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Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2)
Thunderhead (Arc of a Scythe #2)
Neal Shusterman | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
9.1 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
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#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2656699288">Scythe</a>; - ★★★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2998629500">Thunderhead</a>; - ★★★★★
#3 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3080800725">The Toll</a> - ★★★★★

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I thought Scythe will be my favorite book of the year, but then I read Thunderhead. It is a shame that I won’t be able to read The Toll this year - but I am honestly so honored to have a chance to read this series in my lifetime. Neal, please let me kiss your immortality ring!

Thunderhead is a continuation of The Arc of Scythe series, where we follow two characters, Citra and Rowan, in their journey to become apprentices of Scythe Faraday. With many twists and turns, which I don’t want to spoil for you all, Thunderhead begins exactly where Scythe finished. And it only gets better from here!

While in Scythe, the main focus of the book was the introduction to the world of Scythes, their beliefs, their challenges, their destiny, in Thunderhead, we get to know the Thunderhead better. The mind behind all the success of humankind, the brains behind how we managed to beat immortality. The Thunderhead sees everything and it can control everything - except the Schythedom. 

<b><i>“The end doesn’t always justify the means, dear.” she said. “But sometimes it does. Wisdom is knowing the difference.”</i></b>

This book was so powerful in so many ways. The bravery of Scythe Citra, now known as Scythe Anastasia. The determination of Rowan. Thunderhead and the power and wisdom it holds, but is unable to share it. The sacrifice of Scythe Curie. The friendship that slowly turns to love and trust between Citra and Rowan and their fights to bring fairness and justice, both of them fighting for the same goal, but in their own different ways. 

Thunderhead was everything I was hoping it to be and more. It was all I ever wanted from it. The writing, the mini entries of thoughts from the Thunderhead or the diary excerpts that keep you engaged chapter after chapter are such a refreshing way to read a book.

I think this series will end up being my favorite one of all time, and I cannot wait to get to The Toll and get the ending I am hoping I will get. Thunderhead finishes with an enormous cliff-hanger, that makes you beg for the next book. 

I recommend this book so, so much and in real life I cannot stop talking about it. Please pick up a copy and give it a try. If you don’t instantly fall in love with it, you can glean me.

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Emaji Nation Book 1 The Sparrow
Emaji Nation Book 1 The Sparrow
Denna M. Davis | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I also found the story to be gripping and so detailed that the action never slows down for a second (0 more)
I did not really enjoy how every citizen of Emaji is described as having their own specific skin color. I understand how this may be a gift from Ema or possibly a result of the radiation from the war (0 more)
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
Emaji Nation Book 1: The Sparrow by Denna M. Davis is a book that I will not soon be forgetting about. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. The first chapter grabbed my attention instantly. Most books I have read don’t do that, they tend to need some time to build up a reader’s interest. Each chapter seems to leave the reader hanging with just enough anticipation that you might find yourself staying up hours past your intended stopping time to continue the story.

With little explanation as to why young Amanda finds herself walking through a portal at her grandparent’s house and transported to the planet Emaji. This is where she meets Solomon, who helps reunite her with her grandparents. Her grandmother tells her that there is a prophecy naming her the defeater of Zorn and savior of Emaji. With the help of the Emaji leaders, Amanda learns that Emaji was once much like Earth. That is until a nuclear world war forced the survivors into Mount Hanovi where their God (Ema) united them and blessed them with gifts. Peace cannot seem to last and Zorn grew arrogant with his gifts and betrayed the rest of the survivors.

Now, Amanda has to deal with being under attack by an unknown assassin controlled by Zorn. At the same time, she must begin her training. Amanda is only given two days to train and learn about the warrior classes of the Emaji before taking her own Journey of Discovery to receive her personal gift from Ema. At the very end of her Journey she must jump from a cliff to prove her belief in Ema. On top of all this, the prophecy also names the Emaji man she is supposed to marry and she isn’t even seventeen yet.

Denna M. Davis makes Amanda a very relatable character. Amanda shows her fear and her doubts from the moment she steps through the portal at her grandparent’s house and finds herself in Emaji. Unlike many books where a character is the main focus of a prophecy, Amanda does not jump right into her Destiny and instead takes her time deciding if that is what she really wants to do. She internally struggles with the idea of being this destined hero when she could always just go back to the safety of her home. Staying on Emaji means facing danger and possible death for people she just met.

There are so many things I liked about this book that it is hard to pinpoint what I liked best. I loved how relatable and real Amanda is. I also found the story to be gripping and so detailed that the action never slows down for a second. I did not want to stop reading. Being completely honest what I liked least about the book seems almost trivial to me. I did not really enjoy how every citizen of Emaji is described as having their own specific skin color. I understand how this may be a gift from Ema or possibly a result of the radiation from the war but, I just had a hard time picturing it. Frequently, I noticed I would mentally default back to thinking in the skin tones that are naturally found on Earth.

The target readers for this book are fantasy readers starting at mature middle school age and older. There are a few different times that Amanda hints at the fact that she may have been (or came close to being) raped while at a party, so readers would have to be mature enough to handle that concept. Although, nothing of a sexual nature is actually described with detail at any point in the book. I am fully confident in my decision to give this book a complete 4 out of 4 rating. It is extremely well edited to where I only noticed one error in the entire book. Also, I found myself enjoying this book right from the start. Denna M. Davis portrayed a world different from ours wonderfully. I felt like I was actually there at times and was sad when I finished the book. I can not wait to read the second one. I am hooked and I believe anyone who enjoys fantasy will be as well.
  
An Anonymous Girl
An Anonymous Girl
Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller
8
7.5 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
An Anonymous Girl
Review can also be found on www.diaryofdifference.com

If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?

The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.

But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.

”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”

I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.

Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.

We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.

It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.

I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.

Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?

Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?

The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.

The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.

And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.

”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”

I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.

At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
  
The White Room
The White Room
C.M. Albert | 2018 | Contemporary, Erotica, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
hot hot HOT!!!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

Welcome to The White Room. 3 rules you need to know: you may only visit once every 6 weeks; you may not request a repeat with anyone, and what happens in the White Room, stays in the White Room. Or they WERE the rules. But circumstances changes, and so do the rules.

I really don't know what I was expecting from this book, really I didn't but I KNOW I wasn't expecting THIS!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!

It's basically wall to wall sex, and I makes no apologies for loving a book written as such. It lands itself firmly on 3 shelves: erotica; over 18, and fan yourself its a hot one! Cos ooooeeee is this a hot hot HOT one!

Dom is given a visit to the White Room as a birthday gift. Avaline uses the White Room when her husband becomes terminally ill. Lexie visits after her divorce. Asher visits to get his Mrs Robinson fantasy played out. Simon likes to get his desk signed underneath by those he had sex with on top. Austin wanted to be pampered but he couldn't leave his dominance at the door. Vironica is a widow, but still a woman. Arianna wasn't even supposed to KNOW about the White Room. Alec likes to play with his food. Callum can't be in a relationship, not with his job. Baron is a preacher, and a widower, but still a man. Adelaide had a 2 man fantasy.

And then we come full circle back to Dom and Avaline.

Each chapter is well told from a single point of view, the person whose chapter it is. Mostly male/female pairings but there are some FFM (contact between the females) and a MFM (NO contact between the males) pairings. There are repeat visits by most of these characters, is some way or other. We get each and every emotion about why they are using the White Room, and why they are so affected by this particular visit. And just why they are all so pleased with the changing rules.

I saw no spelling or editing errors, and each story flows well from one to the next, but pay attention, they use different names in the White Room! You should read all the stories in order.

I really REALLY loved it!

This is, as far as I can see, the first I've read of this author, I hope it isn't the last!

5 very sexy stars!

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
Two Can Keep a Secret
Two Can Keep a Secret
Karen M. McManus | 2019 | Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
9
8.6 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great plot twists (1 more)
Great Characters
Slow pacing for the first 14 chapters (0 more)
A Good Mystery!
When I read about Karen M. McManus' new book Two Can Keep a Secret, I added it to the top of my to read list. I loved her previous book One of Us is Lying, so I figured her new book would be just as good. Luckily, Ms. McManus did not let me down.

The synopsis of Two Can Keep a Secret really drew me in. I enjoyed they mystery behind who had killed the first homecoming queen, Lacey, and who was responsible for the current missing homecoming queen nominee as well as the mystery surrounding Ellery's and Ezra's aunt Sarah. Every time I thought I had figured out who the culprit was, another spanner was thrown into the works, and I would suspect someone else. This book definitely kept me guessing throughout, and I was wrong about who was responsible. The plot twist are great, and I can't say that I ever saw any of the plot twists coming.

The pacing starts out slow up until Chapter 14, and I found myself wondering if I had made a mistake with reading Two Can Keep a Secret. Once I got to Chapter 14, the pacing picked up, and I found myself fully immersed in what was happening. Not once did the pacing become too slow again. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

The characters in Two Can Keep a Secret were all believable and fully fleshed out although I would have liked to know more about Sarah. There was some closure to Sarah's disappearance, but I felt like more information would have been nice. My favorite characters were Malcolm, Ellery, and Katrin. I loved watching Malcolm's and Ellery's relationship bloom. There was just something about Kartin that I really liked. I also liked the character of Brooke.

Trigger warnings for Two Can Keep a Secret include some underage drinking, profanities, some sexual innuendos, violence, attempted murder, and murder.

Overall, Two Can Keep a Secret isn't as good as One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. However, it's still a great read. It has some great plot twists and well written characters. I would definitely recommend Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus to those aged 16+ who love a good mystery.
--
(A special thank you to Delacorte Press for providing me with a hardback of Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated My Sister in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
My Sister
My Sister
Michelle Adams | 2020 | Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book drew me in from the first chapter. It was extremely mysterious and I could feel the suspense building up already. It was very hard to put this novel down.

The main character in this novel is Irini (love, love the name), a successful doctor with hip problems, which left her slightly limping. All her life she was running from her sister – Elle. Why? Because Elle is dangerous and unpredictable. I really loved the characters which were chosen for this book. I think they were very original, charismatic and supported each other very nicely. I really liked Irini and her life story, but it is very hard not to admire Elle, in some sort of weird way. Her character has charm, her personality is very strong, her actions, masterful manipulations because she is a psychopath. It was very interesting to read about this connection which Irini and Elle shared, they can’t be together but they need each other. You know it will destroy your life, but you still need it… All this was told while sharing Irini’s experiences from the past, which I found absolutely amusing and very intriguing to read.

The narrative of this novel is very gripping. Page after page, the author brought in a twist or unexpected turn, leaving me more and more interested in what will happen next. The whole plot was told from Irini’s perspective, and even though it was enough to make it an interesting read, I would have loved to read Elle’s perspective as well. I think it would have made this book even more interesting and would’ve answered more questions, and at least for me, it is always interesting to read what psychopaths think. Sometimes I got tired of this constant “Why did they give me away?” question. For me, in some places, it was quite repetitive and not always necessary.

The writing style of this novel is very creative and smartly thought through, leaving some cliffhangers, which are still bothering me a little. The chapters are a very decent length and it didn’t drag for me because the plot has sucked me in. I do not recommend it for young readers, as it contains some mild violence, drugs and alcohol. I am not fully satisfied with the ending of this book, even though it answered the main questions of this novel, it still has unresolved mysteries, which were left with hypothetical explanations.

So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this dark and gripping thriller, filled with strange sisterly love, very strong and charismatic characters and very well thought through and intriguing plot, uncovering new secrets with every chapter. Enjoy
  
Before They are Hanged: The First Law: Book Two
Before They are Hanged: The First Law: Book Two
Joe Abercrombie | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
8.8 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
Second book in [a: Joe Abercrombie|276660|Joe Abercrombie|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1421267339p2/276660.jpg]'s 'The First Law' series (so after [b: The Blade Itself|68616|The Blade Itself|Marcus Sakey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437443720s/68616.jpg|1002512], this - again - weighs in on the heavier end of the spectrum: it's not a light read by any means, either in size or scope!

This is also a true sequel to the previous, in that if you hadn't read the earlier you wouldn't have a clue what was going on/who was who. As before, this pretty much jumps between characters chapter by chapter, while the novel is also split into two distinct sections, with the split coming roughly at around the halfway mark with the fall of Dagoska after the torturer Superior Glotka is recalled.

Of them all, I have to say, I found 'his' chapters to be the most interesting, in particular his continued snarkiness to any and all around him.

I also found this to be very much a bridge novel - after being introduced to the characters in [b: The Blade Itself|68616|The Blade Itself|Marcus Sakey|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437443720s/68616.jpg|1002512], a lot of this seemed to be setting the scene for what-I-imagine-will-be the events in [b: The Last Argument of Kings|944076|Last Argument of Kings (The First Law, #3)|Joe Abercrombie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1302062699s/944076.jpg|929012].

However, I need a break from all the darkness now for a while!