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Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Heart of Venom (Elemental Assassin, #9) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
Sophia, the goth dwarf who is the head cook at the Pork Pit, has been a bit of a puzzle throughout the Elemental Assassin series. How did she come to have the body disposal skills she uses to help Gin? Has she always been so diametrically opposed to her oh-so-feminine sister, JoJo? And what is the full story behind the trauma that ruined her voice? This book answers those questions.
We also get a little movement in the will-they-or-won't-they-reunite story of Gin and Owen, as well as a tiny bit of movement in the bigger story arc concerning Mab Monroe's heir. Thankfully, Finn is largely absent this time around. I find his whining about his clothes, cars, hair, etc. to be insufferable and cannot imagine what Bria sees in him, but there you go.
I feel like I should mention that this book gets brutal. I mean, if you've followed Gin Blanco this far, you aren't expecting flowers and rainbows, but I had to out this one down a couple of times. The details got to me. The descriptions were just too much, and the depravity of the villains was just too far out there. There haven't exactly been any shades of gray with previous bad guys, but I fully expected these to be roasting babies for dinner or some such.
It just occurred to me that I don't recall encountering any queer characters in this series. Or in any of Estep's other work. I've read several Bigtime novels, one or two of the Mythos Academy books, and everything she's published in this series, and everybody seems to be straight. Am I forgetting Something? How can an entire universe be heterosexual? Anybody?
We also get a little movement in the will-they-or-won't-they-reunite story of Gin and Owen, as well as a tiny bit of movement in the bigger story arc concerning Mab Monroe's heir. Thankfully, Finn is largely absent this time around. I find his whining about his clothes, cars, hair, etc. to be insufferable and cannot imagine what Bria sees in him, but there you go.
I feel like I should mention that this book gets brutal. I mean, if you've followed Gin Blanco this far, you aren't expecting flowers and rainbows, but I had to out this one down a couple of times. The details got to me. The descriptions were just too much, and the depravity of the villains was just too far out there. There haven't exactly been any shades of gray with previous bad guys, but I fully expected these to be roasting babies for dinner or some such.
It just occurred to me that I don't recall encountering any queer characters in this series. Or in any of Estep's other work. I've read several Bigtime novels, one or two of the Mythos Academy books, and everything she's published in this series, and everybody seems to be straight. Am I forgetting Something? How can an entire universe be heterosexual? Anybody?
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Sometimes I Lie in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Takes unreliable narrator to a whole new level.
Amber wakes up in the hospital in a coma after an accident, which she cannot remember. She is paralyzed, unable to move or speak. She feels convinced that her husband, Paul, may have had something to do with it. Her visitors include Paul and her sister, Claire.
Well, this is an interesting one. The novel takes the unreliable narrator trope to the highest level. After all, Amber is in a coma, with memory issues. She also tells us, at the beginning of the novel, that she lies. Armed with this information, we are thrown headfirst into the story, trying to figure out exactly what has happened. The reader struggles along with Amber to learn what happened as she overhears snippets in her hotel room. It's quite the ride.
The novel is told in three parts: Amber's thoughts as she struggles to remember from within the coma, Amber telling events as they lead up to the accident, and snippets of childhood journal entries. The result is a confusing, suspenseful read that makes you instantly suspicious about everything and everyone. The novel is full of warning signs and creepy moments. It also features its share of impressive twists and turns. I was definitely shocked a couple of times.
I was, honestly, a little confused sometimes too. I have some weird feelings on this one. It's a great thriller. It keeps you guessing, and it surprises you. A lot, if you're me. I'm not sure I always enjoyed it, but I'm certainly impressed by it, if that makes any sense. No more details, as I highly recommend going in spoiler-free.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. More at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
Well, this is an interesting one. The novel takes the unreliable narrator trope to the highest level. After all, Amber is in a coma, with memory issues. She also tells us, at the beginning of the novel, that she lies. Armed with this information, we are thrown headfirst into the story, trying to figure out exactly what has happened. The reader struggles along with Amber to learn what happened as she overhears snippets in her hotel room. It's quite the ride.
The novel is told in three parts: Amber's thoughts as she struggles to remember from within the coma, Amber telling events as they lead up to the accident, and snippets of childhood journal entries. The result is a confusing, suspenseful read that makes you instantly suspicious about everything and everyone. The novel is full of warning signs and creepy moments. It also features its share of impressive twists and turns. I was definitely shocked a couple of times.
I was, honestly, a little confused sometimes too. I have some weird feelings on this one. It's a great thriller. It keeps you guessing, and it surprises you. A lot, if you're me. I'm not sure I always enjoyed it, but I'm certainly impressed by it, if that makes any sense. No more details, as I highly recommend going in spoiler-free.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review. More at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/.
Gail (4 KP) rated Rock My Body (Mondez, #2) in Books
Jun 4, 2018
Rock My Body by Lee Piper ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Four Stars
Rock My body by Lee Piper is a whirlwind of hot and heavy. The story is centered around Riley Sears and Dominic Mondez. Riley is a midwife and has major OCD and anxiety issues. She has been through the ringer all her life and it just seems like she can’t get it right. Dominic is a musician and loves fixing up old school cars. Their story is a storm of highs and lows. When diving in be prepared to feel at every flip of the page. If you’ve ever felt abandoned, unloved, worthless or fear this book will have you in all your feelings. But you also see those same feelings get pushed away but believing in yourself. Dominic is your everyday jerk. He wants what he wants and will do what he can to get it. He doesn’t do relationships or sleep with the same woman twice. He gives off the vibe of someone who would do nothing but leave broken hearts every where he goes. But is it just a cover up for some dark past? I fell in love with this couple because no matter what they did they kept coming back to each other. Fate damned them and the clouds never looked so dark. I loved reading how Riley found her self worth. How she grew into loving herself and knowing she was enough. I recommend you pick this book up not just for the seriously delicious images of male perfection. But for the down right joy of an author who knew what she wanted to get across to her readers and nailed it.
Four Stars
Rock My body by Lee Piper is a whirlwind of hot and heavy. The story is centered around Riley Sears and Dominic Mondez. Riley is a midwife and has major OCD and anxiety issues. She has been through the ringer all her life and it just seems like she can’t get it right. Dominic is a musician and loves fixing up old school cars. Their story is a storm of highs and lows. When diving in be prepared to feel at every flip of the page. If you’ve ever felt abandoned, unloved, worthless or fear this book will have you in all your feelings. But you also see those same feelings get pushed away but believing in yourself. Dominic is your everyday jerk. He wants what he wants and will do what he can to get it. He doesn’t do relationships or sleep with the same woman twice. He gives off the vibe of someone who would do nothing but leave broken hearts every where he goes. But is it just a cover up for some dark past? I fell in love with this couple because no matter what they did they kept coming back to each other. Fate damned them and the clouds never looked so dark. I loved reading how Riley found her self worth. How she grew into loving herself and knowing she was enough. I recommend you pick this book up not just for the seriously delicious images of male perfection. But for the down right joy of an author who knew what she wanted to get across to her readers and nailed it.
b.Young (97 KP) rated Apocalypticon in Books
Jun 1, 2018
Witty dialog (1 more)
Humorous take on apocalypse genre
The most humorous apocalypse book I've ever read
I found this book offered for Kindle and decided to read it based on the fact that it was humorous instead of serious.
Apocalypticon is a story of two friends in Chicago that somehow survived M-Day, the day the monkey shaped missiles were launched from Jamaica to destroy most of the inhabitants of Earth, only to pack up 3 years later and make a whirlwind trip to visit Disney World, of all places.
Along the way, Patrick and Ben come across some very colorful survivors like Violet, a woman who runs the only bridge out of town like a restaurant: hostess stand, bus boys, wine and all; an Amtrak Captain who happens to be the only one left in the country, that is obsessed with keeping a schedule he never can seem to keep; a futune teller that warns Patrick of his fate; a couple of religious cults, each morbidly twisted in their own way; zombie-like creatures called Runners that snorted their way into the realm of the semi-undead; a gun-toting chick that thinks that the Runners can be cured; and journalist who is trying to make sense of why certain people survived the decimation of 98% of the world's population.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were plenty of action scenes where people and things got effed up, but not so much of the blood and gore that typically goes along with genre.
I surprised myself by actually laughing out loud while reading this...several times, I might add.
I recommend Apocalypticon to anyone who enjoys a good apocalypse story and can accept the hilarity of the situation at hand.
Apocalypticon is a story of two friends in Chicago that somehow survived M-Day, the day the monkey shaped missiles were launched from Jamaica to destroy most of the inhabitants of Earth, only to pack up 3 years later and make a whirlwind trip to visit Disney World, of all places.
Along the way, Patrick and Ben come across some very colorful survivors like Violet, a woman who runs the only bridge out of town like a restaurant: hostess stand, bus boys, wine and all; an Amtrak Captain who happens to be the only one left in the country, that is obsessed with keeping a schedule he never can seem to keep; a futune teller that warns Patrick of his fate; a couple of religious cults, each morbidly twisted in their own way; zombie-like creatures called Runners that snorted their way into the realm of the semi-undead; a gun-toting chick that thinks that the Runners can be cured; and journalist who is trying to make sense of why certain people survived the decimation of 98% of the world's population.
Now, don't get me wrong, there were plenty of action scenes where people and things got effed up, but not so much of the blood and gore that typically goes along with genre.
I surprised myself by actually laughing out loud while reading this...several times, I might add.
I recommend Apocalypticon to anyone who enjoys a good apocalypse story and can accept the hilarity of the situation at hand.
Sarah (126 KP) rated Flatliners (2017) in Movies
Jul 14, 2018
The casting (1 more)
Keifer Sutherland
An Unnecessary Remake
I feel cheated. I've watched the original so many times, and wish I'd just watched it again. This was a completely unnecessary remake of what many consider to be a classic film (does it count as a classic from 1990?).
I can kind of "get" the idea of a remake or a "reboot", given the progress in technology and medical science in the space of almost 30 years, so to bring a more contemporary feel for a modern audience would make sense to some extent. Instead, a film that was really thought provoking was turned into something that felt like, in parts, Final Destination.
A couple of lines tied the new version to the old, as well as Keifer Sutherland - one of the original cast of medical students - plays the part of a "House"-type doctor teaching the "Flatliners" in the new version.
The casting wasn't ideal - for instance, James Norton's American accent is kind of concerning. If he was a must-have for the film, couldn't his part have been as an international student?! Nina Dobrev played Elena from The Vampire Diaries in a lab coat. Similarly, the characters were a bit flat and one-dimensional. For instance, Ray used to be a firefighter. Great, where are we going with that? Oh, right, it never gets mentioned again!
Strangely, a lot of the film feels very rushed, with no real development of the stories of the individual characters or of how they go about the actual flatlining itself, while simultaneously feeling like very little of note actually happens.
Honestly, although the original is going to feel a little dated now, watch that instead of this. I feel like I want my money back - and we watched it on TV...
I can kind of "get" the idea of a remake or a "reboot", given the progress in technology and medical science in the space of almost 30 years, so to bring a more contemporary feel for a modern audience would make sense to some extent. Instead, a film that was really thought provoking was turned into something that felt like, in parts, Final Destination.
A couple of lines tied the new version to the old, as well as Keifer Sutherland - one of the original cast of medical students - plays the part of a "House"-type doctor teaching the "Flatliners" in the new version.
The casting wasn't ideal - for instance, James Norton's American accent is kind of concerning. If he was a must-have for the film, couldn't his part have been as an international student?! Nina Dobrev played Elena from The Vampire Diaries in a lab coat. Similarly, the characters were a bit flat and one-dimensional. For instance, Ray used to be a firefighter. Great, where are we going with that? Oh, right, it never gets mentioned again!
Strangely, a lot of the film feels very rushed, with no real development of the stories of the individual characters or of how they go about the actual flatlining itself, while simultaneously feeling like very little of note actually happens.
Honestly, although the original is going to feel a little dated now, watch that instead of this. I feel like I want my money back - and we watched it on TV...
Louise (64 KP) rated Worst. Person. Ever. in Books
Jul 2, 2018
Raymond Gunt is the Worst. Person. Ever! Raymond is a foul-mouthed man that speaks his mind without any regards to be peoples feelings. Ray who is behind on his rent decides to see his ex wife (Fiona) for a job as a B cameraman, luckily for him she gives him the opportunity to turn his life around and hires him, only the job is in Kiribati for a show called Survival(Pretty much I'm a celebrity get me out of here!)
A homeless guy, Neal, in which Ray started a fight with in the street is employed as his assistant and a friendship is born. Unfortunatley for Ray, life goes from worse to worse and Neal's just keeps getting better.
Things start going downhill from London airport where he gets caught up in all sorts of dramas such dropping an atomic bomb on the Pacific trash vortex!
I am really not sure about this book and how really to rate it, Coupland did a really good job in making me hate the vile-mouthed, sexist, homophobe that is Gunt. I also enjoyed how his life started going down hill but only because of what a horrible human being he is. The other characters in the book such as Fiona (Fi)is just the female version of Raymond and very unlikeable. My favourite character was Neal as he seemed the most genuine out of them all. I found the plot of this book, disasters and characters rather far-fetched.
Every couple of chapters there are subtexts with factual information with regards to the scenario's at the time.
This is Douglas Couplands fourteenth novel, and have to say that I am a bit apprehensive about reading any of his other works.
A homeless guy, Neal, in which Ray started a fight with in the street is employed as his assistant and a friendship is born. Unfortunatley for Ray, life goes from worse to worse and Neal's just keeps getting better.
Things start going downhill from London airport where he gets caught up in all sorts of dramas such dropping an atomic bomb on the Pacific trash vortex!
I am really not sure about this book and how really to rate it, Coupland did a really good job in making me hate the vile-mouthed, sexist, homophobe that is Gunt. I also enjoyed how his life started going down hill but only because of what a horrible human being he is. The other characters in the book such as Fiona (Fi)is just the female version of Raymond and very unlikeable. My favourite character was Neal as he seemed the most genuine out of them all. I found the plot of this book, disasters and characters rather far-fetched.
Every couple of chapters there are subtexts with factual information with regards to the scenario's at the time.
This is Douglas Couplands fourteenth novel, and have to say that I am a bit apprehensive about reading any of his other works.
Teeny (11 KP) rated Hereditary (2018) in Movies
Jul 3, 2018
The trailer lies
Pay attention for this one folks. The prize is in the details.
I will try to avoid spoilers but I recommend going in having seen nothing except maybe the trailer.
This film is a mystery horror. It's not in your face, it's suggestive. Every shot is thought out and significant, I'm sure I missed a hundred things. The whole time I was nervously trying to understand all the little clues that seemed out of place. But still my theories were so wrong. It may be that no theory us fans come up with is wrong or right. Not knowing is better.
The mystery and horror is only half of Hereditary in my opinion. I felt empathy for Toni Collette's character more than I felt fear. If you don't think you could handle depictions of grief then you should skip this one. My stomach still feels tense. Toni deserves every award for her performance.
I imagine a few people might call out a couple of moments as goofy or amateurish, but I feel like I need those moments. At one point very near the end the whole cinema laughed and the tension in the whole room released, and we'd been scared for a long time by that point.
By far the most beautifully crafted element of this film was the sound editing. The perfectly timed score builds and releases, playing with your adrenal response.
I will watch this movie a hundred times and enjoy it each time. It will stay with me, and I'm going to spook my mother with it to pay her back for that time we watched the Blair witch when I was a teenager and she shrieked every time I went near a corner.
I will try to avoid spoilers but I recommend going in having seen nothing except maybe the trailer.
This film is a mystery horror. It's not in your face, it's suggestive. Every shot is thought out and significant, I'm sure I missed a hundred things. The whole time I was nervously trying to understand all the little clues that seemed out of place. But still my theories were so wrong. It may be that no theory us fans come up with is wrong or right. Not knowing is better.
The mystery and horror is only half of Hereditary in my opinion. I felt empathy for Toni Collette's character more than I felt fear. If you don't think you could handle depictions of grief then you should skip this one. My stomach still feels tense. Toni deserves every award for her performance.
I imagine a few people might call out a couple of moments as goofy or amateurish, but I feel like I need those moments. At one point very near the end the whole cinema laughed and the tension in the whole room released, and we'd been scared for a long time by that point.
By far the most beautifully crafted element of this film was the sound editing. The perfectly timed score builds and releases, playing with your adrenal response.
I will watch this movie a hundred times and enjoy it each time. It will stay with me, and I'm going to spook my mother with it to pay her back for that time we watched the Blair witch when I was a teenager and she shrieked every time I went near a corner.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Furyborn: Empirium Trilogy Book 1 in Books
Jul 31, 2018
I'd seen several glowing reviews of this book, but I was always put off by descriptions of events that happened millennia apart from each other "intersecting" and affecting each other. Like, no. The past can affect the future, but the future can't change the past. That appears, however, to just be a problem in the synopsis of the book and not the book itself. At least in this, the opening volume of the trilogy, the future does not change the past. The book alternates between the two women, Rielle in the past and Eliana in the future. Each chapter flips back and forth. I was much more intrigued by Rielle's chapters, but that could be because there was a lot more magic in Rielle's time.
The magic system is really interesting! I love that through Rielle's trials we learn so much about the magic system, each school and guiding saint and prayers. It's really fleshed out and I enjoyed that.
The "shocking connections" aren't shocking, they're predictable. But the book was no less fantastic for it. I really think the synopsis is where the problems lie. The first couple chapters pretty much reveal all the surprises the description hints at, and the book details how we got to that point. (Mostly, anyway!) It was great, don't get me wrong, but the description of the book feels a little misleading.
The GLBT content in the book is only about two sentences, but it was a surprise and made me grin.
I really enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy to discover the rest of Rielle's story and what Eliana is going to do about it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
The magic system is really interesting! I love that through Rielle's trials we learn so much about the magic system, each school and guiding saint and prayers. It's really fleshed out and I enjoyed that.
The "shocking connections" aren't shocking, they're predictable. But the book was no less fantastic for it. I really think the synopsis is where the problems lie. The first couple chapters pretty much reveal all the surprises the description hints at, and the book details how we got to that point. (Mostly, anyway!) It was great, don't get me wrong, but the description of the book feels a little misleading.
The GLBT content in the book is only about two sentences, but it was a surprise and made me grin.
I really enjoyed this book. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy to discover the rest of Rielle's story and what Eliana is going to do about it.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Merissa (13555 KP) rated Claimed by her Cougar (Cougar Creek Mates #1) in Books
Oct 16, 2018
Claimed by her Cougar (Cougar Creek Mates #1) by Felicity Heaton
Claimed by her Cougar is the first book in the Cougar Creek Mates series, set in the same world as the Eternal Mates series. By that, I mean it is set in the contemporary world, but with the same 'bad guys' being mentioned - Archangel.
Rath has kept his clan safe from Archangel ever since their attack so many years previously. He takes care of any Hunters who show up on his land, and spends his time avoiding most people, preferring to spend his time alone. He looks after the cabins of various clan members who also live elsewhere. His solitude is broken when Ivy shows up on his land, wanting to photograph the black bears. Once she convinces him she is not a hunter, they spend a couple of days together, during which she gets under Rath's skin in more ways that he possibly imagined.
I found this story to be excellently written, as I would expect from Felicity Heaton. How she manages to tie in a previous organisation, within the contemporary world, whilst introducing a whole new set of characters, I think is superb! There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The supporting cast of characters were all intriguing, leaving me wanting more in this series, just so I can get their stories. Luckily for me, Storm comes next, but I also want Ember's story! Yes, I know, I'm greedy!
A great start to the series, and definitely recommended by me. Looking forward to continuing this series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Rath has kept his clan safe from Archangel ever since their attack so many years previously. He takes care of any Hunters who show up on his land, and spends his time avoiding most people, preferring to spend his time alone. He looks after the cabins of various clan members who also live elsewhere. His solitude is broken when Ivy shows up on his land, wanting to photograph the black bears. Once she convinces him she is not a hunter, they spend a couple of days together, during which she gets under Rath's skin in more ways that he possibly imagined.
I found this story to be excellently written, as I would expect from Felicity Heaton. How she manages to tie in a previous organisation, within the contemporary world, whilst introducing a whole new set of characters, I think is superb! There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The supporting cast of characters were all intriguing, leaving me wanting more in this series, just so I can get their stories. Luckily for me, Storm comes next, but I also want Ember's story! Yes, I know, I'm greedy!
A great start to the series, and definitely recommended by me. Looking forward to continuing this series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Frequency - Season 1 in TV
Nov 9, 2018
Likeable characters (3 more)
Good story
Good pacing
They were able to release an epilogue to tie up some loose ends
There were a few frustrating moments (1 more)
Missed out on finishing side stories thanks to cancellation
An interesting show that deserved 1 more season
I liked this series. I know it's based on a movie which I have seen but the movie itself was rather forgettable. I don't really remember much from it. This was far much better though. Maybe because we had more time to care about the characters.
It's not a perfect series. There were a lot of frustrating moments where things could have been made a lot more simple. People could have been told what was happening and there was proof if they were just allowed to talk into the radio themselves. But other than that the series was enjoyable and paced well. Time travel is a concept that is difficult to get right without sounding confusing but this was made simple.
It is a good series but it's not great. Sometimes the main lead got annoying at times but the series got cancelled too early so some of the side stories could not be looked at like the corruption in the police force.
***Spoilers*** stan is corrupt and I expected the dads death from a car accident to be the result of that and not actually an accident. I thought that would have made a good plot for the 2nd season ***end spoiler***
However this couldn't be told so they just ended up sizzling out. On the plus side they, they were able to send out a 3 minute epilogue to tie up a couple of loose ends to give the show a proper ending. More shows should be given this chance.
Still worth a watch and maybe 1 day we will see another shot at this.
It's not a perfect series. There were a lot of frustrating moments where things could have been made a lot more simple. People could have been told what was happening and there was proof if they were just allowed to talk into the radio themselves. But other than that the series was enjoyable and paced well. Time travel is a concept that is difficult to get right without sounding confusing but this was made simple.
It is a good series but it's not great. Sometimes the main lead got annoying at times but the series got cancelled too early so some of the side stories could not be looked at like the corruption in the police force.
***Spoilers*** stan is corrupt and I expected the dads death from a car accident to be the result of that and not actually an accident. I thought that would have made a good plot for the 2nd season ***end spoiler***
However this couldn't be told so they just ended up sizzling out. On the plus side they, they were able to send out a 3 minute epilogue to tie up a couple of loose ends to give the show a proper ending. More shows should be given this chance.
Still worth a watch and maybe 1 day we will see another shot at this.