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Anna Steele (111 KP) rated Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2) in Books
Jun 25, 2018
I am extremely shook
Neal Shusterman has just reinstated himself as my all-time favorite author. His books have been with me throughout my life. The Unwind dystology, The Skinjacker Trilogy, Bruiser, Challenger Deep, and now the Arc of a Scythe. Each one of these stories has touched me in a deep and unique way. Thunderhead is no exception. Book one of this series: Scythe, received my first 10/10 review on this platform and the sequel was even better. Shusterman provides jaw-dropping twists and turns to his narrative that will leave your head spinning and your blood pumping, (your nanites might even have to lower your adrenaline). The Thunderhead is a compassionate character like no other, who knew you could ever relate so strongly and feel so deeply for an artificial intelligence? It is witty and sly, calculating and benevolent, and can be brought into a fury or plunged into despair by the acts of the immortal humans who created it. I need the continuation of this series and I need it now, the final moments are so intense that I choked on my tears after the last line. This is the most mentally engaging dystopian society novel you will ever read. I hope to come back to Shusterman for more in the coming years.
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Dark Pleasures (Pure/Dark Ones #4) in Books
Jun 28, 2018
Dark Pleasures (Pure/ Dark Ones #4) by Aja James
Dark Pleasures is the fourth book in the Pure/Dark Ones, and we reunite with Sophia as she starts off the story. I have to admit to loving her little synopses, and can't wait for her story to be told in its entirety.
Back to this one, we have Devlin - our gentlemanly hero from a time gone by, plus Grace, who is on the Asperger's Spectrum. You wouldn't think these two would mesh very well, but be prepared to be surprised. Devlin is very smooth, courteous, chivalrous, whilst Grace is brash, almost harsh, in her lack of emotions. Whilst it can be jarring (for Devlin as well as the reader), it makes for excellent reading.
This story was well-written, with a smooth pacing, and plenty of action and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. There is also plenty of information given for the overall story arc, plus other characters who haven't had their turn yet. The world-building is excellent, and I can't wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Back to this one, we have Devlin - our gentlemanly hero from a time gone by, plus Grace, who is on the Asperger's Spectrum. You wouldn't think these two would mesh very well, but be prepared to be surprised. Devlin is very smooth, courteous, chivalrous, whilst Grace is brash, almost harsh, in her lack of emotions. Whilst it can be jarring (for Devlin as well as the reader), it makes for excellent reading.
This story was well-written, with a smooth pacing, and plenty of action and intrigue to keep you turning the pages. There is also plenty of information given for the overall story arc, plus other characters who haven't had their turn yet. The world-building is excellent, and I can't wait to read more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kristin (149 KP) rated True Colors (The Masks, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I was given an ARC e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
True Colors follows Caitlyn "Caity" Davis, a high school senior just trying to make her way through her final year alongside all her friends. Little does must she know that one night out will change her life forever. A mysterious stranger bestows an even stranger gift on her, and she must try and deal with the fallout. Can she find a way to cope with her new-found ability with the help of her cute neighbor, or will it be the end of her friendship and life as she knows it?
This book, like all of Melissa's books, pulled me in right from the start. The story is such a new and different one, and I absolutely loved her way of putting it into words. The characters are all entertaining, and they certainly evoke strong emotions: envy, anger, empathy, sorrow, etc. For Caitlyn, she can see all those emotions rolling across the faces of those around her, and I felt like I would have been an open book to her while reading her story. I cannot wait for the next book to come out, as this plot is so intriguing. And the nod to the "Betwixt" series was a great crossover!!
5 stars (because that's as high as Goodreads will let me go!)
True Colors follows Caitlyn "Caity" Davis, a high school senior just trying to make her way through her final year alongside all her friends. Little does must she know that one night out will change her life forever. A mysterious stranger bestows an even stranger gift on her, and she must try and deal with the fallout. Can she find a way to cope with her new-found ability with the help of her cute neighbor, or will it be the end of her friendship and life as she knows it?
This book, like all of Melissa's books, pulled me in right from the start. The story is such a new and different one, and I absolutely loved her way of putting it into words. The characters are all entertaining, and they certainly evoke strong emotions: envy, anger, empathy, sorrow, etc. For Caitlyn, she can see all those emotions rolling across the faces of those around her, and I felt like I would have been an open book to her while reading her story. I cannot wait for the next book to come out, as this plot is so intriguing. And the nod to the "Betwixt" series was a great crossover!!
5 stars (because that's as high as Goodreads will let me go!)
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Haunted: Horror of Haverfordwest in Books
Dec 7, 2018
creepy, scary haunted house
Blissful beginnings for a young couple turn into a nightmare after purchasing their dream home in Wales in 1989. Their love and their resolve are torn apart by an indescribable entity that pushes paranormal activity to the limit. Haunted: Horror of Haverfordwest is the prequel to the bestselling A Most Haunted House. Dare you step inside...
Whether you are a believer in the paranormal or not you shall enjoy reading this book. This is a very well written story and it is based around the authors’ own experience he had living in a haunted house in Wales. The writer had over 20 years’ worth of evidence. There are incidents and events that still linger long after you finish reading that will keep you thinking long into the night.
This book for me is just brilliant and I love the paranormal as I grew up in a haunted house and have my own experiences as well. This book just grabs you and doesn’t let go. The atmosphere of the book is not for the faint hearted and easily scared but if you are be sure to read with all the lights on. You simply cannot go wrong if what you're looking for is an intense and spooky story.
Many thanks to John Hunt Publishing and Net Galley for an ARC.
Whether you are a believer in the paranormal or not you shall enjoy reading this book. This is a very well written story and it is based around the authors’ own experience he had living in a haunted house in Wales. The writer had over 20 years’ worth of evidence. There are incidents and events that still linger long after you finish reading that will keep you thinking long into the night.
This book for me is just brilliant and I love the paranormal as I grew up in a haunted house and have my own experiences as well. This book just grabs you and doesn’t let go. The atmosphere of the book is not for the faint hearted and easily scared but if you are be sure to read with all the lights on. You simply cannot go wrong if what you're looking for is an intense and spooky story.
Many thanks to John Hunt Publishing and Net Galley for an ARC.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Love my home: 99 clutter-free tips in only 10 minutes a day in Books
Dec 9, 2018
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review and I wanted to learn new decluttering tips. Unfortunately, I didn’t. This book felt like a school assignment with a minimum number of words required. Words, phrases, and ideas were frequently repeated. For example, in “Chapter 8: Single guy’s tips”, “as a single guy” is in half of the tips. Some of the chapters’ last paragraphs say how the tips discussed in the chapter were handy decluttering tips. The goal of the book is to declutter so it isn’t necessary to say it.
Tip #45, discusses demarcating the boundaries. Demarcate means to set the boundaries so the phrase is redundant. The word doesn’t fit with the rest of the vocabulary used.
Some of the language felt as if it was written by a person who does not live in the United States. We say bunk beds, not bunker beds. We write Tip #23, not #Tip 23. The term “netflix and chill” is often used as a euphemism for some form of sex in the US.
The book needs more editing. It’s an ARC book, but the cover states “only 10 minutes a day”, the inside title page states “20 minutes”.
This is a fast read but I could not recommend it.
Tip #45, discusses demarcating the boundaries. Demarcate means to set the boundaries so the phrase is redundant. The word doesn’t fit with the rest of the vocabulary used.
Some of the language felt as if it was written by a person who does not live in the United States. We say bunk beds, not bunker beds. We write Tip #23, not #Tip 23. The term “netflix and chill” is often used as a euphemism for some form of sex in the US.
The book needs more editing. It’s an ARC book, but the cover states “only 10 minutes a day”, the inside title page states “20 minutes”.
This is a fast read but I could not recommend it.
Roxanne (13 KP) rated Grandma's Poetry Book in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this was a wonderful collection of poetry written by a Grandmother for her family and for all the doting grandmommas out there. I requested this in order to see things from my own mother's point of view as she herself is a new nanna. The words were so heartfelt and I enjoyed the journey surrounded by gorgeous grandaughters and grandsons who the author loves very much.
The book is described as an emotional journey from beginning to end...this it did well but one of my two gripes was that in my personal opinion the poems could have been placed in a better order than they were. Just the odd two thats all, which would of made it flow a lot better. My second and last gripe was that I felt some of the words were only chosen for the sake of making the poems rhyme even if it didn't make a lot of sense. This gripe wasn't prominent enough for me to give this collection any less than 4 stars as I enjoyed it very much.
I did have a favourite which turned my face into this...
<img src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/256/7/7/manga_moods__tearful_by_whitesakura59-d2yof2x.jpg"; width="180" height="160"/>
...so emotional.
I thought this was a wonderful collection of poetry written by a Grandmother for her family and for all the doting grandmommas out there. I requested this in order to see things from my own mother's point of view as she herself is a new nanna. The words were so heartfelt and I enjoyed the journey surrounded by gorgeous grandaughters and grandsons who the author loves very much.
The book is described as an emotional journey from beginning to end...this it did well but one of my two gripes was that in my personal opinion the poems could have been placed in a better order than they were. Just the odd two thats all, which would of made it flow a lot better. My second and last gripe was that I felt some of the words were only chosen for the sake of making the poems rhyme even if it didn't make a lot of sense. This gripe wasn't prominent enough for me to give this collection any less than 4 stars as I enjoyed it very much.
I did have a favourite which turned my face into this...
<img src="http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/256/7/7/manga_moods__tearful_by_whitesakura59-d2yof2x.jpg"; width="180" height="160"/>
...so emotional.
Cori June (3033 KP) rated The Wolf and the Rain in Books
Dec 3, 2018
Voluntary honest review after receiving a free ARC.
An excellent book and fun read, if a bit of a bumpy beginning. It takes a little time to get into it.
After a collapse of civilization due to climate change. The North and South of a country has split into opposites. Divided by a heavily militarized border. The North is chaos and almost anarchy where the only authority are the elite compounds or the gangs there are many ways to die in the harsh living conditions. The people are ruled by superstition and fear. Most of the citizens are illiterate and disease is rampant, even if you go to a "stitcher" it is just as risky or riskier as doing nothing. In the South there is order and an almost totalitarian society where the government uses science and logic asking for complete obedience in return. And that you fill out a form for almost everything, even when choosing a sexual partner.
Samarra (Sam) is the main character. She has made a new home in the North after escaping from the South. She has a job as a carrier to one of the compounds that inhabit the North. Felling guilty about taking the place of a former teammate and daughter of a friend. She becomes obsessed with trying to find out what happened to the missing (possibly dead) girl.
An excellent book and fun read, if a bit of a bumpy beginning. It takes a little time to get into it.
After a collapse of civilization due to climate change. The North and South of a country has split into opposites. Divided by a heavily militarized border. The North is chaos and almost anarchy where the only authority are the elite compounds or the gangs there are many ways to die in the harsh living conditions. The people are ruled by superstition and fear. Most of the citizens are illiterate and disease is rampant, even if you go to a "stitcher" it is just as risky or riskier as doing nothing. In the South there is order and an almost totalitarian society where the government uses science and logic asking for complete obedience in return. And that you fill out a form for almost everything, even when choosing a sexual partner.
Samarra (Sam) is the main character. She has made a new home in the North after escaping from the South. She has a job as a carrier to one of the compounds that inhabit the North. Felling guilty about taking the place of a former teammate and daughter of a friend. She becomes obsessed with trying to find out what happened to the missing (possibly dead) girl.
David McK (3425 KP) rated Rebellion (Matthew Hawkwood, #4) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The fourth book in James McGee's Matthew Hawkwood series of books, and over the course of the last two (in particular), the eponymous Bow Street Runner is getting further and further away from his usual haunts!
In this installment, Hawkwood actually spends the vast majority of it in the heart of Imperial France: in Paris itself, while Napoleon is away on his ill-fated Russian campaign. Again taking real historical facts as its basis, this novel concerns itself primarily with a conspiracy attempt to over-throw the regime: an event which, obviously, did not succeed.
If I'm honest, and to draw an anology between these books and the Star Wars films (which might seem strange, but bear with me!), the first couple of books in the series are like the original couple of films: full of danger, action and excitement. This one, unfortunately, is more like Episode I: seeming to be setting itself up for a broader story arc, and more concerned with politics than with action and excitement.
Worth a read? Yes, but if this was my introduction to the series as a whole - which can, by and large, be read independently as they only occassionally refer to earlier events - I wouldn't be going out of my way to look for any others in thes series, unlike if I had read any of the others first.
In this installment, Hawkwood actually spends the vast majority of it in the heart of Imperial France: in Paris itself, while Napoleon is away on his ill-fated Russian campaign. Again taking real historical facts as its basis, this novel concerns itself primarily with a conspiracy attempt to over-throw the regime: an event which, obviously, did not succeed.
If I'm honest, and to draw an anology between these books and the Star Wars films (which might seem strange, but bear with me!), the first couple of books in the series are like the original couple of films: full of danger, action and excitement. This one, unfortunately, is more like Episode I: seeming to be setting itself up for a broader story arc, and more concerned with politics than with action and excitement.
Worth a read? Yes, but if this was my introduction to the series as a whole - which can, by and large, be read independently as they only occassionally refer to earlier events - I wouldn't be going out of my way to look for any others in thes series, unlike if I had read any of the others first.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Good Girl, Bad Girl in Books
Jul 16, 2019
Introducing some thrilling charachters....
Oh I need this to be a series or at least a trilogy; I need more Evie Cormac!!! The characters in this book are great, if you missed my subtle hint I love Evie. As a young girl Evie is found alone and in a terrible condition, with nothing known of her past. She is kept in care where her path eventually crosses our other main protagonist the psychologist Cyrus Haven. Cyrus also has a dark past and the mystery surrounding their histories is really gripping.
Evie has a Girl with the Dragon Tattoo feel to her, and like Lisbeth in the Stieg Larsson books, Evie has a special talent in this case the ability to know when people are lying. A thoroughly broken but endearing character, I really wanted to see Evie succeed despite herself, and she loves dogs which is always going to get me on side.
The main story itself wasn’t nearly as interesting as the characters. The death of school girl and star figure skater Jodie is a fairly straightforward mystery without much in the way of surprises. However taking the journey with Evie and Cyrus is well worth picking this book up for.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Evie has a Girl with the Dragon Tattoo feel to her, and like Lisbeth in the Stieg Larsson books, Evie has a special talent in this case the ability to know when people are lying. A thoroughly broken but endearing character, I really wanted to see Evie succeed despite herself, and she loves dogs which is always going to get me on side.
The main story itself wasn’t nearly as interesting as the characters. The death of school girl and star figure skater Jodie is a fairly straightforward mystery without much in the way of surprises. However taking the journey with Evie and Cyrus is well worth picking this book up for.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
TN
The Ninety-Five Theses and Other Writings
Martin Luther and William Russell
Book
For the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, a new translation of Martin Luther's most famous works...