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Danny Dirks and the Heir of Pendragon
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Danny Dirk is and ordinary fourteen year old boy with a passion for baseball, however as he approaches his fifteenth birthday peculiar things begin to happen.

Beginning with the arrival of the new foreman for their apple farm, Danny begins experiencing the impossible. Eventually, Grandfather Pendrake, a surname not unlike Pendragon, reveals that Danny comes from a special lineage, one typically assumed to be a myth; and explains that a particular mythical beast is, in fact, very real.

S. A. Mulraney begins his young adult novel with an interesting prologue that leaves the reader with a range of questions. Firstly, the characters are referred to as 'they' resulting in a feeling of suspense as the reader has no idea whether they are good or bad. It turns out that 'they' are Mr Brennan and his standoffish daughter Kara. However the original use of 'they' leaves the question as to what they are, which is heightened by words such as 'scales' and 'wings' as well as the suggestion that they can communicate with dragonflies.

Danny Dirk and the Heir of Pendragon is an exciting novel. Although it felt a little slow to start, the story picks up towards the end and concludes on a cliffhanger leaving the reader eager for the next book.

Although the main character is in his mid teens, the writing style is suitable for boys and girls in their earlier teens and upwards, however there are some scenes that are more appropriate for readers with a maturer outlook.

This novel will attract a range of interest particularly for those who prefer a book that is quick and easy to read. It should also attract the attention of those with a preference for the fantasy genre, especially about dragons, and also those who enjoy myths and legends, in particularly the legendary king of England, King Arthur.

Mulraney's adaptation of the history of King Arthur is original and intriguing, and his version of dragons are very creative.

This review uses a rating on the basis on personal preference but it is sure to be loved by the intended target audience.
  
    Spectacles

    Spectacles

    Sue Perkins

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    Book

    Spectacles is the hilarious, creative and incredibly moving memoir from much loved comedian, writer...

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Natasha Khan recommended Bleach by Nirvana in Music (curated)

 
Bleach by Nirvana
Bleach by Nirvana
1989 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I have a Polaroid of Kurt Cobain on my kitchen corkboard. It's him holding a kitten, two of my favourite things in the world: Kurt and kittens, the two 'k's! I was deeply in love [laughs] with him, on a hormonal level, for a long time. But I think in terms of what he taught me as a budding creative person and an angsty, very troubled teenager. It sounds really cheesy, but he got me through many many days of bunking school. When I think of Bleach, I've just put [points to phone] "bunking school", that's basically what I did. Just that first track 'Blew', there's that bass sound [sings], and it was just so dirty and rank and then there's feedback and his voice - [sings] "NO RECESS!' - on 'School'. What was so exciting about the fact that they had become so loved and so big was that they didn't compromise any of that aggression, anger and rawness. I just love people that become really successful by not compromising anything, and being completely true to their own spirit. At that time, I was starting to writing books of poetry and play guitar in my bedroom. I'd pretend to get the train to school, and then come back in and climb through the window and just spend all day with Bleach and Incesticide on a tape, and I'd just turn them over and [listen to] 'Dive', 'Love Buzz' and 'Floyd The Barber'. It was just the ability to play this album as loud in my bedroom as I possibly could and just scream along to it, and just feel there was a little soulmate, who had this similar thing, just guiding me through. I think that visceralness really gave voice to something that I was finding difficult to express and because I was finding my own singing voice, and very shy about it, it was like really nice to be able to not have to sound, as a girl, pretty and nice - all the female musicians like that, they're very beautiful, but to get that kind of guttural, animalistic scream was really liberating."

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If I Die Before I Wake
If I Die Before I Wake
Emily Koch | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
6
7.7 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
It has a very interesting blurb, and I was expecting a really suspenseful thriller, but it didn’t really impress me.

The main character of this book is Alex, climbing enthusiast who gets paralyzed after climbing accident (or maybe an attempted murder…) He doesn’t remember how the incident happened, and he hears snippets of it and other information with every new visitor. What left me shook and baffled was the situation he was in. His brain was fully functioning but the body didn’t whatsoever. All his inconveniences, cramps, feelings were very painful to read about and really scary, to be honest. You can’t even scratch your itching nose, it is a mental torture! :S

The characters used in this book were not very interesting to me. I did like reading Alex’s story, but I was missing personality and character in other participants of this journey. The whole book was told from Alex’s perspective, and I would have liked to read other people’s perspectives as well. I don’t think other characters were fully utilized in this novel.

I liked that Koch used little snippets of new information in every chapter to kindle the interest to continue, but I didn’t feel tension while reading, and I think it needed some better twists. The dilemma of “To live or to die?”, raised in this book was really difficult and got me thinking, what I would like in such case.

The writing style of this novel was really creative, pleasant and easy to read. The chapters were pretty short and filled with some interesting details of not only Alex’s present but also with memories of his past and his dead mother. All this combination made this book quite an amusing book. After all the suffering and pain, the ending didn’t leave me satisfied as well…:( So to conclude, this novel was really an emotionally difficult journey for me, filled with pain, suffering and helplessness, where you have to choose between death and living. There were some interesting parts which I enjoyed, but it didn’t really work for me. I do hope you will give this book a chance and see for yourself, whether you like it or not. Enjoy 🙂
  
The Silent Patient
The Silent Patient
Alex Michaelides | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
10
8.3 (39 Ratings)
Book Rating
This complex story is told from two different perspectives, a story which was written down by Alicia, and another one, told by Theo, about his life. I really liked the characters in this book, they are very intriguing, some of them very charismatic, but at the same time very believable. I really liked Alicia’s story and her disturbed personality, but at the same time, I found her quite naive and sometimes annoying. Theo really surprised me, he is too messed up in his head to be a decent psychotherapist. His personality and thoughts were quite scary sometimes, but I absolutely loved the investigation he has done, to find out more about Alicia.

The narrative of this book is very layered, complex, and discusses many issues. The characters are sharing their thoughts about the relationships with their family and their spouses, and how that effected their present personalities. The author creatively incorporated his Greek heritage into this story, filled with Greek Gods and other bits and pieces. The story doesn’t stay still for long periods of time, there are plenty of surprising twists and turns throughout this book and it was a real page turner to me. The author discussed a very wide variety of topics, such as a difficult relationship with parents; blind love for their spouses; drugs; mental health issues etc.

The setting of this book feels very mysterious, and I liked that there are multiple locations used in this novel. The writing style is creative, well crafted, but easy and pleasant to read. The chapters are pretty short, and due to suspense, the pages just flew by for me. I really liked the ending of the book, it rounded the story well but there are many unanswered questions, which left me unsettled.

So, to conclude, this is a very amusing story, filled with complex and unique characters, and a plot, soaked in love, grief and betrayal. I strongly recommend to read this story and find out, whether Theo succeeds in his quest to make Alice speak again or not. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did
  
    Set List Maker

    Set List Maker

    Music and Productivity

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    Pro tip: Before buying Set List Maker, check out its big brother, BandHelper. Set List Maker is a...