RAPTURE
Author: Lauren Kate
Doubleday Children’s RRP $24.95
Review: Monique Mulligan
Fallen fans (and haters) have been waiting for the conclusion to the four-part series for some time. As was I. Now that it’s here … well, let’s just say I could have kept waiting.
Picking up from where Passion left off, the sky is dark with wings… and time is running out for star-crossed lovers Luce and Daniel. In order to stop Lucifer from erasing the past, they must find the place where the Fall began. Only Luce can break the curse that plagues the couple, and it is her choice alone that will decide all their fates. But as Dark Forces gather, great sacrifices will be made in this final epic stuggle… In the fight for Luce, and for love, who will win?
I never do well with extended series. They rarely keep my interest long enough. While part of me was curious to find out who Luce ended up with, I found this final Fallen book hard to get into; it just didn’t suck me in the way the first two did. Then I realised I didn’t really care anymore about the whole Luce/Daniel love story. It’s disappointing because this series could have really made Luce and Daniel one of the romantic couples in history. One for die-hardFallen fans.
Copy courtesy of Random House.
THE SPLENDOR OF ITALY
Author: Natasha Foges
Dorling Kindersley RRP $29.99
Review: Monique Mulligan
The legendary beauty of Italy has captivated generations of travelers. I am yet to see it for myself, but the attraction is strong. There’s just something about Italy … I think it’s the combination of landscape, history and lifestyle.
The Splendor of Italy unveils a photographic panorama Italy in all its diversity, celebrating its heritage and beauty. The photography is vivid and highlights the landscape’s changing aspects, from the from the Alpine mountains and southern volcanoes, to the delightful rolling hills of Tuscany. The photographs are complemented by short commentary, just enough to pique interest – as if the pictures weren’t enough.
A great coffee table book, I will be returning to this again and again, whenever I need my Italy fix.
Available from good bookstores and Penguin Books Australia. Copy courtesy of Penguin Books.
FEAR NOT
Author: Anne Holt
Atlantic RRP $24.99
Review: Monique Mulligan
Enjoy Scandinavian crime fiction? Anne Holt has become one of my must-read authors in this genre; Fear Not is a worthy example that had me hooked from the start.
What is the connection between a drug addict dead in a basement, a young asylum seeker floating in the harbour and a high profile female bishop stabbed to death in the street? That’s what criminal psychologist and profiler Inger Johanne Vik finds her family drawn into. Her husband, detective Yngvar Stubo, has been dispatched to Bergen to investigate the shocking Christmas Eve murder of a local female bishop. Meanwhile, in Oslo, bodies keep turning up, though the causes of death vary. Befor long, Inger Johanne discovers something that will link them all.
Fear Not is an excellent read that taps into a number of topical issues such as terrorism, fanaticism, religion and human rights. Holt is a highly talented writer who has used her own experiences in law and order to create realistic, suspensful fiction. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work and will be catching up on the ones I’ve missed.
Available from good bookstores and Allen & Unwin. Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin.