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David McK (3695 KP) rated The Chessmen of Mars (Barsoom #5) in Books

Jan 30, 2019

The fifth of Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom series of books, this is a return to form after the somewhat disappointing Thuvia, Maid of Mars

I think a large part of the reason for that is because (I have heard) that previous installment was written in installments, which shows throughout the story. I don't know if this one was or not, but it does seem to 'flow' better.

Like Thuvia, neither John Carter himself nor his son Carthoris are the central characters: rather, it is his daughter Tara who is one of the key characters. like the very first book(s), this is book-ended as Edgar Rice Burrough's recounting the tale told to him by John Carter, who only has a minor role in this story, both at the beginning and end.

There's no denying that it does follow the same plot arc as many of the previous books which, one could argue, might show a lack of imagination. However, if it's not broke, don't fix it!

Kudos

Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Foul Is Fair in Books

Nov 26, 2019 (Updated Nov 26, 2019)

Foul Is Fair

Hannah Capin | 2020 | Contemporary, Young Adult (YA)

9.0

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

Sweet Revenge Tale for the Modern Era

Loved how this book didn’t mess about and just got into the action. Straight off the bat, it gave me a whole Cruel Intentions vibe and added a touch of The Craft for good measure - all teen girl kick ass. In a world that gave us the Brock Turner farse, we deserve this over the top revenge book.

When a group of prep boys choose the wrong girl to target at a party we are taken along for an all-consuming journey of revenge and it’s a delightfully dark ride. For such a disturbing tale it’s beautifully written. I don’t tend to like things with any sort of retelling of Shakespeare hints Macbeth in this case) or girly teen YA but this is in its own league of powerful storytelling that sets it apart. I had a strong feeling of where it was going but I wouldn’t have missed the ride for anything.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kudos

Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Wives in Books

Mar 16, 2020

The Wives

Tarryn Fisher | 2020 | Thriller

6.6

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

What started off as a promising well-written story with a lot of promise of intrigue and mystery as we learn who the "other Wives" are. Unfortunately, it lost me completely at the halfway mark and turned into something that looked like it had been picked up by a totally different author who decided to just go wild.

Our protagonist is in an agreed polygamist relationship with Seth and two other women all of whom know of the other's existence but not who they are. Seth splits his time between the 3 and all seems happy in her world until she decides to look into who the other women are. This is the part of the book that worked for me and it sounds crazy enough so trust me when I say it then goes off the hinges but not in an enjoyable way.

I slogged through until the even less satisfying end - sorry not for me.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC.