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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Good Samaritans [Audiobook] in Books
May 14, 2023
![Good Samaritans [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/8d3/35178302-459f-4b44-a863-84f356c318d3.jpg?m=1684075253)
Oh my word ... what a book ... absolutely brilliant and the best audiobook I have listened to this year so far and, I think, it will take something remarkable to beat it!
This is a very dark, disturbing and extremely gripping story that will draw you in, shake you around and spit you out the other side and all the while you're thinking, what the heck and why am I enjoying this so much?!?
It's all kinds of wrong but so right and deliciously wicked and addictive.
I'm not even going to go into the story - you'll just have to buy it - but what I will say is that the characters are scarily normal which makes them ultra creepy, the story is riveting and there's some great twists that I didn't see coming and the build up of tension is palpable.
There are graphic descriptions of murder, a lot about suicide, mental health and a number of sex scenes (maybe too many if I'm honest and this is my only negative) so if any of these are triggers for you, I would steer clear.
Would I have enjoyed it as much had I read the physical book? I'm not sure if I'm honest because the narrator made all the difference and was absolutely perfect and brilliant. I fell in love with his voice from the beginning ... it was so contradictory to the content of what he was reading that it made the story all the more creepy and disturbing.
I haven't read or listened to any of Will Carver's work before and after listening to Good Samaritans, I won't make that mistake again and I must thank Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Good Samaritans and introducing me to another excellent author.
This is a very dark, disturbing and extremely gripping story that will draw you in, shake you around and spit you out the other side and all the while you're thinking, what the heck and why am I enjoying this so much?!?
It's all kinds of wrong but so right and deliciously wicked and addictive.
I'm not even going to go into the story - you'll just have to buy it - but what I will say is that the characters are scarily normal which makes them ultra creepy, the story is riveting and there's some great twists that I didn't see coming and the build up of tension is palpable.
There are graphic descriptions of murder, a lot about suicide, mental health and a number of sex scenes (maybe too many if I'm honest and this is my only negative) so if any of these are triggers for you, I would steer clear.
Would I have enjoyed it as much had I read the physical book? I'm not sure if I'm honest because the narrator made all the difference and was absolutely perfect and brilliant. I fell in love with his voice from the beginning ... it was so contradictory to the content of what he was reading that it made the story all the more creepy and disturbing.
I haven't read or listened to any of Will Carver's work before and after listening to Good Samaritans, I won't make that mistake again and I must thank Bolinda Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of Good Samaritans and introducing me to another excellent author.
ClareR (5779 KP) rated The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho in Books
May 7, 2024
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho was a real eye opener of a novel. I listened to the audiobook, read so well by the author, Paterson Joseph.
This is the true story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, fictionalised somewhat, but only so that the modern day reader can begin to grasp what living in London as a black ex-slave in the mid-1700’s would have been like. And whilst Sancho may have had a more privileged life than most, it wasn’t his own life to live until he ran away from his first owners - sisters who used him as their entertainment.
Charles has a fear of the slave catcher, and rightly so, as they could kidnap any black person and sell them into slavery - whether they had escaped or been freed. These men were a constant threat.
Charles though, catches the eye of a duke who helps him to become educated, and he even works for the King for a while. He ends his life as a business owner and the first black person to vote in Britain. All of this from a life begun on a slave ship.
I don’t think it really matters how much of this book was fictionalised - we can never exactly know what went on in his head, but we can have a fair guess - and I like to think that Paterson Joseph has really caught the essence of the real Charles Ignatius Sancho. I liked Charles very much, and the love he shows for his son through the letters included in the novel are so touching.
I’d recommend this book, it’s a great read (or listen - I can definitely vouch for that!).
This is the true story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, fictionalised somewhat, but only so that the modern day reader can begin to grasp what living in London as a black ex-slave in the mid-1700’s would have been like. And whilst Sancho may have had a more privileged life than most, it wasn’t his own life to live until he ran away from his first owners - sisters who used him as their entertainment.
Charles has a fear of the slave catcher, and rightly so, as they could kidnap any black person and sell them into slavery - whether they had escaped or been freed. These men were a constant threat.
Charles though, catches the eye of a duke who helps him to become educated, and he even works for the King for a while. He ends his life as a business owner and the first black person to vote in Britain. All of this from a life begun on a slave ship.
I don’t think it really matters how much of this book was fictionalised - we can never exactly know what went on in his head, but we can have a fair guess - and I like to think that Paterson Joseph has really caught the essence of the real Charles Ignatius Sancho. I liked Charles very much, and the love he shows for his son through the letters included in the novel are so touching.
I’d recommend this book, it’s a great read (or listen - I can definitely vouch for that!).
The daughter (and stepdaughter) of actors, Sally Field earned her first acting role at seventeen and was quickly on television in shows such as "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun." Those roles showcased Sally's youth and smiling personality. But, behind the scenes, Sally had a tumultuous childhood: her parents divorced when she was young, and her relationships with them and her stepfather were not easy. She found happiness, in many ways, as an actress, but also struggled to find roles that challenged her. In this, her first memoir, she tells the story of her childhood and her early years as an actress.
I listened to the majority of this (and then switched over to the book, I'm weird), and I'm not going to lie: this wasn't always a fun listen for me. This book is sort of depressing and stressful a lot of the time. I will be honest that I didn't know a lot about Sally Field going in--I knew of Gidget, her roles with Burt Reynolds, "Forrest Gump," and honestly, most recently, "Brothers & Sisters." I knew one of her sons was gay, and she supported him.
I did not know her mother was an actress. I did not know that a lot of really bad things happened to her. Seriously, this memoir contains a lot of Sally Field telling us all the awful memories of her childhood, and, later, her early acting days. I'm not saying that's bad--it's truly brave and powerful stuff. But, man, as you're in the car driving 2+ hours to work? It's draining. I felt horrible for her, I felt proud that she'd overcome it, and I felt a little exhausted by it all. I also was appalled by how much she had to deal with (alone) and the state of the acting community for women during that time period.
It did, however, seem to make the beginning of the book go by rather slowly. Or maybe that's just the audio format--this was only the second audiobook I've ever listened to and, coincidentally, the second audiobook I found slow. When Field got to the time period where she became a mom, it picked up for me, perhaps because I could relate better to her. I felt an odd kinship--I was headed off, leaving behind my kids for a work project, and many times, so was she. (Alas, I was doing a rather boring job and she was a famous actress, but hey, you try to find parallels where you can, right?)
No matter what, I applaud her for being unafraid to tell the truth about her life, including admitting her own faults. She supplements her memories with her journal entries, newspaper articles, letters, and more. The result is a very detailed and personal account of her life--up until about "Norma Rae." After that, it glosses over most of her career following that film, which is a little sad for anyone who enjoyed all her subsequent films. This memoir is clearly focused more on Field's personal growth versus a celebrity tell-all. And I get that, I do, but you can't help but wish for a few more juicy details.
In the end, this wasn't an easy read/listen, but it was a good one. I learned a great deal about Field's life, and I admire her so much more as a person now. She had to go through a great deal to get the acting career and overall life she desired. If you enjoy memoirs and autobiographies, you will probably like this one, especially if you like them detailed, versus just focused on celebrity fluff and laughs (though Field is very witty). 4 stars.
I listened to the majority of this (and then switched over to the book, I'm weird), and I'm not going to lie: this wasn't always a fun listen for me. This book is sort of depressing and stressful a lot of the time. I will be honest that I didn't know a lot about Sally Field going in--I knew of Gidget, her roles with Burt Reynolds, "Forrest Gump," and honestly, most recently, "Brothers & Sisters." I knew one of her sons was gay, and she supported him.
I did not know her mother was an actress. I did not know that a lot of really bad things happened to her. Seriously, this memoir contains a lot of Sally Field telling us all the awful memories of her childhood, and, later, her early acting days. I'm not saying that's bad--it's truly brave and powerful stuff. But, man, as you're in the car driving 2+ hours to work? It's draining. I felt horrible for her, I felt proud that she'd overcome it, and I felt a little exhausted by it all. I also was appalled by how much she had to deal with (alone) and the state of the acting community for women during that time period.
It did, however, seem to make the beginning of the book go by rather slowly. Or maybe that's just the audio format--this was only the second audiobook I've ever listened to and, coincidentally, the second audiobook I found slow. When Field got to the time period where she became a mom, it picked up for me, perhaps because I could relate better to her. I felt an odd kinship--I was headed off, leaving behind my kids for a work project, and many times, so was she. (Alas, I was doing a rather boring job and she was a famous actress, but hey, you try to find parallels where you can, right?)
No matter what, I applaud her for being unafraid to tell the truth about her life, including admitting her own faults. She supplements her memories with her journal entries, newspaper articles, letters, and more. The result is a very detailed and personal account of her life--up until about "Norma Rae." After that, it glosses over most of her career following that film, which is a little sad for anyone who enjoyed all her subsequent films. This memoir is clearly focused more on Field's personal growth versus a celebrity tell-all. And I get that, I do, but you can't help but wish for a few more juicy details.
In the end, this wasn't an easy read/listen, but it was a good one. I learned a great deal about Field's life, and I admire her so much more as a person now. She had to go through a great deal to get the acting career and overall life she desired. If you enjoy memoirs and autobiographies, you will probably like this one, especially if you like them detailed, versus just focused on celebrity fluff and laughs (though Field is very witty). 4 stars.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<i>Deep Blue</i> could have been amazing. Donnelly had a pretty good concept going: the world was unique, completely different, and it's obvious lots of planning went into the building – there's <b>a lot of imagery to clearly depict the underwater of the merpeople, the merpeople had their own distinct languages and cultures</b>. The writing, especially the chant during the waterfire and throughout the book by the witches, was <b>poetic and rhythmic.</b>
The execution, however, was poor.
Serafina and her friend, Neela, were <b>faced against formidable odds after Miromara is attacked that could have been really interesting to see them play out</b>. Instead, the two of them run. Throughout the book, they're chased by a person named Traho, who apparently wants them alive for some unknown reason (currently unknown, that is). The two are rescued by the Praedatori, who are apparently a band of protectors who protect the sea from "terragoggs."
Yet, they are attacked. Again. So they run and get intercepted by Rorrim Drol, the lord of the mirror realm who feeds on fears. And...
Wait for it...
They run again.
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to use this.</td>
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<b>Obviously by that point (when it's almost sixty percent of the book), when they've been attacked and they run or something of the similar sort, and the cycle is repeated quite a few times...</b>
<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Even the most patient readers become impatient by that point</b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. Either </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> or I'm not exactly as patient as some people have said about me (you lovelies are sorrily wrong). Where are the other five? Why have we only found three (okay, one, because two are "found" at the very beginning </span>anyway<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">) by this point? Are we still looking for the mermaids involved by the next book as well? If that's the case, I'm not interested. If it's an entirely different case, then what's the probability that the other mermaids are found quickly and swiftly in the midst of attacking and running? There's really only 40% of the book left to do all of that.</span>
The world, no matter how unique or different it is, or how there's a variety of imagery, won't account with how<b> there's a bunch of made-up language that would have been extremely hard for me to figure out without the audiobook to help me (no thanks to the accent</b> – accents are NOT fun when the bus is chugging down roads and highways). I did, however, love the songspell (Open Your Eyes by Bea Miller) that accompanies the book.
<i>Deep Blue</i> is definitely different from Donnelly's other books, but with all the running from the attacks and rarely anything being accomplished by the majority of the book, I simply didn't have the patience. If anything, I probably <i>shouldn't</i> have lasted as long as I did.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-audiobook-review-deep-blue-by-jennifer-donnelly/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
The execution, however, was poor.
Serafina and her friend, Neela, were <b>faced against formidable odds after Miromara is attacked that could have been really interesting to see them play out</b>. Instead, the two of them run. Throughout the book, they're chased by a person named Traho, who apparently wants them alive for some unknown reason (currently unknown, that is). The two are rescued by the Praedatori, who are apparently a band of protectors who protect the sea from "terragoggs."
Yet, they are attacked. Again. So they run and get intercepted by Rorrim Drol, the lord of the mirror realm who feeds on fears. And...
Wait for it...
They run again.
<table class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><img style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://bookwyrmingthoughts.bookblog.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/317/2015/05/Patrick-running-funny-gif-comics-celbrities-picture.gif"; width="320" height="183" border="0" /></td>
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<td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to use this.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<b>Obviously by that point (when it's almost sixty percent of the book), when they've been attacked and they run or something of the similar sort, and the cycle is repeated quite a few times...</b>
<b style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Even the most patient readers become impatient by that point</b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">. Either </span>that<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> or I'm not exactly as patient as some people have said about me (you lovelies are sorrily wrong). Where are the other five? Why have we only found three (okay, one, because two are "found" at the very beginning </span>anyway<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">) by this point? Are we still looking for the mermaids involved by the next book as well? If that's the case, I'm not interested. If it's an entirely different case, then what's the probability that the other mermaids are found quickly and swiftly in the midst of attacking and running? There's really only 40% of the book left to do all of that.</span>
The world, no matter how unique or different it is, or how there's a variety of imagery, won't account with how<b> there's a bunch of made-up language that would have been extremely hard for me to figure out without the audiobook to help me (no thanks to the accent</b> – accents are NOT fun when the bus is chugging down roads and highways). I did, however, love the songspell (Open Your Eyes by Bea Miller) that accompanies the book.
<i>Deep Blue</i> is definitely different from Donnelly's other books, but with all the running from the attacks and rarely anything being accomplished by the majority of the book, I simply didn't have the patience. If anything, I probably <i>shouldn't</i> have lasted as long as I did.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/dnf-audiobook-review-deep-blue-by-jennifer-donnelly/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Astonishing Color of After in Books
Apr 27, 2018
*some minor spoilers
I was compelled to finish this book, despite not loving it... and There were some things about this book that really irritated me.
First, I really didn't like the characters. Kinda hard to love the book when you don't like the characters.
The mom, Dory, I could relate to. Depression is a dangerous disease that steals your body and your life.
The dad was a horrible person... rude, disrespectful, unthoughtful, and uncaring about his daughter and her passions. Maybe I'm biased because I love art, but who in their right mind tells their kid to stop doing art.
And then, at the end, when suddenly he is encouraging her that she has a gift and that her mom would be proud? Like, okay, mom dies and suddenly you're not an asshole anymore? What?
There were a lot of flashbacks, and memories, and not a whole lot of plot. I think it could have been spread better. There were whole sections where she was just having flashbacks and it was annoying.
The romance aspect was somewhat uncomfortable... like it was too much of a struggle for Pan to write it. It didn't flow well. Maybe that was the point. To be awkward.
It got a little better near the end and I was like : (insert "now kiss" meme here)
I kind of expected Phon (spelling? I listened to the audiobook) to be her aunt, so that wasn't much of a surprise. But the reveal was fun and clever.
The writing was beautiful, and the color aspect was interesting. Like I said, I felt compelled to finish it, but I found myself irritated while I was listening.
I did relate to the author's note about re-writing her novel multiple times though...
And the end of the book felt good... I had a feeling all Lee's visions would become her final series of art, and I'm happy with it.
Recommend to ages 13+. Very little language.
I was compelled to finish this book, despite not loving it... and There were some things about this book that really irritated me.
First, I really didn't like the characters. Kinda hard to love the book when you don't like the characters.
The mom, Dory, I could relate to. Depression is a dangerous disease that steals your body and your life.
The dad was a horrible person... rude, disrespectful, unthoughtful, and uncaring about his daughter and her passions. Maybe I'm biased because I love art, but who in their right mind tells their kid to stop doing art.
And then, at the end, when suddenly he is encouraging her that she has a gift and that her mom would be proud? Like, okay, mom dies and suddenly you're not an asshole anymore? What?
There were a lot of flashbacks, and memories, and not a whole lot of plot. I think it could have been spread better. There were whole sections where she was just having flashbacks and it was annoying.
The romance aspect was somewhat uncomfortable... like it was too much of a struggle for Pan to write it. It didn't flow well. Maybe that was the point. To be awkward.
It got a little better near the end and I was like : (insert "now kiss" meme here)
I kind of expected Phon (spelling? I listened to the audiobook) to be her aunt, so that wasn't much of a surprise. But the reveal was fun and clever.
The writing was beautiful, and the color aspect was interesting. Like I said, I felt compelled to finish it, but I found myself irritated while I was listening.
I did relate to the author's note about re-writing her novel multiple times though...
And the end of the book felt good... I had a feeling all Lee's visions would become her final series of art, and I'm happy with it.
Recommend to ages 13+. Very little language.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Stolen Ones (Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne, #7) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
A cold case comes to live with the discovery of a new body, a new murder, and multiple new connections. A two-year-old child is found standing in the middle of the street. A mysterious man in ragged clothing appears in a little girls closet completely out of nowhere. A woman disappears from her basement without having left her house. With the help of the rest of the experts in the Philadelphia Police Department, Detectives Jessica Balzano and Kevin Byrne unravel a chilling series of dream-like murders.
The Stolen Ones is book 7 of a series of detective novels. At the time of request, I was unaware of this fact, and I hoped that I would not be confused because I hadn’t read the others. I’m happy to say that I had no trouble at all getting lost in this story. I am totally in love with Kevin Byrne and his snarky Irish attitude, and Jessica’s tough-girl-who-is-here-to-kick-ass mentality.
The story was incredibly complex, and a few times I found myself stopping and saying “wait, what? I’m confused.” I had to check to make sure I hadn’t skipped a track in the audiobook. I hadn’t, all was well… there were just some jarring sections that I think were hard to interpret because it was audio instead of printed. however all things considered it wasn’t enough to negatively affect the story.
The performance by William Hope was very good. I liked his voices and interpretations of the characters a lot, especially Kevin Byrne. He has done quite a few audiobooks, and his experience is obvious; he reads with a good authority, pace, and energy.
There were some gruesome details of violence so it is not for the faint of heart or stomach. It was enough to shock me, but it wasn’t anything I would regret listening to. I’d definitely recommend it to ages 18+ who are into the crime thriller genre.
The Stolen Ones is book 7 of a series of detective novels. At the time of request, I was unaware of this fact, and I hoped that I would not be confused because I hadn’t read the others. I’m happy to say that I had no trouble at all getting lost in this story. I am totally in love with Kevin Byrne and his snarky Irish attitude, and Jessica’s tough-girl-who-is-here-to-kick-ass mentality.
The story was incredibly complex, and a few times I found myself stopping and saying “wait, what? I’m confused.” I had to check to make sure I hadn’t skipped a track in the audiobook. I hadn’t, all was well… there were just some jarring sections that I think were hard to interpret because it was audio instead of printed. however all things considered it wasn’t enough to negatively affect the story.
The performance by William Hope was very good. I liked his voices and interpretations of the characters a lot, especially Kevin Byrne. He has done quite a few audiobooks, and his experience is obvious; he reads with a good authority, pace, and energy.
There were some gruesome details of violence so it is not for the faint of heart or stomach. It was enough to shock me, but it wasn’t anything I would regret listening to. I’d definitely recommend it to ages 18+ who are into the crime thriller genre.
Loved It.
I checked this audiobook out from Scottsboro's digital library on a whim. I'm not ashamed to admit that I am signed up for a reading challenge with the Scottsboro library, and part of that challenge requires you to read so many books in a year; however, the only books that count towards the challenge are books and audiobooks that you physically check out from the library OR that you check out from the library's digital library. So... it's pretty much February, and I'm already having a hard time coming up with new books to check out from the library that I either HAVEN'T ALREADY READ or just have NO interest in reading. I saw this one pop up under new releases, however, so I thought, "Eh. What the hey. Might as well give it a try."
I say all that to express my surprise at how much I truly enjoyed listening to this book. When I checked it out, I did not have high hopes for it -- I had really NO hopes for it to be honest. I was very pleasantly surprised. The story of Tommy Wiseau is at times hilarious, at times uplifting, and at times, horribly, horribly lonely and sad. I was somehow in equal measure shocked, appalled, entertained, and overcome with laughter at different points in the book, and to me, all those emotions rolled into one is what really makes a book worth reading.
I have never watched Wiseau's (dare I say it?) "masterpiece" THE ROOM before now, but my plan is to go home and watch it over the weekend now that I have finished the book because I simply HAVE to watch it. It sounds horrible and hilarious all in one, and I am actually quite excited to sit down and give it a watch.
I plan on watching "The Disaster Artist" as well. I can't wait to see how the Franco brothers' portrayal measures up to this pretty wonderful book that I just finished.
I say all that to express my surprise at how much I truly enjoyed listening to this book. When I checked it out, I did not have high hopes for it -- I had really NO hopes for it to be honest. I was very pleasantly surprised. The story of Tommy Wiseau is at times hilarious, at times uplifting, and at times, horribly, horribly lonely and sad. I was somehow in equal measure shocked, appalled, entertained, and overcome with laughter at different points in the book, and to me, all those emotions rolled into one is what really makes a book worth reading.
I have never watched Wiseau's (dare I say it?) "masterpiece" THE ROOM before now, but my plan is to go home and watch it over the weekend now that I have finished the book because I simply HAVE to watch it. It sounds horrible and hilarious all in one, and I am actually quite excited to sit down and give it a watch.
I plan on watching "The Disaster Artist" as well. I can't wait to see how the Franco brothers' portrayal measures up to this pretty wonderful book that I just finished.
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Illuminae: The Illuminae Files: Book 1 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Illuminae is the first book I’ve read of it’s kind. I’ve never really read any sci-fi books before, and I think Illuminae was a great jumping off point. The action and adventure in this book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole adventure. I loved the mixed media aspect of this book, and the dual writers made this story phenomenal. An added bonus was the touch of romance without allowing it to dominate the whole story.
Let me start off by acknowledging the way in which the story is presented. This book is written completely in mixed media, and is set to resemble a dossier of an event. The story unfolds as you read emails, text messages, surveillance footage, and memorandums. When I read Illuminae I started by just reading the first 25-40 pages by myself. Then I decided to get the audiobook from the library and I listened to that while I read along and my reading experience grew exponentially. There are different narrators for different parts, sound effects, the whole nine. It brought the story to life and made me fall in love with it and the characters.
Kady Grand and Ezra Mason are the main characters of this adventure. Kady is the tough as nails hacker that is separated from the boy she hates to love and loves to hate. She is everything I look for in a badass heroine. She has a superpower (hacking), she has her sarcastic wit, she cares deeply about the people around her and humanity, she finally realizes how great she is when she needs the confidence boost the most, and she carries herself with integrity and aplomb. Ezra Mason is tough, but also unsure of himself. He loves Kady, but doesn’t quite want to admit it out loud. He is pretty badass and is always putting others ahead of himself.
If you at all enjoy sci-fi, and especially Battlestar Gallactica I encourage you to give Illuminae a chance.
Let me start off by acknowledging the way in which the story is presented. This book is written completely in mixed media, and is set to resemble a dossier of an event. The story unfolds as you read emails, text messages, surveillance footage, and memorandums. When I read Illuminae I started by just reading the first 25-40 pages by myself. Then I decided to get the audiobook from the library and I listened to that while I read along and my reading experience grew exponentially. There are different narrators for different parts, sound effects, the whole nine. It brought the story to life and made me fall in love with it and the characters.
Kady Grand and Ezra Mason are the main characters of this adventure. Kady is the tough as nails hacker that is separated from the boy she hates to love and loves to hate. She is everything I look for in a badass heroine. She has a superpower (hacking), she has her sarcastic wit, she cares deeply about the people around her and humanity, she finally realizes how great she is when she needs the confidence boost the most, and she carries herself with integrity and aplomb. Ezra Mason is tough, but also unsure of himself. He loves Kady, but doesn’t quite want to admit it out loud. He is pretty badass and is always putting others ahead of himself.
If you at all enjoy sci-fi, and especially Battlestar Gallactica I encourage you to give Illuminae a chance.
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated Reign of the Fallen in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Reign of the Fallen was a book that I desperately wanted to love. The cover is stunning, the synopsis sounds amazing! I’d never read a book like this before, and I was super excited about the whole necromancer aspect of the story. I decided to use one of my free audible credits for this book.
I started reading and the characters were amazing and the story was pretty fast paced, there was so romance elements to it, but then it all kind of started to go sound. There is a pivotal scene about 1/4th of the way into the book, and after that the whole tone of the book changes.
The characters in this book were going to be badass or so I thought. Odessa was my highest hope of all the characters, but she ended up being the one I hated the most. Odessa is the name of a badass, and I expected nothing less from her. However, she suffers a terrible loss and just spirals out of control after that. She becomes addicted to this potion and instead of leaning on the plethora of supporting characters (and there are a lot) she continues to drink more and more of this potion, and quickly the main plot of this book becomes about dealing with her addiction… <head desk>
I decided to persevere and trudge onward in my audiobook journey noticing that I keep speeding up the narrator’s voice. Because if she reads fast the book would be over faster… Right….
Each chapter seemed to get more and more convoluted and I couldn’t wait to be done with this book. This book had so much promise and was so interesting with a unique plot but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t get past ALL of the characters and I couldn’t keep them straight. So, to you potential reader I say this… If you have patience and you think it sounds good, give it a go. Otherwise, save yourself the trouble.
I started reading and the characters were amazing and the story was pretty fast paced, there was so romance elements to it, but then it all kind of started to go sound. There is a pivotal scene about 1/4th of the way into the book, and after that the whole tone of the book changes.
The characters in this book were going to be badass or so I thought. Odessa was my highest hope of all the characters, but she ended up being the one I hated the most. Odessa is the name of a badass, and I expected nothing less from her. However, she suffers a terrible loss and just spirals out of control after that. She becomes addicted to this potion and instead of leaning on the plethora of supporting characters (and there are a lot) she continues to drink more and more of this potion, and quickly the main plot of this book becomes about dealing with her addiction… <head desk>
I decided to persevere and trudge onward in my audiobook journey noticing that I keep speeding up the narrator’s voice. Because if she reads fast the book would be over faster… Right….
Each chapter seemed to get more and more convoluted and I couldn’t wait to be done with this book. This book had so much promise and was so interesting with a unique plot but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t get past ALL of the characters and I couldn’t keep them straight. So, to you potential reader I say this… If you have patience and you think it sounds good, give it a go. Otherwise, save yourself the trouble.
Becs (244 KP) rated The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Hercule Poirot #4) in Books
Aug 4, 2019
Not my favorite novel
You can also find this review on my blog at bookingwayreads.wordpress.com
TRIGGER WARNINGS: death, murder, talk of suicide
Review:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd follows detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of Roger Ackroyd. Ackroyd was murdered in his study that was locked, but not before he received a letter from the person that was blackmailing the widow he was having an affair with. This same widow was being blackmailed and rumors spread about her murdering her own husband. She ends up committing suicide because of these rumors and blackmailing.
King's Abbot is full of suspects but it's up to Hercule Poirot to figure out who is guilty of murdering Roger Ackroyd. He is aided by the village doctor and narrator of the story, James Sheppard and his sister, Caroline Sheppard.
I really wanted to love this novel, as it seemed really interesting. It didn't get interesting until the very ending and I wouldn't recommend reading this book first if you've never read an Agatha Christie novel. This was the first ever novel I've read by Agatha Christie and I'm just not really bothered to read any more novels by Agatha Christie.
The story was somewhat interesting, but the execution wasn't there. I wasn't able to guess the killer, so that was a fun little plot twist. But the ending came abruptly and the overall story lacked. It lacked that punch that most mysteries have. There was hardly any development and background for both the story and the characters.
I listened to the audiobook version of this so I wasn't sure if there wasn't any grammatical and/or spelling errors. The narrator was a bit monotone but was otherwise a decent speaker. I forced myself through this, when all I wanted to do was DNF it. It lacked, was confusing, and was rather boring. I did not enjoy this and was disappointed with the overall story.
"The things young women read nowadays and profess to enjoy positively frighten me."
TRIGGER WARNINGS: death, murder, talk of suicide
Review:
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd follows detective Hercule Poirot as he investigates the murder of Roger Ackroyd. Ackroyd was murdered in his study that was locked, but not before he received a letter from the person that was blackmailing the widow he was having an affair with. This same widow was being blackmailed and rumors spread about her murdering her own husband. She ends up committing suicide because of these rumors and blackmailing.
King's Abbot is full of suspects but it's up to Hercule Poirot to figure out who is guilty of murdering Roger Ackroyd. He is aided by the village doctor and narrator of the story, James Sheppard and his sister, Caroline Sheppard.
I really wanted to love this novel, as it seemed really interesting. It didn't get interesting until the very ending and I wouldn't recommend reading this book first if you've never read an Agatha Christie novel. This was the first ever novel I've read by Agatha Christie and I'm just not really bothered to read any more novels by Agatha Christie.
The story was somewhat interesting, but the execution wasn't there. I wasn't able to guess the killer, so that was a fun little plot twist. But the ending came abruptly and the overall story lacked. It lacked that punch that most mysteries have. There was hardly any development and background for both the story and the characters.
I listened to the audiobook version of this so I wasn't sure if there wasn't any grammatical and/or spelling errors. The narrator was a bit monotone but was otherwise a decent speaker. I forced myself through this, when all I wanted to do was DNF it. It lacked, was confusing, and was rather boring. I did not enjoy this and was disappointed with the overall story.
"The things young women read nowadays and profess to enjoy positively frighten me."