Release date: October 10 2023
Publisher: Orbit Books
Pages: 320
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: I received an E-ARC via Netgalley
Rating: 3/5 stars
Synopsis
Seven strangers. One mission. Infinite horror.
A man awakes on a boat at sea with no memory of who or where he is. He’s not alone – there are six others, each with a unique set of skills. None of them can remember their names. All of them possess a gun.
When a message appears on the onboard computer – Proceeding to Point A – the group agrees to work together to survive whatever is coming.
But as the boat moves through the mist-shrouded waters, divisions begin to form. Who is directing them and to what purpose? Why can’t they remember anything?
And what are the screams they can hear beyond the mist?
Review
Anthony Ryan is an author I have had on my TBR for the longest time, so when I heard about this standalone thriller I decided to pick this one up immediately. The story follows a man who wakes up on a boat in the middle of the ocean with no memory of who he is. There are six others there with him all with no memories. When the group receives a mysterious message and is sent on a mission together, they have to use all their unique skills in order to find a way to survive.
Red River Seven is an incredibly fast paced, action packed read. It’s exactly the kind of book I could see being made into a blockbuster movie. It’s a quick read and one that will have the reader on the edge of their seat. Ryan does a brilliant job of creating tension and atmosphere. The story is full to the brim of mystery and there are a few twists the reader absolutely won’t see coming. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion and I really liked the mixture of thriller and horror elements.
There are seven characters aboard the boat and I do wish the story had been a little longer just so we got the opportunity to get to know them a little better and see their personalities develop. I did find sometimes I was unsure which character was which and this pulled me out of the story a little. Ryan did a terrific job of creating the diseased which really leaped off the page. Overall this was an enjoyable read and it has definitely made me keen to pick up more books from Anthony Ryan in the future. If you’re looking for a fast paced read with an intriguing premise, Red River Seven should definitely be your next read.
I really enjoyed Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen so I was really intrigued to return to this world and these characters. The story follows Sorinda, the Queen’s assassin, who is sent on a rescue mission to find a missing ship. Queen Alosa has handpicked the crew that will accompany Sorinda, including sailing master Kearan. Sorinda finds him insufferable, but she will have to put up with him nonetheless. When the crew travel into uncharted waters they find something much darker than they expected and their rescue mission becomes a fight for survival, but will they all make it out alive?
Justin Lee Anderson’s The Lost War is a fast-paced, action-packed start to a new fantasy series. The story follows Aranok, the King’s Envoy. While the war might be over and peace might be settling over the Eidyn, the problems are just beginning. There’s a plague spreading across the land, mercenaries attack anyone in their path and demons continue to ravage the farmlands and destroy food supplies. When Aranok is tasked by the King to go and find an exiled foreign queen and return her to her throne, he has no choice but to start out on this dangerous quest alongside a group of allies. As the group travels further across the land they come across a new threat and a conspiracy darker than they could have imagined.
T. Kingfisher’s newest release sees us back following Alex Easton as they travel to their old family hunting lodge in Gallacia. When they arrive they find the house abandoned and the caretaker nowhere to be found. The caretaker has passed away and no one in the village will set foot on the grounds or tell them what really happened to him. As their friend Miss Potter arrives, strange things begin happening in the house and Easton begins to have disturbing dreams, will they be able to uncover what lurks in the remote hunting lodge, and will they be able to stop it from claiming another victim?
Ally Wilkes’s All the White Spaces was one of my favourite reads of 2022 so Where the Dead Wait was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. The story follows William Day who is haunted by a failed expedition to the Arctic. Hailed in the papers as a cannibal and murderer, his reputation has never recovered. Thirteen years since the failed expedition, Day’s second in command Jesse Stevens has gone missing on another voyage in the Arctic. Day sees his chance to restore his reputation but will he be able to face the ghosts of his past?
Once a Monster follows the story of mudlarker Nell – an orphan with dreams of becoming a dancer. When Nell discovers a body on the shore she finds it is not what she expected – seven feet tall with horns. The other mudlarkers tell Nell to steal his belongings but as Nell gets closer she realises the body isn’t a corpse and they are much more than they seem.
I heard Laura Lam talk about Dragonfall at Cymera Festival and immediately knew I had to read it. The story follows Arcady, a thief who dreams of a life studying at the University as one of the drakine. To succeed in this goal Arcady steals a seal from the bones of the Plaguebringer – the most hated person in Lumet history. When Arcady casts a spell that drags Everen – the last male dragon – through the Veil, he is told he must convince Arcady to trust him and then kill her in order to bring dragons back to Lumet. Who will succeed and at what cost?
Tori Bovalino’s newest release follows Leah, a young girl who spends much of her time looking after her baby brother Owen. In their small town there is legend about the Lord of the Wood, who steals away babies. One night Leah offers her brother to the Lord, not believing anything will happen – until he disappears. Leah is forced by her town to cross the river into the forest to bring her brother back. What she finds isn’t what she expected and the secrets she uncovers will have her questioning everything she thought she knew about the people of her town.
David Wragg’s The Hunters is a fast paced and addictive story that follows Ree and her twelve year old niece Javani. After many years moving from place to place, they have settled on a farm in a mining community in the middle of nowhere. When a group of killers comes to the town looking for a young girl and an older woman, Ree and Javani are forced to flee across the desert and mountains. A deadly chase occurs, but will Ree be able to keep them both alive and keep her secrets intact?
Empress of All Seasons is a fast paced YA fantasy tale that follows Mari, a young yōkai who has been trained all her life to take part in a deadly competition to choose the next Empress of Honoku. To succeed she must survive all the rooms, however, yōkai are forbidden from entering and so she must hide who she truly is. If she succeeds she can steal the Emperor’s fortune and return to her village a hero. Meanwhile Prince Taro wants nothing to do with the competition that will choose who his wife will be, instead preferring to spend time with his mechanical creations. When he has a chance encounter with Mari things begin to change and Taro begins to fight for what he believes in.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 