Know Your Enemy by Tasman Anderson

‘Silverlake was a total suckfest of a town’, the opening line of Know Your Enemy by Tasman Anderson. An opening line that had me smiling and left me feeling I was in for a down to earth read I was going to love. 

Know Your Enemy is a young adult novel that will not disappoint. From the first line onwards I was smiling, giggling and at times a little worried for the characters. There was not a minute of Know Your Enemy that I did not love. It has everything a teenager with relate too and love, from high school antics, to crime, adventure, hunky guys and unsure girls, all set within a town that is said to have nothing to offer. 

Know Your Enemy jumps straight into it, leaving you no time to take a breath. I engaged with the characters instantly, feeling as though I was a teenager all over again. There is nothing that would give you any hint that this book was written by anyone older than their teenage years. Tasman Anderson writes with a young addictive style that flows beautifully, twisting and turning, keeping you engaged and mesmerized.

Tasman Anderson is an Australian YA author one should keep their eye on. Know Your Enemy is her first book but there will be many more to follow. Tasman is not new to the writing world. Her website tells us that she is a member of the University of Queensland’s Journalism and Communication Society ( JACS) as well as the Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) and the Gold Coast Writer’s Association. She has received awards for her journalism, having been published in both local and international publications. 

I can only highly recommend Know Your Enemy by Tasman Anderson. Even those who are not normally YA readers are sure to love this little gem of a novel.

Find out more about Tasman Anderson www.tasmananderson.com

Purchase a copy of Know Your Enemy from Odyssey Books http://odysseybooks.com.au/bookstore or Amazon. 

Review: Jennifer Douglas

www.jenniferdouglasliterarypublicist.com 

The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn

The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn grabs you, throws you around and leaves you wanting more. 

The connections with the characters in The Drago Tree are real. From the first word Isobel Blackthorn has scribed till the last you are captivated. You loose yourself within the world on the pages. Your connection with the characters become that of a friendship, your journey an adventure that keeps you guessing from page to page. When you reach the end you close the book feeling a little lost as you realise it is over. 

Isobel Blackthorn is a writer who has the skill of creating a scene that places you there. This is often something writers struggle with but not Isobel Blackthorn. As a reader I was not only there, I did not want to leave. I was engaged fully, feeling I could touch, see and smell the place and time. Isobel Blackthorn had me standing next to the characters, as one of them. She had me stepping forward with each page, never missing a beat in flow or plot. The Drago Tree is a book that will inspire all writers to continue to create in the hope of achieving the level of that of Isobel Blackthorn.

Ann Salter seeks sanctuary on the exotic island of Lanzarote, an island I spent a few days enjoy, discovering myself as Ann does herself. Although I feel I have traveled this island I am left wanting to go back to where I was. I have so much I want to say to Ann, questions, friendship, and more questions lurk within me. The betrayal, conquest and love within the pages of The Drago Tree are real, leaving me seeking more. Should I have been satisfied? Maybe, but I am sure Isobel Blackthorn would be pleased I am still seeking.

The Drago Tree is a well-presented book. My copy was read in e-book format. I am a paperback reader, enjoying the overall experience that holding a book creates, so the strength I found within this e-book is a credit to Isobel Blackthorn. For myself the glare of a screen, the hard and flat feel of the Kindle, often creates an environment that leads to a struggle to read the content. The ability to be able to immerse myself in The Drago Tree and not want to put it down shows the strength of the writing of Isobel Blackthorn and the creation of a piece of literary fiction that engages. 

There is no doubt that I will soon be reading Isobel Blackthorn’s other novel Asylum, also published by Odyssey books. 

The Drago Tree by Isobel Blackthorn is available from Amazon in e-book and paperback format.

review: Jennifer Douglas

www.jenniferdouglasliterarypublicist.com 

The Ouroboros Key by Patricia Leslie

A Quest To Secure The Future Of Humanity

A mythical book full of mystery and fantasy. The Ouroboros Key by Patricia Leslie takes you on a journey that will stay with you for years to come. 

The Ouroboros Key by Patricia Leslie took me by surprise. I was definitely not expecting the strength and adventure that I found within. I was hooked within the first paragraph, finding it a hard book to put down. Patricia Leslie writes with strength. Her ability to play with words, providing clear description that intrigues and invites, is the making of a talented author. Within The Ouroboros Key there is enough action, detail and mythical tale to keep you fully engaged and dancing around the pages. The strength in characters is  refreshing. Patricia Leslie has placed all the ingredients of a best seller into a tightly written story. The balance between mystery, thrill and suspense has been achieved to the degree that you are left wanting more.

It is always nice to see an Australian writer shine. The Ouroboros Key is the first novel by Patricia Leslie and I am eager to see what she gives us next. The Ouroboros Key comes from Patricia Leslie’s interest in myths from Sumer, Celtic Cultures and early Christianity. As a reader you can see this interest and passion shine through the pages. It is evident that Patricia Leslie has used her knowledge of a topic and her talent as a creative writer to create a story that will captivate many. Her Amazon bio states that Odyssey books is currently preparing her second novel for publication…my level of excitement has risen. I eagerly await. 

I could tell you what The Ouroboros Key is about but I would not be able to do it justice. For this book I choose to leave the mystery to the reader. What I will tell you is that should you grab a copy you will be in for a fast paced and exciting journey. You will travel with the main character Dan wanting to flick through those pages as fast as you can, eager to find out what happens next. 

The Ouroboros Key by Patricia Leslie is a magical journey suitable from young adults onwards. Two words come to mind when I think of this book: captivating and suspenseful. 

Available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback. 

Review: Jennifer Douglas

www.jenniferdouglasliterarypublicist.com 

The Water of Life ( Uisge beatha) by Daniel Marchildon

The Water of Life (Uisge beatha) by Daniel Marchildon is a well-researched book that has you traveling several centuries of whisky history. Presented as a fiction, it not only entertains but informs. 

I am not a whisky drinker, but I am a book lover. Within The Water of Life I found a book that, although I probably would never have considered reading until given to me for review, I enjoyed. I will admit it took me a chapter or two to get into the flow of the writing of Daniel Marchildon but once I did the ride was smooth. 

There is a large degree of to and fro from past to present within The Water of Life as the story spans several generations: three lineages and two continents. Daniel Marchildon writes in a manner that allows the reader to travel back and forth with ease, never missing a beat or detail.  For myself the connection was with Elizabeth Legrand and her determination to open a distillery, in a small isolated town, creating a single-malt whiskey. I envied her strong will and her passion for what she set out to do. This connection created a small degree of issues for me as a reader. With a strong connection to Elizabeth I battled to connect with the characters of the past. Daniel Marchildon does a great job of taking you there, allowing you to feel the place and time, but the bond I created with Elizabeth had me wanting to be back beside her. When reading reviews by others it is obvious this was a personal experience of my own and not what others found. It in no way reflected on my ability to enjoy my read but meant I had to focus more on what I was reading when in the past, instead of allowing the words to flow through my mind and connect. 

Daniel Marchildon has done a wonderful job at blending history with fiction. There is a lot of history within The Water of Life that, as a non-drinker of whisky, I was not aware of. My read of The Water of Life has definitely educated me and had me wanting to know more about not only about whisky but about the era, Scotland and Canada. It is rare that a fiction leaves you inquisitive and thirsty for more factual history, but Daniel Marchildon has definitely achieved this. 

Originally published in French as L’eau de vie  (Uisge beatha) The Water of Life ( Uisge beatha ) has been translated into English by  Märta Ziemelis and published by Odyssey Books in Australia. 

Overall Daniel Marchildon has done an excellent job with The Water of Life. Whisky drinker or not there is something in this piece of fictional work for everyone. History, saga and adventure all await, tantalizing your taste buds and nasal passages with the whisky you never knew you needed.

The Water of Life ( Uisge beatha) is available in both e-book and paperback from Amazon.com

Review: Jennifer Douglas

www.jenniferdouglasliterarypublicist.com