This is the first book that I’ve read on my Kindle by an unknown author and I have to say that I was quite surprised to find that I missed it being an actual book.

It’s really weird because I never read the description on the back of the book just before I read it because to me finding out any amount of detail can amount to a spoiler, but generally the books cover at least gives you an idea of what you’re letting yourself in for. And that’s where the Kindle leaves you blind, because for some reason they seem to put the image of the cover at the end of the book rather than the beginning.

Now where on earth is the sense in that?

I selected the title from a long list of books sitting in my Kindle virtual To Be Read pile and found that after the first couple of pages I was finding it hard to engage. I had to actually log on to my computer and visit Amazon to take a look at the book’s cover! It’s a great cover too, well there seem to be a range of them but I especially like the one for the Hardback version. Turns out that The Girl with Glass Feet is a sort of Fantasy / Fairytale novel, about a girl with glass feet (unsurprisingly!) oh and it was nominated for a Costa Coffee Award.

So then I felt a bit more comfortable, having just finished I’m Feeling Lucky (which was quite long, and non-fiction) I was definitely in the mood for something a bit more whimsical so I got stuck in.

Ali Shaw really has done a great job with her debut novel (erm, actually it’s “his” first novel, sorry Ali!), it really is an escape from reality what with the intriguing and reclusive man who raises tiny moth-winged cattle, an animal that turns everything that meets its stare to white and people who slowly turn into glass.

But beyond the fairytale elements, at its heart this is a story about relationships, about people who hide their pasts and shy away from their futures. About people who want to mend things, and those that accept that some things just can’t be mended.

It’s quite a lengthy read, and sometimes I struggled to keep up with Shaw’s imagination, and then at other times he would reveal something that would make me gasp out loud and then read on furiously looking for the next piece of the puzzle.

If you’ve got a Kindle then you might want to grab yourself a copy of The Girl with Glass Feet, it’s not free anymore but it’s still too cheap to miss out on!

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In Hector and the Secrets of Love by Francois Lelord Hector is employed by a pharmaceutical company to track down a brilliant scientist Professor Cormorant who has disappeared with the secret recipe for a modern-day love potion.

Hector must leave behind his girlfriend Clara and adventure into the Far East where a dose of the love potion leads him into the arms of the beautiful Vayla.

Once again I found myself enchanted by Lelord’s witty fable. I love his style of writing, which has been described as being “intelligently naive”; it’s like reading a fairytale while being encouraged to consider the ‘grown-up’ issues of love, lust and trust.

If you’re looking for complete escapism and a wonderful book to while away a Sunday afternoon then treat yourself to a copy of Hector and the Secrets of Love by Francois Lelord.

Thanks for reading Hector and the Secrets of Love by Francois Lelord, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a love story thriller before, but in Where Would I be Without You? Guillaume Musso cleverly combines a love story that spans 30 years, with an action-packed thriller.

When Martin and Gabrielle fall in love one summer during their college years little do they know that their paths will cross again many years in the future as Martin tracks an elusive art thief across continents in a bid to bring him to justice.

I’m always nervous reading books that have been translated from their original language (in this case French) but in this instance nothing is lost in translation. From the whirlwind love story to the twists and turns of the thriller I was caught up in the plot from the very first line, and really didn’t want to put this one down.

There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right up until the end. Another reviewer calls Where Would I be Without You? by Guillaume Musso “the perfect book for a trip to the beach”, and I agree with them completely.

Other sites of interest:

• An interview with Guillaume Musso

Disclaimer: I received a free Kindle copy of Where Would I Be Without You? from the publisher Gallic Books. This has not affected my review in any way.

Thanks for reading Where Would I Be Without You? by Guillaume Musso, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

Last year I read and thoroughly enjoyed Mingmei Yip’s Petals From the Sky, so when I was offered an advanced review copy of her new novel Song of the Silk Road I jumped at the chance.

In Yip’s latest novel we are taken on an adventure along China’s fabled Silk Road as Lily Lin sets out to complete a set of unbelievable tasks requested of her by an aunt she never knew she had in return for an astonishing amount of money.

The tasks themselves are strange and sometimes dangerous. Lily must seduce a monk, collect a rare herb that grows atop the Mountains of Heaven and scrape a piece of clay from a Terracotta Warrior.

Along the route Lily meets a young American, who despite her protestations manages to find a place not only in her travels but also in her heart.

Yip does not fail to disappoint in this wonderful novel. Lily has her fair share of trials and tribulations along the Silk Road, including the strange seduction of a monk, rescuing the young American from sinking sand, and coming face to face with a family pigs!

I found myself wondering what strange task Lily would have to complete next on her adventure, and was intrigued to learn the reason behind the trials, and of course the identity of her mysterious aunt. Yip certainly knows how to weave a good tale and keep you guessing right to the end.

I think Song of the Silk Road would be a great Book Club read, and the book includes some Reader questions to kick start your discussions.

Thanks for reading Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip, a post published on Blue Archipelago Reviews. Why not visit us and leave a comment :)

Why?

Because the central character in Unnatural States, John the Apostle, is a rockstar who bears the stigmata.

Books with religious themes don’t usually make my reading list, but I had promised Nicola that I would read her book, and I hate to renege on a promise, so last week I picked it back up determined to read further than Chapter 1.

And I am so glad that I did, because Unnatural States is fast paced, with an unusual and engaging plot and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and make you dizzy!

John Jacobs, the rockstar also known as John the Apostle, not only bears the Stigmata but he also carries in his possessions a divine relic passed down through the generations. He lives in a secure compound known as the Passion Ministry and people pay $2000 a week to visit the compound and receive counselling from John.

When a struggling reporter, a long lost daughter and the Watcher enter the compound to debunk John the Apostle as a religious fraud they set in motion a chain of events that will reveal a much bigger secret, one that John has been working to protect for years.

Told over a series of days leading up to and including the Easter weekend, Nicola does a wonderful job of grabbing your attention and leading you through the various twists and turns as she slowly reveals more pieces of this intricate puzzle. The final picture was not what I expected at all!

My book review rating for Unnatural States by Nicola Furlong is:

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