty warrior and leader. Cadeyrn grew in stature and his skills grew with him, but even when he had become a man, the two paths lay stretched out before him and none in his tribe could tell which he would follow.

Then one day when he was out hunting, he saw a youth set his dogs upon a she-bear that was protecting her cubs. Filled with rage, Cadeyrn pursued her attacker into a grove of oak trees. Mistletoe grew upon the branches and the law decreed that, even in the midst of battle, upon seeing the sacred herb a man must lay down his weapon and depart in peace, without shedding blood. But Cadeyrn’s wrath was so great that he did not notice the mistletoe. He raised his axe and chopped off the youth’s head with a single blow.

Blood spurted from the severed neck, splashing the branches of the tree beneath which the youth had taken refuge. Only when Cadeyrn saw the drops of scarlet staining the white berries did he realise he had strayed into a sacred grove. When the druids saw that blood had been shed in that holy place, they cursed him.

That night when Cadeyrn tried to pass through the Gate of Mist, it closed against him and he could no longer enter the other realms. He knew then that his destiny had been sealed: he would become a warrior. And when Cadeyrn went into battle, his path to glory seemed assured, for he slaughtered dozens with his axe and his enemies fled in terror before him. But just as victory seemed within his grasp, the druid priests appeared. At once, the battle turned against Cadeyrn and, with his men, he was forced to flee for his life across the sea to England. There he fought again and this time he conquered the people of those lands, vanquished their leader and was proclaimed king.

Now, the people who lived in those parts were Christians and they were afraid that this bloody warrior would slaughter them and sack their church, so they drew lots and sent to him a young boy, who offered himself as sacrifice. He said he would willingly die any death Cadeyrn chose for him, however agonising and terrible, if only the king would spare the people and their church. Cadeyrn was so moved by his courage that he asked the boy the name of the god he worshipped and vowed that he, too, would pray to this god, as well as to the gods of his own ancestors. Cadeyrn swore a solemn oath that anyone who called upon the name of Christ would be granted the king’s protection, and he would defend them even to his own death.

But though he had spared the daughter of the Christian ruler he had vanquished and had treated her with honour, she and her maids were filled with hatred against Cadeyrn and sought vengeance. She collected the poison of the viper and the venom of the toad and coated the holy chalice in the church with them, knowing that when the king came to Mass he would be offered the cup first.

As Cadeyrn raised the chalice to his lips, a raven flew down and dashed it from his hand. The wine spilled in a pool across the floor of the church and the raven dipped its beak in it to drink. The bird had taken only a sip before it dropped dead. When the king saw how the raven had saved him, he took up the carcass with his right hand, intending to give the bird an honoured burial, but as he touched it, the bird revived and flew up on to the roof of the church.

At that, the Christian princess and her maids became even more vengeful. They plotted with Cadeyrn’s enemies, revealing to them the means by which they could invade his lands while he was absent. They attacked without warning, burning his villages and carrying off his women and his cattle.

When Cadeyrn returned and discovered what his enemies had done, he marched on their stronghold that very night and camped before their gates ready to give battle at dawn. But the princess had hidden her maids among the servants who travelled with the warriors and she had given instructions that they should add dwale to the food they prepared for the king.

The herb made the king drowsy, and when dawn came, he could not fully rouse himself. He fought with the heart of a bear, but the dwale had fuddled his senses and made him clumsy. He was overpowered and taken prisoner.

Cadeyrn begged to be allowed to die in combat, but his enemies tied him to a tree in the middle of the forest. They chopped off the hand with which he’d given battle. But instead of blood, a stream of pure water flowed from the wound and became a mighty river. In fear, they shot him with arrows, but still he lived, and finally they cut off his head.

His enemies left his corpse for the ravens to peck and the beasts in the forest to devour, but the ravens covered his severed head with their wings and beasts guarded his body. That night, the priest of the church saw a wondrous sight. A great bear came out of the forest bearing the body of the king and laid the corpse gently on a stone slab on the hillside. All that night, a golden light hung over the place where Cadeyrn’s body lay, vanishing only when that greater light, the sun itself, rose.

The body of Cadeyrn was buried under a great cairn of earth and stones at the place where the bear had laid him, with much gold and many precious objects. But Cadeyrn’s hand and head were borne away by the Christian priests as holy relics.

And they say that each evening at sunset a raven brings a stone to add to the cairn that stands over the resting place of the warrior king, and when that mound is high enough to reach the sky, Cadeyrn will awaken and ride once more to battle.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour for some more interesting insights into The Plague Charmer!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Friday Reads 28th October 2016

Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice and Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader. The idea is to share a sentence or so from the first page and the 56th page of the book you are currently reading! 

Book Beginning:

"Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.I'm not a morning person. Understatement.My hand couldn't seem to muster the energy to turn off the alarm. It picked at the covers. The blanket felt wrong. Scratchy. Thin. This isn't my bed."

Friday 56:

"As she clicked through, a photo of a tiny red car crunched almost beyond belief flashed on the screen. My stomach lurched. Was that the car? Why was a car crash in Italy a big news story? I figured when I flew home, our local TV station would do something, but I never imagined it would be all over the internet." 

 I am only one chapter in to this so far and not sure how I feel about it yet. I don't particularly like the main character - not that I dislike her I just don't really care about her either way yet. She spent a lot of time in the first chapter musing on how wonderful her friend was which has convinced me that A) her friend is definitely the one who died in the car accident and B) her friend is definitely not wonderful. At all. Definite betrayals going to be revealed I am sure. I also already have an idea about what happened although I could be wrong.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

November Releases to Get Excited About!

October was a huge month for new releases and in comparison November feels a little bare (which is a huge relief to my bank balance) but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of books to get excited for, so maybe my bank balance shouldn't relax just yet. 

1st November:

Den of Wolves by Juliet Marillier: This is the third book in the Blackthorn & Grim series. I haven't actually read the first two yet so I don't know much about this series but I've loved other books by Juliet Marillier and her writing is always beautiful so this is definitely a series I want to read.

The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid: This is one I wasn't all that excited about at first. But the more I hear about it the more I want to read it. This is about Nemesis who is, I think an android or something very like that, and has been created to protect Sidonia. And in order to protect her she must impersonate her... which means pretending to be human.

3rd November:

An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters & Denizens of Downworld by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean: One heck of a title. I think at this point I am basically just going to buy anything related to the Shadowhunter series' and anything illustrated automatically appeals to me.

Yesternight by Cat Winters: Cat Winters never fails to impress me and I am beyond excited for this. I want to go into this one blind.

The Liberation by Kate Furnivall: Kate Furnivall is one of my favourite historical fiction writers. Plus this is set in Italy which I love and sounds like it will be an emotional and powerful story.

8th November:

Someone to Love by Mary Balogh: This is the first book in a new series from Mary Balogh. It follows Anna, an orphan, who suddenly inherits a fortune. I am sure this will be a lovely, romantic read.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer: One of my, and probably a lot of other people's, most anticipated releases of the year! The Lunar Chronicles were incredible and I am even more excited about this prequel to Alice in Wonderland which is about the Queen of Hearts, before she was the Queen of Hearts.

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer: I have this weird love/hate relationship with Stephenie Meyer's books. This is a thriller novel about an ex-agent on the run from her former employers with nobody to trust. I am interested to see how Stephenie Meyer transitions from Young Adult to Adult Thriller novels. 

TimeKeeper by Tara Sim: Books about time (particularly time travel) never fail to baffle me. No matter how many I read I never begin to understand it. This, as far as I can gather, is about a world in which clocks directly influence time, so when a clock becomes faulty it's a very big problem. This is also an LGBT book which is exciting.

Dead Girls Society by Michelle Krys: There is a lot of hype surrounding this one. The blurb sounds to me a little bit like Nerve - with the main character completing a series of dares to win money. Only once you've started there is no backing out. 

All in Pieces by Suzanne Young: I loved The Program duology from Suzanne Young and this sounds like it will be just as good. It involves a girl with "anger management problems" fighting to keep control of her life and to keep her little brother safe. 

15th November:

Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy: 10 short stories set in the Shadowhunter world. I've heard that some of these are important to the overall plot of the series and some others are presumably just fun extras. I love this series so am excited for this.

18th November:

The Case of Beasts by Mark Salisbury: Anyone else extremely excited for the Fantastic Beasts movie? This is an officially licensed behind the scenes look at the film and features some removal fascimile reproductions of props. 

22nd November:

Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst: This is just... It has the potential to be amazing. It's about Denna who has a secret magic and is betrothed to a Prince. But then she starts to have feelings for his sister.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman: I have never read any Neal Shusterman before despite hearing great things. But a story about a world in which death doesn't exist - and people can only die when killed by a Scythe sounds intriguing to me.

Let me know if there are any releases in November that you're excited about and if you've already had a chance to read any of these let me know what you thought of them! 

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading

Wednesday Catch-Up 26th October 2016

Every Wednesday we are linking up with WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is hosted at Taking on a World of Words and asks 3 questions: What are you currently reading?, What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you'll read next? 

Ann:

Currently Reading:

I am currently reading The Lovely and the Lost. I was planning on reading this sooner but I got distracted reading Six of Crows which I really enjoyed! However so far I am really enjoying this book too!

Recently Finished:

I have recently finished Crooked Kingdom which, although it took me a while to finish it, I loved a lot. The characters were just as amazing as the first book and Kaz is still definitely my favourite character from the books!

Planning to Read Next:

Next I am planning on reading The Wonderous and the Wicked as I really want to finish reading the whole series because I really enjoyed the first book so I am hoping I will enjoy the other two! I also plan on reading Fatal Voyage and Break No Bones which I look forward to reading because they are different to the kind of books I read normally and I love the TV series.

Clare:

Currently Reading:

I think With Malice by Eileen Cook is due back at the library soon so I decided to pick it up whilst I have the time. I've heard very mixed things about this one so I am slightly unsure what to expect. I haven't actually started it yet but it has my bookmark in it so that totally counts as currently reading, right? 

Recently Finished:

I read both Murder at the Brightwell and Death Wears a Mask in only one sitting which is testament to how page-turning and absorbing these books were. I don't have a copy of the third book yet but I am desperate to get my hands on it so I can continue with these characters! I then read Gemina which was as amazing as I expected it to be. I loved the addition of the illustrations and the plot was non-stop exciting and so many plot twists!  To avoid a reading slump I then picked up White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz which I hoped would be a fun read and it definitely was. I found I enjoyed the mystery elements more than the romance which I felt developed way too fast. But overall it was a good read.

Planning to Read Next:

Next up I really want to read The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis which I already can tell I will love. It's received a lot of hype but I love everything I've heard about it and all the quotes I've read so I am super excited for this. Also this seems like kind of a good read for Halloween? Then I want to read A Study in Scarlet Women which I also have high hopes for. I love Sherry Thomas's writing and the whole concept of genderbent Sherlock Holmes is just amazing to me. And finally for Halloween itself I want to be reading Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco which, again, I've heard only great things about! I am fascinated by Jack the Ripper (which is slightly morbid of me) and I love the idea of this one, I think it will be perfect to read on Halloween!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading 

Top 5 Spooky Settings

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly feature and you can find their goodreads group here. I struggled with this at first but as soon as I started I managed to come up with the rest pretty quickly, enjoy!

1) City of Bones from the Shadow hunters series

I think that this setting was just so creepy in the book, film and TV show. They all just made it seem insanely weird, it's a whole city where the silent brothers draw power from dead shadow hunters, personally I think that is kind of creepy.

2) Haunted Houses in the Lockwood and Co series

I love this series so much and am very excited to read the next book soon. However all the settings are very spooky which I was expecting considering that they are books about ghosts and haunted houses!

3) Whooping Willows from Harry Potter

I think that although the Whopping Willows is very spooky I think that the shrieking shack that it is connected to is a lot more spooky. However both of them are very creepy.

4) All of the settings from The Women In Black

I will admit that I have never read this book but I have watched the film about 4 times and the whole thing was spooky not only the settings! I don't watch a lot of scary movies but this one is the only one I have watched and it was spooky!

5) Graveyard from Harry Potter

I think that all graveyards in books are spooky but the one from Harry Potter is one of the spookiest one I know of anyway!

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading.

Top Ten Creepy Reads on my TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke & The Bookish. You can find the link up for this week's topic here and a list of past and future topics here. Last year I really embraced seasonal reading and my October TBR was full of creepy reads. This year I have gone completely off topic - which means there are so many Halloween-appropriate reads that I haven't managed to read yet!

1) The Disciple by Stephen Lloyd Jones

I took part in a Blog Tour for this recently and I am so intrigued by this book. It looks like it would be a really scary book, which I am not always great with, but the author made it sound so brilliant and it made me really excited to read it.

2) Autumn Thorns by Yasmine Galenorn

The blurb for this says that "spirits walk among the living and the lake never gives up her dead" which sounds wonderfully creepy. I was sent the second book in this series for review and so now I really need to read this book!

3) Nightfall by Jake Halpern

I very nearly bought a copy of this just the other day and then hesitated when I realised it might be too scary for me. But I am still very intrigued so who knows? If you've read this please let me know what you thought of it and how scary it really is?

4) The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

This is a book that I see constantly on lists of books for Halloween or creepy ghost stories and every time I see it I want to read it more and more. This is supposedly a book that "helped define" the supernatural thriller genre so it's a definite must read.

5) The Fall by Bethany Griffin

The cover alone on this one is pretty creepy. Add to that the main character wakes up in a coffin and that its based on Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher and you have some guaranteed creepiness.

6) In the Shadows by Kiersten White and Jim DiBartolo

The format of this story really intrigues me as half the story is told like a regular novel and the other half is illustrations. I have really enjoyed other books by Kiersten White so I really want to read this.

7) The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

I read The 5th Wave and thought it was OK, but from what I hear this series is way better. For some reason though it's really hard to get a hold of copies of this series. Which is frustrating.

8) Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd

I read The Madman's Daughter a couple of Halloween's ago and really enjoyed it but for some reason never continued the series. It's definitely still on my TBR though along with the third book in the series A Cold Legacy.

9) The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

This book seems to come up whenever zombies are mentioned and yet somehow I have never read it! And I still can't quite understand how I haven't. I've heard the sequels aren't as good but almost everyone seems to agree that this first book is great.

10) Jackaby by William Ritter

This is another one where the sequels don't seem to be as well loved as the first book. But I have heard such amazing things about this one and I definitely want to read it soon.

Bonus: Yesternight by Cat Winters

This isn't published in the UK until the 3rd November which is so sad because it would have made a perfect Halloween read! I love Cat Winters' books and I am desperate to read this.

Bonus Bonus: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Keri Maniscalco

This is released on the 27th in the UK and I will probably be reading it on Halloween. I don't really do Halloween parties (I did once but I am not a great party person) so my Halloween will be mostly reading, eating chocolate and watching some not-so-scary Halloween movies (currently planning on doing a Tremors marathon). So this will be my Halloween night read. 

Let me know if you have any plans for Halloween? Are you dressing up at all? And do you have any creepy recommendations for me?

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading