Sleepless Nights Reviews

When I buy a book, I normally buy based on recommendations from my friends, which means I rarely read new releases, unless they’re from a series I’m already invested in, or an author I have a prior relationship with.

This probably means that I miss out on a lot of good books. Since having children, I don’t have the time, nor the money, to peruse the New Release section of a book shop, or even enter a book shop at all.

Of course, since Pan Macmillan started sending me books, I’m read more new releases, from authors who are completely new to me and this is a good thing. It also pushes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to think a little harder about WHY I enjoyed/didn’t enjoy a book and then articulate that in a way that leaves everyone happy.

Today’s book was The Invisible Ones, by Stef Penney and I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting of it. The cover has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the book, so in that case, cliche fulfilled and you should not be judging the book by its slightly out of place cover.

I started reading it last night, when I was struck down by the flu and too hot/cold to sleep and too achey to do anything internet related. I finished it this afternoon, so it wasn’t a heavy, or involved book by any count, and that suited me perfectly.

Ray Lovell is a private investigator, who is hired to find Rose, who disappeared sometime after marrying Gypsy, Ivo Janko. Rose’s father hasn’t heard from her in seven years and would (finally?) like some closure regarding what happened to his daughter.

Ray himself is half Gypsy, which appears to grant him access to the Gypsy family involved, in a way that someone else wouldn’t be.

Through twists and turns, Ray uncovers more and more pieces of the puzzle, and seems to end up with more questions than answers.

Fear not however, the book manages to tie up all of the plot twists and intrigues into a nice little bundle at the end, leaving me feeling satisfied with the entire book.

I’ve not read anything else written by Stef Penney and mysteries aren’t normally my genre of choice (see above: re pushed out of my comfort zone), but the author made this a highly pleasant reading experience for me, someone who isn’t enamoured of the mystery genre.

I found myself sucked into the story completely and wanting to keep reading, so that I could find out what happened next.

You can buy the book from The Book Depository, or any good book store.

I will admit, when Pan Macmillian asked me to review some books for them, I was a little excited. I like reading, a lot and I can be a voracious reader at times, especially when life gets stressful and I would like to hide in other people’s worlds.

I read a lot of genres of novel, flitting between fantasy/sci-fi, young adult, womens lit and anything else I get my hands on that looks interesting.

“The spaceships New Horizon and the Empryean are halfway through their intergalactic mission.

Fifteen-year-old Waverly was born on the Empryean, and is part of the first generation to be successfully conceived in deep space. Her concerns are those of any teenager, until Kieran Alden proposes to her. Everyone has always assumed they were destined for each other. Everyone except Waverly, who is beginning to think she may want more from life than marriage – and is intrigued by the shy, darkly brilliant Seth.

And out in the murky nebula lurks an unseen enemy: the crew of the New Horizon and the women on the ship who have been unable to conceive. Children are essential to their survival.

When the Empyrean is attacked by the New Horizon, Waverly soon realises that enemies can come from the outside – and within.”

Taken from the publisher.

I enjoyed the book. It was an easy read and kept me entertained on the flight to Sydney.

The plot is well thought out, and moves quickly, without skipping over any major details. I liked how the plot twisted and turned, leaving me unsure of who I was meant to be cheering for, while not leaving me utterly confused.

That said, I wondered what the targeted age group was.

The writing itself would suggest that it was for younger tweens/teens, but some of the issues covered within it (infertility, marriage, sex, starvation, etc) would suggest that an older age group would be more suitable. But maybe I’m just turning into a prude as I get older and can’t remember what I was reading when I was 13 (I suspect it was soft porn “romance novels” though.)

I would have liked a little more “meat” to the story maybe, a little more depth, a little guts – as it was it felt like pure plot, from point A to B, with no side trips.

Those are minor details of course and if anything had annoyed me terribly I wouldn’t have finished the book as quickly as I did, wanting to know what happened next.

Conclusion:

It made me want to turn the pages and find out what happens next, which in a YA book is what I’m looking for. I wanted a good story and I got one – even if it is only the first book of the trilogy and now I have to wait for book two.

Will I read book two? Yes- I hate leaving a story unfinished, my brain worries at it and wants to know how it all concludes.

Glow will be realeased on the 29th of September, with a RRP of $19.95AU. OR, if you’re like me and prefer to buy online, it can be pre-ordered from the Book Depository for $10.