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Into the Night
Into the Night
Sarah Bailey | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Our protagonist in this story is Gemma, she moved from a little town to Melbourne, leaving her family behind, to try and start her life fresh. She is assigned to a couple of murders, first of all, we have a homeless man stabbed in an alley, followed shortly by a stabbing of a movie star. Are these murders related? Who stabbed the celebrity and why? These questions followed me all the way throughout the pages of this novel.

I really liked Gemma in this book. In the first book I didn’t support her actions, and couldn’t understand her behaviour, but in this book, she explained her actions a little better, and I was able to have a better glimpse into her inner personality. I really liked that the author chose the characters who are hard to read and incredibly disturbed, they give the book this mysterious aura, and as a reader, I like the challenge of trying to figure them out. 😀 I really enjoyed the variety and diversity of the characters as well, from homeless and poor, to rich and famous, and everything in between. 🙂 I did like the parts, where Gemma was sharing her personal feelings, they allowed to get to know her better, but in some places, these parts were a bit too long, and my mind tended to wander off…

The narrative is told from a single perspective, and there is quite a lot happening in this book. The spotlight is on the famous actor’s death, but there are other two cases (homeless man and an escort), which remain in the shadows for most of the time, appearing just briefly here and there. The investigation is going on quite slowly, but paired with other murders and Gemma’s life, the story didn’t drag to me. Even though I missed more twists, I did like the turns author brought to this book, they were quite unexpected to me.

I really liked the writing style, I think it was creative and very well thought through, with decent length chapters, which made my reading experience very enjoyable. I liked the setting of this book, it changed between different places, and I appreciate that the author skipped the unimportant events. I thought that I figured out the reasoning for the murders halfway through the book, but I was really happy to be proved wrong. 😀 I really liked the ending of this book, I think it concluded this story nicely, however, I still couldn’t fully figure out what Gemma wants. 😀

So, to conclude, I can see author’s improvement in this book, the characters picked for this novel are challenging and intriguing, the plot is very creatively layered and complex, filled with unexpected discoveries. I strongly recommend this book if you are looking for a different thriller, where the protagonist is as important as the investigation. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.
  
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
2017 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Humour (0 more)
Predictable (1 more)
Unoriginal
By The Numbers
Contains spoilers, click to show
So Quill discovers his Father is in gfact this alien being called Ego...quite appropriate. Its all part of a plan to remake the universe in his own image.

While the film has a few good moments (baby Groot, Yandu, Rocket all have stand out scenes) it's ultimately a run of the mill, by the numbers comic book movie. Yes it's pretty, yes it's got a big budget, no I didn't enjoy it.
  
CB
Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan, #8)
Kathy Reichs | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was really disappointed when I realized where the plot was going - Christ's bones? Come on, Reichs. But she did a very good job with the plot, giving the reader plenty of intrigue without ever getting into any mystical nonsense. I found the references to The Da Vinci Code highly amusing (there may have been some that I missed, but I haven't read the book, and I was only half-way paying attention when I saw the movie).
  
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
J.K. Rowling | 2014 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
6
9.1 (270 Ratings)
Book Rating
The first Harry Potter book, known in the United States as 'Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone' which I remember first reading well over a decade ago; before even the first (virtually word-to-screen) movie adaptation.

Despite that, on re-reading this I've discovered that while the parts that are faithful to the book are VERY faithful, there's also certain plot-lines that are left out almost entirely.

Framed as Harry's first year at 'Hogwart's school of Witch-craft and Wizardry', I find it impossible to read now without visualising Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role, or Professor Snape as any other than the late, great, Alan Rickman.

The narrative device of allowing Harry to discover the Wizarding world as we do also proves to be a savvy move, in that it allows the reader to identify with the main character while also still allowing the possibility of further surprises in later books: it wouldn't have provided so much of a hook to the reader, for example, if Harry had grown up knowing of his parentage and heritage.
  
Three Blind Dates
Three Blind Dates
Meghan Quinn | 2018 | Romance
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I laughed out loud so many times, my husband asked me what was wrong with me. (0 more)
I never wanted it to end and I was so sorry when it did. (0 more)
Extremely Funny with an HEA
Noely Clark is a single, attractive host of Good Morning Malibu. She agrees to be set up with a blind date at a restaurant called "Going in Blind". Noely ends up going on three blind dates and its set up with a suit, a rebel and a jock. The dates are real and her interactions with the men are hilarious. The book has a tie in to the movie "You've Got Mail" which add a nice touch to the story. In the end, she can only choose one of the three men - who will she choose? If you like contemporary romance, this is a book that should not be missed.
  
Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Rich Asians
Kevin Kwan | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
9
8.4 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I picked this up after I saw the movie because I liked it so much, and I’m very glad I did.
Rachel Chu is thrust into the lifestyle of the crazy rich in Singapore when she and her boyfriend Nick travel to attend a wedding of Nick’s best friend. She is treated horribly by Nick’s traditional family and their friends, who are trying their best to get her out of the picture. We follow as Rachel learns about Nick’s past and family, secrets of her own past, and see her struggle to figure out who she is or what she should do.
 The book changes perspective every chapter, so you really get the back story on and thoughts of all the main characters. You learn about this lifestyle that is so extravagant I couldn’t even dream that big. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to pick up the next book!
  
Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1
Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1
Tomi Adeyemi | 2018 | Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.1 (28 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'd say 3.5 to 4 .. it's full of action and what action is in there is good - it plays out like a movie or books I've read before - but in any book like this I think it would read the same - I called a few things I think though it did not end how I would have expected there were some characters in there that entertained me quite a lot and I am curious if they will be in the next book because I'll be continuing. My only complaint is that I can't understand a word of the names/the magic/the places - I mean I get you have to be unique but at least give me names and places I can pronounced ok thanks.
  
My Fair Latte
My Fair Latte
Vickie Fee | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Body on Opening Night
Halley Greer has just inherited an Art Deco movie palace in the touristy town of Utopia Springs, Arkansas. She’s decided to turn it into a classic movie theater that features coffee and wine as part of the snack bar options. After weeks or hard work restoring it, she is ready to feature My Fair Lady on opening night. However, during intermission, one of the patrons is found dead in his seat. The police think Halley is a good suspect even though she is new to town. Can she clear her name?

I really enjoyed this series debut. The characters are fantastic. We are making friends along with Halley, and they are a varied lot. I felt we got to know them, and I look forward to spending time with them in future books. The plot was a little slow to get started, but once it did, I was hooked on that as well. I thought I had a couple of things figured out, but I was still surprised by some twists. The suspects are just as strong as the series regulars, and kept me guessing until Halley figured it out. While I’m not much of a coffee or wine drinker, I was drooling over some of the food talked about in the book. The book gives some hints about things to be explored in future books, and I’m already looking forward to my next visit with these characters.