The Bookish Island: M.J. Tjia

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7/10/2018

Top Ten Tuesday #7 | Best Reads of 2018 (So Far!)

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

July 10:
Best Reads of 2018 (So Far!)

I wanted to do something like this on Instagram and on here as an official post but since most of the boos I read are either books I got through Netgalley or books I borrowed from my friends but had to give them back I couldn't take a good photo with all of the books together. But I'm glad I could do it in this Top Ten format so -yay!

This time it ended up being a Top Eleven Tuesday.

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I finally got my hands on and read The Ghost and the Goth which I've wanted to read since 2015. And I wasn't disappointed. And Killer Instinct was crazy good.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Killer Instinct by S.E. Green

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I finally read books by Becky Albertalli and I was glad I did. These two did not fail me at all.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

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And We Stay is so far my favorite of the YA of the year but Shug is up there too.

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Shug by Jenny Han

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This year I have read more Mystery/Thrillers. Ones I've read thanks to Nobrow and the others I have accumulated since last year.

Tagged for Death by Sherry Harris

She Be Damned by M.J. Tjia

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Nobrow bestowed upon me these two beautiful books and as all the previous ones, I have fallen in love again. This time with these two different but beautiful books

Out, Out, Away From Here by Rachel Woodworth & Sang Miao

The Secret of the Black Rock by Joe Todd-Stanton

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This year I've already read more Adult Romance novels. My favorites being these two below.

The Knocked Up Plan by Lauren Blakely

Dear Bridget, I Want You by Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland

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7/01/2018

She Be Damned by M. J. Tjia | Book Review #111

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
She Be Damned by M. J. Tjia

Are there spoilers?

No.

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Disclaimer:This book was sent to me from the publishing company through NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Title: She Be Damned

Author: M. J. Tjia

Series: Heloise Chansey Mysteries #1

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Pages: 288

Publisher: Legend Times Group

Published: 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction

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Date Read: June 28, 2018

Rating: ★★★★★

London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim.
The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate.
With the assistance of her trusty Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise must reconsider who she can trust, before the killer strikes again.
Tjia brings us a pacey and exciting murder mystery set in Victorian London. This historical crime thriller sees a young female detective work with the police to evade a violent killer.

The Rating:

My Review:

I managed to read this book in one day. And I can say it really took me for a ride.

This book contains a series of very dark and adult themes. Like mutilation and the such (I'm not going to say more since I don't want to spoil it) and racism and sexism. Mostly because it was set in 1863's London.

It opened up with a strong prologue. Immediately telling you what to expect for the rest of the book.

The murders that occurred in this book reminded me of Jack the Ripper.

I have to admit that the mystery was fantastic, gruesome, but good. I didn't know who the suspect was at all.

Heloise is such an interesting character in my opinion. I don't think I've read any other character like her.
She doesn't take no shit from no one. And isn't afraid to use her skills to her advantage.

I was reminded of Phryne from Miss Fisher's Murder Mystery with this book. Not that I have read the books so I don't know if they are similar to the show but Phryne from the show is similar to Heloise.
Not only are Heloise and Phryne similarly strong, independent women who just happen to surround themselves with people who are willing to protect and care deeply for them. They both wanted to escape the evils of their pasts and achieve the slightest slivers of happiness and peace wherever they could find it.