The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

My Rating: 5 Stars!

Here’s why

This is my second Kristin Hannah novel and I was not disappointed! I loved this book and was whisked away to occupied France during WWII.

The Nightingale follows this story of two sisters and their bravery, struggles, and relationship during WWII. Isabelle, the more rebellious and younger of the sisters, has always had a hard time staying in one place – whether being expelled or kicked out of boarding schools, this eighteen-year-old girl has never really settled into the “proper” etiquette of a young woman. Vianne is quite the opposite and is the epitome of a proper – married young, had a child, and settled down in a quaint town to raise her family away from the city life of Paris. Through the loss of their mother and the emotional absence of their father, their relationship became strained and they went their separate ways.

However, due to the events of the war, the two sisters are brought together in more ways than one as they each fight for their lives, the freedom of France, the lives of those they love.

***

Kristin Hannah is an amazing fictional author. She is an incredible crafter of characters and although her books are long, they are never boring. She does a great job of bringing the reader into the story and making you care about the characters and what happens to them. You become their advocate and really feel for them. So much so that by the ending, I was moved to tears!

I am giving this book 5 out of 5 Stars for Hannah’s storytelling, the way she brings history to life, her character development, and her writing style. If an author can bring me to tears, you know they’re good!

I don’t want to say much more, but if you are intrigued and want to check out Kristin Hannah for yourself, pick up a copy of The Nightingale today! She has LOADS more novels as well, but I can personally also recommend The Great Alone as an amazing lengthy – yet rewarding – read as well.

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fiction/World War II

The Sentence is Death (Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, #2) by Anthony Horowitz

My Rating: 5 Stars!

Here’s why

This is the second novel in this series by Anthony Horowitz and I could not wait to read this one! If you have not read or checked out the first book – The Word is Murder – don’t read any further and go pick up a copy today!

The Sentence is Death follows the same creative narration of a murder mystery novel as the first book, with Anthony writing himself into the novel as he follows Detective Hawthorne on another murder case. A famous divorce lawyer winds up dead in his living room, stabbed by a wine bottle in the neck, with the numbers 182 painted on his wall. It is up to Hawthorne and Horowitz to try and solve the case before anyone else winds up dead and the murderer is put to justice – let’s just hope they can get along well enough for that to happen!

***

This book/series is a masterpiece. I love the entire premise of Horowitz writing himself into the story, of his dynamic with Hawthorne, the way he brings in his own real-life relationships, work, projects, etc. as if this has actually happened and there actually is a Daniel Hawthorne. I don’t want to say more, but Horowitz has kept the standard up and continues to impress me with his writing, storylines, character development, and flair.

I am giving this book 5 out of 5 Stars for its creativity, the plot twists along the way, the entire mood of the book, and the hopes that more are to come!

If you are looking for a Sherlock Holmes-y novel that brings the fiction and non-fiction worlds together, this is it! The Sentence is Death is available everywhere so check it out now!

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Crime/Fiction

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

My Rating: 3 Stars

Here’s why!

I love Ruth Ware. I know you might not think so based on the rating I gave her newest mystery/thriller novel, but I do. I just don’t think this was one of her best. Let me explain why. (ALSO: if you have not checked out my sister and I’s podcast, Lit Sis, give it a listen! We talk extensively for an entire episode about this book, our ratings, and reasons behind the rating!)

The Turn of the Key is about a girl named Rowan who gets an amazing nannying opportunity at the esteemed Heatherbrae House – a “smart” home in the Highlands of Scotland. The family seems nice enough, the parents are very busy and travel a lot, and the salary is very generous, so Rowan decides to say “yes” to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

However, things do not go as planned: spooky sounds are heard throughout the house, tales of it being haunted are told throughout the town, past nannies have not been able to hold the job for very long, and during Rowan’s stay, a murder occurs.

***

Before I say what I don’t like about this book, I will start with what I did like about it. The concept of the storyline is very intriguing to me. I recently read another nanny/murder mystery novel, The Au Pair, this summer which I adored! However, the thing that Ruth Ware does differently is how she goes about telling the story. She starts the novel after the murder has occurred as Rowan writing to her lawyer in prison, explaining the events that happened at Heatherbrae House. This aspect of the story is super creative to me and you get a good feel for this set-up right away through Ware’s writing. I do wish, however, this amazing literary tool was tapped into more regularly throughout the book because it does start to fall to the wayside at times. You have to be reminded that this isn’t just someone recounting a story, but is in a letter format.

I am giving this book 3 out of 5 Stars because for me, it really didn’t measure up to her other works. Plus, one of the bigger twists that is revealed towards the end, I guessed pretty early on so that was disappointing. I try not to guess or figure out twists because I don’t want to have the story ruined. I like to approach the story fresh as it unfolds, but this time my instincts were correct and that bothered me! Maybe I’ve just read too many thrillers/mystery novels now, but I still like to be surprised. The very end was clever and I enjoyed that.

I also noticed a few plot holes or moments in the novel that didn’t fully come to fruition. I asked myself “what was the point of that?” or “how does that work?” or even “what happened with this?” I have never felt this way before with a Ruth Ware novel so I was also disappointed by her lack of tying up her loose ends.

Let me reiterate: I still love Ruth Ware. Do I thin this was her best work? No. Do I think it was enjoyable and an easy read? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes, but I would recommend a different Ruth Ware first, especially if that person has never read her before. Definitely check out The Woman in Cabin 10, The Death of Mrs. Westaway, and her other novel The Lying Game first.

What did you think of The Turn of the Key? Do you agree? Disagree? Comment below!

HAPPY READING 🙂

 

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Fiction