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Debbiereadsbook (1749 KP) rated One Step Sideways (Enhanced World Security #1) in Books
Apr 1, 2025
daark and deadly!
Independent reviewer for GRR, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is a spin off from The Enhanced Wordl series, and you really do need to have some understanding of what it means to be Enhanced and how they are treated to fully appreciate this book. I will be honest, I did not read books 6 and 7 from the main series. I don't I missed anything, but I did read books 1 through 5.
Kane was jailed at 16 for shooting a dog. But no one saw any other scars, just the one on his face. When he is released 17 years later, Diesel Rawlings collects him and offers him a job. Danny was a medic with Rawlings. He suffered at the hands of the enemy. He can't baby sit an ex con, especially one who did what he did. But not all is as it appears, and Danny and Kane must work together to find the missing teenagers.
Like I said, I did not read books 6 and 7 of the main series, I can't rememeber why I didn't, but I absolutely LOVED this revisit to this world and the men in it!
Both Kane and Danny suffered, and I felt for them, deeply. When both men fully open up to the other, I cried, I really did!
I'm not going to go too much into the plot, cos spoilers, but things did not go how I was expecting them to, and I have no idea WHAT I was expecting! My book brain is a fickle place sometimes!
It's dark, though, that suffering both men talk. Not a easy read, I tell ya, and I have no triggers.
It's full of love though! Once Danny and Kane get their act together, it was brilliant. Not especially explicit, but I don't think it was needed. Again, that suffering pops up all the time.
The guys from the main books are talked about, but do not take part here. I would have liked them to, but I didn't miss that they weren't. Does that make sense? I think I'm just greedy!
And that epilogue?? Oh well played there Ms Sue, very VERY well played! Bawling my eyes out, I was!
I can't give it anything other than. . . .
5 full and shiny stars! (and I might just go back now, and read books 6 and 7!)
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is a spin off from The Enhanced Wordl series, and you really do need to have some understanding of what it means to be Enhanced and how they are treated to fully appreciate this book. I will be honest, I did not read books 6 and 7 from the main series. I don't I missed anything, but I did read books 1 through 5.
Kane was jailed at 16 for shooting a dog. But no one saw any other scars, just the one on his face. When he is released 17 years later, Diesel Rawlings collects him and offers him a job. Danny was a medic with Rawlings. He suffered at the hands of the enemy. He can't baby sit an ex con, especially one who did what he did. But not all is as it appears, and Danny and Kane must work together to find the missing teenagers.
Like I said, I did not read books 6 and 7 of the main series, I can't rememeber why I didn't, but I absolutely LOVED this revisit to this world and the men in it!
Both Kane and Danny suffered, and I felt for them, deeply. When both men fully open up to the other, I cried, I really did!
I'm not going to go too much into the plot, cos spoilers, but things did not go how I was expecting them to, and I have no idea WHAT I was expecting! My book brain is a fickle place sometimes!
It's dark, though, that suffering both men talk. Not a easy read, I tell ya, and I have no triggers.
It's full of love though! Once Danny and Kane get their act together, it was brilliant. Not especially explicit, but I don't think it was needed. Again, that suffering pops up all the time.
The guys from the main books are talked about, but do not take part here. I would have liked them to, but I didn't miss that they weren't. Does that make sense? I think I'm just greedy!
And that epilogue?? Oh well played there Ms Sue, very VERY well played! Bawling my eyes out, I was!
I can't give it anything other than. . . .
5 full and shiny stars! (and I might just go back now, and read books 6 and 7!)
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
iHuman Books
Education and Book
App
We help kids fall in love with reading! iHuman Books presents a full package of engaging reading...
An interesting new take on a dystopian future
What worried me the most about this book is that the dystopian future is one you can quite realistically see happening, even in our lifetime. And that’s one of the things I liked about this book, it really makes you think about the current political climate and how easily things could descend into this sort of dystopia. And it really brings out some powerful emotions - it’s amazing how angry and frustrated you can get about a fictional future.
The book itself is well written, and Jean McClellan is a fairly engaging and well developed protagonist. It’s interesting to read about the history from Jean’s point of view and share her frustration with the system and how it affects her family. There are a lot of similarities to other books about dystopian futures, like 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale, and even references some of these at times. However there are a few issues, firstly that the book plods along at a fairly decent pace but yet the ending is wrapped up so quickly in just a few paces, it’s feels very rushed and not as satisfying as I’d like. The other issue is that I’m concerned about how events unfold for Jean and how it compares to the rest of the women still suffering in silence. I feel like the book could’ve concentrated more on women who hadn’t had their counters removed, to really impact and show more about the regime.
The book itself is well written, and Jean McClellan is a fairly engaging and well developed protagonist. It’s interesting to read about the history from Jean’s point of view and share her frustration with the system and how it affects her family. There are a lot of similarities to other books about dystopian futures, like 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale, and even references some of these at times. However there are a few issues, firstly that the book plods along at a fairly decent pace but yet the ending is wrapped up so quickly in just a few paces, it’s feels very rushed and not as satisfying as I’d like. The other issue is that I’m concerned about how events unfold for Jean and how it compares to the rest of the women still suffering in silence. I feel like the book could’ve concentrated more on women who hadn’t had their counters removed, to really impact and show more about the regime.
Dana (24 KP) rated Crown of Midnight in Books
Mar 23, 2018
If I could, I would give this book more than five stars. I know I say this about a lot of books, but honestly, this was one of the best books I have read. As you know, I freaking loved the first book. When people say that it only gets better from there, they are not lying. A lot of times, second books fall flat, just place markers for the next book. This one far exceeds those. The characters are continuously evolving and reshaping their identities. The plot is very interesting and has almost no slow spots (which is really rare for books). The stuff that happens will make you sit on the edge of whatever seat you are reading this book on! Even though the book has a lot of pages, the pace is set so you don't even realize how fast you are reading it.
I am not going to lie, there are a lot of really intense moments in this book. You will have to be prepared for that. The emotion is very raw and it gets dark, but if you work through those dark places with the characters, you will not be disappointed! There are a lot of really cute and fluffy moments too that will make your heart very happy! (I know those moments made me have a lot of feels!!)
This is a great series to start fantasy with if you are not very acquainted with it. While there are quite a few magical elements to the story, there are a lot of really down to earth moments that go along with them. You never feel like there is too much going on at once with the fantastical things. It all blends very nicely together!
If you want my advice, pick up this series right now and start reading it. You will definitely not regret it.
Sarah J Maas, you did an awesome job with this and I can't wait to read the next one!!
I am not going to lie, there are a lot of really intense moments in this book. You will have to be prepared for that. The emotion is very raw and it gets dark, but if you work through those dark places with the characters, you will not be disappointed! There are a lot of really cute and fluffy moments too that will make your heart very happy! (I know those moments made me have a lot of feels!!)
This is a great series to start fantasy with if you are not very acquainted with it. While there are quite a few magical elements to the story, there are a lot of really down to earth moments that go along with them. You never feel like there is too much going on at once with the fantastical things. It all blends very nicely together!
If you want my advice, pick up this series right now and start reading it. You will definitely not regret it.
Sarah J Maas, you did an awesome job with this and I can't wait to read the next one!!
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld #12) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
[b:Waking the Witch|6725785|Waking the Witch (Women of the Otherworld, #11)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1265310260s/6725785.jpg|6921947] and [b:Spell Bound|7797032|Spell Bound (Women of the Otherworld, #12)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1292864599s/7797032.jpg|10767072] should truly be read back to back. In fact, they should be read with [b:13|10863148|13 (Women of the Otherworld, #13)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328820694s/10863148.jpg|15778276] on hand, almost as a trilogy within the series.
At the end of <i>Waking the Witch</i>, Savannah silently thought that if it would reunite an orphan with her grandmother, Savannah would gladly give up her powers. Something heard her and took her up on that unintended deal, and she finds herself powerless for the first time in her life.
Savannah has always been so very powerful that she has counted on her spells more than most witches or sorcerors do, so she finds living without them to be very difficult — especially since a witch hunter and others are after her. There's a Supernatural Liberation Movement that wants to use her as one of its figureheads, with or without her cooperation, in their quest to bring supernaturals out of the closet and into the spotlight. She has to do some serious soul-searching and growth in the process of avoiding enemies and getting creative about staying alive.
The plot moves extremely quickly, so much so that I couldn't keep track of what day it was in the book. In fact, it moves right into the plot of [b:13|10863148|13 (Women of the Otherworld, #13)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328820694s/10863148.jpg|15778276]. I'm having fits because I don't have it on hand, and I just can't wait for the library to get around to me on the hold list — I might have to break down and buy it instead.
At the end of <i>Waking the Witch</i>, Savannah silently thought that if it would reunite an orphan with her grandmother, Savannah would gladly give up her powers. Something heard her and took her up on that unintended deal, and she finds herself powerless for the first time in her life.
Savannah has always been so very powerful that she has counted on her spells more than most witches or sorcerors do, so she finds living without them to be very difficult — especially since a witch hunter and others are after her. There's a Supernatural Liberation Movement that wants to use her as one of its figureheads, with or without her cooperation, in their quest to bring supernaturals out of the closet and into the spotlight. She has to do some serious soul-searching and growth in the process of avoiding enemies and getting creative about staying alive.
The plot moves extremely quickly, so much so that I couldn't keep track of what day it was in the book. In fact, it moves right into the plot of [b:13|10863148|13 (Women of the Otherworld, #13)|Kelley Armstrong|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328820694s/10863148.jpg|15778276]. I'm having fits because I don't have it on hand, and I just can't wait for the library to get around to me on the hold list — I might have to break down and buy it instead.
David McK (3791 KP) rated Thrawn (Star Wars: Thrawn #1) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
I think therte may have been other Star Wars books prior to [a:Timothy Zahn|12479|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1215545810p2/12479.jpg]'s 'Heir to the Empire' trilogy, but I believe all those were set during (or prior to) the events of the movies, with Zahn holding the position of being the first author to be licensed to extend the story beyond the end of 'Return of the Jedi', and thus to kickstart the whole Extended Universe (or EU) of the Star Wars stories prior to the abolition of the same when Disnay acquired Luasfilm.
The three novels in that series - [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995], [b:Dark Force Rising|216442|Dark Force Rising|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092000s/216442.jpg|463790] and [b:The Last Command|216422|The Last Command|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092026s/216422.jpg|397139] - set a VERY high bar for the subsequent novels to reach, mainly due to who would become a fan favourite character: that of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn's past, however, was only ever hinted at in those stories.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm (and did away with the old EU, renaming them Legends), they did state, however, that they would 'cherry-pick' the best parts for inclusion in the Disney Star Wars canon: a promise they kept when Thrawn appeared as one of the key villains in the third season of the animated TV show 'Star Wars: Rebels'. And, in this, Zahn once again returns to perhaps his most famous creation, filling in (some of) the blans about his early days in the Imperial Navy.
However, this does not concentrate solely on Thrawn himself, but on a couple of other ancillary characters to him (no Rukh or the Noghri, yet), including Ariahdne Pryce - another Imperial from that TV show (and the sections of the novel dealing wih her of which, I found, to be the least interesting).
The three novels in that series - [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995], [b:Dark Force Rising|216442|Dark Force Rising|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092000s/216442.jpg|463790] and [b:The Last Command|216422|The Last Command|Timothy Zahn|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451092026s/216422.jpg|397139] - set a VERY high bar for the subsequent novels to reach, mainly due to who would become a fan favourite character: that of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn's past, however, was only ever hinted at in those stories.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm (and did away with the old EU, renaming them Legends), they did state, however, that they would 'cherry-pick' the best parts for inclusion in the Disney Star Wars canon: a promise they kept when Thrawn appeared as one of the key villains in the third season of the animated TV show 'Star Wars: Rebels'. And, in this, Zahn once again returns to perhaps his most famous creation, filling in (some of) the blans about his early days in the Imperial Navy.
However, this does not concentrate solely on Thrawn himself, but on a couple of other ancillary characters to him (no Rukh or the Noghri, yet), including Ariahdne Pryce - another Imperial from that TV show (and the sections of the novel dealing wih her of which, I found, to be the least interesting).
Shadow is a beautifully written tale of people looking for happiness. The books opens with a small boy waiting for his mother to come and get him from a shed where he is waiting. He has been waiting so long the batteries have worn out on the cassette player he has which reads him his story book. Eventually the boy is found and it appears his mother has abandoned him at an amusement park. The story then shifts to the family of a renowned author as they find out about the death of their old maid.
Dont be fooled by this opening as I was, there are many twists and turns within this book which take the tale in directions I was not expecting. I always worry when reading a book that has been translated from its original langue, that some of the more subtle meanings may be lost. However with this book I do not feel that I lost and depth or beauty. And whilst there was nothing that stood out in the way of errors or typos the only part I feel that let it down was the ending. Personally it just felt like everything had got really going and then it was done. On the plus side it also meant nothing felt dragged out or overly fluffed.
I would definitely recommend this book and it may be liked by those who enjoyed books such as [b:Spilt Milk|18692830|Spilt Milk|Amanda Hodgkinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386845140s/18692830.jpg|26541040]or [b:Purge|11163458|Purge|Sofi Oksanen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327881261s/11163458.jpg|3426310]. I want to give it more than 3 stars but I personally need to feel more, and I always use the guidance phase and whilst I liked it I didnt really like it. This is in basic terms, a simple story of life and its issues with unexpected twists which test the characters in ways many people hope never to be tested by.
Dont be fooled by this opening as I was, there are many twists and turns within this book which take the tale in directions I was not expecting. I always worry when reading a book that has been translated from its original langue, that some of the more subtle meanings may be lost. However with this book I do not feel that I lost and depth or beauty. And whilst there was nothing that stood out in the way of errors or typos the only part I feel that let it down was the ending. Personally it just felt like everything had got really going and then it was done. On the plus side it also meant nothing felt dragged out or overly fluffed.
I would definitely recommend this book and it may be liked by those who enjoyed books such as [b:Spilt Milk|18692830|Spilt Milk|Amanda Hodgkinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386845140s/18692830.jpg|26541040]or [b:Purge|11163458|Purge|Sofi Oksanen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327881261s/11163458.jpg|3426310]. I want to give it more than 3 stars but I personally need to feel more, and I always use the guidance phase and whilst I liked it I didnt really like it. This is in basic terms, a simple story of life and its issues with unexpected twists which test the characters in ways many people hope never to be tested by.
blueirisfox (125 KP) rated Write to Market: Write a Book that Sells (Write Faster, Write Smarter 3) in Books
Feb 15, 2020 (Updated Feb 15, 2020)
Very concise and to the point. (2 more)
The exercises at the end of each chapter are an absolute gift for new and aspiring writers (and I'd imagine even experienced ones). Each one is actionable and aims towards publishing successfully.
Essential for any authors that want to be self-published (especially on Amazon), as the author is writing from their own experiences.
The only reason I even knew this book existed was because I stumbled upon the authors YouTube channel.
From watching his videos, I understood the level and tone of the advice he would be giving in his books, and I've gotta say, the guy is an absolute gift to the writing community.
Even if you don't buy any of his books, there is so much to learn from him for free on his YouTube channel: from plotting to selling, this guy pretty much has it all.
Saying that, I still 100% recommend buying his Write Faster, Write Smarter book series, because I can't stress enough how amazing his targeted exercises are.
For this specific book in the series, he explains how to effectively sell books to targeted audiences. This can sound a bit controversial, as if you were simply copying an idea and trying to cash in on it. BUT THAT'S NOT IT AT All. Chris Fox himself shuts down the idea of copying hit books quite early on. What this book will do, is explain to you how to use popular tropes to your advantage.
If you're not really sure about this book from my review, check out its page on Amazon and read the first few pages. Better yet, check out Chris Fox's YouTube channel and get a feel for what this guy is like, because at the end of the day we all absorb information differently and find certain things useful that others simply don't.
Anyways, I hope that this helped someone find the tools that they need in order to do Storytelling some justice.
Peace out,
blueirisfox
From watching his videos, I understood the level and tone of the advice he would be giving in his books, and I've gotta say, the guy is an absolute gift to the writing community.
Even if you don't buy any of his books, there is so much to learn from him for free on his YouTube channel: from plotting to selling, this guy pretty much has it all.
Saying that, I still 100% recommend buying his Write Faster, Write Smarter book series, because I can't stress enough how amazing his targeted exercises are.
For this specific book in the series, he explains how to effectively sell books to targeted audiences. This can sound a bit controversial, as if you were simply copying an idea and trying to cash in on it. BUT THAT'S NOT IT AT All. Chris Fox himself shuts down the idea of copying hit books quite early on. What this book will do, is explain to you how to use popular tropes to your advantage.
If you're not really sure about this book from my review, check out its page on Amazon and read the first few pages. Better yet, check out Chris Fox's YouTube channel and get a feel for what this guy is like, because at the end of the day we all absorb information differently and find certain things useful that others simply don't.
Anyways, I hope that this helped someone find the tools that they need in order to do Storytelling some justice.
Peace out,
blueirisfox
Little Red Hood
Sarah Ardizzone and Marjolaine Leray
Book
She started life as a little red scribble and then, there she was: a little red hood. The wolf is...
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Appeal in Books
Aug 31, 2022
After having read The Twyford Code first, I was desperate to read The Appeal having heard rave reviews about it for the last year. I was apprehensive that it might not live up to the hype, but it didn’t disappoint me. I didn’t want to put it down and it kept me guessing until the very last page.
The Appeal is written as a series of correspondences: first as a letter from a lawyer to two of his students, then as messages between the two students and then the bulk of the book is emails, texts, handwritten notes and even police transcripts. It is interesting to try and work out what is happening when you only have some of the story (we don’t have all of the correspondence as some is quite obviously missing and we only have the replies) and there are so many layers and deceptions that you need to work through.
The bulk of the messages centre around a few main characters Issy, The Haywards: Martin and James, and Sarah-Jane and her husband Kevin. Trying to pick your way through their many messages between each other to try and work out what parts of their correspondence were real and which were fabrications was part of what kept me so enthralled in the whole book. Just as I thought I had it all worked out, we would go back to the lawyer and his two law students and it would make me rethink my theory and start all over again.
Janice Hallett has a great way of writing, and both of her books that I have read have been so different to anything I’ve ever read. I’ve read books were messages were included, but never one that was solely written in messages. I hope Janice Hallett has plans for more books, as I would like to see what else she can come up with that makes her books stand out.
The Appeal is written as a series of correspondences: first as a letter from a lawyer to two of his students, then as messages between the two students and then the bulk of the book is emails, texts, handwritten notes and even police transcripts. It is interesting to try and work out what is happening when you only have some of the story (we don’t have all of the correspondence as some is quite obviously missing and we only have the replies) and there are so many layers and deceptions that you need to work through.
The bulk of the messages centre around a few main characters Issy, The Haywards: Martin and James, and Sarah-Jane and her husband Kevin. Trying to pick your way through their many messages between each other to try and work out what parts of their correspondence were real and which were fabrications was part of what kept me so enthralled in the whole book. Just as I thought I had it all worked out, we would go back to the lawyer and his two law students and it would make me rethink my theory and start all over again.
Janice Hallett has a great way of writing, and both of her books that I have read have been so different to anything I’ve ever read. I’ve read books were messages were included, but never one that was solely written in messages. I hope Janice Hallett has plans for more books, as I would like to see what else she can come up with that makes her books stand out.