fantasy book review – mylittlebookblog

Hellllllo readers it’s Saturday which is exciting but also a little bit of a sad day. Some of you will know although not all, that today marks T moving all the way down to London from Stoke-on-Trent. I might write a single post on this but basically my best friend and one of my all time favourite humans is starting an exciting new job. I’m not going to go into how much I’m going to miss him but books are proving a helpful respite – with no more emotional warbling (until the next time) onto le reviewwww.

Moira just wants a normal life for her daughter, Penelope. And sometimes, it seems like she has achieved it. Penelope is a sweet, smart, and precocious four-year-old girl. However, she is also the product of Moira’s affair with an angel. Her parentage gives Penelope strength far beyond what any child should possess. It also makes her the target of fallen angels who intend to use her mysterious powers as their way back into Heaven. Worse yet, one of those fallen angels is her own father. Now, Moira finds herself caught up in a terrifying struggle for Penelope’s life against beings more powerful than she can imagine. And when Penelope’s true power is revealed, it will shake the foundations of reality.

Suspenseful and action-packed, Heaven’s Forgotten demonstrates the power of a mother’s love against the longest odds in Heaven and on earth.

Right, so let’s get this blurb out-of-the-way – the book follows the life of fallen angel Michael who decides to his kill his ex-lover in an effort to prove that he has no anchors to the world. However, upon finding where she lives he discovers that he has fathered child, Penelope. As you can imagine this changes everything, whilst Michael makes the startling discovery of how Penelope (as a Nephilim) can be used not only as weapon but also a way to re-enter Heaven or Hell (although named Tatarus here.) With Penelope being essentially an angel and human mix she has two souls meaning she can open both. Can the fallen angels use Penelope to escape being banished? Will she let them use her so they can rule heaven?! All will be revealed in the this fantasy tale.

Still with me? It may seem a little confusing but this ‘fallen-angel’ tales is one of the most convincing I have read for a little while now. In terms of the writing style the pace is full on action, constantly moving, building pace and pulling the reader along. I found myself almost having to stop and pause for breath the pace was so relentless. Saying that I didn’t find myself lost or losing understanding of the plot, instead the author manages to engage the reader without a lull in the plot or pace.

All the characters are well-developed – Michael, Penelope, Moira as the main characters but also the supporting characters such as Jessica. I felt a real connection to Michael and his story. Seeing his change from Angel to almost human and then losing everything and becoming a fallen angel it was hard not to lose a tear to his backstory. Well written and full of emotion I found his story and his change in feeling towards Moira and his daughter (who additionally is an utter joy of a character) a beautiful tale. I really felt like I could imagine the characters leaping from the page which isn’t always an easy task so thumbs up to the author.

So any wobbles? I would have to say – which I have seen mentioned by a few readers that at times Moira is difficult. Okay – that’s an understatement she’s really difficult. Constantly crying and seemingly often relieved when her daughter is away her mothering skills leave a lot to be desired. Additionally the ending didn’t quite work for me – I’m not going to spoil the ending but it just didn’t quite fit.

Overall this was a brilliant fantasy read that even I liked – it has romance, love, feelings, supernatural, fantasy and excitement. The writing has great pace, has a brilliant flow and used suspense and tension to pull the reader in. One for supernatural/ fantasy lovers! A little work on Moira and a more believable ending would have made this a perfect 5 for me.

Linnnnnks

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Helllllllo readers, another review today from the recesses of my reading life because, me and reading have seriously fallen out. I just can’t get the reading buzz back but it doesn’t feel like a reading slump, more of a reading bust-up. I’m not sure even reading the Chocolate Run, my go to, will help this time. I just need to clear the air with reading, get into a really, (really) good book and clear this all up. However, it has allowed me to review a number of books I’ve read but never quite got round to typing up which is always nice. Today a delightful children’s book which was pretty darn lovely.

Hermux Tantamoq is an average mouse who works in his watch shop by day and spends his evenings at home with Terfle, his pet ladybug. But all that changes when Linka Perflinger, daredevil aviatrix, steps into his shop, drops off her watch for repair, and walks out with Hermux’s heart. When a shady-looking rat tries to claim Linka’s watch, Hermux knows that something must be terribly wrong, and embarks on a dramatic quest to find her . . .

As the blurb suggests the book follows Hermux Tatamoq who just happens to be a watchmaking mouse. In his day to day life, he has a little pet ladybird called Terfle, he wears flannel shirts and he has numerous printed images of different cheese from around the world. He has a crush however, on the darling Ms.Linka Perflinger who just so happens to visit his watch shop needing an emergency repair on her watch. From that moment, Hermux’s life will change forever. As Ms Perflinger seemingly disappears our worried friend will go on a hair raising mission to find his missing lady. The journey paved with killers, thieves, snakes, dramatic rescues and a casual Fountain of Youth will be a terrifying mission for the mouse but a brilliant tale to tell.

Now for the fun bit; there’s something just delightful about this tale, a story following a mouse with a pet ladybird; it’s pretty special. The writing is solid with just the right amount of description. Sometimes with fantasy books there’s too much and for children especially, this can bog the story down. Here it is flitted in to help aid the imagination of the child but not so much smother it, if that makes sense? The characters are well described with a lightness of touch and the author works hard to distinguish the villains and the characters we love (mainly Hermux and Ms Linka.) I really liked how Hermux’s humble nature was turned into an inquisitive detective and the mild nature of him made this story doubly sweet.

I thought the story was clever and the introduction good vs evil makes for a strong plotline to develop the tale and the characters as a whole. I thought the journal from the Jungle of Teulabonari (what a great name) was a brilliant insertion allowing for the introduction of new characters like the army of lab rats and the cosmetics monarch. It sounds a little confusing but it comes together really well. The story twists and turns and I thought the odd names of the characters and places would really help to intrigue younger readers.

In terms of negatives there are some passages of description that are really long. For me a reader who likes description I loved it but for younger readers it could get tiresome and the long and fiddly names could also be a difficulty. This could also cause problems when reading aloud but it’s a small-ish point.

This book for a young reader has everything; suspence, excitement, good vs evil, and some really exciting and well developed characters. A fun book an exciting tale and one to get younger readers really into their reading. Spot on.

Linkkkkks

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