Star Wars Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott

Star Wars Dooku: Jedi Lost by Cavan Scott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Delve into the history of the sinister Count Dooku in the original script to the thrilling Star Wars audio production!

Darth Tyranus. Count of Serenno. Leader of the Separatists. A red saber, unsheathed in the dark. But who was he before he became the right hand of the Sith? As Dooku courts a new apprentice, the hidden truth of the Sith Lord's past begins to come to light.

Dooku's life began as one of privilege--born within the stony walls of his family's estate, orbited by the Funeral Moon where the bones of his ancestors lie interred. But soon, his Jedi abilities are recognized, and he is taken from his home to be trained in the ways of the Force by the legendary Master Yoda.

As he hones his power, Dooku rises through the ranks, befriending fellow Jedi Sifo-Dyas and taking a Padawan of his own, the promising Qui-Gon Jinn--and tries to forget the life that he once led. But he finds himself drawn by a strange fascination with the Jedi Master Lene Kostana, and the mission she undertakes for the Order: finding and studying ancient relics of the Sith, in preparation for the eventual return of the deadliest enemies the Jedi have ever faced.

Caught between the world of the Jedi, the ancient responsibilities of his lost home, and the alluring power of the relics, Dooku struggles to stay in the light--even as the darkness begins to fall.

This is the script to the audio production of Dooku: Jedi Lost. The story builds on characters that we know very little about focusing mainly on Count Dooku but also Sifo-Dyas and Asajj Ventress. The audio play also introduces us to several new characters, the most important being Lene Kostana.

The story starts with Count Dooku giving Ventress the task of locating his sister, this part of the story is set in the present however; the story is told mostly in flashbacks in the form of holocrons that Dooku provides in order for Ventress to learn all she needs to find her sister. Whilst Ventess makes her way to the spaceport on Serenno she plays the holocrons, we see Dooku throughout many stages of his life, starting as a child in yhr Jedi academy, becoming an apprentice to Master Yoda, then a Master to Rael and later Qui-gon Ginn, all the way through to taking his seat on the Jedi council.

During these flashbacks of Dooku's life, we see his friendship with the Jedi Sifo-Dyas grow, and his connection with Master Lene Kostana develop. Lene is one of the great characters in this story, she is a Jedi who walks the line between light and dark, but who remains strong enough to never cross the line. We also learn about Dooku's family and his heritage, we learn about the father who hates him, the brother who doesn't want to know him and the sister who loves him.

These sections of Dooku's life are separated with Ventress' point of view in the present, we also see her struggle with the path she is taking and and how her former Master Ky Narec continues to try and guide her even from beyond the grave. This really is a great story, it has taken a character that we have seen briefly on screen in the prequel trilogy and developed him into one of my favourite characters as it slowly chronicles his slip towards the dark side.

I enjoyed this story immensely, it is very well written and provides great scene directions that really help visualise the action. Even after having read it, I would listen to it in its audio format as I feel the sound plays such a large part in this story, hearing it would add an extra dimension. Listen to it or read it, either way I guarantee you will enjoy Dooku: Jedi Lost.

I would give this 4 and a half stars, rounded up to 5 for Goodreads and Amazon, I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth

The Rival by Charlotte Duckworth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

NOW
Helena is a career woman with no job and a mother without a baby. She blames Ashley for destroying her life. But is what happened really Ashley's fault?

THEN
When Helena hires Ashley to work for her, she's startled but impressed by her fierce ambition. They form a dream team and Helena is proud - maybe this is the protégée she's always wanted to have. But soon Helena realizes that nothing will stand in the way of Ashley's drive to get to the top. And when Helena becomes pregnant, everything she has worked so hard for is suddenly threatened, with devastating consequences...

Billed as a Crime Thriller this is more like woman’s fiction and as such my expectations were to be reading a crime/psychological thriller.

It was a mix of gossip and bitchy office rivalry that culminates in tragic consequences. It was well written but lacked pace and depth. I didn’t jell with any of the characters and because of this I felt indifferent to the outcome.

The ending had a twist of sorts but it was a very ordinary lack lustre read for me and therefore I can only give this 3 stars. Sorry just didn’t keep me interested

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard

Rewind by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

PLAY
Andrew, the manager of Shanamore Holiday Cottages, watches his only guest via a hidden camera in her room. One night the unthinkable happens: a shadowy figure emerges onscreen, kills her and destroys the camera. But who is the murderer? How did they know about the camera? And how will Andrew live with himself?

PAUSE
Natalie wishes she'd stayed at home as soon as she arrives in the wintry isolation of Shanamore. There's something creepy about the manager. She wants to leave, but she can't - not until she's found what she's looking for...

REWIND
This is an explosive story about a murder caught on camera. You've already missed the start. To get the full picture you must rewind the tape and play it through to the end, no matter how shocking...

A twisty clever thriller set in Ireland with creepy characters and remote isolated places this book really had it all.

Told through multiple timelines it did however become a bit disjointed and difficult to follow. Reading a little and returning later it was hard to remember what had gone on and I had to re-read the chapter before to refresh myself.

I did work out early on who had committed the murder but I wanted to know the motive and when it was revealed I felt it just was a bit weak and let down what otherwise could have been a five star rating.

It is a good read, I think that as such a prolific reader I probably am harder to please so go and buy it you won’t be disappointed. A solid 4 stars from me

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Days by Alex Lake

Seven Days by Alex Lake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A race against time to save her child?

In seven days, Maggie's son, Max, turns three. But she's not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She's dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens? she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking?

A compulsive and addictive read from the first to the last page. Told through multiple viewpoints the story of a fifteen year old girl who is abducted while on her way to see a friend. She is imprisoned in a cellar beneath the abductors garage and remains there for 12 years. During this time she is raped and punished and has 3 sons. Each son is taken from her on their 3rd birthday and she never sees them again. Determined this won’t happen to her third son Max, Maggie resolves to get him out of his prison before his third birthday in seven days. In addition to her story we see how her disappearance affects her family and how they slowly fall apart particularly her younger brother James.

Short chapters give this story a pacey and urgent feel and time hopping fills in blanks through the story.

Good strong characters and an urgency to free Max kept this hurtling forward to the end. The ending was just as thrilling with the horrible thought that although it looked like it would be alright you were never completely sure and had to read to the end.

Highly recommended read, full of sadness that made me want to cry for Maggie and Max in parts. Couldn’t fault this one at all, it hits all the right spots - five stars.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt

That's Not My Dinosaur by Fiona Watt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A touchy-feely board book with simple, repetitive text, tactile patches and bold illustrations suitable for babies and toddlers. A little white mouse appears on every page, for children to spot.


My four month old absolutely loves this book. He loves the bright colours on each page and he is beginning to touch all the different textures.

As a parent I love the fact it introduces different adjectives to him and we can feel the texture to match the adjective.

The board book is nice and thick, it won't be long before he is helping me to turn the pages. He loves this book so much that after we have finished we read it again and he is just as interested in it as he was the first time.