Book Review - The Wilds by Sarah Pearse - #HolidayReading Cyprus

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Amazon UK

Title: The Wilds

Author: Sarah Pearse

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Sphere

Publication Date: 16th July 2024

Rating: 3 Stars

After the dark events that scarred her childhood, Kier Templer escaped her hometown and twin to live her life on the road. They've never lost contact until, on a trip to a Portuguese national park, Kier vanishes without a trace.

Detective Elin Warner arrives in the same park ready to immerse herself in its vast wilderness - only to hear about Kier's disappearance, and discover a disturbing map she left behind. The few strangers at the isolated camp close ranks against her questions, and the park's wild beauty starts to turn sinister.

Elin must untangle the clues to find out what really happened to Kier. But when you follow a trail, you have to be careful to watch your back...

I think had I read previous books featuring Elin, or by this author then I would have got into this a lot quicker. 

As it is it took me until around 50% to really start to grip me, at which point I really was enjoying it 

But I hadn't realised initially based on the Netgalley listing that is was part of a series and thus a lot of what in Elin's sections were being referenced I had the feeling I was meant to know stuff. 

Which was slightly off putting 

But I was interested in Kier's disappearance, even if I had guessed early on who was most likely behind it, I needed to know  how it happened. And there were certainly some gasp out loud moments. 

I did though love the writing style, the short snappy chapters alternating between the two stories. 

Thank you to Sphere and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Spiral by Cameron Ward

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Amazon UK

Title: Spiral

Author: Cameron Ward

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 1st August 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

You’re on a routine flight from London to LA.

Hundreds of people are on board – including your estranged son, Theo.

Ten hours into the flight, something goes terribly wrong. The engines fail. The plane enters a steep dive.

Everything goes black.

Then, you wake up. It’s one hour before the crash. You can’t believe it – you’re alive. You, your beloved son, and all the other passengers are safe.

Until, terrifyingly, the same chain of events repeats itself. Again, and again, and again.

You’re the only one who knows what’s about to happen.

The lives of everyone on board depend on you.

But how will you stop it, when you’re running out of time?

Woah what on earth did I just read?

That was utterly breath-taking and equally horrifying. 

Whatever you do don't read this while on a plane, especially if you are a nervous flier - as someone who is reliving a fatal plane crash over and over again is not going to comfort you! 

That being said it's probably a great book to read on holiday while you can spend hours uninterrupted digesting the story and coming up with your own ideas and theories just why Charlie's life is on this spiral.  

And once you suspend reality at the Groundhog day-esque elements of this book, I was totally caught up in trying to work out what on earth was going on and why. Even with the chapters from Theo's point of view, where you see a young man on a downward spiral of his own. 

There is a lot of science and maths involved at least from Charlie's chapters, most of which went over my head, but I did recognise the sequence, about a page before she did, so something must have stuck in my mind from school! 

This is scary, it's compelling and its totally brilliant. Another must read book from an author that I am thoroughly enjoying reading. 

Thank you Penguin and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.