Another month down and we are now into spring, I for one am looking forward to the warmer weather. There were 13 books reviewed during August with the most popular being the new release YA psychological thriller The Erasure Initiative by Lili Wilkinson.

The Erasure Initiative by Lili WilkinsonTheresa Smith Writes featured an interview with the author Lili Wilkinson, whilst Book’d Out said “In this well-paced novel, fraught with escalating tension, Wilkinson offers an intriguing premise that explores issues surrounding identity, personality, and morality in The Erasure Initiative. With no past with which to define yourself, what sort of person would you choose to be? Are we shaped by nature or nurture? Can someone ever be anything other than who they are? How do you determine the value of a life?”  & “Clever, compelling and challenging, The Erasure Initiative is a great read, sure to impress.” and Jennifer said “What an engrossing story this is! I picked it up and could not put it down because I needed to know how it would end. Are any of these people worth saving? Can any of us be saved from ourselves? There are a couple of twists that made me uncomfortable (choices can be difficult) but the story held my attention from beginning to end. There is a mystery to solve and several moral issues to consider. Highly recommended, and not just for its intended YA audience.”  and Nalini @Dark Matter Zine said “The Erasure Initiative is spec fic thriller with engaging – not necessarily likeable – characters solving a layered mystery to escape a “locked room” scenario. It’s part Speed and part high school drama, missing only the Drama Queen. I highly recommend it.”

 

Rebecca @Storyaddict reviewed an older book, Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists by Jane Rawson, I’ve had my eye on this for a A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists by Jane Rawsonwhile and after reading Rebecca’s review I’m definitely hoping to get to it sooner rather than later. She says “This book is so wonderfully different and so fabulously Australian. Set in Melbourne a couple of decades into the future, it starts out pretending to be a fairly standard post-apocalyptic story and then somehow bleeds into Jasper Fforde-style humorous madness.”

 

 

monstrous heartAshleigh @The Book Muse reviewed A Monstrous Heart by Claire McKenna and said “Whilst there are things that felt really nice and worked well for this book, there were things that didn’t work as well – things that were just missing for the reader to grasp and hang onto. I found it was a book that I had to really concentrate on. Much more than other books, I found. It was one that feels a bit niche, and one that I think maybe I might not be the right audience for. Not everything needs to be made obvious for the reader, but I did wish a bit more had been a little more concrete. The only way this style might make sense is if it is part of a series and there is more to be explained in coming books.”

 

Kali Napier &  Tracey @Carpe Librum reviewed Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings and Kali said “Utterly compelling. Dark and light. This Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings book coverGothic fable that can only have been crafted from the blood-soaked dirt and rust and trees and sky and wire-fenced towns of Western Queensland. Jennings’ prose is beguiling, making me want to linger over the words, take them in. I loved how the stories within stories were limned by older fairy tales that conjured reminiscences from my childhood: the gruesome, unsanitised Grimms. Highly recommended. And like the best fairy tales, will be read again and again.” She has convinced me to give this a read and I’ve requested the audio version on Borrowbox. Carpe Librum says “Set in outback Australia, the beautiful writing, evocative descriptions and imagery brought the once familiar landscape to life in a new and eerie light. The rural area was both peaceful and menacing, the town a haven for a close-knit community as well as a place seething under the surface with fear and mistrust. A combination of urban fantasy and magical realism, Flyaway is full of mysterious disappearances, creatures that lurk in the shadows and a slight otherness that you can never quite put your finger on.” but she wasn’t fully convinced saying “I loved it but there were definitely elements of reader confusion and matters unresolved.”

 

For the full list of Speculative Fiction books reviewed during August go here

Until next month, happy reading and keep linking those reviews.