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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated A Parfait Murder in Books
Dec 9, 2019
Can Tally Clear Her Cousin of the Parfait Crime?
The country fair is in fully swing, and Tully Jones is hopping between her ice cream store and the booth she’s set up at the fair. Things get even more complicated when her cousin Bree’s ex-husband Sonny walks back into town after fifteen years. Bree is considering going after him for years of back child support, but before that can happen, he slaps her with a paternity suit, trying to claim that Alice isn’t really his daughter. The next day, Sonny’s lawyer is shot inside the haunted rodeo attraction at the fair, and the only other person in the ride is Bree. Tally can’t believe her cousin would do something like this, and Bree flat out denies it. But who else could it have been?
This is a great third book in the series. I loved the twist on the locked room puzzle presented here. There are several good suspects and clues that kept me reading as Tully worked to match the right suspect with the ability to pull off the crime. I also love the characters. Tully and her family are strong, and their relationships go through quite a bit here. I appreciate the growth it showed us for them. Naturally, the suspects are just as strong. I also appreciated that the characters understood why the police were focusing on Bree. They disagreed, but they worked to change their minds. Naturally, as an ice cream lover, I also enjoyed the ice cream descriptions. The book left me smiling and yearning for ice cream.
This is a great third book in the series. I loved the twist on the locked room puzzle presented here. There are several good suspects and clues that kept me reading as Tully worked to match the right suspect with the ability to pull off the crime. I also love the characters. Tully and her family are strong, and their relationships go through quite a bit here. I appreciate the growth it showed us for them. Naturally, the suspects are just as strong. I also appreciated that the characters understood why the police were focusing on Bree. They disagreed, but they worked to change their minds. Naturally, as an ice cream lover, I also enjoyed the ice cream descriptions. The book left me smiling and yearning for ice cream.
The Empowered Mama: How to Reclaim Your Time and Yourself While Raising a Happy, Healthy Family
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Get powerful tools to nurture and replenish your body and mind in The Empowered Mom Moms who work...
Midge (525 KP) rated The Sheikh's Christmas Family in Books
Mar 7, 2019
An Adorable, Racy, Little Romance!
Leslie North has written another adorable, racy, little romance!
Leslie, the critically-acclaimed author, has written more than two hundred books across forty-six series’ in the Romance, Contemporary Fiction and Women's Fiction genres. Alluring from the very beginning, THE SHEIKH’S CHRISTMAS FAMILY is Book Two in the ‘Christmas with the Yared Sheikhs’ series. Book One is entitled ‘The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling’ and the title of the third book is ‘The Sheikh’s Christmas Lover.’
Its Christmas-time in Maatkare and Maia must make sure the Sheikh’s palace is decorated for all the holiday festivities. The decorating is the easy part. Yonas Yared, the youngest son of the family, is a bit more of a challenge. Maia knows she’s in trouble when she sees how wonderful Yonas is with her young son. Protecting her heart from the one man who makes her think naughty thoughts she shouldn’t is proving more difficult than she ever imagined.
Yonas will go crazy if he has to spend the entire holiday season with his family. He’d much rather be partying the nights away than stuck in the palace helping their new irresistible decorator. As events transpire to keep him in the palace, he’s surprised to realise he’s glad to be home and equally surprised to find that getting his serious little decorator into his bed is becoming more and more important. The problem is, once she’s there, he doesn’t want her to leave. And nothing in his life has ever scared him more.
Leslie North is very good at developing her characters where opposites attract and this novel is no exception. The meeting of carefree, party animal Yonas and Maia, who is sensible, focused and responsible, was explosive.
The storyline is easy to follow, with plenty of emotion, angst and tension. The chemistry between Maia and Yonas was electric and what was also great was the laughter and fun enjoyed within the family.
The SHEIKH’S CHRISTMAS FAMILY is an enjoyable and well-written romance with which to curl up on the sofa on a dark winter’s night or any time, really, with a mug of hot chocolate and it makes a fantastic holiday read.
{Thank you to #NetGalley, Relay Publishing and Leslie North for the free copy of this book and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Leslie, the critically-acclaimed author, has written more than two hundred books across forty-six series’ in the Romance, Contemporary Fiction and Women's Fiction genres. Alluring from the very beginning, THE SHEIKH’S CHRISTMAS FAMILY is Book Two in the ‘Christmas with the Yared Sheikhs’ series. Book One is entitled ‘The Sheikh’s Christmas Fling’ and the title of the third book is ‘The Sheikh’s Christmas Lover.’
Its Christmas-time in Maatkare and Maia must make sure the Sheikh’s palace is decorated for all the holiday festivities. The decorating is the easy part. Yonas Yared, the youngest son of the family, is a bit more of a challenge. Maia knows she’s in trouble when she sees how wonderful Yonas is with her young son. Protecting her heart from the one man who makes her think naughty thoughts she shouldn’t is proving more difficult than she ever imagined.
Yonas will go crazy if he has to spend the entire holiday season with his family. He’d much rather be partying the nights away than stuck in the palace helping their new irresistible decorator. As events transpire to keep him in the palace, he’s surprised to realise he’s glad to be home and equally surprised to find that getting his serious little decorator into his bed is becoming more and more important. The problem is, once she’s there, he doesn’t want her to leave. And nothing in his life has ever scared him more.
Leslie North is very good at developing her characters where opposites attract and this novel is no exception. The meeting of carefree, party animal Yonas and Maia, who is sensible, focused and responsible, was explosive.
The storyline is easy to follow, with plenty of emotion, angst and tension. The chemistry between Maia and Yonas was electric and what was also great was the laughter and fun enjoyed within the family.
The SHEIKH’S CHRISTMAS FAMILY is an enjoyable and well-written romance with which to curl up on the sofa on a dark winter’s night or any time, really, with a mug of hot chocolate and it makes a fantastic holiday read.
{Thank you to #NetGalley, Relay Publishing and Leslie North for the free copy of this book and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.}
Ali A (78 KP) rated The Vanishing Deep in Books
Mar 6, 2020
The Great Wave destroyed the planet five hundred years ago and since then, the surface has been covered in water. Tempest was born into a world of water. Tempest’s sister Elysea drowned holding the secret to their parents’ death and Tempest wants answers. A research facility on the island of Palindromena can revive the dead for 24 hours and Tempest saved every Note she possibly could for two years to do so.
The reunion isn’t what Tempest thought it would be and instead, Elysea insists she’s innocent and convinces her sister to break her out of the facility so they together can find the answers about their parents. But it won’t be an easy journey, especially since they have the Warren, the person in charge of Elysea’s revival, on their trail to return her back before the 24 hours are up.
The Vanishing Deep’s cover is what drew me in to begin with as well as the world the author created. Astrid Scholte does an amazing job at creating this world of water and the floating islands that people live in. A part of me wishes we were able to see more of the day to day life instead of small glimpses here and there simply because the world sounds so interesting.
Scholte has a unique ability to create multi-dimensional, realistic characters that you can’t help but care for. My heart ached for Tempest and Lor throughout the whole book and I kept reading to find out if they get their happy endings or not. Having the chapters be in both Lor’s and Tempest’s points of view gives the reader a more in depth knowledge as to what’s happening, especially since during some parts, a character might be viewing things slightly differently due to grief or past experiences.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns, and thrills this book had. There were so many surprises that it made it hard for me to put down once I got to reading it. This novel is full of plot twists, both big and small that will have you turning pages upon pages until there is no more left. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. I am absolutely going to check out more of Astrid Scholte’s other novels.
*Thank you BookishFirst and Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
The reunion isn’t what Tempest thought it would be and instead, Elysea insists she’s innocent and convinces her sister to break her out of the facility so they together can find the answers about their parents. But it won’t be an easy journey, especially since they have the Warren, the person in charge of Elysea’s revival, on their trail to return her back before the 24 hours are up.
The Vanishing Deep’s cover is what drew me in to begin with as well as the world the author created. Astrid Scholte does an amazing job at creating this world of water and the floating islands that people live in. A part of me wishes we were able to see more of the day to day life instead of small glimpses here and there simply because the world sounds so interesting.
Scholte has a unique ability to create multi-dimensional, realistic characters that you can’t help but care for. My heart ached for Tempest and Lor throughout the whole book and I kept reading to find out if they get their happy endings or not. Having the chapters be in both Lor’s and Tempest’s points of view gives the reader a more in depth knowledge as to what’s happening, especially since during some parts, a character might be viewing things slightly differently due to grief or past experiences.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists, turns, and thrills this book had. There were so many surprises that it made it hard for me to put down once I got to reading it. This novel is full of plot twists, both big and small that will have you turning pages upon pages until there is no more left. I would recommend this book to any fantasy lover out there. I am absolutely going to check out more of Astrid Scholte’s other novels.
*Thank you BookishFirst and Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
Cassie Osbourne (6 KP) rated Alice (The Chronicles of Alice #1) in Books
Nov 9, 2018
'Alice' is a dark and twisted reimagining of Lewis Carrol's classic children's story 'Alice in Wonderland' in which Alice (after escaping from the asylum she has been imprisoned in for ten years) has to navigate to Old City with her friend Hatch to slay the Jabberwock. Now, I am a lover of all things dark and creepy in a book, and I have to say that Christina Henry's retelling did not disappoint! The tie-ins and references to the original story were very, very clever and I'm sure that I could have spotted more if I had read or been a fan of the classic.
The main protagonists, Alice and Hatcher, are so well developed (and I'm sure will only get more so in the sequel). Both have compelling backstories and challenges to overcome as the story unfolds and the information is leaked in small, tiny fragments as their memories resurface. I also really enjoyed the comments in italics which were not explicitly attributed to Alice's thoughts as it made her madness (whether real or perceived) to be even more present as part of her character. If you love a good villain as I do then, boy, is this book for you! Sinister antagonists and 'bosses' lurk around every corner to delight and terrify you. I have to say that Cheshire and the Catapiller were my favourite characters - I just loved how smug and manipulative they were. However, I do have to mention that after all the build-up that Henry gives the Walrus and the Rabbit, when we meet them it is, very sadly, a bit of an anti-climax and the Jabberwock (who was supposed to be the Big Bad in the novel), it seemed was defeated too quickly and simplistically. I didn't especially buy it and would have liked a full chapter of it as I thought that the Jabberwock was excellent when we did meet him, so I just wanted a bit more time between him and Alice.
The atmosphere and overall writing-style in the book were both strong. As mentioned previously, everything was dark and strange (and strangeness is something that you would expect in a retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland'). I think the chapters in the Butterfly were well described and felt very real. Those chapters and the chapters in Cheshire's office were my favourites.
Regarding enjoyment and intrigue, there's nothing much to add apart from how much I utterly loved it and was gripped by the adventures. Every single chapter ended with a very Dicken's style cliffhanger, making the book almost impossible to put down and break away from the world that Henry creates. I finished it in pretty much one day, only stopping two chapters before the end because it was 1 am, and I had to be awake for work at 7 am so needed to get some sleep. Every chapter left me with the same thought - "f*** me, this book is good", and that is not a feeling that I've had while reading a book for a very, very long time. For all the lovers of dark tales out there, this is the book for you.
Characters: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Plot: 7/10
Intrigue: 10/10
Logic: 7/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
The main protagonists, Alice and Hatcher, are so well developed (and I'm sure will only get more so in the sequel). Both have compelling backstories and challenges to overcome as the story unfolds and the information is leaked in small, tiny fragments as their memories resurface. I also really enjoyed the comments in italics which were not explicitly attributed to Alice's thoughts as it made her madness (whether real or perceived) to be even more present as part of her character. If you love a good villain as I do then, boy, is this book for you! Sinister antagonists and 'bosses' lurk around every corner to delight and terrify you. I have to say that Cheshire and the Catapiller were my favourite characters - I just loved how smug and manipulative they were. However, I do have to mention that after all the build-up that Henry gives the Walrus and the Rabbit, when we meet them it is, very sadly, a bit of an anti-climax and the Jabberwock (who was supposed to be the Big Bad in the novel), it seemed was defeated too quickly and simplistically. I didn't especially buy it and would have liked a full chapter of it as I thought that the Jabberwock was excellent when we did meet him, so I just wanted a bit more time between him and Alice.
The atmosphere and overall writing-style in the book were both strong. As mentioned previously, everything was dark and strange (and strangeness is something that you would expect in a retelling of 'Alice in Wonderland'). I think the chapters in the Butterfly were well described and felt very real. Those chapters and the chapters in Cheshire's office were my favourites.
Regarding enjoyment and intrigue, there's nothing much to add apart from how much I utterly loved it and was gripped by the adventures. Every single chapter ended with a very Dicken's style cliffhanger, making the book almost impossible to put down and break away from the world that Henry creates. I finished it in pretty much one day, only stopping two chapters before the end because it was 1 am, and I had to be awake for work at 7 am so needed to get some sleep. Every chapter left me with the same thought - "f*** me, this book is good", and that is not a feeling that I've had while reading a book for a very, very long time. For all the lovers of dark tales out there, this is the book for you.
Characters: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Plot: 7/10
Intrigue: 10/10
Logic: 7/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Samantha Hemsley (2 KP) rated The Reader on the 6.27 in Books
Jun 30, 2019
Feel-good (4 more)
Simple easy-to read style
A celebration of the power of reading
Lovable characters
Brilliant translation from French
I'm so glad to have come across this little hidden gem.
The unfortunately named (apparently -- I think you have to be a French speaker to really understand the reasoning) Guylain Vignolles is 36, lives alone with his beloved goldfish and works in a job he detests -- operating a book-pulping machine in a publishing factory. Guylain alleviates his resultant mental anguish by rescuing the occasional surviving pages at the end of each shift and reading them aloud to his fellow commuters on the 6.27 train each morning much to their mingled bewilderment and joy. Featuring some wonderful larger-than-life characters such as the classical theatre loving security guard who only speaks in Verse and the reformed alcoholic engaged in a quest to be reunited with his missing limbs and the toilet attendant with a secret talent for writing, this book is quirky and a bit ridiculous in the very best way.
As a fellow book lover, I empathised with Guylain's heartbreak over destroying so many books day in and day out. I can't even bear to write in a book or fold the corner of a page never mind reduce them to a pulp! I absolutely loved the way he attempted to do the books justice by giving what pages he could save an audience. This book is a real testament to the power and pleasure of reading aloud which is something I'm hugely passionate about -- I even wrote one of my university dissertations about the benefits of reading aloud with children.
I also loved its message of how reading can unite people, despite it being seen as a generally quite solitary or even introverted activity. Through his reading, Guylain finds himself being invited to do regular readings at a care home, much to the delight of the residents and when he finds a USB stick on his usual train seat containing over 70 diary entries, the lonely Guylain might just find that it leads to true love.
As well as being very charming and quaint, the novel manages to avoid becoming trite with its very astute observations and brilliant humour -- often laugh-out-loud funny. The prose is simple but very skillful -- especially the verses concocted by Yvon the security guard. Huge credit must also be given to the translator here. (The book was originally written in French) To translate rhyme into a different language so that it still rhymes and still makes perfect sense in the context can't be an easy feat!
My only criticism is that the book is very short -- fewer than 200 pages. Apparently the author is usually a writer of short stories and this is his first novel. This definitely shows as the ending feels very abrupt and definitely as if it could have done with another 50 pages or so; perhaps even more. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet! Having said that, the ending was very sweet and it was only its abruptness that prevented it from being 100% satisfactory. I wouldn't quite say that there are any loose ends but it would have been nice to find out a little more about some of the characters and their stories.
Overall though this was a really lovely feel-good read that will appeal to anyone who loves literature and zany but endearing characters. I read one review that said the plot was "outlandish" and the characters "unbelievable" but I believe this reviewer was missing the point. This book champions the escapist qualities of reading and to have a story and characters who perhaps just slightly transcend reality can only elevate the escapism just that bit more. Feasibility be damned, I loved Guylain and his supporting cast members and I think I could easily read this short but sweet little story again and again!
The unfortunately named (apparently -- I think you have to be a French speaker to really understand the reasoning) Guylain Vignolles is 36, lives alone with his beloved goldfish and works in a job he detests -- operating a book-pulping machine in a publishing factory. Guylain alleviates his resultant mental anguish by rescuing the occasional surviving pages at the end of each shift and reading them aloud to his fellow commuters on the 6.27 train each morning much to their mingled bewilderment and joy. Featuring some wonderful larger-than-life characters such as the classical theatre loving security guard who only speaks in Verse and the reformed alcoholic engaged in a quest to be reunited with his missing limbs and the toilet attendant with a secret talent for writing, this book is quirky and a bit ridiculous in the very best way.
As a fellow book lover, I empathised with Guylain's heartbreak over destroying so many books day in and day out. I can't even bear to write in a book or fold the corner of a page never mind reduce them to a pulp! I absolutely loved the way he attempted to do the books justice by giving what pages he could save an audience. This book is a real testament to the power and pleasure of reading aloud which is something I'm hugely passionate about -- I even wrote one of my university dissertations about the benefits of reading aloud with children.
I also loved its message of how reading can unite people, despite it being seen as a generally quite solitary or even introverted activity. Through his reading, Guylain finds himself being invited to do regular readings at a care home, much to the delight of the residents and when he finds a USB stick on his usual train seat containing over 70 diary entries, the lonely Guylain might just find that it leads to true love.
As well as being very charming and quaint, the novel manages to avoid becoming trite with its very astute observations and brilliant humour -- often laugh-out-loud funny. The prose is simple but very skillful -- especially the verses concocted by Yvon the security guard. Huge credit must also be given to the translator here. (The book was originally written in French) To translate rhyme into a different language so that it still rhymes and still makes perfect sense in the context can't be an easy feat!
My only criticism is that the book is very short -- fewer than 200 pages. Apparently the author is usually a writer of short stories and this is his first novel. This definitely shows as the ending feels very abrupt and definitely as if it could have done with another 50 pages or so; perhaps even more. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet! Having said that, the ending was very sweet and it was only its abruptness that prevented it from being 100% satisfactory. I wouldn't quite say that there are any loose ends but it would have been nice to find out a little more about some of the characters and their stories.
Overall though this was a really lovely feel-good read that will appeal to anyone who loves literature and zany but endearing characters. I read one review that said the plot was "outlandish" and the characters "unbelievable" but I believe this reviewer was missing the point. This book champions the escapist qualities of reading and to have a story and characters who perhaps just slightly transcend reality can only elevate the escapism just that bit more. Feasibility be damned, I loved Guylain and his supporting cast members and I think I could easily read this short but sweet little story again and again!
Louise (64 KP) rated The Unseeing in Books
Jul 2, 2018
I am a lover of Historical fiction especially Victorian London so when I read the synopsis of ‘The Unseeing’ I knew I had to read it. This is Anna Mazzola’s debut novel and I can tell you it certainly delivered.
The year is 1837 and Sarah Gale is sentenced to be hung, she is believed to have aid and abet James Greenacre in the death of Hannah Brown. Sarah Gale was having an on/off relationship with Greenacre and living with him in his home until he met Hannah. Hannah Brown was a spinster with a bit of money and business’s in her possession,until her body parts were found randomly around London.Greenacre a conniving man that he is only wanted Hannah for her money and threw Sarah out a few days before Christmas. A few days after Christmas Hannah Brown is gone and Sarah Gale is back in Greenacre’s bed. Sarah is adamant that she knows nothing about the disappearance or death of Hannah Brown, but no-one believes her.
Sarah Gale and a Women’s institute have requested Sarah to be pardoned as she is to be hung but is adamant she knows nothing. Edmund Fleetwood has been assigned the case, his job is to see if she will talk or if there is any new evidence. This is one of the most spoken about cases of the time and this could be the career break that Edmund needs, however Sarah Gale is still adamant that she knows nothing. Can this meek, pale women really be involved in a murder?
This book was amazing, I felt like I had been transported to London in 1837. The writing was so atmospheric, the descriptions of the sounds, the streets and the way the characters spoke just blew me away, and it was consistent throughout the book. The Unseeing is a slow burn book that drip feeds you information slowly and you start piecing it together like a jigsaw puzzle. I was definitely hooked and needed to know how Hannah had come to be in pieces around London and what was going to happen to Sarah. There is a twist and I didn’t see it coming whatsoever and was left shocked for some time.
This book is based on a true crime that happened in 1837 and is known as the Edgeware Murder. Sarah Gale and John Greenacre are the names of the actual people involved and the court scripts can be seen at the Old Bailey website. You can definitely tell that the Mazzola had knowledge of the justice system as it was very well researched. I loved that Mazzola managed to make a fictional book out of a true crime and it makes it even more intriguing to read. It does make you think of how the justice system failed a lot of people back in Victorian times.
I will definitely be reading anything else Anna Mazzola release and recommend this book you are interested true crime and historical fiction.
I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
The year is 1837 and Sarah Gale is sentenced to be hung, she is believed to have aid and abet James Greenacre in the death of Hannah Brown. Sarah Gale was having an on/off relationship with Greenacre and living with him in his home until he met Hannah. Hannah Brown was a spinster with a bit of money and business’s in her possession,until her body parts were found randomly around London.Greenacre a conniving man that he is only wanted Hannah for her money and threw Sarah out a few days before Christmas. A few days after Christmas Hannah Brown is gone and Sarah Gale is back in Greenacre’s bed. Sarah is adamant that she knows nothing about the disappearance or death of Hannah Brown, but no-one believes her.
Sarah Gale and a Women’s institute have requested Sarah to be pardoned as she is to be hung but is adamant she knows nothing. Edmund Fleetwood has been assigned the case, his job is to see if she will talk or if there is any new evidence. This is one of the most spoken about cases of the time and this could be the career break that Edmund needs, however Sarah Gale is still adamant that she knows nothing. Can this meek, pale women really be involved in a murder?
This book was amazing, I felt like I had been transported to London in 1837. The writing was so atmospheric, the descriptions of the sounds, the streets and the way the characters spoke just blew me away, and it was consistent throughout the book. The Unseeing is a slow burn book that drip feeds you information slowly and you start piecing it together like a jigsaw puzzle. I was definitely hooked and needed to know how Hannah had come to be in pieces around London and what was going to happen to Sarah. There is a twist and I didn’t see it coming whatsoever and was left shocked for some time.
This book is based on a true crime that happened in 1837 and is known as the Edgeware Murder. Sarah Gale and John Greenacre are the names of the actual people involved and the court scripts can be seen at the Old Bailey website. You can definitely tell that the Mazzola had knowledge of the justice system as it was very well researched. I loved that Mazzola managed to make a fictional book out of a true crime and it makes it even more intriguing to read. It does make you think of how the justice system failed a lot of people back in Victorian times.
I will definitely be reading anything else Anna Mazzola release and recommend this book you are interested true crime and historical fiction.
I rated this 4 out of 5 stars
KittyMiku (138 KP) rated Shadow of Night in Books
May 23, 2019
Shadow of Night is the second book of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy. As with the first one, Harkness takes you on adventure with her two protagonists, a witch named Diana and a vampire named Mathew. However, unlike the first one, this book is placed in Elizabethan England. Though the characters remain the same at heart, they change to better suit each other and the time period, as it is needed. With the imminent danger around every corner, the two are still not able to find piece, but Diana is able to learn more about her powers while she learns about her vampire lover in the process.
The details in the book are beautifully done and give a great visual to how it must have looked in 1590, where the main storyline is. The clothing style was accurate and there were a great many nods to our history. However, even though some of it remained factual, or close to, there was no denying that there was whole lot of fiction intertwined to help create the illusion that witches, vampires, and daemons exist. Harkness has a way with her facts and her words to create such a wonderful woven story to have the facts and the fictions mix that you could practically believe that it could all be true and we just would never know about it. I am again truly amazed by the story and how it seems to flow from the first book to the second book so flawlessly. I am hardly able to express such enthusiasm I have for Harkness and her wonderful tale. Once again, she was able to submerge me into a tale that caused emotions to wax and wane in my soul.
With all the tears, joys, and laughs this book was able to get out of me, I thought the ending felt a tad bit rushed, and though I am grateful for the speed of the final chapters and how it sort of answered more questions while leaving the conclusions of the trilogy still to come, I feel I would have liked a bit more out of the characters in their reunions. With new characters being introduces slightly at the end, it left a lot of questions on what was going on. I understand that the last book in this trilogy would be what wrapped everything up, but I can’t help but feeling a little more should have been included about some of the characters that had been introduced. I will hold my breath on this matter though and wait to see how the trilogy ends.
I did find that Harkness was able to pin point things normal couples seem to be troubled with, such as jealousy and secrets, never mind should that couple have secret abilities or be of another entire species. I was overjoyed to see that even fictional characters could do something I see normal people due in reality without all the melodramatics that most romance novels and romantic comedies would have us believe. To watch the main characters have the differences, stand their ground, and even argue about things like secrets, other people, and insecurities makes it feel more at home. Not every romance should be almost perfect with a few flaws; Couples fight and through the power of love, the stay together. Even though they have chance to fall apart, it never ceases to amaze how simple communication, even between a d vampire and a witch, can make troubles and misunderstandings cease to exist. Even with the couple at ends at times, and the world seemingly against them, it was fun to watch them explore the world and themselves, if not to just become themselves more and learn how powerful love and trust could be.
I believe this book is 3 stars out of 4 stars for it rating. It is truly an amazing book and has the potential to stand alone, it is clear that without certain prior knowledges, a reader could get lost at the end of what is happening. Shadow of Night is as beautifully written as was A Discovery of Witches and I definitely would recommend it, if the person was will to start at the beginning with A Discovery of Witches. Luckily both can be bought on Amazon and in other places that sell books.
The details in the book are beautifully done and give a great visual to how it must have looked in 1590, where the main storyline is. The clothing style was accurate and there were a great many nods to our history. However, even though some of it remained factual, or close to, there was no denying that there was whole lot of fiction intertwined to help create the illusion that witches, vampires, and daemons exist. Harkness has a way with her facts and her words to create such a wonderful woven story to have the facts and the fictions mix that you could practically believe that it could all be true and we just would never know about it. I am again truly amazed by the story and how it seems to flow from the first book to the second book so flawlessly. I am hardly able to express such enthusiasm I have for Harkness and her wonderful tale. Once again, she was able to submerge me into a tale that caused emotions to wax and wane in my soul.
With all the tears, joys, and laughs this book was able to get out of me, I thought the ending felt a tad bit rushed, and though I am grateful for the speed of the final chapters and how it sort of answered more questions while leaving the conclusions of the trilogy still to come, I feel I would have liked a bit more out of the characters in their reunions. With new characters being introduces slightly at the end, it left a lot of questions on what was going on. I understand that the last book in this trilogy would be what wrapped everything up, but I can’t help but feeling a little more should have been included about some of the characters that had been introduced. I will hold my breath on this matter though and wait to see how the trilogy ends.
I did find that Harkness was able to pin point things normal couples seem to be troubled with, such as jealousy and secrets, never mind should that couple have secret abilities or be of another entire species. I was overjoyed to see that even fictional characters could do something I see normal people due in reality without all the melodramatics that most romance novels and romantic comedies would have us believe. To watch the main characters have the differences, stand their ground, and even argue about things like secrets, other people, and insecurities makes it feel more at home. Not every romance should be almost perfect with a few flaws; Couples fight and through the power of love, the stay together. Even though they have chance to fall apart, it never ceases to amaze how simple communication, even between a d vampire and a witch, can make troubles and misunderstandings cease to exist. Even with the couple at ends at times, and the world seemingly against them, it was fun to watch them explore the world and themselves, if not to just become themselves more and learn how powerful love and trust could be.
I believe this book is 3 stars out of 4 stars for it rating. It is truly an amazing book and has the potential to stand alone, it is clear that without certain prior knowledges, a reader could get lost at the end of what is happening. Shadow of Night is as beautifully written as was A Discovery of Witches and I definitely would recommend it, if the person was will to start at the beginning with A Discovery of Witches. Luckily both can be bought on Amazon and in other places that sell books.
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