Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (460)

Content

Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Lightkeeper's Daughters in Books

Feb 11, 2019

The Lightkeeper's Daughters

Colleen Coble | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Romance

7.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

This is the first book I received from Thomas Nelson for reviewing, and because of shipping problems, by the time I recieved it I had forgotten why I originally picked it. I started reading the book out of obligation, and at first, had a hard time actually enjoying what I was reading. It felt a bit like a school assignment for the first 80 pages, which is generally how far I will go in a book before I decide whether or not I want to finish it. Luckily, at that point the book actually started to get interesting as Addie became snoopy around the house and began unearthing clues about her mother. I am not much for the mystery genre, but I found the detective-like aspects of this novel much more entertaining than the chaste romance between Addie Sullivan and Lieutenant North, which led up to a climax that was so exciting I chose finishing the novel to sleeping when I was sick with a cold.

Regarding the more religious aspects of the novel, I thought that the depiction of Addie's faith in God to be somewhat watered down and simplified with possibly not enough attention given to its place in her life. Often I find ithis is the case with literature in the genre of Christian fiction. The single time that scripture from the Bible is quoted, it's merely a few lines out of Psalms, and each time that we see Addie praying, she only spends a few moments in prayer before something else requires her attention. This is not to say that all Christian fiction - categorized works do this, as I have read some truly excellent portrayals of faith in Jesus, but this book certainly did.

Overall, I would recommend the book more for its plot elements of mystery and intrigue, not for its religious aspects.

Kudos

Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated An Anonymous Girl in Books

Dec 20, 2018

Mediocre plot, disappointed in book overall..

In a nutshell, this book has three not so very nice characters in one setting and they’re all trying to outdo each other in the art of being a sly crafty villain.

While the plot is interesting to read at first, because you’d like to find out what Jess got herself into, at the same time, it’s so so and falls flat. The characters themselves are rendered unlikable. Well, I should say two of the three are unlikable, the one that sticks out for me is Dr Shields. Now that’s a pretty good villain to read up on.

I found myself rooting for her throughout the book. She’s cold, she’s calculating and she’s always prepared with a plan B in case things don’t work out. I love it. She was playing the mind games like a pro. I had no like for Thomas (well, self explanatory) and I started disliking Jess more as the plot carried on. Maybe it was because she thought she was the smartest cookie on earth. Or maybe it was because she thought her stuff didn’t stink. Either way I just started not liking her so much and didn’t care too much for her behavior. By this time, I was pretty much just finishing the book just for the sake of finishing and my interest in the plot waned.

Which is unfortunate. I read The Wife Between Us and absolutely loved the book and loved the twists that was provided. The twists here were minimal, the mind games were great but hardly anything suspenseful or to be surprised about. Maybe I got spoiled by The Wife Between Us, but this one didn’t really live up to it.

I’m hoping if they do future releases that they’re better than this one. Sadly this one dissapoints for me.

Kudos

Top Gear Drives of a Lifetime: Around the World in 25 Road Trips

Dan Read

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Every year, Top Gear dispatches correspondents to cover many serious stories around the world....

Salesman

J.M. Tyree

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Selected by the Library of Congress as one of the most significant American films ever made,...

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - Season 12

(0 Ratings) Rate It

TV Season

Catherine and Nick adjust to life working under D.B. Russell, following their demotions, while...

The Restless Dead

Simon Beckett

(0 Ratings) Rate It

Book

'Composed of over sixty per cent water itself, a human body isn't naturally buoyant. It will float...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2318 KP) rated The Thursday Murder Club in Books

Feb 10, 2021

Enjoyable but Flawed Debut

Welcome to Coopers Chase Retirement Village. It’s a community for active seniors in England. There are all kinds of activities happening on a regular basis, but the most unusual, and smallest, is a group of four friends who meet every Thursday to discuss cold criminal cases. Then one day, the murder of a developer takes place near the community. Naturally, these four friends jump at the chance to figure out what is really going on. Will they be able to solve the case?

I kept hearing about this book, so I had to give it a try. The premise is certainly right up my alley, and there was much I enjoyed about it. The characters are charming, and there were plenty of twists to the mystery. In fact, I feel like we could have done without a twist or two. Yes, everything makes sense at the end, but there are so many twists at the end, it is a little overwhelming. The book is funny, although at times it feels like it is trying too hard to be charming and funny. The police let the lead characters get away with a little too much, although I usually ignore that in the books I read, so this is worth noting in passing. I did struggle a bit with the justice done at the end of this book. The story is told in present tense from multiple points of view, but we always follow which character is our focus. This is one of those books with some obvious flaws, but I still enjoyed it overall. If you are interested in it, I definitely recommend you pick it up. I’ll be visiting the characters again for the sequel.