Review of ‘Hallow’ Celestial Creatures book 2 by @olgagibbs

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Happy Wednesday Everyone! I actually know what day it is today, mainly because it’s bin day haha! So I’ve just finished book number 2 in Olgas Celestial Creatures series, I started this one straight away after reading book 1 ‘Heavenward’ and this has certainly not disappointed!

The Cover:

Cover of ‘Hallow’ by Olga Gibbs

Blurb:

Being one of the most formidable archangels with the power to end the world doesn’t serve you well if you don’t know how to use it.

Thrown into a battle of courts and factions, tangled in a web of intrigues and palatial games, naïve Ariel is surrounded by powerful angels, chasing their own agendas.

There’s no one she can trust. Everyone stands to gain something from her death.

To avoid the bloody battle that Baza brought to her door at Uras, Ariel retreats back to Apkallu (Earth) to find her sister, but the Heavenly battles and intrigues she flees follow her, as Baza’s immense hold on Apkallu forces Ariel and Rafe to make uncomfortable choices.

Ariel’s fight for survival is far from over and it looks like it’s going to be a deadly one.

My Review:

Well … WOW… another amazing book, that’s left me wanting more! I cannot wait to read book number 3 ‘Harbinger’!

It’s going to be really HARD not to give any spoilers away! But this book Carry’s on Ariels Journey after finding out she is an Angel!

This book is full of running away, and hiding, being found and many difficult battles and it is just jam packed which is so exciting!

In the last book I felt for Ariel as she had such a hard human life, but in this one, despite still feeling for her as she didn’t choose any of this for herself, she also makes me angry! I feel sooo much for Rafe at the abuse she puts him through! She puts this Angel through so much and he does nothing but want to protect her! Reading about all of his pain was sooo difficult! But I think we all want someone in our life that would go through hell and back to look after us regardless of what we may have done!

I really LOVE Rafe, and I am still so unsure of Sam, I really cannot work out what to think of him, good or bad, which route he is going to go down… but I’m sure the next book will reveal this!

The creatures again are amazing, the detailed explanations of the battles are so intricate I felt like I was watching it as I read it!

Most of all I absolutely ADORED the ending, the twist that happened I never expected the ending that happened and it was so enjoyable!

I enjoyed Olgas writing last time and loved it just as much this time, the descriptions of sceneries, of places, people, scenarios, is just so detailed that it’s right up my street!

It’s an easy 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ again because I cannot wait for the next one!

A huge congratulations on another fantastic book, full of fantasy, love, self discovery and action!

I have to add a quote in from this book, I’ve not done this before, it’s never happened before where I’ve read something that’s hit me so hard and I just love this:

Quote from ‘Hallow’ by Olga Gibbs!

I mean how LOVELY is that quote though right?

About the Author:

Author Olga Gibbs

Olga Gibbs lives in a leafy-green town, nestled amongst the green fields of West Sussex, England. She lives with her husband and their two daughters.


She was writing from the age of fifteen, mainly short stories and novellas and was a guest colunmist for a local newspaper. When she is not dreaming up new adventures for her imaginary friends, she does outreach work with teenagers.


The “Celestial creatures” series is now complete!


Please visit author website www.OlgaGibbs.com for more information on upcoming books.

How to contact the Author:

Website : http://www.OlgaGibbs.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AuthorOlgaGibbs/

Instagram : https://instagram.com/olgagibbsauthor?igshid=ntybdyte7xnl

Twitter : @olgagibbsauthor

Where to buy Hallow:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1916471013/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_1916471013

So there we have it another amazing book down! Keep your eyes peeled as I will be taking part in the blog tour for book number 3 ‘Harbinger’ June!

Let me know what you all think by heading over to my Twitter and Instagram 🙂

Twitter: @reviewingmum

Instagram: @the_book_reviewing_mum

Have a lovely week everyone and please self isolate and keep safe!

Best wishes,

Lynne @the_book_reviewing_mum

Review : The Underground Toy Society by Jessica D Adams

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Hey Everyone! Today I bring you a review on something a lot more light hearted… a children’s story! I decided to take 5 minutes out and read this story to my son and spend some quality time with him in these horrible times! I wish I was a child right now and had absolutely no idea of what was going on!

Cover of the Underground Toy Society by Jessica D. Adams.

Blurb:

What happens to toys when children don’t play with them? Where do toys go when their children grow up? What happens when there are too many toys in one house? Find out when Samantha goes on an exciting underground adventure as she tries to find her best friend after they were separated.

My Review:

This book tells a lovely story about unwanted toys, toys that no longer get played with and what happens to them!

Although my son who’s only 3 years old didn’t show that much interest in the story it is one I will be sure to read him over and over again in the future. I think he would have been more interested if it had have been a paperback and not the a kindle version.

The reason I will read it to him again is because a lot of children these days (mine included) do have too many toys and I find it so sad just like the Author that because of this, so many of those toys are unloved, forgotten about, and not played with!

I think this story about the toys saving each other and finding new homes is a simple way, but a lovely way to explain to your children that some children aren’t as fortunate and it’s always kind to give toys to other children or to charity shops etc so that the toys can be loved in other places!

It’s so lovely that children have been involved with this story by providing the illustrations in this book and they did draw my son in!

So I give this book a 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 rating because it’s just has such a lovely moral to teach children and it’s one I will definitely read to him again!

About the Author:

Author Jessica D. Adams

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for my toys. That is why I saved all my toys from when I was a child. I wanted to save them for my own children. I never expected my own children would be so blessed to receive so many toys. The problem was, it broke my heart to see so many toys not being played with due to an overabundance in the house. I told my kids they better take care of their toys and love them all, or they might just leave and get help from The Underground Toy Society.

How to Contact the Author:

Website: https://onesweetday48.wixsite.com/undergroundtoysociet

Facebook : https://m.facebook.com/theundergroundtoysociety/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/theundergroundtoysociety?igshid=1pmu20a5izx41

Twitter: @onesweetday48

Where to buy this Book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Underground-Toy-Society-Jessica-Adams-ebook/dp/B016APMTSY/ref=nodl_

So there we have it guys! My first review on a children’s book! Hopefully I can get some more in the pipeline as I love reading with my children so much! And my eldest really enjoys us reading together!

Let me know what you think of this review over on my Instagram or twitter!

Instagram @the_book_reviewing_mum

Twitter: @reviewingmum

I hope this has inspired you to read this with your young children who like us have too many toys!

Have a lovely rest of your day!

Lynne @the_book_reviewing_mum

Review of ‘Heavenward’ Celestial Creatures Book 1 by @OlgaGibbs

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Happy Weekend everyone and a very happy Mother’s Day to all you incredible mums out there! How is it the weekend again already? And yet a very different one this week compared to last week with the ever growing fear of the virus! I have loved reading this book to help me escape from it all and am going to start book number 2 today! So I hope you all enjoy the review and that it inspires you to buy it and escape to a Celestial world with me!

The Cover:

The cover of HeavenWard by Olga Gibbs!

The Blurb:

In a dull and misty English town, an ordinary girl lives her trying life.

But alongside her boring world another world lingers.

The world of angels: with Heaven and Hell, with cities, suspended high in the skies and cities, hidden deep beneath the surface, with creatures, harvesting humans… and prophecy of assassinated archangel one day reborn within a human.

“Celestial Creatures” is a dark high fantasy on Christian mythology with Sumerian religion and language influences.

My Review:

I’m going to kick this review off straight away with my star rating of 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️! Just because I have enjoyed it so much that I cannot wait to read book number 2 to carry on with the story!

It really is a book that you can read and escape to another world, following Ariel who has lived a pretty horrible human life, that’s been full of loneliness, doubt, pain, and struggle when she suddenly learn that there is a whole other realm!

Although Ariel has a bit of an attitude problem I really feel her pain after everything she’s been through, she’s a confused teenage girl after all, that doesn’t know who to trust and is still learning all about herself!

Learning that all the things she thought made her crazy are ACTUALLY real must be an incredibly hard thing to overcome! She doesn’t have to learn something easy, she has to learn that Angels are REAL, that they are good and bad, a whole other realm exists and so on!

I really enjoyed the fantasy side of this book, fantasy isn’t something I would normally go for but I cannot believe how much this book drew me straight in!

The setting of the scenery and the descriptions of every little detail down to the feathers on the wings are not only INCREDIBLE but absolutely beautiful! It really makes you feel like you are there and a number of times through the book I felt that I’d actually be able to draw the characters, scenery, and weapons all from the detailed descriptions!

That leads me on to the cover. I don’t normally talk about the cover, but before reading it I couldn’t connect, it wasn’t one that jumped out at me but after reading the book and looking at it again it makes PERFECT sense with the beautiful colours of the wings and the gold shimmer and I now think the Cover is wonderful!

This book really is an amazing escape, it take you on a Real journey of fantasy and angels, on a completely different planet! It’s exciting, and thrilling, and action packed and a very easy read! I found myself shocked at twists, and hoping for a love story and i cannot wait to find out what happens next in book 2!

I feel I could keep writing about this book because it is just SO exciting so keep your eyes peeled for review of book number 2 which I am sure will follow shortly if I can’t put it down like I couldn’t this first one!

Thank you Olga for showing me that a Young Adult, Fantasy, Love Story can actually be enjoyed by any age and that I do actually quite enjoy a fanatasy Novel!

About the Author:

Author Olga Gibbs

Olga Gibbs lives in a leafy-green town, nestled amongst the green fields of West Sussex, England. She lives with her husband, their two daughters.


She was writing from the age of fifteen, mainly short stories and novellas and was a guest colunmist for a local newspaper. When she is not dreaming up new adventures for her imaginary friends, she does outreach work with teenagers.

The ‘Celestial Creature’ series is now complete!


Please visit author website www.OlgaGibbs.com for more information on upcoming books.

How to Contact the Author:

Website : http://www.OlgaGibbs.com

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/AuthorOlgaGibbs/

Instagram : https://instagram.com/olgagibbsauthor?igshid=ntybdyte7xnl

Twitter : @olgagibbsauthor

Where to buy Heavenward:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heavenward-Epic-fantasy-Celestial-Creatures/dp/1916471005

Where to buy book number 2 Hallow:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1916471013/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_1916471013

So there we have it everyone! An exciting, action packed Young Adult, Fantasy that I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did! I really have enjoyed Olgas writing!

So I will leave you all to have a lovely day while I head back to my alternate realm to see what happens next in Ariels story!

I hope you have enjoyed this review and it inspires you to pick it up because it is DEFINITELY worth the read especially if you want to start a series!

Lynne @the_book_reviewing_mum

Review of ‘The Tears we never cried’ by @ryshiakennie

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Wow…. Hello everyone on this lovely Friday! I don’t know where to start with this book it’s left me so emotional! Today I bring you a very emotional review of ‘The tears we never Cried’ by Ryshia Kennie! I hope you enjoy it and I totally recommend picking this up if you need a lovely but heart breaking story, if you have ever lost someone, or experienced dementia… then this story you will relate to so much! It will make you think of those you lost and love, will make you think of the happy memories but also the sad times! Honestly the most heart felt book I’ve ever read! So please enjoy my review!

Cover of ‘ The Tears we Never Cried’ by Ryshia Kennie

Blurb:

A mother’s tragic diagnosis.
A daughter’s life on hold.
An ending and a new beginning …

Cassandra McDowall’s mother has been forgetful for a while, but she never anticipated rapid-onset Alzheimer’s to come out of nowhere and shake their world to its very core.

As Cassie puts her already-lackluster life on hold, her mom’s indomitable will and spirit of adventure prove to be a handful.

And as her mother fades, the two embark on one last adventure—a journey that reveals secrets on the brink of being lost, the joy of foreign sunsets, and love where she hadn’t thought it possible.

My Review:

Let’s get straight to the point this is the most emotional, heart warming AND heart wrenching book that I have EVER read! I have never cried at a book in my entire life until today.. until I finished this one!

Following Jess and Cass from Diagnosis through until the end of the book brought me so many emotions! I found myself laughing at some of the funny and innocent things Jess did at the beginning of her Dementia journey, to crying when Cassandra was sat with her mum in the hospital, to feeling every bit of Cassandras pain feeling at a loss of what to do as her carer! It was a real, life like, realistic journey of emotions!

It’s so hard hitting because it’s so relatable, not only if you’ve had first hand experience with dementia but also to anyone who has lost someone they love!!

This book really did have me thinking about past clients I had cared for with dementia and the sad but also fond memories I have of them, it had me thinking of my nan and her earlier dementia she had when she died and then also how I felt when she died!

I love the romance story in the book and really wanted a happy ending for Cassandra! She had so much going on in her life at that time that I really backed her and wanted her to get her happily ever after!

I really enjoyed the secrets that appeared as it gave another side to the book so it didn’t just focus on the dementia!

The Author has created a realistic story of the journey of dementia, which shows the ups and downs for all involved, the funnier things, the happy memories, the sad and hard times!

I could not praise this book more! I could not put this book down because it felt like it just became a part of me! And I couldn’t have been more invested and enjoy it any more than. I did!

Thank you Ryshia for creating such a beautiful and hard hitting Novel!

An easy 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟!

About the Author:

Author Ryshia Kennie

The winner of her city’s writing award, Ryshia Kennie’s novels have taken her characters from the depression era prairies in her first book “From the Dust” to across the globe and back again. There’s never a lack of places to set a story as the too long prairie winters occasionally find her with travel journal in hand seeking adventure on foreign shores. When not collecting odd memories from around the world, she’s writing mainly romantic suspense and women’s fiction.

Inspiration for this book:

My father had Alzheimers and it was his long struggle with the disease that inspired this story. My mother took care of him and, while I was never in Cassie’s position – I did fill in a few hours here and there to give my mother a break. There were so many emotions and fears during that time. For there’s no road map to navigate it and everyone’s journey is different. I remember at one point feeling panicked, knowing there was a deadline looming. That deadline was a time where my father wouldn’t be able to tell me things that only he knew about himself, family etc. – secrets, whatever it might be, would be lost forever. The diary in the story, and the secret of Cassie’s father, emerged from that real fear.

But one question was what really inspired the story:What happens when an adult child must put their life on hold, and move home to look after their parent with dementia?

Secondary questions arose from that:What is family? Is it broader than we normally imagine?What happens when a family secret threatens your very identity?

While the book is fiction – one of the scenes was not only inspired by real life, it reflected it. Specifically, when Jess gets lost. My father liked to walk and it was a real challenge but he always made it home until one evening, with a thunderstorm rolling in, he didn’t come home. I remember the call from my mother. It was terrifying and took hours before we found him. I can still remember the cracking thunder and all the emergency vehicles, their warning lights flashing in the muggy darkness, as I headed up the steps of a stranger’s house and into a kitchen full of officials. It was there where my father, obviously desperate to escape the storm, had arrived and a kind stranger had let him in.

How to contact the Author:

Website: http://ryshiakennie.com

Blog: http://ryshia.blogspot.com


Facebook: www.facebook.com/author.ryshiakennie

Instagram: instagram.com/ryshiakennie

Twitter: @ryshiakennie

Where you can buy this book:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tears-we-Never-Cried-ebook/dp/B081HWTVF3/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+tears+we+never+cried+ryshia&qid=1584695166&sr=8-1

So there we have it! One of my favourite books I’ve read! I really hope this review inspires you to read it because every page is worth it!

Have a lovely day all and weekend! Head over to my Instagram or twitter to let me know what you think :

Instagram : @the_book_reviewing mum

Twitter: @reviewingmun

Review of ‘ The Magic Carpet’ by @jessica_Norrie

Posted on by the_book_reviewing_mum

Good morning guys! Hope you are all safe and well considering the circumstances! Today I bring you my review of The Magic Carpet written by the lovely Jessica Norrie. I hope you enjoy my review of this book and have a lovely day !

The Cover of The Magic Carpet by Jessica Norrie

Blurb:

Outer London, September 2016, and neighbouring eight-year-olds have homework: prepare a traditional story to perform with their families at a school festival. But Nathan’s father thinks his son would be better off doing sums; Sky’s mother’s enthusiasm is as fleeting as her bank balance, and there’s a threatening shadow hanging over poor Alka’s family. Only Mandeep’s fragile grandmother and new girl Xoriyo really understand the magical powers of storytelling. As national events and individual challenges jostle for the adults’ attention, can these two bring everyone together to ensure the show will go on?

My Review:

This is such an uplifting book, watching a community come together through their very own children and their local school!

This book touches or so many current subjects and is very relevant and educational! The multicultural aspect of the book, even though I found difficult to grasp and follow in the beginning, I came to love as it really is a modern day Britain! With families from China, India, Somalia, England etc it really goes in depth to each of the cultures values and family life!

I really became invested in each of the families hoping for a happy ending for each! Reading of their individual struggles and what they each had to overcome to gain happiness was a really powerful way of drawing you in!

The way this story has been based around school life and children’s education and how it can bring not only children but adults and whole communities together just amazes me!

This story and the idea of the year 3s having to reinvent a fairy story has not only shown me what I have to look forward to when my own 2 boys are in school but it’s made me so excited! It’s shown me just how creative children can be but also how creative adults can be to if you put your mind to it!

Not only is it uplifting but also hard hitting when the author brings in the real issues we face in today’s Britain with racism, prejudice, discrimination and far right extremists which still bring our country down and shows just how much this effects so many people within this country!

I really enjoyed the depths of this book, and although I intially struggled I ended up really enjoying the education in this book and the happiness and togetherness and the morals it brings!

I give this book ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 😀

About the Author:

Author Jessica Norrie

Jessica Norrie was born in London and studied French Literature and Education at Sussex and Sheffield. She taught English, French and Spanish abroad and in the UK in settings ranging from nursery to university. She has two adult children and divides her time between London and Malvern, Worcestershire.

She has also worked as a freelance translator, published occasional journalism and a French textbook, and blogs at https://jessicanorrie.wordpress.com

Jessica sings soprano with any choir that will have her, and has been trying to master the pianosince childhood but it’s not her forte.

She left teaching in 2016. The Infinity Pool was her first novel, drawing on encounters while travelling. Her second novel The Magic Carpet is inspired by working with families and their children. The third is bubbling away nicely and should emerge from her cauldron next year.

How to contact the Author:

Facebook author page:https://www.facebook.com/wordsandfictions/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessica_norrie

Where to buy The Magic Carpet:

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y2gk2g7q

Thank you for always taking the time to read my reviews, I hope you have enjoyed this one!

Please let me know what you think by tweeting me on Twitter @reviewingmum or commenting on my Instagram @the_book_reviewing_mum !

Have a lovely safe weekend everyone, full of reading and family time :

Lynne

@the_book_reviewing_mum

Review of Nightmare Asylum and other Deadly Delights by Sonia Kilvington!

Posted on by the_book_reviewing_mum

Good Morning everyone and it’s finally the middle of the week! Today I bring to you a review on Nightmare Asylum and other Deadly Delights which is a book full of short stories by Sonia Kilvington! I hope you enjoy my review and hopefully enjoy it like I have!

Cover of Nightmare Asylum and other Deadly Delights.

Blurb:

Nightmare Asylum – Despised by day, tortured by night.A midwifery student’s life disintegrates into a terrifying nightmare, after a disturbing encounter with the notorious child killer, Evelyn Green. Dark secrets from Lydia’s past unleash a truth that conjures her fears into unspeakable horror. Other Deadly Delights – Tales from the psychotically unsound and deadly deluded.A stalker turns serial killer; a cleaning lady is imprisoned in the basement, there’s a prophetic warning for a woman in peril, and an android with love addiction, plus many more… a deliciously dangerous collection of short stories, ranging from psychological horror to paranormal, sci-fi and noir.Dare you enter the nightmare Asylum?

My Review:

I really enjoyed this series on short stories! It so easy to pick up and read a story in between another book I’m reading to change it up, or to read while feeding the baby!

I love that about this book as it’s really convenient! Every story draws you straight in, there is no faffing, it’s straight to the point and you are set right in the middle of the action! It’s like reading a series of amazing horrors/and thrillers and just jumping to the best bits…WHO WOULDN’T LOVE THAT!

I found it really thrilling that every story wasn’t all horror, some thriller, some psychological! I really enjoyed jumping from a murder, to futuristic robots, to stalkers, to asylums, to being trapped in basements, to warnings through spiritual messages to missing people!

Each story I really looked forward to and it didn’t disappoint. The Author has done a fantastic job at throwing you in the Centre of the action and really describing some of these realistic stories so precisely! I also found the futuristic robots fascinating as this is something I didn’t think I would enjoy but in this instance I did!

Overall a fabulous quick read that you can pick up when you have 5 minutes here and there and get stuck in to quickly, especially if you are a busy person! I give this book :

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ star

I look forward to hopefully another series of short stories from this author in the future!

About the Author:

Author Sonia Kilvington

Sonia Kilvington is a journalist and fiction writer from the beautiful Mediterranean island of Cyprus. She has published many articles, travel features, short stories and interviews in glossy magazines. She loves to write dark and disturbing short stories in genres such as noir, crime, ghost and Sci-fi. Her online writing credits include Out of the Gutter Online, Spelk fiction, Pulp Metal Magazine & Near to the Knuckle. Her new short story collection, Nightmare Asylum & Other Deadly Delights – published by Close to The Bone, is available on Amazon.

How to contact the Author:

Website: https://soniakilvingtonwriter.com/ 

Amazon author page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sonia-Kilvington/e/B005FDXFQS/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

FB writer’s page: https://www.facebook.com/soniafiction/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Soniacyprus   (@Soniacyprus) 

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-kilvington-26b2b721/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soniakilvington/?hl=en 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898959.Sonia_Kilvington

Amazon book links for Nightmare Asylum and other Deadly Delights:

Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nightmare-Asylum-other-Deadly-Delights-ebook/dp/B083R5YMX2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Nightmare+Asylum&qid=1578909796&s=books&sr=1-5

Amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Asylum-other-Deadly-Delights-ebook/dp/B083R5YMX2/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=nightmare+asylum&qid=1578910007&s=books&sr=1-5

So there we have and amazing seduction of quick read short stories that you can read in one go or if you’re busy like me can pick up in between!

I hope you all enjoy this as much as me!

Have a happy and safe day,

the_book_reviewing_mum