Wulf's Book Reviews

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree My rating: 5 of 5 stars » After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit. An orc’s life was strength and violence and a sudden, sharp end—but she’d be damned if she’d let hers finish that way. It was time for something new. « Thus begins the story of Viv, a former orc swordswoman who retires from adventuring and opens a coffee shop, the eponymous “Legends & Lattes”, in the town of Thune. She makes friends with various fantasy creatures and faces challenges from a local crime boss and a former colleague who wants to steal her magical treasure. Rarely was a moniker, “High fantasy, low stakes” in this case, more apt because we’re not off on a conventional fantasy adventure. Much more important in this entertaining and heartwarming novel are the relationships Viv and her friends build: In Thune, Viv is part of a small minority and doesn’t care about outward appearances and societal expec...

The Silent Quarry by Cheryl Rees-Price My rating: 4 of 5 stars I became aware of “ The Silent Quarry ” by Cheryl Rees-Price through the review of my Goodreads friend Barry . If Barry rates a mystery, police procedural or thriller highly, chances are high I’m also going to enjoy it. I was intrigued by the novel's premise of a woman, Gwen Thomas, who survived a brutal attack as a teenager that killed her friend, but lost her memory of the event. When she starts to remember what happened, she becomes a target again. Tempted by Barry and having been looking for the next good read, I basically pounced upon it and finished it in a few hours as it’s a bit on the short side of novels. I immediately related to DI Winter Meadows, a perceptive but reclusive detective (my wife calls me a hermit…), who tries to find the identity of the attacker before it’s too late. Beyond Meadows’ professional interest he’s further motivated by his teenage-crush on Gwen and the mutual metaphoric...

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was looking for a quick, easy, purely entertaining read and that’s what I got with “ The Bodyguard ” by Katherine Center - mostly. Pretty much for the entire first quarter of the novel, Hannah is supposed to be a tough, no-nonsense, bristly and business-like woman who is used to being in control. In fact, I read her more as a wooden, cliched character who seemed to have few redeeming qualities: She’s not tough but basically always on the run from herself and her emotions. She’s not bristly and business-like but acts rashly and impulsively… » And that’s when, despite everything I had just decided about how getting myself to London would be the answer to all my problems, I said, “You know what? I quit.” « … while at the same time allows her boss to just walk over her… » I’m not sure anybody even heard me—except for Glenn, who brushed that declaration off with a glance, like I was an annoying insect. “You’re never...

Visible Amazement by Gale Zoe Garnett My rating: 5 of 5 stars With a meagre 95 ratings and 16 reviews on Goodreads, “ Visible Amazement ” by Gale Zoe Garnett can probably safely be called an “insider tip” or “Geheimtipp” in my native German. It might also be due to the somewhat problematic subject matter… So, to get it out of the way immediately: Roanne tells everyone she’s just turning 16 whereas, in fact, she is 14 and Pascal with whom she proceeds to have a sexual relationship is 42. This is in many ways, a significant and, yes, troubling aspect of the novel that raises important questions about consent, power dynamics, and the sexualisation of young girls. The portrayal of the relationship between Roanne and Pascal is done carefully and in a complex and nuanced way, exploring the emotional and psychological dynamics at play. At this point, you should choose: You can follow me and choose not to render judgement. I will neither condemn nor condone this relationship whi...

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi My rating: 5 of 5 stars Earlier this year, I read the first part of Marjane Satrapi's memoirs, the graphic novel “ Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood ”. Now, I felt, was a good time to revisit her story that in this second part begins with her difficult years in Austria. In Vienna, Marjane feels isolated: Her experiences living in Vienna as a young adult highlight the challenges of being a foreigner in a new and unfamiliar culture. Marjane's struggles with language, cultural norms, and social expectations make her feel like an outsider. Her experiences in Vienna also highlight the cultural differences between Iran and the West, and the challenges of navigating those differences as a young person. Marjane’s rebellious streak and her desire to fit in with her Western peers often clash with her Iranian upbringing and cultural values, leading to feelings of confusion and isolation. Considering she lived there d...

Close Her Eyes by Lisa Regan My rating: 5 of 5 stars In this latest instalment in Lisa Regan's Detective-Josie-Quinn series , Josie is called to the body of a young woman. She soon starts to discover links to past crimes, a wealthy family in a small town not far from her native Denton and even to Anya Feist, the local pathologist with whom Josie had already formed a fledgling friendship. As in most of Regan’s books in this series, one of the team plays a big part in the mystery and in this novel it’s the afore-mentioned pathologist who has a complicated past… Also in line with most of these police procedurals, the plot is very engaging: I found myself reading at pretty much every opportunity and it was with a heavy heart that I had to return to my other responsibilities. At many times, this book was a total page turner, exciting, thrilling and suspenseful. Whereas in a few previous novels in this series, there were problems with pacing or keeping things interesting, ...

If Only They Could Talk by James Herriot My rating: 5 of 5 stars As a rule, I never re-read books. To me, it seems like a waste of precious reading time. There are exceptions to every rule, though, and the books by James Herriot are one of those. I mostly read them as in-between books: When I’ve finished a book and cannot review it right away as I usually would, I open a Herriot and am right back in his beloved Yorkshire Dales. " If Only They Could Talk " is the first of a series of books that are essentially memoirs of Herriot's experiences as a young veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales, beginning in the 1930s. It is a heartwarming and humorous account of his encounters with animals and their owners, as well as his struggles to establish himself as a veterinarian in a rural community. Herriot's love for both animals and people shines through in his writing. He has a great empathy for both his animal patients and their owners, and he portrays them with w...