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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Heartless City in Books

Jun 24, 2019  
The Heartless City
The Heartless City
Andrea Berthot | 2015
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Read my original review: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/18/book-review-the-heartless-city/

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return of my honest opinion.

The Heartless City is based on the infamous story of Jekyll & Hyde, with a wonderful new plot.

London is infested with Hydes thanks to Dr Henry Jekyll. Jekyll is also responsible for Iris; an American girl with a unique talent.

Buckingham palace is home to the Lord Mayor, as well as his son Cam and the doctor and his own son, Elliott Morrissey. Elliott also has a strange gift, but not one he was born with. After taking a serum intended to remove his empathy, Elliott found that it did quite the opposite. Instead, he became an empath - able to feel the emotions of those around him as if they were his own.

The characters in this old-fashioned story are all very different, including the strong, independent female figure of 15-year-old Philomena Blackwell. She refuses to fit in with the typical norms of her time, which I really liked.

Elliott's new empathy is also used to confront the negative opinions on homosexuality when he feels his friends love for each other and realises that it is no different to the love he himself would feel for a girl. I absolutely loved this little sub-plot.

The book is written to sound like it was written in the 1900s, when it was set. However, I found the story a little slow at times, and then far too fast toward the end. Everything just kind of happened all at once. That being said, the conclusion was very clever and interesting.

It was definitely an interesting read. I tend to just read more modern novels, so this was a refreshing change. But there are definitely a few things that could be changed, so I'm going to give 3.5 stars to The Heartless City.
  
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justmissash (21 KP) rated The Nightingale in Books

Aug 23, 2018  
The Nightingale
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (61 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had never heard of Kristin Hannah before, but will be looking for other books by her. Her writing is seamless and vivid and realistic. The Nightingale is a wonderful story of two sisters, far apart in body and mind, but still connected. They lose their mother and then experience the abandonment of their father. Both women are torn, but in their own way. The story takes place in France, in a small village until the women who realize they need something different, separate, with one sister in Paris and the other in the country, during WWII. The story is a bit dramatic, but I think it is fitting. Their feelings and emotions and experiences are so real and authentic. It is definitely an emotionally engaging read. Not only is the characters so vivid but it combines their story with an accuracy of the world history around them during that period and is interesting for people like myself, who are history buffs. Both women learn to live and learn to love. It is romantic and not just in a sexually intimate way. This story is complex, passionate, engaging and captivating and will make you think and feel along with them.
I received this book for free from SheSpeaks as part of the book club program, but the above review is based on my own opinions and thoughts.
  
40x40

justmissash (21 KP) rated The Nightingale in Books

Jun 23, 2019  
The Nightingale
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.9 (61 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had never heard of Kristin Hannah before, but will be looking for other books by her. Her writing is seamless and vivid and realistic. The Nightingale is a wonderful story of two sisters, far apart in body and mind, but still connected. They lose their mother and then experience the abandonment of their father. Both women are torn, but in their own way. The story takes place in France, in a small village until the women who realize they need something different, separate, with one sister in Paris and the other in the country, during WWII. The story is a bit dramatic, but I think it is fitting. Their feelings and emotions and experiences are so real and authentic. It is definitely an emotionally engaging read. Not only is the characters so vivid but it combines their story with an accuracy of the world history around them during that period and is interesting for people like myself, who are history buffs. Both women learn to live and learn to love. It is romantic and not just in a sexually intimate way. This story is complex, passionate, engaging and captivating and will make you think and feel along with them.
I received this book for free from SheSpeaks as part of the book club program, but the above review is based on my own opinions and thoughts.