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Marylegs (44 KP) rated Station Eleven in Books

Aug 14, 2019  
Station Eleven
Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
7.9 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
Station Eleven follows a number of characters affected by the disintegration of modern civilisation and society caused by a mutated flu virus which wipes out around 99% of the world wide population. Flitting back over a series of timelines, including the start of the pandemic to focus on the lives these characters had before the virus, what happened to them after this virus became apparent and beginning the destruction of the lives they knew. The story also skips into the future to see how their lives changed and how they had to adapt to their changing world. There are a number of characters to follow and as the book progresses links form between some of them, but this is not the focus of the story.

I won’t go overly into details about the characters it is best to discover them yourselves. I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book was. Receiving it as an advanced review, I didn’t really know much about the story other than it being based in a post-apocalyptic world. Upon receiving the book I was slightly put off by the blurb stating it was following a group of traveling actors and musicians and that it was trying to show how art still had a place in this post civilisation world. But don’t let this put you off, I’m glad I didn’t. Whilst the story uses the actors and musicians in this ‘Traveling Symphony’ as a point to allow cross country movement and show that some people as trying to survive but also to enrich other people’s lives, that wasn’t really what gripped me. It was the relationships this characters had made, the stories about how they used to live and what they had been forced to do in this changing world that kept me turning pages.

I would recommend this book, and I would probably re-read again and possibly try some of the authors other works. The author wrote beautifully and it never felt pretentious or like they were trying to over moralise things. If like me, you like a good end of the world, dystopian story but want something different from the general, zombies, vampires and hunger games type read, give this ago. It may surprise you, like it did me.
  
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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated 11.22.63 in Books

Mar 12, 2021  
11.22.63
11.22.63
Stephen King | 2012 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
8
8.8 (47 Ratings)
Book Rating
I would rate this 3.5/5 stars.
I’ve never been able to find myself wanting to read Stephen King, and after a few attempts when I was younger to start one of his novels, I still couldn’t and so until this book I have never finished a Stephen King. I persevered through this one because it had been lent to me by a friend with a good review and I had watched the tv series based on it a few years ago.
The start of this novel was very slow and confused me in a few points (but I think that was intentional as our main character – Jake Epping – was also pretty confused at the same time). But because not much was happening, I kept putting the book down, distracted to do something else and really having to force myself to pick it back up. Once I managed to get to part 2, I found that I was much more interested in the story and the plot line and it wasn’t such a chore to make the time to read it. I then had a difficult time to put the book down, and most nights I was only putting it down because I was falling asleep in the middle of a sentence! I read the last quarter of the book in a day, because I just wanted to know what was going to happen and whether he was going to be able to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Overall, I found the concept very interesting and not just the time travel. I found the concept of the past not wanting to be changed and actively trying to stop someone from changing it interesting, and sometimes it was quite comical the amount of things that went wrong when Jake was trying to change the past. I did, however, find the ending very disappointing. It felt like it was starting to be set up for a different ending and then at the last minute the author decided to change it completely. It just didn’t seem to fit with the set up of the last chapter or so, but I can see why it was done and that the ending that was being set up wouldn’t work in terms of not changing the past.
A very interesting read, but with a disappointing ending, but I would still recommend it!
  
The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror
Jay Anson | 1977 | Horror
6
7.0 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
Jay Anson’s The Amityville Horror sparked a lot of attention when it was first published in 1977 and soon after became the basis for the famed horror movie of the same title–but the question often remains: is it a true story? Originally published as such, The Amityville Horror now resides among fiction titles, largely due to the fact that besides the Lutzes, very little activity has been reported in the DeFeo house. (There were also several lawsuits.) For the purpose of this review, I will be treating The Amityville Horror as a fiction novel.

Normally, this paragraph is used to describe the characters and how I felt about them. Because The Amityville Horror was meant to be regarded as non-fiction, the characters, based on real people, are rather flat. There are too many questions about how they behave and react to different events in their lives. Part of this may be attributed to the style of Anson’s writing, which comes across to me as rather basic. In some places, there’s no flow and things appear forced.

Plotwise, I found the story to be engaging enough that I did, admittedly, devour it. Anson lays out events one after another, with little to no space in between. He also writes from several perspectives, and switches frequently–which can be rather distracting.

Overall, The Amityville Horror garners a lot of fame. The DeFeo murders were monstrous, but the addition of the Lutzes’ stories adds fuel to a fire that, for many skeptics, has long since stopped burning. If you’re a franchise fan, the book will likely interest you, but other than that, is neither spectacular or horrible.

http://theghastlygrimoire.com/2019/05/02/book-review-the-amityville-horror-by-jay-anson/
  
Between the Sea and Stars
Between the Sea and Stars
Chantal Gadoury | 2018 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who doesn't love mermaids? If you don't...well you're entitled to your wrong opinion.

So, I had the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of this book. I enjoy Gadoury's stories. This one was, of course, no exception.

Lena is a merrow (mermaid) helping her brother take care of their father. They aren't rich or poor, but they get by with Javelin's (brother) sell techniques for the market and Lena's hunting skills. Lena dreams of exploring the human world. She hears stories of the merrow queen and how she traded her fin for legs for the love of her life. Tragedy strikes, however, when Lena must flee from the sea to avoid punishment, or worse, death. With the help of the merrow queen, Lena is bestowed a pair of legs and must leave her only family.

Lena is taken in by a poor family and begins working at an inn. Lena soon finds that not all humans are evil, like other merrows believe, but there are some that are truly awful.

First and foremost, do NOT go into this book thinking it's based on Disney. Disney did not write The Little Mermaid. Although the artwork is beautiful and the songs are catchy, it's not the original story. It is a Little Mermaid retelling, but not Disney. So there will be no crabby sidekick, lol.

I loved Lena. She was headstrong and while she had to adjust to whole other world, she was still the same Lena, just heart broken and trying to manage. Merrows have the same views for female merrows. They are expected to marry and bare children and be taken care of. While Lena toyed with the idea when she is proposed to by an old family friend, she's still hesitant.

Lena meets Edwin, a blind old man who can read cards...and knows what she is. We like Edwin, so don't judge. Jace (young son) was the one who found Lena on the beach and brought her to the inn. I'll try to stop there so I don't spoil anything.

I love Gadoury's writing style. You get a clear picture of Lena as a merrow and as a human and what she experiences, good and bad. There are these connections to Lena's life that involve the merrow queen, and her mother. You have to read the story.

My only complaint...

I must wait for a second book!! Oh well.

Grab this book and experience a new story under the sea.