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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Blood of the Hydra (Elementals, #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
When I first read <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-prophecy-of-shadows-by-michelle-madow"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Prophecy of Shadows</a></i>, the book felt really slow. The pacing just didnt feel right and there wasnt enough action. But the series showed promise to get better (and like with any other book, theres the risk of the sequel being worse than that first book), so when I saw <i>The Blood of the Hydra </i>being available on Netgalley for request, I jumped at the chance because I wanted to see if the series would get better.
And I have to say: Wow. Despite the book has the feel of a love triangle on the horizon, <i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is more interesting - Madow incorporates more mythology (rather than the first book, when Nicole is new to the world and learning everything about it). The characters undergo a development - in the first book, theres a bit of tension and a division, yet a sense of unity, among the five witches. In the sequel, there is still tension, but that tension from the first has noticeably died down.
<i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is also more action packed than the first book. More monsters and more fighting involved - honestly, I enjoyed the sequel more than <i>The Prophecy of Shadows</i> and cannot wait to continue the series.
Side Note: I know I reviewed the third book before the second. Shh.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-pt-2-zac-brewer-amie-kaufman-meagan-spooner-michelle-madow-dawn-rae-miller-jamie-blair/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
When I first read <i><a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-prophecy-of-shadows-by-michelle-madow"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Prophecy of Shadows</a></i>, the book felt really slow. The pacing just didnt feel right and there wasnt enough action. But the series showed promise to get better (and like with any other book, theres the risk of the sequel being worse than that first book), so when I saw <i>The Blood of the Hydra </i>being available on Netgalley for request, I jumped at the chance because I wanted to see if the series would get better.
And I have to say: Wow. Despite the book has the feel of a love triangle on the horizon, <i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is more interesting - Madow incorporates more mythology (rather than the first book, when Nicole is new to the world and learning everything about it). The characters undergo a development - in the first book, theres a bit of tension and a division, yet a sense of unity, among the five witches. In the sequel, there is still tension, but that tension from the first has noticeably died down.
<i>The Blood of the Hydra</i> is also more action packed than the first book. More monsters and more fighting involved - honestly, I enjoyed the sequel more than <i>The Prophecy of Shadows</i> and cannot wait to continue the series.
Side Note: I know I reviewed the third book before the second. Shh.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/mini-reviews-pt-2-zac-brewer-amie-kaufman-meagan-spooner-michelle-madow-dawn-rae-miller-jamie-blair/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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EmersonRose (320 KP) rated The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Alert! Before I begin this review, I need to let it be known that in the case of this particular book I may be a little biased, well maybe really biased! This is the tenth book I have read by this author and the last in the second series I have read. It is safe to say I love these books or else I would not have read this many.
Alright, now that that is out of the way, let me begin. This book is called Blood of Olympus, it is the fifth and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series (if you should ever desire to read these book, I would recommend starting with the Percy Jackson, and the Olympians series as this series is a sequel series. The author of this book is a writer by the name of Rick Riordan. This book is a young adult fantasy novel. It is the final chapter of the adventure of a group of seven young adults who happen to be demigods, modern day children of the ancient gods of Greece and Rome. This adventure, like many great adventures, is a race to save the world.
For me, the initial draw of the book was that it is a fantasy novel, which is one of my favorite genres, and its focus is on Greek Mythology, something of an obsession of mine. The mythology in these books may not always satisfy all mythology nerds because they do take liberties in how the myths are presented in order to showcase how they might have changed to fit in the modern day world. The way Riordan chooses to represent mythology is often fairly close to original stories, showing that he spends the time researching the myths, and they are clever, funny, and entertaining.
As I read the books, I found myself drawn to the relationships between the characters, not surprising as characters are a key draw for me in literature. By this point in the series, the relationships became especially interesting because you have known some of the characters for ten books now while others are just in their second or third book appearances. The central characters have grown into a substantial group that each have their own unique backgrounds, personalities, and even mythologies that create intriguing tension and bonds. Their bonds grow stronger as they work through new struggles and adventures with the added drama of them being a group of teenagers, which obviously means that there is a fair bit of romance involved as well.
For me personally to get into a story the most important aspect is to be very invested in61w3pqVMCZL._US230_ the characters. This does not mean I have to like them, but I do need to be completely invested in what happens to them. If the storyteller can do this, then I will most likely binge the entire thing whether book, movie, tv show, comic…. regardless whether or not the story is good or my normal cup of tea. This was definitely an initial draw in me reading this second series because I was already very invested in both Percy and Annabeth’s characters, who are among the main characters in this series and the main characters in the previous series. The majority of the characters in this book did capture my emotional investment, which kept me reading all five books, but there were a few I found lacking. Maybe I am the only one who felt this, but I thought that Riordan didn’t spend enough time on some of the new characters to pull me into their plots. Unfortunately, this is common in stories that feature such a large cast of main characters, had the time on each character been even plot points might not have been as successful and honestly, I might have been annoyed to not spend as much time on my favorites.
I would be lying if I were to say this was my favorite book in this series but I still greatly enjoyed it. Besides my problem with not feeling emotionally invested enough in some of the characters, I really do not have any other complaints about the book. It was successful in finishing this series story arc while having plenty of plot of its own. And it ended wrapping just about everything up so that I was satisfied, but open enough to still want more. If this were a regular series, the leftover cliffhangers would be dreadful! But Riordan writes series that capture over-arching plots but that connect to his other book series in this same world, so an ending like this simply promising more books about these characters in another series.
Overall I liked this book, if young adult fantasy is your genre, then I would definitely suggest looking at these books. They do what I require of my urban fantasy stories, mix magic into our real world enough that a part of me can almost believe it could be possible. Characters, world, and plot flowing together into an engaging story that obviously captured my interest enough to read ten and counting of these novels.
*This was a review I found while cleaning that I write a few years ago. I have since read two more Riordan novels and counting! I love the way Riordan writes and appreciate how he seems to continually grow as a writer, always tackling new issues and allowing his characters to have growth. Annabeth and Percy especially, they are two of my all-time favorite characters. I highly recommend reading his books!
Alright, now that that is out of the way, let me begin. This book is called Blood of Olympus, it is the fifth and final book in the Heroes of Olympus series (if you should ever desire to read these book, I would recommend starting with the Percy Jackson, and the Olympians series as this series is a sequel series. The author of this book is a writer by the name of Rick Riordan. This book is a young adult fantasy novel. It is the final chapter of the adventure of a group of seven young adults who happen to be demigods, modern day children of the ancient gods of Greece and Rome. This adventure, like many great adventures, is a race to save the world.
For me, the initial draw of the book was that it is a fantasy novel, which is one of my favorite genres, and its focus is on Greek Mythology, something of an obsession of mine. The mythology in these books may not always satisfy all mythology nerds because they do take liberties in how the myths are presented in order to showcase how they might have changed to fit in the modern day world. The way Riordan chooses to represent mythology is often fairly close to original stories, showing that he spends the time researching the myths, and they are clever, funny, and entertaining.
As I read the books, I found myself drawn to the relationships between the characters, not surprising as characters are a key draw for me in literature. By this point in the series, the relationships became especially interesting because you have known some of the characters for ten books now while others are just in their second or third book appearances. The central characters have grown into a substantial group that each have their own unique backgrounds, personalities, and even mythologies that create intriguing tension and bonds. Their bonds grow stronger as they work through new struggles and adventures with the added drama of them being a group of teenagers, which obviously means that there is a fair bit of romance involved as well.
For me personally to get into a story the most important aspect is to be very invested in61w3pqVMCZL._US230_ the characters. This does not mean I have to like them, but I do need to be completely invested in what happens to them. If the storyteller can do this, then I will most likely binge the entire thing whether book, movie, tv show, comic…. regardless whether or not the story is good or my normal cup of tea. This was definitely an initial draw in me reading this second series because I was already very invested in both Percy and Annabeth’s characters, who are among the main characters in this series and the main characters in the previous series. The majority of the characters in this book did capture my emotional investment, which kept me reading all five books, but there were a few I found lacking. Maybe I am the only one who felt this, but I thought that Riordan didn’t spend enough time on some of the new characters to pull me into their plots. Unfortunately, this is common in stories that feature such a large cast of main characters, had the time on each character been even plot points might not have been as successful and honestly, I might have been annoyed to not spend as much time on my favorites.
I would be lying if I were to say this was my favorite book in this series but I still greatly enjoyed it. Besides my problem with not feeling emotionally invested enough in some of the characters, I really do not have any other complaints about the book. It was successful in finishing this series story arc while having plenty of plot of its own. And it ended wrapping just about everything up so that I was satisfied, but open enough to still want more. If this were a regular series, the leftover cliffhangers would be dreadful! But Riordan writes series that capture over-arching plots but that connect to his other book series in this same world, so an ending like this simply promising more books about these characters in another series.
Overall I liked this book, if young adult fantasy is your genre, then I would definitely suggest looking at these books. They do what I require of my urban fantasy stories, mix magic into our real world enough that a part of me can almost believe it could be possible. Characters, world, and plot flowing together into an engaging story that obviously captured my interest enough to read ten and counting of these novels.
*This was a review I found while cleaning that I write a few years ago. I have since read two more Riordan novels and counting! I love the way Riordan writes and appreciate how he seems to continually grow as a writer, always tackling new issues and allowing his characters to have growth. Annabeth and Percy especially, they are two of my all-time favorite characters. I highly recommend reading his books!
book sparrow (239 KP) rated Stone Cold Touch in Books
Jan 15, 2020
omg this book takes you on so many twist and turns my neck hurts.
what i don't like about some series is that the second book has to go and rehash whats happened in the fist book......like if the reader had read the first book like i have they would already bloody know and if not ...didums go read it anyway moving on. in the first book roth was my fave ,,,in this book i was so torn between zayne and roth i want layla to have both (is that greedy?) anyway layla is a lot less of an immature whiny baby in this book and i started to like her character a lot more honestly loved this book soooo much i even think i love it more then the first which is rare for me always love the originals. this is another book that took 8 hours to read even with having to do my day to day stuff it has you hooked from the beginning
what i don't like about some series is that the second book has to go and rehash whats happened in the fist book......like if the reader had read the first book like i have they would already bloody know and if not ...didums go read it anyway moving on. in the first book roth was my fave ,,,in this book i was so torn between zayne and roth i want layla to have both (is that greedy?) anyway layla is a lot less of an immature whiny baby in this book and i started to like her character a lot more honestly loved this book soooo much i even think i love it more then the first which is rare for me always love the originals. this is another book that took 8 hours to read even with having to do my day to day stuff it has you hooked from the beginning
Kate (493 KP) rated The Case Of The Bad Twin in Books
Jun 30, 2020
This book was enjoyable but definitely for a different audience. I felt like the way it was written, the actual story line and the main characters in the book it was probably aimed at teenagers.
When I read the blurb it seemed like a book I would normally read and it was a mystery but as I mentioned it was for a younger audience. So I would recommend the book to the audience it was aimed at. It was an easy reading book.
I still got into the book as I kept guessing who the perpetrator was and therefore it did turn into a page turner for me.
I learnt more about the characters as the book went on and my thoughts on them changed.
This book was part of a series and the only reason I didn't read the other books in the story was because it was bit too young for me.
I like more adult crime/mystery books.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
When I read the blurb it seemed like a book I would normally read and it was a mystery but as I mentioned it was for a younger audience. So I would recommend the book to the audience it was aimed at. It was an easy reading book.
I still got into the book as I kept guessing who the perpetrator was and therefore it did turn into a page turner for me.
I learnt more about the characters as the book went on and my thoughts on them changed.
This book was part of a series and the only reason I didn't read the other books in the story was because it was bit too young for me.
I like more adult crime/mystery books.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2173 KP) rated Dark Chocolate Demise (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, #7) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Fairy Tale Cupcakes are selling cupcakes at the end of the first annual Zombie walk in town, and Mel, Angie, and the rest of their staff are getting into the spirit of things. But the fun takes a dark turn when Mel finds a body stuffed into the coffin outside their cupcake truck – a body that hits very close to home. Who was the target and why?
This book is a little darker than others in the series based on the plot alone, but we are talking a shade darker – cozy fans will still love it. The mystery takes a back seat at times to the characters reactions to the murder, but that was the appropriate response to the plot and I was never board while reading it. The book reaches a logical and page turning climax, and it also features some of the funniest scenes in the series. I think this is best for people already fans of the series, but they will love it.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of the book in hopes that I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-dark-chocolate-demise-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This book is a little darker than others in the series based on the plot alone, but we are talking a shade darker – cozy fans will still love it. The mystery takes a back seat at times to the characters reactions to the murder, but that was the appropriate response to the plot and I was never board while reading it. The book reaches a logical and page turning climax, and it also features some of the funniest scenes in the series. I think this is best for people already fans of the series, but they will love it.
NOTE: I was sent a copy of the book in hopes that I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-dark-chocolate-demise-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
OneStarReads (141 KP) rated The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events #13) in Books
Aug 13, 2018
I created a video explaining my slow decent into hating this series, book by book, for your viewing pleasure:
Had this series been clearly well thought out- you know, like not following a template, the characters not changing at a moments notice, and the story not being varying degrees of ridiculous- I might have congratulated this book on its willingness to put itself out there and not answer the questions it built up to through this series. I would have comended it for being strong enough to end a story like this, and teaching readers that you don't always get what you want, or a happy ending for that matter.
But this story, though all of its books, has components of the list above. They each follow the same template, the characters change personality whenever it is needed, and the plot is all over the place in tone. So no, I will not congratulate this story for ending this way. I can see what he might've been going for, but with the story up until now, it made this last book feel more like a cop out.
So yea, this is over.
Had this series been clearly well thought out- you know, like not following a template, the characters not changing at a moments notice, and the story not being varying degrees of ridiculous- I might have congratulated this book on its willingness to put itself out there and not answer the questions it built up to through this series. I would have comended it for being strong enough to end a story like this, and teaching readers that you don't always get what you want, or a happy ending for that matter.
But this story, though all of its books, has components of the list above. They each follow the same template, the characters change personality whenever it is needed, and the plot is all over the place in tone. So no, I will not congratulate this story for ending this way. I can see what he might've been going for, but with the story up until now, it made this last book feel more like a cop out.
So yea, this is over.
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Merissa (11961 KP) rated Embrace the Mystery (The Blood Rose #3) in Books
Apr 16, 2023
The third in the Blood Rose Series is dedicated to Quinlan and Batya, both natives of the Nine Realms although Batya left to live on 'mortal' earth, for reasons you find out as the book develops. In fact, it is not only the book that develops, but the series as a whole, as facts come to light and more starts to make sense. There is a name now for the 'big bad', an understanding of what is wanted, and more to the point, what is needed to stop it.
The chemistry is rife between Quinlan and Batya and, although you might think that the timing is wrong, they still manage to make time for each other. And boy, is it hot!
There are appearances from previous characters, as well as from new ones. Some, I'm not sure if they're part of the bigger picture or not, but I still really like reading about them.
This is a brilliant addition to the Blood Rose series and will definitely leave you wanting more. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 20, 2015
The chemistry is rife between Quinlan and Batya and, although you might think that the timing is wrong, they still manage to make time for each other. And boy, is it hot!
There are appearances from previous characters, as well as from new ones. Some, I'm not sure if they're part of the bigger picture or not, but I still really like reading about them.
This is a brilliant addition to the Blood Rose series and will definitely leave you wanting more. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 20, 2015
Merissa (11961 KP) rated In the Eye of the Storm (Full Circle #1) in Books
Dec 8, 2021
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM is the first book in the Full Circle series BUT it is a follow-on series from The Base, which I haven't read. I'm afraid this DID affect my enjoyment of the book as there were plenty of characters and situations referred to that I had absolutely no idea about.
This is a dark, fast-paced story that delves into the world of child sex trafficking, trying to rescue said children, and helping them live their best lives after dealing with the trauma involved.
The characters were mostly heart-warming. I wasn't able to feel the full effect of the big bad as I feel he probably made more of an impact in the original series. It is told from multiple perspectives so sometimes it seemed to flit across the surface, rather than give any depth to the feelings and emotions.
It has an ending that leaves it wide open for further stories. The writing itself was good, I just had trouble connecting with the story or the characters.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is a dark, fast-paced story that delves into the world of child sex trafficking, trying to rescue said children, and helping them live their best lives after dealing with the trauma involved.
The characters were mostly heart-warming. I wasn't able to feel the full effect of the big bad as I feel he probably made more of an impact in the original series. It is told from multiple perspectives so sometimes it seemed to flit across the surface, rather than give any depth to the feelings and emotions.
It has an ending that leaves it wide open for further stories. The writing itself was good, I just had trouble connecting with the story or the characters.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!