Waiting for Wolf by Sandra Dieckman

Fox and Wolf are best friends, swimming and playing together by the beautiful lake. Their days are perfect. Until, suddenly, Wolf is gone, and Fox has to go on alone...

The Last Dog in the World by Adrian J Walker

Lineker's world has been tightly confined for the last few years, living with his master Reg and sticking tightly to a routine. He doesn't realise that the world has ended outside. Reg is happy in isolation and has never gone looking for other people. But eventually they come looking for him...


I've read Adrian's other books, the End of the World series, and very much enjoyed them. This is a slightly different beast. Because half the narration is coming from Lineker, who while very smart is still a dog and doesn't quite get what's happening, we never get the full backstory. I'm very confused, for example, about how Reg and Lineker managed to live in the city for three years after the exodus without realising that there was a literal war going on between two badly described side. I think one side was the actual Army and the other some kind of home grown Fascist group, but I'm really not sure. I'm also not sure why no other country sent help. There's a mention of bombs early on, with no explanation of who dropped them or why, but maybe there was some kind of world war going on?

As a story it's very good; engaging, good characters, and I may have cried at a certain point near the end even though I'm really a cat person. I just wish things had been better explained. But then, maybe I missed something...I have been known to do that!

A great read, all in all, and I highly recommend it.

I think I slightly prefer the UK cover, but they're both very good!

UK Cover                                             US Cover

Every dog has its day…

And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from Peckham, the day the world ends is his: finally a chance to prove to his owner just how loyal he can be.

Reg, an agoraphobic writer with an obsession for nineties football, plans to wait out the impending doom in his second floor flat, hiding himself away from the riots outside.

But when an abandoned orphan shows up in the stairwell of their building, Reg and Lineker must brave the outside in order to save not only the child, but themselves…

Happy Book Birthday!

Happy #BookBirthday! Some fabulous reads came out this week.

Fire Boy by JM Joseph

Aidan is a perfectly normal boy with perfectly normal friends and a perfectly horrible granny, until he receives a strange parcel from Peru. Inside are perfectly normal sweets...aren't they?

Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales

Ollie's summer fling turns suddenly serious when he joins the same school as his erstwhile boyfriend. Unfortunately, Will is not out and feels he can't be in his conservative school. Now Ollie has to chose between the moments Will can give him, and his own sense of self worth.

Bookpost! Week end 25 Feb 2020

To make up for the quiet week last week, we received a bumper crop this week...and most of them are physical copies! They've all been filed carefully in order on the TBR shelves.

With the exception of Johnny Ball, you can click on any of these titles to be taken to the Goodreads page.

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

As the younger daughter of a duke, Alessandra has been overlooked and ignored her whole life. Luckily, it's given her a skill in reading people that few others can match. Now she plans to use that skill to gain the ultimate power; the throne of her kingdom. All she has to do is not fall in love, and that will be easy.

Weekly Round Up!

We've had a busy week here at Read and Reviews. Here's the round up in case you missed any of our posts.

We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Carmen's life has never been simple, and now things seem to be getting more complicated everywhere she turns. With Dani still trapped in Mateo's household and a rebellion full of people who seem to think she's turned, Carmen needs to measure her next steps very carefully or risk losing everything and everyone she loves.

Giveaway

Hi guys! Author and blogger DW Richards is hosting a great giveaway on his site and I wanted to highlight it for everyone!

The link is below. DW is giving away three sci fi novels, covering a range of subgenres, AND you get a free graphic novel just for entering!

Good luck everyone, I'm off to enter right now...

Scribble Witch by Inky Willis

Molly's having a not so good Monday. Her teacher hates her, her best friend is moving away, and her yogurt has leaked all over her lunch. (Ok, one of those things is worse than the others.) Nothing is going to cheer her up. Absolutely nothing...

Poems To See By by Julian Peters

A collection of famous and not so famous poetry, all redesigned as comic strips.

Happy Book Birthday!

Happy Book Birthday to some great titles this week!

The Truth App by Jack Heath

It's action and adventure in this fast paced story about how quickly things can spiral out of control.

The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes

In a vaguely MesoAmerican world, two teenagers – a newly made Emperor and a girl destined to be either Empress or a blood sacrifice – struggle to interpret the will of the gods and keep a crumbling empire together.

Bookpost! Week end 18 Feb 20

#Bookpost! A quiet week again this week, giving us a chance to dig into the TBR a bit. It was almost under 70 for about five seconds there!

As always, click on the book covers to be brought to the Goodreads page.

Glitch Kingdom by Sheena Boekweg

A medieval fantasy given a unique new twist...it's all just a game. But the consequences are deadly real.

Weekly Round Up!

Hi all! Another busy week here at Read and Reviews, but the February rush is starting to calm down, so hopefully things will ease off a little.

Sadly, poor J wasn't well this week, so we missed a couple of posts, including the #BookBirthday post. She tells us she's feeling better so hopefully things will be back on track next week.

Young Fionn by Ronan Moore and Alexandra Colombo

The birth and childhood of Ireland's greatest hero, retold with all the reverence and magic he deserves.

Solstice by Lorence Alison

The music event of the year descends into tragedy in this fast paced read.

Blog Tour: Subject A36 by Teri Polen

Welcome to the blog tour for Subject A36, a fast paced sci fi dystopian!

Hope against Hope by Sheena Wilkinson

Polly follows her cousin Catherine to Belfast, to a very special women's hostel called Helen's Hope. But Belfast is splitting apart and even in their haven, the war finds a way in...

Double Review: The Love Hypothesis by Laura Steven

It's B and BJ again this time as we both read this book, so welcome to another BookChat!

Bookpost! Week end 11 Feb 20

It's a much quieter week this week, but we did gain some new titles! They're all ebooks this week, although one of us is due a physical copy of Anna K, so that will be a double review when it gets here.

96 Miles by J. L. Esplin

John and Stew are home alone while their father is out of town on business. So far, so normal. But it means he's missing when the biggest blackout is history hits, taking out power for the whole state and maybe beyond. Now John finds himself in charge of his recalcitrant brother and two tagalongs as they try to reach help in time.

Double Review: The Unspoken Name by AK Larkwood

Hi guys! Two of us read this new fantasy novel, one in ebook and one physically, so we're due a double review. Instead of the double format we've been using, we thought we'd try something a bit more fun, hopefully a bit more interesting. So welcome to the first of hopefully many BookChats.

The Threads of Magic by Alison Croggon

A fantastic magical chase story set in a vaguely Victorian-London-ish city, featuring the best street thief since Terry Pratchett's Dodger.

Weekly round up

Because so many books published this week, there were a lot of posts. We won't always have this many, as you know if you've been watching at all, but we figured we'd put together a quick round up of the week in case you missed anything you'd like to see.

Blog Tour: Sofa Surfer by Malcolm Duffy

Tyler finds himself struggling to find the right thing to do when he meets Spider, a young girl with nowhere to go.

Break the Fall by Jennifer Iacopelli

Young gymnast Audrey is on the verge of achieving everything she's ever wanted. She's just made the Olympic team. An accusation against the team coach rocks them all just as training really ramps up, forcing them to pull together or risk losing everything they've worked for.

Demelza and the Spectre Detectors by Holly Rivers

Science minded Demelza is shocked to learn that she's the latest in a line of Spectre Detectors...mediums who can (briefly) raise the dead. And someone wants her powers...

There's been a push lately to feature science minded protagonists, especially girls, in an effort to get girls interested in science. Sometimes it comes across as very clumsy; bolted on to the plot afterwards. However, in this case, it's very natural. Demelza's science and inventing skills are just as vital to the plot as her Spectre Detecting skills. Children will love the humour of it...Demelza baits a trap with baked beans, because who could possibly resist a big bowl of baked beans? And her prize invention is a hand that will mindlessly copy out lines. I was expecting a Sorcerer's Apprentice situation there, but it goes quite another way, and I laughed when I figured it out.

The characters are great, too. Although I liked Demelza, I loved Grandma Maeve and Percy. They were exactly the type of sidekick she needed. I think this series is going to do well, and I'm looking forward to reading more of it. Bring on the Spectres!

Demelza loves science – she loves it so much that she stays up late to work on her inventions.

But she soon discovers she’s also inherited a distinctly unscientific skill: Spectre Detecting. Like her grandmother, she can summon the ghosts of the dead. When Grandma Maeve is kidnapped, Demelza and her pasty-faced best friend, Percy, must leap into action to solve the deadly mystery ...

The big-hearted, colourful debut from former The Worst Witch actress, Holly Rivers, with stunning cover art by Alex T. Smith.

Bookpost! Week ending 9 Feb '20

Quieter again this week. Click on the covers to be taken to a webpage; it's mostly Goodreads, but two are their own publisher's pages instead as they're not on Goodreads yet.

In the Garden by Noelle Smit and James Tuomey

A year passes gently in one family's garden.

Happy Book Birthday!

A bumper load of books published this week!

The Sky is Mine Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for The Sky is Mine! This heartbreaking story explores Izzy's journey to find the strength to stand up against her various problems.

Slight rearrangment

Because there are so many titles coming out on Thursday, I've bumped the #Bookbirthday post until then. Look out for it on Thursday morning! (Or afternoon, but hopefully morning.)

As the World Falls Down by Katy Nicholas

Halley survived the pandemic that took most of the world, and her aunt seems to be immune. Stifled in their tiny cottage, Halley strikes out against her aunt's wishes to look for other survivors.

The Pure Heart by Trudi Tweedie

Iseabail, a young girl from a Hebriden island, is employed as the companion of a rich merchant's daughter on the mainland. The position promises her wealth and education, but it may cost her far more than that.

Triple Review: The Stars we Steal by Alexa Donne

Three times the value today! We all managed to read this novel, so we have all reviewed it for you.