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ClareR (5589 KP) rated You Let Me In in Books
Mar 10, 2020
A satisfyingly dark read!
You Let Me In is unlike anything I’ve read before. I signed up to read this on The Pigeonhole based purely on the cover. I didn’t read anything about it, in fact I thought it was going to be a thriller. The cover though: I actually thought it was a hand showing someone then bird’, and I was half right. It’s a dead bird, and the main character, Cassandra Tipp, does seem to spend most of her life metaphorically giving everyone ‘the bird’ (ie. telling them to leave her alone).
There is a mystery at the start of this. Cassandra Tipp has disappeared, and her niece and nephew have been told that after a year they can have her worldly goods if they go to her house, find the manuscript she has left them and deduce a code word.
This book is that story.
It transpires that Cassie has been involved in the death of three people: her husband Tommy Tipp, her father and her brother. But how did she get away with it? Or more importantly: who did it if she didn’t? And who is Pepper Man?
Ok, I don’t want to give too much away, but fairies are involved from the beginning, and they’re unlike the fairies I’ve read about in the past. They come with a fascinating origin story, and I’d be interested to know if they were a construct of the authors imagination, or whether they’re a Norwegian version of the fairies I’ve learnt about with my Anglo-Irish background. Either way, they’re great characters.
There’s also a chance that child abuse is involved, either by humans or fairies, it all depends on what you read in to things that happen, whether or not you believe that Cassie is in fact sane. Some of the violence is pretty graphic too, and did put some Pigeonhole readers off.
It’s a puzzling book, a book where you’re never sure whether the narrator is reliable. And I loved it. So, if you like quirky, puzzling, violent(ish), dark books, with fairies (or perhaps not) and potentially with characters with mental health issues, then you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did. It was a satisfying, startling ten days with The Pigeonhole!
There is a mystery at the start of this. Cassandra Tipp has disappeared, and her niece and nephew have been told that after a year they can have her worldly goods if they go to her house, find the manuscript she has left them and deduce a code word.
This book is that story.
It transpires that Cassie has been involved in the death of three people: her husband Tommy Tipp, her father and her brother. But how did she get away with it? Or more importantly: who did it if she didn’t? And who is Pepper Man?
Ok, I don’t want to give too much away, but fairies are involved from the beginning, and they’re unlike the fairies I’ve read about in the past. They come with a fascinating origin story, and I’d be interested to know if they were a construct of the authors imagination, or whether they’re a Norwegian version of the fairies I’ve learnt about with my Anglo-Irish background. Either way, they’re great characters.
There’s also a chance that child abuse is involved, either by humans or fairies, it all depends on what you read in to things that happen, whether or not you believe that Cassie is in fact sane. Some of the violence is pretty graphic too, and did put some Pigeonhole readers off.
It’s a puzzling book, a book where you’re never sure whether the narrator is reliable. And I loved it. So, if you like quirky, puzzling, violent(ish), dark books, with fairies (or perhaps not) and potentially with characters with mental health issues, then you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did. It was a satisfying, startling ten days with The Pigeonhole!
ClareR (5589 KP) rated The Women of Troy in Books
Jan 11, 2022
The Women of Troy picks up where The Silence of the Girls finished. Greece has won. The men of Troy are dead, their wealth and women now belong to the Greeks, but due to the fact that the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, the Greeks are going nowhere. Someone must have done something to displease the Gods, but until they come to that conclusion, there’s a lot of eating, drinking, sports competitions and rape. The women, as is usual in any conflict, get the shitty end of the stick. They may not have been killed, but they face a lifetime of slavery and rape.
Briseis is lucky, in that she is now married to Alcimus and is now a respectable, protected woman. But she now feels as though she belongs to neither side. She knows how the female slaves feel: she was one of them once. But they don’t see her as one of them anymore, and she isn’t wholly Greek either. She does manage to see the main female characters from Troy, though. Cassandra makes an appearance - she is still telling everyone what will happen, and on one is believing her. Hecuba is being kept in comfort by Odysseus, but she has seen all but one of her sons killed, and her husband is lying unburied on the beach - she wants to see him sent off to the afterlife before she dies.
We even see Helen and how she’s getting on. Her husband has taken her back, but no one else can see why she hasn’t been killed. After all, she’s to blame for the whole situation, isn’t she?!
Amina is Briseis’ own slave, given to her by Alcimus. It’s clear that she doesn’t like Briseis - after all, Briseis hasn’t tried to convince Agamemnon to have proper funeral rites for Priam. I liked Amina. She stands by her convictions, no matter the consequences (and there are consequences).
In fact, they’re all strong women, trying their best in very difficult circumstances. I always enjoy Greek mythology re-telling, and this book really does it for me. I’d love to see if Pat Barker writes about the times after the Greeks return to their homes. What happens to Cassandra? Helen? And Briseis? Yes, I know I can look it up in any Greek mythology book, but Pat Barkers storytelling is so emotive and really compelling. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!
Briseis is lucky, in that she is now married to Alcimus and is now a respectable, protected woman. But she now feels as though she belongs to neither side. She knows how the female slaves feel: she was one of them once. But they don’t see her as one of them anymore, and she isn’t wholly Greek either. She does manage to see the main female characters from Troy, though. Cassandra makes an appearance - she is still telling everyone what will happen, and on one is believing her. Hecuba is being kept in comfort by Odysseus, but she has seen all but one of her sons killed, and her husband is lying unburied on the beach - she wants to see him sent off to the afterlife before she dies.
We even see Helen and how she’s getting on. Her husband has taken her back, but no one else can see why she hasn’t been killed. After all, she’s to blame for the whole situation, isn’t she?!
Amina is Briseis’ own slave, given to her by Alcimus. It’s clear that she doesn’t like Briseis - after all, Briseis hasn’t tried to convince Agamemnon to have proper funeral rites for Priam. I liked Amina. She stands by her convictions, no matter the consequences (and there are consequences).
In fact, they’re all strong women, trying their best in very difficult circumstances. I always enjoy Greek mythology re-telling, and this book really does it for me. I’d love to see if Pat Barker writes about the times after the Greeks return to their homes. What happens to Cassandra? Helen? And Briseis? Yes, I know I can look it up in any Greek mythology book, but Pat Barkers storytelling is so emotive and really compelling. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed!
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated City of Lost Souls (The Mortal Instruments, #5) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Wow!
So I don't know how she does it but, Cassandra Clare manages to make each new installment in the Mortal Instruments series better than the last. And this latest novel did nothing to change that trend! It is very rare that a series keeps getting better & better but luckily for all the fans of these books, it does!
I was truly worried about Jace & Clary's relationship in this book. The way Jace was changed was awful, but it works so well with the plot. Clary is a wonderful female character...strong, smart, beautiful...there need to be more leads like her in books. I just couldn't put this book down! I even blew off some things I needed to get ready for my classroom before the school year starts up again just so I could see what was going to happen next. Now I dread that I am going to have to wait for the next novel in the series. The ending was great, but it is a cliffhanger. Not the kind that piss you off, but the good kind that leaves you dying to know what's going to happen next.
I love these books!
So I don't know how she does it but, Cassandra Clare manages to make each new installment in the Mortal Instruments series better than the last. And this latest novel did nothing to change that trend! It is very rare that a series keeps getting better & better but luckily for all the fans of these books, it does!
I was truly worried about Jace & Clary's relationship in this book. The way Jace was changed was awful, but it works so well with the plot. Clary is a wonderful female character...strong, smart, beautiful...there need to be more leads like her in books. I just couldn't put this book down! I even blew off some things I needed to get ready for my classroom before the school year starts up again just so I could see what was going to happen next. Now I dread that I am going to have to wait for the next novel in the series. The ending was great, but it is a cliffhanger. Not the kind that piss you off, but the good kind that leaves you dying to know what's going to happen next.
I love these books!
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Wayne's World (1992) in Movies
Jul 13, 2018
A fun movie (3 more)
Great music
Perfect duo with Wayne and garth
Great cast
A true classic
This is a fantastic movie which is still relevant today.
Contains the famous bohemium rhapsody scene in the car at the beginning of the movie and just shows how fun the movie is going to be.
The duo of Wayne and Garth works well, you can't have 1 without the other. It has a great cast overall. Tia Carrere (Cassandra) is a fantastic singer and personally does the best cover of the ballroom blitz at the end. Quite gorgeous too.
You have a young Rob Lowe who never seems to age, Lara Flynn Boyle cast perfectly as the phsycho ex girlfriend and Kurt Fuller as the producer.
The pacing is fantastic, there is not 1 boring scene in the movie and I have to give it a 10 because I cannot find a fault in my opinion. Characters talking to the camera is fun (I love breaking the 4th wall), the pop culture references like a suprise terminator reference, the 1 liners and even Garth's dancing is fun.
Contains the famous bohemium rhapsody scene in the car at the beginning of the movie and just shows how fun the movie is going to be.
The duo of Wayne and Garth works well, you can't have 1 without the other. It has a great cast overall. Tia Carrere (Cassandra) is a fantastic singer and personally does the best cover of the ballroom blitz at the end. Quite gorgeous too.
You have a young Rob Lowe who never seems to age, Lara Flynn Boyle cast perfectly as the phsycho ex girlfriend and Kurt Fuller as the producer.
The pacing is fantastic, there is not 1 boring scene in the movie and I have to give it a 10 because I cannot find a fault in my opinion. Characters talking to the camera is fun (I love breaking the 4th wall), the pop culture references like a suprise terminator reference, the 1 liners and even Garth's dancing is fun.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Salt Grows Heavy in Books
May 12, 2024
94 of 220
Book
The Salt Grows Heavy
By Cassandra Khaw
⭐️⭐️⭐️
After the murder of her husband and the fall of his empire, a mermaid and her plague doctor companion escape into the wilderness. Deep in the woods, they stumble across a village where children hunt each other for sport, sacrificing one of their own at the behest of three surgeons they call "the saints." These saints play god with their magic, harvesting the best bits of the children for themselves and piecing the sacrifices back together again.
To save the children from their fates, the plague doctor must confront their past, and the mermaid must embrace the darkest parts of her true nature.
This was certainly not the story I’m used to reading when it comes to mermaids. This was fully of gore and dark meanings. Some parts are hard to read and not for the context but it’s like a full dictionary has been thrown in and it really put me off. Overall it’s a deeply dark fairytale of mermaids and death. For a small book it packs a punch in places.
Book
The Salt Grows Heavy
By Cassandra Khaw
⭐️⭐️⭐️
After the murder of her husband and the fall of his empire, a mermaid and her plague doctor companion escape into the wilderness. Deep in the woods, they stumble across a village where children hunt each other for sport, sacrificing one of their own at the behest of three surgeons they call "the saints." These saints play god with their magic, harvesting the best bits of the children for themselves and piecing the sacrifices back together again.
To save the children from their fates, the plague doctor must confront their past, and the mermaid must embrace the darkest parts of her true nature.
This was certainly not the story I’m used to reading when it comes to mermaids. This was fully of gore and dark meanings. Some parts are hard to read and not for the context but it’s like a full dictionary has been thrown in and it really put me off. Overall it’s a deeply dark fairytale of mermaids and death. For a small book it packs a punch in places.
Kyera (8 KP) rated City of Heavenly Fire in Books
Jan 31, 2018
The conclusion to the Mortal Instruments was certainly a pleasing one. There is nothing worse than reading a great book or series, or perhaps watching a tv show that creates a multitude of story lines... And then fails to resolve them. It leaves the reader with a sense of dismay and confusion. What happened to my favourite character? Did the problem ever get resolved? No one likes that feeling.
Cassandra Clare did a wonderful job of making the reader feel like the series had all of its loose ends tied up. People found or lost their loves. Villains plotted and heroes fought. It was beautiful. (And incredibly long.) I never found myself drifting from the text, although I love long books, so I may be biased. Each change of scene held my attention and I was loathe to put the book down each night to go to sleep. While I am sure that there were some scenes or dialogue that could have been trimmed to improve the flow of the novel, I never found those things distracting to me as the reader.
I also praise Cassandra Clare for the way she writes her dialogue. The characters seem so much more realistic as a result. I find myself laughing at the jokes or smirking when Jace or Clary say something snarky/sarcastic. I'm left with lines or quotes that I absolutely love (and save to my goodreads quotes.)
SPOILERS:
I love Jace and Clary's relationship. They are supportive of one another, and I believe bring out the best in the other. But they are not perfect, which makes the coupling that much more authentic. You relate to Clary (unless you're a brunette bombshell, Izzy, or you know... Excessively hairy and prone to outbursts when the moon is full, Maia) because she is authentic. She has her selfish moments, times when she is incredibly strong and others when she's unbelievably stubborn. Jace is the guy you wish actually existed because he's strong, protective, and maybe, when he lets his guard down, just a little bit sensitive.
I'm just wondering one thing - why did Jace expect to have sex (for the first time, mind you) with Clary in the demon dimension? The one they expected to die in. Boys.
Izzy and Simon? Well they don't make as much sense, but are still cute together in their own way. Simon is generally the perfect sidekick. The best friend you always wanted and sometimes the one you never knew you needed. Izzy is the female archetype that you should live up to - tough, courageous, and loyal.
Cassandra Clare did a wonderful job of making the reader feel like the series had all of its loose ends tied up. People found or lost their loves. Villains plotted and heroes fought. It was beautiful. (And incredibly long.) I never found myself drifting from the text, although I love long books, so I may be biased. Each change of scene held my attention and I was loathe to put the book down each night to go to sleep. While I am sure that there were some scenes or dialogue that could have been trimmed to improve the flow of the novel, I never found those things distracting to me as the reader.
I also praise Cassandra Clare for the way she writes her dialogue. The characters seem so much more realistic as a result. I find myself laughing at the jokes or smirking when Jace or Clary say something snarky/sarcastic. I'm left with lines or quotes that I absolutely love (and save to my goodreads quotes.)
SPOILERS:
I love Jace and Clary's relationship. They are supportive of one another, and I believe bring out the best in the other. But they are not perfect, which makes the coupling that much more authentic. You relate to Clary (unless you're a brunette bombshell, Izzy, or you know... Excessively hairy and prone to outbursts when the moon is full, Maia) because she is authentic. She has her selfish moments, times when she is incredibly strong and others when she's unbelievably stubborn. Jace is the guy you wish actually existed because he's strong, protective, and maybe, when he lets his guard down, just a little bit sensitive.
I'm just wondering one thing - why did Jace expect to have sex (for the first time, mind you) with Clary in the demon dimension? The one they expected to die in. Boys.
Izzy and Simon? Well they don't make as much sense, but are still cute together in their own way. Simon is generally the perfect sidekick. The best friend you always wanted and sometimes the one you never knew you needed. Izzy is the female archetype that you should live up to - tough, courageous, and loyal.
Merissa (11774 KP) created a post
Jun 25, 2021
Merissa (11774 KP) rated The Madness of Lord Westfall (The Order of the MUSE #2) in Books
Apr 16, 2023
I loved the first Order of the M.U.S.E. book and was looking forward to this one. Pierce Westfall is an intriguing character - tormented by the voices he can't control. Nora is an aristocrat who fell from the graces of her family when she married for love. Together these two are central to a plot to use Truth Powder on the Prince and restart a war.
This is a smoothly-written, well-rounded historical romance with paranormal aspects. I love all the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Stanstead and Westfall. I also enjoyed catching up with Lady Cassandra, as she continues her life with Stanstead. This is such a brilliant set of characters, I would be hard-pressed to say which one is my favourite.
The descriptions of Bedlam were horrible, but I'm sure nowhere near as bad as they could have been. Well done to Mia for capturing the essence of Bedlam, without it overpowering the storyline. A brilliant addition to the M.U.S.E. series - 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 23, 2015
This is a smoothly-written, well-rounded historical romance with paranormal aspects. I love all the characters and thoroughly enjoyed the banter between Stanstead and Westfall. I also enjoyed catching up with Lady Cassandra, as she continues her life with Stanstead. This is such a brilliant set of characters, I would be hard-pressed to say which one is my favourite.
The descriptions of Bedlam were horrible, but I'm sure nowhere near as bad as they could have been. Well done to Mia for capturing the essence of Bedlam, without it overpowering the storyline. A brilliant addition to the M.U.S.E. series - 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 23, 2015
Uptown Oracle (24 KP) rated Clockwork Angel in Books
Jun 30, 2017
Clare exceeds expectations with Clockwork Angel
Clockwork Angel is the first in a trilogy of books. This series is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments, also written by Cassandra Clare. Tessa traveled to London to live with her brother, when he appears missing she is captured. Saved by Will, Tessa lives within the institute with the Shadowhunters helping to find Nate, whilst also finding out what the Magister's evil plan is.
I've heard so many times that The Infernal Devices is so much better than the Mortal Instruments. In comparison I can definitely agree the writing and overall plot is improved. The main issue I had was that in some cases, it was too similar to The Mortal Instruments. My instant thought was Will was similar to Jace although I'm unsure if this was intentional or not. The love triangle was also reminiscent of Clare's previous work.
I enjoyed that Clockwork Angel was set in London rather than New York. I was getting fairly bored of being focused on New York so this gave us a chance to see a new institute. The different location and different time means the institute is extremely different to the one in TMI.
The big question of who is the Magister? in the first chapter was important in the book. I found it both predictable and unpredictable. If Pretty Little Liars has told me anything, if a character claims it's one person, it's probably not them. I was however surprised of who it actually was. So well played, Cassandra Clare.
One of the big improvements is that the adults actually take action. In TMI, there were so many times the teenagers acted purely because the adults weren't doing anything. I was so tired of the adults being incompetent that Charlotte and Henry were a welcome surprise. They also really tried to help Tessa find Nate immediately. There weren't multiple meetings with the Clave before they could do anything.
Clockwork Angel seemed to pick up a lot quicker than TMI and kept pace. The fighting scenes were written better. Less filler content was needed as we already know the world. Although there was a love triangle, a lot less content was put towards building on it. It seemed a lot more like a fantasy than a romance.
Please don't comment any spoilers as I haven't finished the other books yet. But I had a weird thought about Tessa's name being Gray. As the dark sisters are called Black and Dark, does the inclusion of the name Gray fit there? Is this an insight into who she will become? Or who she 'could' become if she is a bad guy? I just thought it was odd to use a name so similar.
I've heard so many times that The Infernal Devices is so much better than the Mortal Instruments. In comparison I can definitely agree the writing and overall plot is improved. The main issue I had was that in some cases, it was too similar to The Mortal Instruments. My instant thought was Will was similar to Jace although I'm unsure if this was intentional or not. The love triangle was also reminiscent of Clare's previous work.
I enjoyed that Clockwork Angel was set in London rather than New York. I was getting fairly bored of being focused on New York so this gave us a chance to see a new institute. The different location and different time means the institute is extremely different to the one in TMI.
The big question of who is the Magister? in the first chapter was important in the book. I found it both predictable and unpredictable. If Pretty Little Liars has told me anything, if a character claims it's one person, it's probably not them. I was however surprised of who it actually was. So well played, Cassandra Clare.
One of the big improvements is that the adults actually take action. In TMI, there were so many times the teenagers acted purely because the adults weren't doing anything. I was so tired of the adults being incompetent that Charlotte and Henry were a welcome surprise. They also really tried to help Tessa find Nate immediately. There weren't multiple meetings with the Clave before they could do anything.
Clockwork Angel seemed to pick up a lot quicker than TMI and kept pace. The fighting scenes were written better. Less filler content was needed as we already know the world. Although there was a love triangle, a lot less content was put towards building on it. It seemed a lot more like a fantasy than a romance.
Please don't comment any spoilers as I haven't finished the other books yet. But I had a weird thought about Tessa's name being Gray. As the dark sisters are called Black and Dark, does the inclusion of the name Gray fit there? Is this an insight into who she will become? Or who she 'could' become if she is a bad guy? I just thought it was odd to use a name so similar.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988) in Movies
Oct 27, 2019
Horror movie hostess Elvira dreams of hosting a show in Vegas. When she receives saying that her Great Aunt had died she thinks her dreams have come true. Once she arrives at Fallwell, Massachusetts for the reading of the will she finds that things won’t be as easy as she had hoped. As the town turns against her and family secrets are uncovered Elvira needs to find a way to stop her great Uncles plan.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark brings a backstory to Cassandra Pearson's character Elvira, gothic late night horror hostess. The film starts during one of Elvira’s shows when she receives a telegram telling her to go the reading of a will for a dead relative and, in the events that follow she finds out that she really is a witch.
Elvira is odd in the fact that it is almost in the style of an 80’s teen movie but it isn’t quite one. There are a few teens in the cast but the film does focus on Elvira and other people in the town.
Elvira, Mistress of the dark is rated 15 and is a comedy with a couple of scenes of peril and one jump scare. A lot of the humour focuses on Elvira’s rather ample bosom but in a quite tasteful way, it’s not a ‘Sex comedy’.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark brings a backstory to Cassandra Pearson's character Elvira, gothic late night horror hostess. The film starts during one of Elvira’s shows when she receives a telegram telling her to go the reading of a will for a dead relative and, in the events that follow she finds out that she really is a witch.
Elvira is odd in the fact that it is almost in the style of an 80’s teen movie but it isn’t quite one. There are a few teens in the cast but the film does focus on Elvira and other people in the town.
Elvira, Mistress of the dark is rated 15 and is a comedy with a couple of scenes of peril and one jump scare. A lot of the humour focuses on Elvira’s rather ample bosom but in a quite tasteful way, it’s not a ‘Sex comedy’.