Year: 2022

Shadowseer: London by Morgan Rice

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Shadowseer: London (Book One) tells the story of Kaia, 17, an orphan coming of age in the Victorian London of the 1850s. Kaia yearns to escape her horrific orphanage, to discover who her parents were, and to understand why she can sense shadows when others cannot. Yet the streets of London are as brutal as the orphanage, and for Kaia, there is no easy way out.

When Kaia, arrested, faces an even worse punishment, Detective Pinsley, 45, notices a strange marking on her arm and thinks she might be the key in solving a peculiar, mysterious case. Bodies are turning up dead in London, and Pinsley wonders whether it’s the work of a deranged serial killer, or of something….else. The methods of murder seem impossible, as does the murderer’s ability to escape death.

Kaia is given a choice: help solve the case, or be shipped off to Bedlam, the notorious insane asylum.

Unlikely partners, each mistrusting the other, Kaia and Pinsley embark to scour the dark corners and cobblestone streets of 19th century London in search of clues.

Yet what they find may shock and horrify even them.

My review: I was looking for another audiobook to listen to and this one was offered to me at a discounted price. I liked the blurb and the cover gave off a certain dark feel about it, so I decided to purchase it.

I haven’t regretted that decision.

The story is set in Victorian England. The setting was enough to allow me to feel that’s where I was while walking on my treadmill. It felt a little like I was actually walking the dirty streets. It was a bit eerie, to be honest.

Inspector Pinsley and Kaia make an unlikely team, but they fit well together for this murder mystery.

The inspector’s boss is looking for a reason to get rid of him, and Kaia has run away from an orphanage the day before she was going to be handed over to a male benefactor. A murder in a locked room at Bedlam brings the pair together. The inspector knows that the mark on Kaia’s arm associates her to the murder. And Kaia wants to find out why the dead woman has the same birthmark as her.

The storyline progresses smoothly along, giving little hints along the way. I felt the author captures the characters and the settings quite well. When we learn what is really happening, it’s not surprising, but continues to be written in a captivating manner.

I liked the characters and wanted to know what would happen to them. I enjoyed the telling of the story by the narrator, who had the perfect voice for this particular book. He was easy to listen to.

In fact, I enjoyed listening to this book so much that I instantly looked for Book 2 and was pleased to find the audiobook at a reasonable price and purchased it too.

Recommended.

Penguin Bloom by Cameron Bloom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Penguin Bloom is an extraordinary true story full of hope and courage, featuring Cameron Bloom’s exceptional photographs and a captivating narrative by New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive.

Penguin the Magpie is a global social media sensation. People the world over have fallen in love with the stunning and deeply personal images of this rescued bird and her human family. But there is far more to Penguin’s story than meets the eye. It begins with a shocking accident, in which Cameron’s wife, Sam, suffers a near fatal fall that leaves her paralysed and deeply depressed.

Into their lives comes Penguin, an injured magpie chick abandoned after she fell from her nest. Penguin’s rescue and the incredible joy and strength she gives Sam and all those who helped her survive demonstrates that, however bleak things seem, compassion, friendship and support can come from unexpected quarters, ensuring there are always better days ahead. This plucky little magpie reminds us all that, no matter how lost, fragile or damaged we feel, accepting the love of others and loving them in return will help to make us whole.

My review: I believe the book has photos, which in my opinion would cement this story into the reader’s mind quite firmly. However, I listened to the audiobook, so naturally I did not see the photos, but the words alone were magical.

Such a tragic story, yet inspiration and love shone through. The husband and father of the Bloom family wrote about their worst nightmare, sharing the details of his wife’s terrible accident and what followed. My heart went out to her, and to the rest of the family. And my heart swelled when Penguin came into their lives to help and be helped. It’s a marvelous story, but I wish they didn’t have to experience any of it.

I cannot know what Sam went through, and continues to experience. But this book shows that even in the worst circumstances, love and light and sheer will power can improve the situation. Truly, I’m lost for words and can only say that the book is worth your time. Be prepared for tears, and that warm fuzzy feeling you get when love conquers all.

Highly recommended.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike

And strike it does. For in Harry’s second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls’ bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley’s younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone — or something — starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects . . . Harry Potter himself?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: ‘Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go.’ When the Knight Bus crashes through the darkness and screeches to a halt in front of him, it’s the start of another far from ordinary year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter. Sirius Black, escaped mass-murderer and follower of Lord Voldemort, is on the run – and they say he is coming after Harry. In his first ever Divination class, Professor Trelawney sees an omen of death in Harry’s tea leaves … But perhaps most terrifying of all are the Dementors patrolling the school grounds, with their soul-sucking kiss.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5of 5 stars

The blurb: Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected…

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: It is the middle of the summer, but there is an unseasonal mist pressing against the windowpanes. Harry Potter is waiting nervously in his bedroom at the Dursleys’ house in Privet Drive for a visit from Professor Dumbledore himself. One of the last times he saw the Headmaster was in a fierce one-to-one duel with Lord Voldemort, and Harry can’t quite believe that Professor Dumbledore will actually appear at the Dursleys’ of all places. Why is the Professor coming to visit him now? What is it that cannot wait until Harry returns to Hogwarts in a few weeks’ time? Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts has already got off to an unusual start, as the worlds of Muggle and magic start to intertwine…

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The blurb: Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing – if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him?

My review: I read the Harry Potter series many moons ago. I’ve seen the movies umpteen times. So why go back to Hogwarts again, after all these years? My response is, why not?

I’ve read, and I’ve watched the series. Now I intend to listen to it. At the risk of sounding tedious, I was looking for an audiobook from my local elibrary and couldn’t find anything that appealed to me. Then Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone magically appeared, and I made my decision.

I won’t tell you what the story is about, as I’m sure you already know. If you don’t, then I’d like to ask what deserted island have you been living on over the last two or so decades? Anyway, what I will tell you is that the movies pushed the details in the books to one side and I was amazed to discover all those little details that I had forgotten.

Stephen Fry reads the version I listened to. He was excellent—top marks to Stephen.

I’m enjoying revisiting the world of Harry Potter. Recommended.