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Liz Robinson - Editorial Expert
LoveReading reviewer since 2014 and former judge of the CWA Gold Dagger
Liz has been an Editorial Expert writing reviews for LoveReading since 2014. Reading has always played a huge part in her life and she happily describes herself as a fully fledged bookworm. By day she works for a charity, and at every other free moment devours books of all genres. She video interviews authors for LoveReading and has previously judged the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Gold Dagger and Crime Fiction in Translation Awards, the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award, the Chiddingstone Castle Literary Festival Short Story Competition, and the LoveReading Very Short Story Award. It’s simply all about sharing the book love!
Hitting with hammer-hard precision, Hope House mines emotions and sets them free. Set in 1980’s Kentucky, 14 year-old AWOL tells the story of a group of teenage boys labelled as delinquents, who have been sentenced to reside in an institution named Hope House.
Debut author Joe Bond writes with a frank openness, there is a brutal beauty to this novel, and I almost felt rather than read the words on the page. There is a simplicity on display that highlights the pain, bravado, and anger as these boys come of age along with themes of identity and belonging.
The impact ... View Full Review
The final book in the award-winning Three-Body Trilogy ends with a heart-thumping punch, this is an immensely epic read as it covers centuries, planets, and science that feels believable yet awe-inspiring. Author Cixin Liu is a particular favourite of mine, he consistently wows me with his creativity and thought process, from short story collection Hold up the Sky and satirical fable Of Ants and Dinosaurs through to The Three Body Trilogy, which began with The Three-Body Problem. Translator Ken Liu is also an award winning author (loved All That We See or Seem) and he ensures the translation really sings, ... View Full Review
There is a beautiful heartfelt balance to this epic fantasy story, while full of adventure, war, and fae creatures, author John Gwynne builds a powerful family dynamic which remains at the core. This is the first in The Wolfheart Chronicles and I can happily announce that I am as hooked as a hooked thing can be. Three main threads twist through the pages, and while I will admit to being more invested in Halia’s, the other two are a good foil and important to the wider storyline. The main protagonists of each thread are Halia a disabled young ... View Full Review
While billed as a psychological thriller, this slips into the genres of mystery and family drama and twists the story around a missing child. 18 years after Tippi goes missing as a 3-year old, a young woman claims to be her and a family already torn, is ripped further apart. Louise Candlish takes an incredibly sensitive subject and treats it with empathy and consideration. There are elements of the story that link in with the McCann case which is mentioned but not sensationalised or taken advantage of. This is very much its own tale, and while there are moments where we ... View Full Review
I have fallen head over heels for this gorgeous retelling of the tale of Tristan and Isolde. Medieval legend tells a story of Cornwall and Ireland, a love potion, a love affair, betrayal and tragedy. Author Phoenicia Rogerson takes what is known and twists it into the most beautifully crafted, beguiling and witty story. A decidedly modern edge takes hold and remains in place. While this is a tale of magic and mayhem, the voice is contemporary which somehow adds even more of an otherworldly feel. There is an energy which flows across the pages as the tale weaves between ... View Full Review
A beautiful and fascinating bestiary detailing 42 tales of evolution and wonder. Featuring animals, plants, fungi, and protists, the information within feels accessible, even if at times my mind was thoroughly stretched and even blown.
Author Richard Dawkins writes with an openness that encourages thought, his knowledge and enthusiasm spread from the page. While talking about the evolution of walking and running gaits, he explains in a precise yet incredibly visual way: “in the evolution of kangaroos the equivalent thing happened to the mammalian gallop. If the ostrich gait is what you get when you take the lizard gait and ... View Full Review
Born centuries apart, a love divided sits at the heart of this debut historical fantasy. In 1866 in London as Kit Finchley attempts to master magic, he stumbles across Wilfrith in the Veil, who along with 14 others have remained trapped for 800 years by the Faerie Queen.
Magic is dark and dangerous to those few who can wield it, and as Kit struggles to free Wil, the magic in turn begins to master him. If you are looking for a sweet romance and gentle fairies please note you won’t find that here. Although billed as a romance, and while a ... View Full Review
A dark almost gothic side of Cambridge emerges through the fog just after the First World War, as widow Della finds an unforgiving world and increasingly turns to very petty theft and her herby sweet tonic for female disorders. Author AM Howell has created a wonderfully unreliable narrator in Della. A number of strange almost otherworldly events start to haunt her and as she tells her story she begins to doubt herself. The house feels as though it is alive, and I wasn’t sure if a protective or destructive aura hovered within the walls. I adored Rabbit the ... View Full Review
Eternal Life has never looked so stark and unnerving. This debut novel spans a number of genres, from speculative fiction through to family drama, and it hits hard. There are two definite sides to this tale, the very human one of thoughts, feelings, and relationships, and then the future world of regenerative medicine. Author Matthew Aldrich is an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter, the descriptive detailing shows his ability to paint a picture with words. At the beginning a deliberate distance is maintained as the future unfolds. I was able to picture 2070 so very clearly and it was almost painful in its ... View Full Review
Darkly gothic yet empathetic and considered, this historical debut takes a young woman who feels the pain of her bones growing almost daily, and places her in an atmospheric Victorian London with people who set out to use and abuse her. Author Fiona Goggin writes with a perceptive and compassionate pen. She not only has the ability to bring the time period to vibrant bustling life, she also adds humanity to all of the characters, even those who feel like the villains of the piece. The characters from the Pre-Raphaelites and Freak Show, so different yet similar, add an edge ... View Full Review
I always welcome a Sarah Morgan Christmas treat, I know I can rely on an oh-so absorbing story, fascinating characters, and oodles of festive charm. Widow Mabel and her cats are ready for the winter storm about to hit Vermont on the east coast of the United States, but she doesn’t expect Brooke, her husband Matt and their two children, or work colleagues Izzy and Jason to ask for shelter as the snow and winds blast her beautiful but isolated home. This multi-generational story works really well, from the children through to the older Mabel, the different perspectives ... View Full Review
With high energy and a fabulously devious plot, MI6’s Q returns, this time assisting the police investigate the killing of a tech millionaire. Forming part of the Q Mysteries, the debut in the series Quantum of Menace was a LoveReading Star Book and beautifully set Q up as a main character in his own right. The Man with the Golden Compass really seals the deal, taking a side step away from cosy it confirms Q as one of the most ingenious amateur detectives on the block. Vaseem Khan is one of my favourite authors, and I can highly ... View Full Review
