Dzikuska reads

  Title: Stolen children Author: Michael Wood My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Some cases won’t die. A young boy walks into a police station in France. He claims to be Carl Meagan – a missing child from Sheffield whose name is still whispered as a warning to kids who stay out after dark.   Some children won’t be found. On her way home from the supermarket, nine-year-old Keeley Armitage vanishes without trace. Her family is overcome with shock and DCI Matilda Darke can’t help but focus on memories of the Carl Meagan case that almost ruined her career.   Some killers won’t be stopped. As Matilda investigates, she peels back the layers of grief and sadness that surround Keeley’s family. Until she is left with an unimaginable choice: betray those closest to her or let a violent killer walk free… My opinion: One child is found, one child is missing. Keeley disappears on her way from the supermarket. Soon the kidnapper calls demanding a ransom. Girl's family is shaken with grief a...

  Title: The choice Author: Alex Lake My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: A kidnap… Matt Westbrook only turned his back for a moment. But when he looks around, his car – with his three young children inside – has vanished. A ransom… Panicked, Matt assumes a car thief has got more than he bargained for, but then he starts to receive text messages:  This is a kidnap. If you want to see your children again, you will exchange them for your wife. A choice… Matt and his wife Annabelle are horrified. They can’t involve the police, or their children will be killed. Which means they have to choose: Annabelle, or their children. Either option is unthinkable. But one is inevitable. And they have only hours to make their decision… My opinion: A car disappears with three young children inside. At first Matt thinks he's being pranked by one of his friends. Then he gets a text message from the kidnapper asking for a ransom. Surprisingly they don't demand money but Anabelle, Matt's w...

  Title: Mother loves me Author: Abby Davies My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: The creepiest debut thriller you will read this year! One little girl. Mirabelle’s mother loves her. She’s her ‘little doll’. Mother dresses her, paints her face, and plaits her hair. But as Mirabelle grows, the dresses no longer fit quite as well, the face paint no longer looks quite so pretty. And Mother isn’t happy. Two little girls. On Mirabelle’s 13th birthday, Mother arrives home with a present – a new sister, 5-year-old Clarabelle, who Mother has rescued from the outside world. But Mother only needs one. As it dawns on Mirabelle that there is a new ‘little doll’ in her house, she also realizes that her life isn’t what she thought it was. And that dolls often end up on the scrap heap… My opinion: “Mother loves me” is often described as the creepiest debut and guess what? It's as creepy as it gets. Mirabelle mother loves her. Paints her face, dresses her in pretty dresses, make sure she looks fl...

  Title: Confessions on 7:45 Author: Lisa Unger My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: Be careful to whom you tell your darkest secrets… Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she’s been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena’s station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again. But days later, Selena’s nanny disappears. My opinion: Would you tell the person you just met on the train your darkest secrets? Selena did. She confessed to the stranger that she suspects her husband sleeping with a nanny. Then the nanny goes missing. This is just the beginning of the twisted story. The spiral of secrets have started. Wow! What a bo...

  Tytuł: Horyzont Autor: Jakub Małecki Moja ocena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Opis książki: Czasami prawda rozciąga się daleko za horyzont. Jałowe lata bez wschodów i zachodów słońca. Wspomnienia jak burza piaskowa, jak skrzypienie desek w starym domu. Smugi przeszłości płytko pod skórą. Gry komputerowe i bułgarski rap. Maniek i Zuza mieszkają po sąsiedzku na warszawskim Mokotowie. On, były saper, próbuje spisać wspomnienia z misji w Afganistanie, mając nadzieję wreszcie stamtąd wrócić. Ona, dziecko pokolenia Y, uczy się żyć na własny rachunek i mimowolnie zatraca się w rodzinnej tajemnicy. Choć z pozoru nic ich nie łączy, ciążą ku sobie, niezdolni i niechętni do pielęgnowania więzi z otoczeniem. Nowa książka Jakuba Małeckiego to zaskakująca opowieść o tęsknocie, przyjaźni i odwadze. O konfrontacji z zadrą – własną i cudzą. O próbach znalezienia właściwej wersji siebie Moja opinia: Były saper, który nie może się odnaleźć po powrocie do Polski z Afganistanu i młoda dziewczyna zaczyna...

  Title: Taken Author: Lisa Stone My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Description: A gripping new thriller from internationally bestselling author Lisa Stone Have you seen Leila? 8-year-old Leila Smith has seen and heard things that no child should ever have to. On the Hawthorn Estate, where she lives, she often stays out after dark to avoid going home. But what Leila doesn’t know is that someone has been watching her in the playground. One day, she disappears without a trace… The police start a nationwide search but it’s as if Leila has vanished into thin air. Who kidnapped her? What do they want? Will she return home safely or is she lost forever? My opinion: Leila is an 8 years old girl who's being neglected by her alcoholic and drug addict mother Kelsey. Her 4 siblings live with foster families, yet mother doesn't bother to take proper care of her remaining child. The only thing she cares about is her addiction. To fuel her habits she works as a prostitute and entertain her clients at h...

Title: Homecoming Author: Luan Goldie My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ Description: For years  Yvonne  has tried to keep her demons buried and focus on moving forward. But her guilt is always with her and weighs heavily on her heart. Kiama  has had to grow up without a mother, and while there is so much he remembers about her, there is still plenty he doesn't know. And there's only one person who can fill in the gaps. Lewis  wants nothing more than to keep Kiama, his son, safe, but the thought of Kiama dredging up the past worries Lewis deeply. And Lewis doesn’t know if he’s ready to let the only woman he's ever loved back into his life. When Kiama seeks Yvonne out and asks her to come with him to Kenya, the place that holds the answers to his questions, she knows she can't refuse. And this one act sets in motion an unravelling of the past that no one is ready for. Moving between London and Kenya, and spanning almost two decades,  Homecoming  is a profound and moving story...

Title: The life we almost had Author: Amelia Henley My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: This is not a typical love story, but it’s our love story. Anna wasn’t looking for love when Adam swept her off her feet but there was no denying their connection, and she believed they would be together forever. Years later, cracks have appeared in their relationship. Anna is questioning whether their love can really be eternal when a cruel twist of fate delivers a crushing blow, and Anna and Adam are completely lost to one another. Now, Anna needs Adam more than ever, but the way back to him has life-changing consequences. Is a second chance at first love really worth the sacrifice? Anna needs to decide and time is running out… My opinion: Not typical love story, that's for sure. When I found out who Amelia Henley is I knew it's going to be an extraordinary story. The beginning is very predictable, heartbroken Anna falls in love with a handsome man who saves her fro...

Tytuł: Dżozef Autor: Jakub Małecki Moja ocena: Opis książki: Dresiarz Grzegorz, biznesmen Kurz, stary Maruda i ten Czwarty. Doborowe towarzystwo w jednej sali szpitalnej. Ich historia byłaby jednak zupełnie inna, gdyby nie włączył się w nią jeszcze ktoś: Joseph Conrad. Jego obecność zmienia tutaj wszystko. Grzesiek Bednar zostaje napadnięty na warszawskiej Pradze i trafia do szpitala ze złamanym nosem. Tu poznaje trzech mężczyzn, z którymi wyruszy do swoistego jądra ciemności: pięćdziesięcioletniego biznesmena, wiecznego malkontenta oraz Czwartego – wielbiciela prozy Josepha Conrada. To właśnie ten czwarty, Stanisław Baryłczak, stanie się przyczyną kłopotów. Majacząc, skłania Grzegorza do spisania swojej „ostatniej powieści”. Opowiada o małym Stasiu powołującym do życia kozła z drewna, który staje się jego towarzyszem i przekleństwem. Opowieść Czwartego z każdym dniem jest bardziej mroczna, a przestrzeń, w której przebywają mężczyźni, zaczyna się kurczyć. Sale znika...

Title: The death of Vivek Oji Author: Akwaeke Emezi My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Description: One afternoon, in a town in southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son’s body, wrapped in colorful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men.  (from goodreads.com) My opinion: “ The death of Vivek Oji” is a bitter-sweet story of a young man who's trying to find out who he really is. Vivek wants to understand his sexuality, he's struggling with a gender identity. He's overwhelmed by his emot...