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Dayuse.com is the first solution for booking hotel rooms for a few hours during the day. With...
Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism
Book
Pharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned for seventeen years in the fourteenth century B.C.E, is one of the...
Northern Soul: An Illustrated History
Elaine Constantine and Gareth Sweeney
Book
The story of Northern Soul is one of practically total immersion, dedication and devotion, where the...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Firekeeper's Daughter in Books
Aug 19, 2021
An expansive and lovely #OwnVoices tale
Daunis Fontaine feels torn between two worlds--growing up worrying about her Mom and dreaming of becoming a doctor and then being an unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe. Her late father was a member and so is her half-brother, Levi. When Daunis' uncle dies and she decides to stay home and attend local community college to take care of her mom, she feels trapped. But the arrival of Jamie, a new member of Levi's hockey team, is a bright spot. The two become fast friends. However, everything changes when Daunis witnesses a horrible murder, and she becomes an informant for the FBI. Suddenly, everything she knows about her hometown and the tribe changes.
"I learned there were times when I was expected to be a Fontaine and other times when it was safe to be a Firekeeper."
This is an excellent book--more mystery than I thought it would be. It covers a lot of topics--sometimes more than seems necessary. Racism, tribal issues, sexual assault, depression, drug abuse, FBI informants, romance, murder... there's a lot packed into this book. However, it does a great job looking into how meth and drug abuse affect the Native American community (as well as sexual assault). It's heartbreaking at times, but also compelling and educational.
"My mother's superpower is turning my ordinary worries into monsters so huge and pervasive that her distress and heartache become almost debilitating. I can protect her from that hurt."
Daunis is a very sympathetic and likeable character. She's dedicated to her family, to her tribe, and her community. She takes on a lot for a kid her age. Sometimes it felt like the informant plot was a little much, a little contrived, but overall, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. It was wonderful to read an #OwnVoices book of such quality and scope, and I look forward to what Boulley does next.
I read this book as part of my new reading project--choosing books off my shelves based on their Goodreads rankings. This is my fourth book of the project, forcing me out of my comfort zone and to try books in genres I don't usually read!
"I learned there were times when I was expected to be a Fontaine and other times when it was safe to be a Firekeeper."
This is an excellent book--more mystery than I thought it would be. It covers a lot of topics--sometimes more than seems necessary. Racism, tribal issues, sexual assault, depression, drug abuse, FBI informants, romance, murder... there's a lot packed into this book. However, it does a great job looking into how meth and drug abuse affect the Native American community (as well as sexual assault). It's heartbreaking at times, but also compelling and educational.
"My mother's superpower is turning my ordinary worries into monsters so huge and pervasive that her distress and heartache become almost debilitating. I can protect her from that hurt."
Daunis is a very sympathetic and likeable character. She's dedicated to her family, to her tribe, and her community. She takes on a lot for a kid her age. Sometimes it felt like the informant plot was a little much, a little contrived, but overall, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. It was wonderful to read an #OwnVoices book of such quality and scope, and I look forward to what Boulley does next.
I read this book as part of my new reading project--choosing books off my shelves based on their Goodreads rankings. This is my fourth book of the project, forcing me out of my comfort zone and to try books in genres I don't usually read!
Nutritional Supplements in Sport, Exercise and Health: An A-Z Guide
Lindy M. Castell, Samantha J. Stear and Louise M. Burke
Book
Nutritional Supplements in Sport, Exercise and Health is the most up-to-date and authoritative guide...
UT
Urban Transformations: Sustainable Urban Development Towards Resource Efficiency, Quality of Life and Resilience
Sigrun Kabisch, Florian Koch, Erik Gawel and Annegret Haase
Book
The book addresses urban transformations towards sustainability in light of challenges of global...
ClareR (5906 KP) rated The Cactus in Books
Jan 27, 2018
A rather unexpected story!
I noticed the cover of this first - it's not like the picture here. It's densely covered with cacti (no humans!). I've bought so many books based purely on the cover and surprisingly (or is that 'fortunately'?), it's not often that I'm disappointed. I certainly wasn't disappointed here either. The main character, Susan, you quickly learn is the cactus. She collects them, and she seems to have learnt from their defence mechanism: if you're prickly, no one wants to get too close. I've seen a few reviewers refer to her as being on the autistic spectrum, but I would argue that that really isn't the case at all: and as you read further in to the story, you can see that this stand-offishness has been cultivated on purpose.
There is no rush to this story, but plenty happens. There's LOADS of character building: we get a really good insight into Susan and how she ticks. I found myself really plugging for her and wanting her to find her happy ending. The characters who populate her world are also really likeable, even her rogue of a brother (who she has the measure of right from the beginning). I'd love to know what happens next - I'm not a huge fan of sequels, but if someone (the author, perhaps!) could just satisfy my curiosity, that would be great!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such a great book!
There is no rush to this story, but plenty happens. There's LOADS of character building: we get a really good insight into Susan and how she ticks. I found myself really plugging for her and wanting her to find her happy ending. The characters who populate her world are also really likeable, even her rogue of a brother (who she has the measure of right from the beginning). I'd love to know what happens next - I'm not a huge fan of sequels, but if someone (the author, perhaps!) could just satisfy my curiosity, that would be great!
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such a great book!
TC
The Capitalist Unconscious: From Korean Unification to Transnational Korea
Book
The unification of North and South Korea is widely considered an unresolved and volatile matter for...
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Murder of Adam and Eve in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
The Murder of Adam and Eve</i> by William Dietrich is a young adult, science fiction thriller combining aliens and time travel. What started out as sixteen year old Nick Brynner researching for his History Day project on an out of bounds island, leads to him falling through a wormhole, meeting an alien – a Xu, and eventually finding himself in prehistoric Africa.
Before finding himself in a completely different era, Nick meets a biology-loving teenager, Eleanor Terrell, who tells him she had been abducted by aliens. Initially thinking she is crazy, Nick believes her once one of the said aliens appears to them and claims they have been chosen to try and save mankind. The Xu intend to wipe out humanity by travelling back in time and killing the two people from whom the human race descend from – the people named Adam and Eve in the bible. However they are giving Nick and Ellie a final chance to prevent this from happening.
Once transported to ancient Africa, Nick and Ellie start a desperate search for Adam and Eve in order to protect them from the Xu. But in order to do this they need to be able to take care of themselves in a place where water, food and shelter are not easily come by. Once locating the people they seek for they begin to realize the enormity of the task they have been given; whatever they do will have a massive impact on the future of the world.
<i>The Murder of Adam and Eve</i> is an interesting concept that really gets you thinking about the way in which the world has developed. Despite the usage of the biblical names Adam and Eve this book is not based on religious theory at all. It is a science-based idea maintaining that the human race can eventually be traced back to two people.
Many readers may be able to relate to both Nick and Ellie’s personalities. Nick in particular is a quiet, unnoticeable boy without any great talent, however during the book he grows into a more confident person and becomes the leader needed in order to save mankind.
Overall this fast paced book is fun to read. Although a little too far-fetched to take seriously, it makes the reader think more about the ways humans have behaved over the years but also highlights the positives and our ability to make things and learn. The clash of the two different time periods makes it a thought-provoking novel that many teenagers will love to read.
The Murder of Adam and Eve</i> by William Dietrich is a young adult, science fiction thriller combining aliens and time travel. What started out as sixteen year old Nick Brynner researching for his History Day project on an out of bounds island, leads to him falling through a wormhole, meeting an alien – a Xu, and eventually finding himself in prehistoric Africa.
Before finding himself in a completely different era, Nick meets a biology-loving teenager, Eleanor Terrell, who tells him she had been abducted by aliens. Initially thinking she is crazy, Nick believes her once one of the said aliens appears to them and claims they have been chosen to try and save mankind. The Xu intend to wipe out humanity by travelling back in time and killing the two people from whom the human race descend from – the people named Adam and Eve in the bible. However they are giving Nick and Ellie a final chance to prevent this from happening.
Once transported to ancient Africa, Nick and Ellie start a desperate search for Adam and Eve in order to protect them from the Xu. But in order to do this they need to be able to take care of themselves in a place where water, food and shelter are not easily come by. Once locating the people they seek for they begin to realize the enormity of the task they have been given; whatever they do will have a massive impact on the future of the world.
<i>The Murder of Adam and Eve</i> is an interesting concept that really gets you thinking about the way in which the world has developed. Despite the usage of the biblical names Adam and Eve this book is not based on religious theory at all. It is a science-based idea maintaining that the human race can eventually be traced back to two people.
Many readers may be able to relate to both Nick and Ellie’s personalities. Nick in particular is a quiet, unnoticeable boy without any great talent, however during the book he grows into a more confident person and becomes the leader needed in order to save mankind.
Overall this fast paced book is fun to read. Although a little too far-fetched to take seriously, it makes the reader think more about the ways humans have behaved over the years but also highlights the positives and our ability to make things and learn. The clash of the two different time periods makes it a thought-provoking novel that many teenagers will love to read.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Parting Worlds (Once Upon a Curse #4) in Books
Mar 24, 2020
Parting Worlds brings everything together.
Parting Worlds is the fourth and final book in the Once Upon a Curse series, a retelling based on The Little Mermaid. This starts right where Chasing Midnight ends before going back to the very beginning and bringing everything to full circle.
We get a little intro to who Aerewyn is back in the third book, but Parting Worlds is where we truly get to know who she is and her side of the story. We get the chance to see her bond with Nymia and how it forms from complete strangers as young faeries to best friends as they train to become priestesses, where they can use their magic to protect fellow magical creatures.
I personally loved seeing their friendship bloom and how it ultimately withstands in the centuries of time they're apart from each other. I also loved seeing how they have ups and downs in their relationship and how they try to overcome those without straining it. It shows how they have a close bond with each other despite their differences.
I think Parting Worlds also gives us a chance to truly see Nymia's growth as a character as this is set before the third book but still connected. Chasing Midnight also shows her growth, but it was brief and fleeting as much of the focus was not in the past and rather on how she changes throughout the book through the events.
Going back to where all the disaster begins.
And finally, through Aerewyn's story, Kaitlyn Davis shows us how all of this began in the first place. I had so many questions after reading the third book and a lot of them were answered in Parting Worlds. Aerewyn's a faerie full of mischief and seeks to bend the rules whenever she can this sounds like me. She questions how the world can be different, where humans and magical creatures can live together in harmony, especially when she meets Erick and starts forming a relationship with him. Honestly, it's the Butterfly Effect in a fairy tale dystopia and I am living for it.
The majority of the book focuses on how Aerewyn and Erick meet and how their meeting becomes fateful for the rest of the world. But Aerewyn still grows as a character: she's still mischievous and up to no good, but she learns how her actions became major consequences for everyone, including herself. And I love how Davis does this really well.
A bittersweet end, but maybe there are more stories.
I don't know about anyone else, but Parting Worlds feels bittersweet with a (sort of?) happy ending. This puts the final piece of the story together with no loose ends in the story; it's answering all of the questions that have been there since Gathering Frost and connecting all the books together. At the same time, there sounds like there could potentially be another storyline in the future. If that happens, you know what I'm doing.
Parting Worlds is the fourth and final book in the Once Upon a Curse series, a retelling based on The Little Mermaid. This starts right where Chasing Midnight ends before going back to the very beginning and bringing everything to full circle.
We get a little intro to who Aerewyn is back in the third book, but Parting Worlds is where we truly get to know who she is and her side of the story. We get the chance to see her bond with Nymia and how it forms from complete strangers as young faeries to best friends as they train to become priestesses, where they can use their magic to protect fellow magical creatures.
I personally loved seeing their friendship bloom and how it ultimately withstands in the centuries of time they're apart from each other. I also loved seeing how they have ups and downs in their relationship and how they try to overcome those without straining it. It shows how they have a close bond with each other despite their differences.
I think Parting Worlds also gives us a chance to truly see Nymia's growth as a character as this is set before the third book but still connected. Chasing Midnight also shows her growth, but it was brief and fleeting as much of the focus was not in the past and rather on how she changes throughout the book through the events.
Going back to where all the disaster begins.
And finally, through Aerewyn's story, Kaitlyn Davis shows us how all of this began in the first place. I had so many questions after reading the third book and a lot of them were answered in Parting Worlds. Aerewyn's a faerie full of mischief and seeks to bend the rules whenever she can this sounds like me. She questions how the world can be different, where humans and magical creatures can live together in harmony, especially when she meets Erick and starts forming a relationship with him. Honestly, it's the Butterfly Effect in a fairy tale dystopia and I am living for it.
The majority of the book focuses on how Aerewyn and Erick meet and how their meeting becomes fateful for the rest of the world. But Aerewyn still grows as a character: she's still mischievous and up to no good, but she learns how her actions became major consequences for everyone, including herself. And I love how Davis does this really well.
A bittersweet end, but maybe there are more stories.
I don't know about anyone else, but Parting Worlds feels bittersweet with a (sort of?) happy ending. This puts the final piece of the story together with no loose ends in the story; it's answering all of the questions that have been there since Gathering Frost and connecting all the books together. At the same time, there sounds like there could potentially be another storyline in the future. If that happens, you know what I'm doing.