The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Stacey Irving • May 21, 2023
One of my favorites of 2023 so far!
I just finished The Ferryman by Justin Cronin and here is my review.
When your monitor falls below 10%, the Ferryman is called to bring you to the nursery, a place where your body is renewed, your memory wiped clean and you get a clean slate.
Proctor Bennett is a Ferrymay for the department of Social contracts, a career he enjoys until one day, he is called to ferry his father to the nursery. This on top of having dreams, something he shouldn’t be experiencing during sleep. His father drops a cryptic message as he is wrestled onto the ferry. A message that sends Proctor on a new path, one directly into a resistance group.. A group who knows the truth and will do anything to bring it all to light.
As someone who enjoyed The passage series, I had seriously high expectations for this book. The synopsis, so tantalizingly delicious I had to set the time to devour it in one sitting and it did not disappoint!! The pace was a bit slower than I normally like but it worked out really well in this one.
The plot was exceptionally brilliant! Cleverly executed and well thought out. Really felt the genius in the writing. The character development was well balanced and I felt each person I was introduced to had something special to add to the storyline and I enjoyed the depths and layers with the clever twists that gently unraveled all the way through. The storyline was a little complex but that just added to its beauty.
What didn’t I like…. I hated Proctor's decision at the end of the book. I understood it, I wish he had made a different one. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone so I won’t explain that but it left me with a little empty hole, cheated out of a HEA a little.
Sci-fi isn’t normally my go to genre but Cronin always manages to blend his books so delicately that you won’t feel overwhelmed if sci-fi isn’t your go to either. I really feel if you haven’t read anything by this author before, you should definitely pick this one up!
5 stars… all the stars! You won’t regret this book. Not even a little.
Thank you so much to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy
#penguinreviewer #bookreview #justincronin #theferryman #scifireads #reader #bookstagram
Book review - Fiction - Romance - Ghost Story - Paranormal Fantasy I just finished the Seven Rings by Nora Roberts and here are my musings. Sonya MacTavish lives in a huge manor house at the behest of a man she did not know but hoped she could break a curse… She has seen the past.. The death of seven brides. The malevolent spirit will not break her.. She will find the secrets and piece it all together so she can finally free her ancestors… Her enemy is a ghost dressed all in black and her illusions are so powerful they are a real danger.. Can Sonya fight a battle across two realms while straddling the past and present? Will the fight for the house end in death? I have loved this trilogy since the first page of book 1 and I waited so patiently to get this book and it did not disappoint. I am sad it is over though. I fell in love with all the characters and my heart is heavy to know that I won’t see anymore from their adventures. The book finished off this trilogy with such gravitas though that I sped to the end. I really was fully satisfied with how it all panned out. The writing is exactly what you would expect.. Brilliant, clever and flawless. I can’t wait to know what you think of the trilogy because it's an easy 5 star for me. Such an epic book… such an amazing end to one of my fave trilogies. GRAB IT NOW!!!! Thank you to @stmartinspress for including me in this campaign!! #bookblog #readersofig #bookblast #bookish #smpearlyreader
I just finished Sophie was here by Kathryn Croft and here are my thoughts. When Emmy’s boyfriend Charlie’s Parents want to give the family home to the couple, they move to the country which is something they both needed but what Emmy doesn’t expect to find is a mystery. Of what happened to Charlie’s girlfriend when he was a teen. When Emmy asks him about it, he turns cold… That’s not even the worst part.. When she goes down into the spooky basement.. There’s a message.. Sophie was here…. I love twisty turny psychological thrillers and this one was epic. Just when I thought I knew what was going on… BOOM! I was on a new path. It was great. I didn’t like any of the characters, they were a tad unlikable and Emmy was dramatic but I think that helped me to be more concerned about what happened to Sophie than the danger Emmy might have been in. I loved it. The audiobook was absolutely atmospheric! Pacing could have been a bit better but dang.. I was hooked from page one! 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for my gifted copy You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A My store is bookaloriandesigns.com and no tariffs!!! #bookish #sophiewashere #netgalley #audiobookstagram #audiobooklover #bookalorian #booksbooksbooks #bookouture #alc #arcbooks #arcreader #arcreview #literaryinfluencer
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
I just finished My Ex, the Antichrist by Craig DiLouie and here are my musings. It’s like Daisy Jones and the devil haha When Lily started a punk band with her BF Drake, she never expected their music to make people crazy. The riot at their 1999 introduction in the battle of the bands.. Ending in the death of three teenagers and the end of their collaboration. 10 years later and Lily, at the end of a great career, walks into a police station admitting to murder.. Did she kill the antichrist? Or is there something else going on? I absolutely loved the format of this book and the audiobook was the right call for me for this book!! It was clever… Terrifying… I loved the power that Drake had that was channeled through his music and then 10 years on he is fronting a new band and Lily has their old band and one bet between them.. Whoever wins the battle of the bands, gets what they want… It was good. I didn’t expect Drake to actually be the antichrist.. I liked the plot and the switch in music genres.. It was well written and seriously entertaining. I would have liked more from the ending but all in all, I was impressed. 4 stars Thank you to @netgalley @hachetteaudio for my gifted ALC You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #bookish #myextheantichrist #craigdilouie #horror #booksbooksbooks #horrorreader #bookishreview #audiobooklover #netgalley #audiobookstagram #audiobookreview #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishpodcast
I just just finished Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong and here are my musings. Gemma never expected her debut novel to make it so big… Or that anyone would work out the leading man in her book was her high school crush and now hot shot hockey star. Knowing they could help each other out, they decide to fake-date to boost their careers but is this more of a second chance? The chance they missed out on in high school? Look… I am already a huge Kelley Armstrong fan so this book was already going to be excellent because she does not write any trash! She did not disappoint! I loved the narrators. They did well together and it really brought the story to life. I loved Gemma… I connected with who she was as a person from the get go and while I am not a massive fan of the fake dating trope, this one was done really well. I really was rooting for both of them and there were some sweet moments that made me sighhh and some chuckle moments! I really felt for Gemma… What happened in school hurt her and you can see that she still wasn’t over it years on. I’m so glad they got the second chance they needed to get to know each other again. 4 stars Thank you @netgalley and @hachetteaudio for my gifted copy! You can find all my reviews at Www.thelipnessofliteracy.com My podcast is @litdulterouswhore and you can find it on Spotify and YouTube #writingmrwrong #bookish #kelleyarmstrong #romancebook #romancereader #booksbooksbooks #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishblog #vlog #reading #bookstagramcanada🇨🇦 #bookcommunity #bookishpodcast
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
Book review - Fiction - Contemporary romance - Billionaire romance I just finished Devious Husband by Catharina Maura - Book 6 of The Windsors and here are my musings. She cannot stand him… He’s loved her in secret for years… Xavier damn near loses his mind when she begins to show interest in a man that is not him.. Is he thinking clearly when he offers Sierra the deal of a lifetime… A merger between their companies but only if she agrees to be his wife… What did I just read! This cannot be the end! Say it is not so!! Xavier might just be the most perfect MC on the planet! He isn’t perfect and I think thats why I love him so much! Sierra is his perfect match and someone to aspire to be. This book had a lot to live up to and it nailed it all the way to the bank! I loved the writing and how the book finished up all my expectations and hit that nail home. I am not a massive fan of the Rivals to lovers trope especially with business but this worked so well for me. If you love a good billionaire romance this has to be on your list! Start from the beginning and come talk to me about how amazing this series is. 4.5 stars Thank you to @bloombooks for my gifted copy! #bookcommunity #readersgonnaread #bookpodcast #romancereader #enemiestolovers
I just finished Falling for You Again by Kerry Lonsdale and here are my musings. Meli is a furniture artist. She crafts the most amazing pieces and looks forward to taking over the family business. She is blind-sided when her uncle plans to sell the business. When she finds out the company that is buying has someone she knows working for them… Aaron. A man she hasn’t seen in years… The man she married and divorced after a night in vegas… A man who might just be able to help her destroy the deal. Wow wow wow! This second chance story really took a unique twist by having the main characters meet by chance on a plane and get married in Vegas with the agreement they annul it after. They don’t see each other again until this deal. I loved the chemistry between them. The narration was absolutely wonderful and I loved how the whole book came to life in this beautiful way. I liked Meli a lot. I loved that she had a job outside of “pink” jobs that come up a lot in romance books. She was a rockstar with A wood-lathe and that was bad ass. I thought the plot was clever and unique. It really was a fun read. I liked the ending too. It was definitely an all round epic romance read! 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @brilliancepublishing for my gifted ALC! You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #bookish #bookalorian #bookalicious #bookishblog #bookstagrammer #candianbookblogger #bookishbusiness #bookpodcast #litdulterous #readingbook #readersofbookstagram #bookrecs #fallingforyouagain #audiobookreview
Book review - Novellas - Romance Carolyn Brown - Chasing Dreams. This book has 3 exceptional novellas in it! A summer to remember … Bernie runs a bar… When she has 3 customers come in and she can see the heat between 2 of them… She tries her hand at matchmaking… If she manages it she plans on getting all her great nieces married off…. I loved Bertie and the story was so cute!! I have a real love for books with older MCs and this novella was so adorable. I am a hopeless romantic so this hit me right in the fuzzies!! The Matchmaker - Dorry, Minnie and Sookie are all retired and have been friends for years.. They decide to try their hand at matchmaking!! Unbeknownst to them. The couple they have chosen are already bound for divorce so they have their work cut out for them… These ladies are my people!! I absolutely loved this novella!! My fave of all 3, the writing was great and the characters just had me hooked right in! Chasing Dreams - Nita, Sharlene and Billy Joe want to go on a road trip but they can’t do it alone! They enlist the help of Ford, Billie Jo’s great grandson and Sharlene's great niece Joelle to help. Checking off things from their bucket list, these pensioners know how it is done! Joelle and Ford could stand to take a leaf out of their book… Such a great novella to end this book with! I really am charmed with the use of retired MCs and their personalities are simply the best! The whole book made me want to live more and see more… DO MORE!! Cannot wait for more books with older characters and I highly recommend this book! 4 stars Thank you to @sourcebooks for my gifted copy Out now #sourcebooksinfluencer #novellas #bookblog #bookishblog #blogger #bookinfluencer #bookishbusiness
Book review - Historical Fiction - Historical Romance - Marriage of Convenience I just finished A Most Worthy Husband by Faye Delacour - The Lucky Ladies of London #3 and here are my musings. Hannah never had aspirations to marry… She was happy to be a spinster and help her sister in law run the gambling club. Her mother won’t abide that so Hannah decides to ruin herself with an awful man so no one will want her… Silas is the perfect mark.. He’s a troublemaker and works as a dealer at the club. The man who gave him the job happens to be Hannah's brother but one kiss for so much money… How can he say no… Trouble is even that won’t stop Hannah’s mother and she will force a marriage whether Hannah likes it or not. I’m a bit of a sucker for this series so being back in the club was a nice change of pace for me. I like the slow burn of this book. It’s not normally something I enjoy but I really felt this pacing was exactly what was needed to bring this story alive. As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I am not a massive fan of fake dating or fake courting in this instance but I really loved how this one played out and it felt original rather than an overplayed trope but I am a massive sucker for the brothers friend trope and this one was a bulls eye.. Not only was she off limits because hello, her brother gave him the job but they aren’t even in the same class and that added a beautiful dimension to the story. I actually quite liked Hannah! She was naive but she has such a graceful presence and I love the fact she wants to be self-sufficient to the point that she was gonna pull a crazy stunt to achieve it! Silas was very much the protective MC and I loved their chemistry! It was sweet and it truly gave me the fuzzies! All in all another great installment of a great series… 4 stars Thank you @sourcebookscasa for my gifted copy! Out now! #bookcommunity #prettybooks #bookblog #bookish #readergram #reading #reading #bookinfluencer #bookblog #bookishvlog
