A Reimagining of a Classic: Infernal Falls by Bryan Mitchell

Books, Reviews

Let’s talk about my favourite read of November ‘Infernal Fall’ by Bryan Timothy Mitchell a great reimagining of Dante’s inferno.

This book is incredibly written and I felt immersed into the world he created which was a dark imagining of hell and found myself connecting with the main character Daniel almost instantly. I couldn’t put it down wanting to see where Daniel’s journey took him next.

Synopsis:

Daniel Strong is a troubled young man with only one bright spot in his life—his girlfriend, Kristine. He hopes to propose to her on a hike in the mountains, but a mysterious artifact in a dark cavern ruins his plan. Things quickly go downhill—literally—as handling the ‘keystone’ causes Daniel to fall straight into Hell, leaving Kristine behind.

A soul-harvesting demon tells him the only way out is through, that he must go to Satan and bargain for his freedom. But the shadow-man responsible for leaving the keystone behind tries to show him there’s another way out. Against his better judgment, Daniel finds himself listening to the demon’s claims that appealing to the Master of the Underworld himself is his only choice.

As the unlikely group traverses the many levels of Hell, hurt, anger, and fear hound Daniel, reminding him how hopeless his efforts truly are. All Daniel can do is push forward in hopes of making it back to Kristine. Will Daniel heed Kristine’s words to choose life? Or will he succumb to the lies pulling him down with every step?

I can’t recommend this book enough to those who love classic and ancient literature and are looking for their next modernised version.

Book Club: The Push- A Dark and Twisted Tale of Motherhood

Reviews

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The Push by Ashley Audrain tells the story of motherhood spanning three generations of women. Blythe who is the main subject of the book was abandoned by her mother Cecilia, who herself was the daughter of the twisted Etta.

The story begins with Blythe estranged from her daughter Violet’s life.She has been replaced as ‘mother’ by her ex-husband’s new wife and she has to accept that her family is happier without her.

Due to Blythe’s traumatic childhood she is left with a lot of anxieties and fears about her ability to be a good mother. Her fears come to a head when she fails to connect to Violet, is constantly exhausted and life is not going to plan. Violet is a difficult child who is manipulative, never smiles and is overall frightening. Her husband Fox ignores these issues as Violet is a daddy’s girl but her feelings towards her mother are a lot colder. However, when Blythe gets pregnant for a second time those fears about her daughter turn to terror.

Audrain creates a gripping and tense narrative that exploits the anxieties of motherhood. It showcases how a baby can either strengthen or break down adult relationships as well as how our childhoods shape our adult fears. 

The Push expertly walks the fine line of a family cursed to repeat the same mistakes or of a mother paranoia twisting her daughter. It feels like The Push is a description of nature vs nurture for the women in Blythe’s family. 

This is another difficult book to read and will not suit everyone’s tastes with its examination of difficult characters and their relations to motherhood.

Book Club: My Dark Vanessa- A deeply unsettling but important read

Reviews

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My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell tells the story of Vanessa Wye as both an adult and a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Jacob Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by one of his former students, and a journalist contacts Vanessa to contribute to allegations. However, Vanessa does not see her time with Strane as abuse but as a loving relationship.

My Dark Vanessa is a tough and unsettling read from the very beginning. “When Strane and I met, I was fifteen and he was forty-two, a near perfect thirty years between us.” During my first attempt to start the novel I got to this paragraph on page 5 and had to put the book down because it made me feel sick to my stomach.

Russell is never shy at revealing the details of his repulsive sexual abuse where he claims that Vanessa is in charge of what is happening while requesting that she call him ‘Daddy’. It is hard to read the repeated rape of a 15-year-old girl and even as an adult where she wants him to stop but doesn’t have the power to tell him no. For many, there may be a feeling that there are too many rape scenes or too many details but I think that it’s important to remember the brutality of what is happening to her. While I believe that My Dark Vanessa is a brave exploration of the #metoo movement it is not a book for everyone and I found it to be a slow read as much as I wanted to find out what happened the uneasy feeling would cause me to stop. 

“I just really need it to be a love story. You know? I really, really need it to be that.” – Vanessa Wye. Russell does an amazing job in transporting us into the mind of a teenage girl who wants to be special and loved, who is intelligent but vulnerable. As well as being able to showcase the harm that this ‘love’ has done to Vanessa as an adult who can’t accept that he exploited her vulnerability and that he does deserve to be punished for what he did. I think it’s important for those who pick up this book to remember nuances in that while it could be read as romantic from her retelling and how she is the one he chose to love it is a tale of abuse. 

I think this is an important and difficult read on how abusers manipulate their victims into believing it’s love and the importance of holding the abusers and institutions that hide and shield them to account.

’Stand in Saturday’ is a RomCom Masterpiece

Reviews

Omg, I’m obsessed with Theo and Lucie’s story it was so cute that I stayed up all night reading it!

This is the second book in the Love for Days series and for those that have already read Man Crush Monday you will be familiar with Theo and will be pleased to see he is the star of this book. Omg is Theo hot and nerdy my type to a tee so I was instantly in love with him. Lucie was perfect for him and I so want her to be my best friend!

Check out the blurb below for a small taste of what’s in store!

Blurb:

Two broken hearts. One fake dating agreement. What could go wrong?

Lucie thought she had it all—a loving fiancé, a nice apartment, and a job she was great at. But that all changed the day she walked in on her perfect fiancé screwing his personal trainer on her newly purchased dream sofa. Three months later, she’s bunking with her best friend and scrambling to make sense of her life sans cheating ex.

Theo is about to jet off for a long weekend in picturesque Scotland to be the best man at his brother’s wedding. With stunning views and nothing but free food and drinking ahead, he should be more excited than he is. If only he didn’t have feelings for the damn bride.

When fate throws Lucie and Theo together under unlikely circumstances, they bond over doughnuts and their mutually disastrous love lives … and it seems like they might be able to help each other out. As long as they both stick to the rules, there’s nothing that can go wrong.

Contract in place? Check. 

Hot, fake dates? Check.

Sexual chemistry steamy enough to scorch sheets? Double che—

Wait, what? 

That wasn’t in the agreement … 

What I thought:

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Theo and Lucie’s chemistry is great throughout the book and their banter made me laugh out loud during places. I enjoyed the interactions with Jared and Amy and loved reading about their wedding alongside Theo and Lucie’s hilarity and drunkenness.

One of my favourite Ron-Coms of the year! I’m already excited for book 3 💕

Pick up your copy today:

Amazon Universal: mybook.to/StandinSaturday

Kobo: https://bit.ly/359noUS

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/336CND3

iTunes: https://apple.co/3lYsHfR

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3bXwTYX

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3i4iR9T

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3h937B7

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2Dzr5bf

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/321E3I4