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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Gilded Wolves (The Gilded Wolves #1) in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Review Just Becasue
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Choksi was not as good as I was hoping for at all. Early into the book I found myself being reminded strongly of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and that gives any book a lot to live up too. There were also multiple inconsistencies such as a pendent being smashed in one chapter only to be perfectly fine a few chapters later amd used again. It ended with a cliffhanger that makes me wonder if its the author's intention is to create a sequel, which may redeem the book a little bit. Even after finishing the book the concept of Forging was still a bit confusing, and with it being such a major part of the book that is not good news.
Séverin was striped of his title as heir to a House in the Order of Babel for an unknown reason after his parents died in a fire. Séverin was approached by Hypnos after stealing an artifact from him. Hypnos blackmails Séverin to agree to steal a diffrent item from House Kore. In order to do this Séverin enlists the help of his friends Zofia, Laila, and Enrique. His adopted brother Tristan also helps out but openly shows his distrust of Hypnos.
After successfully retrieving the item in question from House Kore the friends are shocked to discover that they are not quite done. The Fallen House has risen and is trying to awaken a Babel Fragment. Thd Fallen Housr needs a few things that the firends have in order to achieve their goal, but the friends can not allow the Fallen House to succeed. Now the friends must try to stop this awakening
or civilization as they know it might be changed forever.
What I liked best was how all the characters teemed up together with Hypnos to achieve their goals. At times the Da Vinci Code feeling of the book while the friends solve puzzles was enjoyable. What I liked least was that it felt like more detail in the back story was needed. Forging for example, why can only some people do it? The idea that Babel Fragments somehow allow people to use God's power to manipulate objects was not explained very well. Plus there is the fact that I could not decide on the age range of the main characters. Sometimes they appear to be adults and at othertimes they were more like children, barely even teens.
For the target readers of this book anyone could read it. Middle school students with a high reading level would be able to handle this book with very few problems. The book is even about average size so I don't think that would even be an issue for someone who likes reading. I give this
book a 2 out of 4 with the hope that a second book will be released. If there is no second book in the works than this book only deserves a 1. I would not call it a complete waste of time, but it was close.
Upon finishing the book there were too many concepts important to the background of the story that did not get enough attention. I do not enjoy it or recommend books that still have me questioning aspects that build the foundation of the story by the time it ends.
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Séverin was striped of his title as heir to a House in the Order of Babel for an unknown reason after his parents died in a fire. Séverin was approached by Hypnos after stealing an artifact from him. Hypnos blackmails Séverin to agree to steal a diffrent item from House Kore. In order to do this Séverin enlists the help of his friends Zofia, Laila, and Enrique. His adopted brother Tristan also helps out but openly shows his distrust of Hypnos.
After successfully retrieving the item in question from House Kore the friends are shocked to discover that they are not quite done. The Fallen House has risen and is trying to awaken a Babel Fragment. Thd Fallen Housr needs a few things that the firends have in order to achieve their goal, but the friends can not allow the Fallen House to succeed. Now the friends must try to stop this awakening
or civilization as they know it might be changed forever.
What I liked best was how all the characters teemed up together with Hypnos to achieve their goals. At times the Da Vinci Code feeling of the book while the friends solve puzzles was enjoyable. What I liked least was that it felt like more detail in the back story was needed. Forging for example, why can only some people do it? The idea that Babel Fragments somehow allow people to use God's power to manipulate objects was not explained very well. Plus there is the fact that I could not decide on the age range of the main characters. Sometimes they appear to be adults and at othertimes they were more like children, barely even teens.
For the target readers of this book anyone could read it. Middle school students with a high reading level would be able to handle this book with very few problems. The book is even about average size so I don't think that would even be an issue for someone who likes reading. I give this
book a 2 out of 4 with the hope that a second book will be released. If there is no second book in the works than this book only deserves a 1. I would not call it a complete waste of time, but it was close.
Upon finishing the book there were too many concepts important to the background of the story that did not get enough attention. I do not enjoy it or recommend books that still have me questioning aspects that build the foundation of the story by the time it ends.
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Hadley (567 KP) rated The Other Mrs. in Books
Apr 4, 2020
Mental illness done correctly (1 more)
Addictive
Mental illness.
I've read a lot of horror books that cover this subject, watched horror movies covering this subject, listened to music covering this subject, but none of them have covered mental illness as well and correctly as Mary Kubica's "The Other Mrs.."
So, with that said, if you have any type of PTSD, this book may be hard for you to read. Otherwise, this novel is very addicting, filled with so many twists and turns that you won't be able to set it down for long. For me, someone who deals with C-PTSD, 'The Other Mrs.' by Mary Kubica has been a heartache to read, but also very fulfilling to finish.
Kubica is known for her best-selling novel 'the Good Girl' - - - a thriller following a mother and a detective in search of the the former's missing daughter that leads them down a twisted tale of family secrets. From highly acclaimed critics, 'the Other Mrs.' has out-done 'the Good Girl' as Kubica's best novel so far. Kubica sticks with her psychological thriller writing that she is known for in this newest novel. She keeps the reader guessing at what will happen next, and she plays out mental illnesses in a way that most who suffer can relate while winding in a mystery well enough that the reader won't be able to guess everything before the ending.
I can't give such a heavy review on this book because, to do so, would give away a lot of the ending, so I'll stick to talking about noteworthy characters that make up the novel. The main character is a woman named Sadie, whose family is being uprooted from Chicago and moved to a small island in Maine after her husband's sister dies, which leaves them with not only a house in the will, but a sixteen-year-old niece named Imogen.
Sadie is already a mother of two sons, both younger than sixteen, when she suddenly finds herself in-charge of the stereo-typical edgy teenager, Imogen. Sadie describes her the first time she sees Imogen: " But there she stands, a morose figure dressed in black. Black jeans, a black shirt, bare feet. Her hair is black, long with bangs that slant sideways across her face. Her eyes are outlined in a thick slash of black eyeliner. Everything black, aside from the white lettering on her shirt, which reads, I want to die. The septum of her nose is pierced. Her skin, in contrast to everything else, is white, pallid, ghostlike. She's thin. "
Early one morning when Sadie is heading off to work, she finds a word spelled on her car window. The word reads: "Die." Sadie, as most readers, quickly assumes that Imogen is responsibly for this, as she tries to explain: "I've tried to be understanding because of how awful the situation must be for her. Her life has been upended. She lost her mother and now must share her home with people she doesn't know. But that doesn't justify threatening me. Because Imogen doesn't mince words. She means just what she said. She wants me to die."
The next character that makes up a big part of this story is a confident, self-centered woman, whose name is Camille,and is also the 'other woman' in this story. Camille is a woman who gets what and who she wants, and won't let anyone get in her way, including Sadie, whose husband is someone Camille wants. I can't go much into the things that Camille's character does because it would give away a lot of the surprises in this novel - - - I can say though that there is murder and mystery throughout; the book will leave most readers guessing until the very end.
One other character who deserves mentioning is a little girl- - - with the nickname 'Mouse' - - - who finds herself suddenly dealing with a horrific stepmother, who abuses her physically and mentally unbeknownst to Mouse's father. One time, in which Mouse shows how smart she is to her the stepmother while being in front of her father (who Mouse likes to call 'Fake Mom'), later that night, when Mouse's father isn't looking, Fake Mom lets Mouse know how she felt about that:
" But later that night, when he father wasn't looking, Fake Mom got down into Mouse's face and told her if she ever made her look stupid again in front of her father, there would be hell to pay. Fake Mom's face got all red. She bared her teeth like a dog does when it's mad. A vein stuck out of her forehead. It throbbed. Fake Mom spit when she spoke, like she was so mad she couldn't stop herself from spitting. Like she was spitting mad. She spit on Mouse's face but Mouse didn't dare raise a hand to wipe it away."
Mental and physical abuse make up all that The Other Mrs. is about. So far, this is the best story I have read in a long time. My only problem with it is it's written like a YA novel, where it seems Kubica tried to keep that from happening by throwing in some heavy syllable words to make it more fitting for adults. But, luckily, she left out most of the wishy-washy elements that make up YA novels, so I believe most adults will enjoy this. I highly recommend this book to people who love murder mysteries!
I've read a lot of horror books that cover this subject, watched horror movies covering this subject, listened to music covering this subject, but none of them have covered mental illness as well and correctly as Mary Kubica's "The Other Mrs.."
So, with that said, if you have any type of PTSD, this book may be hard for you to read. Otherwise, this novel is very addicting, filled with so many twists and turns that you won't be able to set it down for long. For me, someone who deals with C-PTSD, 'The Other Mrs.' by Mary Kubica has been a heartache to read, but also very fulfilling to finish.
Kubica is known for her best-selling novel 'the Good Girl' - - - a thriller following a mother and a detective in search of the the former's missing daughter that leads them down a twisted tale of family secrets. From highly acclaimed critics, 'the Other Mrs.' has out-done 'the Good Girl' as Kubica's best novel so far. Kubica sticks with her psychological thriller writing that she is known for in this newest novel. She keeps the reader guessing at what will happen next, and she plays out mental illnesses in a way that most who suffer can relate while winding in a mystery well enough that the reader won't be able to guess everything before the ending.
I can't give such a heavy review on this book because, to do so, would give away a lot of the ending, so I'll stick to talking about noteworthy characters that make up the novel. The main character is a woman named Sadie, whose family is being uprooted from Chicago and moved to a small island in Maine after her husband's sister dies, which leaves them with not only a house in the will, but a sixteen-year-old niece named Imogen.
Sadie is already a mother of two sons, both younger than sixteen, when she suddenly finds herself in-charge of the stereo-typical edgy teenager, Imogen. Sadie describes her the first time she sees Imogen: " But there she stands, a morose figure dressed in black. Black jeans, a black shirt, bare feet. Her hair is black, long with bangs that slant sideways across her face. Her eyes are outlined in a thick slash of black eyeliner. Everything black, aside from the white lettering on her shirt, which reads, I want to die. The septum of her nose is pierced. Her skin, in contrast to everything else, is white, pallid, ghostlike. She's thin. "
Early one morning when Sadie is heading off to work, she finds a word spelled on her car window. The word reads: "Die." Sadie, as most readers, quickly assumes that Imogen is responsibly for this, as she tries to explain: "I've tried to be understanding because of how awful the situation must be for her. Her life has been upended. She lost her mother and now must share her home with people she doesn't know. But that doesn't justify threatening me. Because Imogen doesn't mince words. She means just what she said. She wants me to die."
The next character that makes up a big part of this story is a confident, self-centered woman, whose name is Camille,and is also the 'other woman' in this story. Camille is a woman who gets what and who she wants, and won't let anyone get in her way, including Sadie, whose husband is someone Camille wants. I can't go much into the things that Camille's character does because it would give away a lot of the surprises in this novel - - - I can say though that there is murder and mystery throughout; the book will leave most readers guessing until the very end.
One other character who deserves mentioning is a little girl- - - with the nickname 'Mouse' - - - who finds herself suddenly dealing with a horrific stepmother, who abuses her physically and mentally unbeknownst to Mouse's father. One time, in which Mouse shows how smart she is to her the stepmother while being in front of her father (who Mouse likes to call 'Fake Mom'), later that night, when Mouse's father isn't looking, Fake Mom lets Mouse know how she felt about that:
" But later that night, when he father wasn't looking, Fake Mom got down into Mouse's face and told her if she ever made her look stupid again in front of her father, there would be hell to pay. Fake Mom's face got all red. She bared her teeth like a dog does when it's mad. A vein stuck out of her forehead. It throbbed. Fake Mom spit when she spoke, like she was so mad she couldn't stop herself from spitting. Like she was spitting mad. She spit on Mouse's face but Mouse didn't dare raise a hand to wipe it away."
Mental and physical abuse make up all that The Other Mrs. is about. So far, this is the best story I have read in a long time. My only problem with it is it's written like a YA novel, where it seems Kubica tried to keep that from happening by throwing in some heavy syllable words to make it more fitting for adults. But, luckily, she left out most of the wishy-washy elements that make up YA novels, so I believe most adults will enjoy this. I highly recommend this book to people who love murder mysteries!
Kyera (8 KP) rated Princess of Thorns in Books
Feb 1, 2018
Princess of Thorns is a not-so-classic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. The main character is actually the daughter of the cursed princess, who awoke from a kiss. Her name is Aurora, like the Disney movie's princess and her mother's name is Rose. In the french version of the tale, Sleeping Beauty's daughter is named Aurore. I believe that her mother's is the shortened form of Briar Rose, like German version of her tale by the Brother's Grimm. If you are familiar with the Grimm and Perrault versions of the tale, not only the Disney one, then you will notice many similarities. In a few versions of the tale, there is an evil step-mother or mother-in-law who attempts to eat the leading lady's children.
The author makes use of these characters and plots in her novel. She chooses to include the ill-fated mother, brother and sister, as well as the villainous step-mother. Although that familial tie is not explicitly stated, the King was the children's father and he married the ogre. Thus, she would be their step-mother. And you thought you had a dysfunctional family?
In true fairytale fashion, there are ogres, witches, fairies, and ruffians. Not all are portrayed as you would expect. The ogres have evolved, or perhaps devolved depending upon who you ask. In the early years, the ogres were monstrous creatures that devoured souls whole. They did not control themselves, but feasted on the entire soul leaving nothing behind. As time went on, they were forced to change and limit how much they took. After a time, the ogres began to become smaller and take on much more human-like appearances. Their food source never changed and they prided themselves upon each soul they took, marking their bare skulls.
The Fae seem human, although they possess extra-human traits and magic. One may not think of fairies and immediately imagine a human-like creature with great dexterity, skill in battle, and a lack of guilt -but the Fair Folk are shown this way in the novel. A fairy can bestow a gift upon a human child, like beauty, courage, eloquence, obedience, or strength. But each blessing comes with a curse, as the magic always finds a way to turn the gift into a burden. There are untold consequences to the blessings that cannot be avoided. As such, the fairies stopped giving their gifts to human children.
As with most fairytales, there is an element of romance. The love story blossoms under unusual circumstances and not without its share of problems. The two characters get to know each other throughout the journey, but their are many secrets left untold. As they are discovered, the relationship is altered for good or bad. And in the end, a choice must be made.
Most importantly, the novel isn't entirely predictable (although the budding romance was expected). Generally, you expect good to triumph over evil in most modern retellings of the story - unlike their Grimm counterparts. The plot's climax was frankly a little anti-climactic, but enjoyable non-the-less.
I think the author showed an average amount of character development, although I usually think more would be incredibly beneficial. Certain aspects of the world were explained, but not vividly enough. The "show-don't-tell" method could have been employed here to create a richer, more immersive world. Overall, I was pleased with the author's lexicon, grammar, and spelling - which happens much less often than should reasonably be expected.
I would certainly read another novel by this author as I love stories based upon fairytales. If you read Alex Flinn, I would highly recommend this novel to you just keep in mind it is slightly darker. Readers of fantasy, romance, and the like will enjoy this book and should give it a chance. It seems to target the female demographic, but males should enjoy it as well.
The author makes use of these characters and plots in her novel. She chooses to include the ill-fated mother, brother and sister, as well as the villainous step-mother. Although that familial tie is not explicitly stated, the King was the children's father and he married the ogre. Thus, she would be their step-mother. And you thought you had a dysfunctional family?
In true fairytale fashion, there are ogres, witches, fairies, and ruffians. Not all are portrayed as you would expect. The ogres have evolved, or perhaps devolved depending upon who you ask. In the early years, the ogres were monstrous creatures that devoured souls whole. They did not control themselves, but feasted on the entire soul leaving nothing behind. As time went on, they were forced to change and limit how much they took. After a time, the ogres began to become smaller and take on much more human-like appearances. Their food source never changed and they prided themselves upon each soul they took, marking their bare skulls.
The Fae seem human, although they possess extra-human traits and magic. One may not think of fairies and immediately imagine a human-like creature with great dexterity, skill in battle, and a lack of guilt -but the Fair Folk are shown this way in the novel. A fairy can bestow a gift upon a human child, like beauty, courage, eloquence, obedience, or strength. But each blessing comes with a curse, as the magic always finds a way to turn the gift into a burden. There are untold consequences to the blessings that cannot be avoided. As such, the fairies stopped giving their gifts to human children.
As with most fairytales, there is an element of romance. The love story blossoms under unusual circumstances and not without its share of problems. The two characters get to know each other throughout the journey, but their are many secrets left untold. As they are discovered, the relationship is altered for good or bad. And in the end, a choice must be made.
Most importantly, the novel isn't entirely predictable (although the budding romance was expected). Generally, you expect good to triumph over evil in most modern retellings of the story - unlike their Grimm counterparts. The plot's climax was frankly a little anti-climactic, but enjoyable non-the-less.
I think the author showed an average amount of character development, although I usually think more would be incredibly beneficial. Certain aspects of the world were explained, but not vividly enough. The "show-don't-tell" method could have been employed here to create a richer, more immersive world. Overall, I was pleased with the author's lexicon, grammar, and spelling - which happens much less often than should reasonably be expected.
I would certainly read another novel by this author as I love stories based upon fairytales. If you read Alex Flinn, I would highly recommend this novel to you just keep in mind it is slightly darker. Readers of fantasy, romance, and the like will enjoy this book and should give it a chance. It seems to target the female demographic, but males should enjoy it as well.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Night Chill (Night Chill, #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
The cover and synopsis of this book sounded creepy, and I love creepy! I'm always after a great horror novel, and this was definitely didn't disappoint. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Richard Laymon's novels except a lot better (and Richard Laymon is one of my favorite horror authors).
How creepy is that cover!?! (Hint: the answer is very)! I'm not sure who the little girl is on the cover. I thought it may be Melissa (not going into details due to spoilers), but I could be wrong. Still, the cover definitely grabbed my attention.
I don't really know how the title pertains to the story, but it's definitely a creepy title nonetheless.
The world building was done very well which is what makes this story that much spookier. Gunhus does a fantastic job making the readers believe that something like this could actually happen. Not once did I doubt anything in the story line. I felt that all my questions were answered throughout the book except one question about Max although it's not relevant to the story.
The pacing reels you in from the very first sentence. I devoured this book, and it held my attention very much so throughout the whole book. Never once does it slow down or go too fast that I don't know what's going on.
The plot was super spooky! The idea that a stranger with supernatural powers is trying to kidnap your child, and no one believes what you say even though it's the truth is definitely frightening. While it's probably been done before, Gunhus takes the idea and nurtures it, giving it wings to grow into something horrorific. There were some good plot twists although I did predict one early on. The ending of the book leaves it open to become a series although you can read this book as a standalone. However, if there is another book, I definitely will be reading it!
I thought the characters were very well written. Jack came across as a very devoted dad. At first, I did doubt his sanity, and I did wonder if he was hallucinating, but he quickly quashed those ideas. I loved how Jack was willing to do whatever it took to save Sarah and keep his family together. I found Nate Huckley to be an awesome bad guy although simply referring to him as "bad guy" seems so wrong because he is so much more. Huckley is intelligent, witty, and knows exactly what he wants. I found him to be scary mostly due to how he could be anywhere he wanted no matter what. He could also make people do whatever he wanted them too. He's definitely one of my favorite baddies in a book. My favorite character, however, was Joseph Lonetree. I loved how hardcore he came across although he proved to be a big softie. I understood his need to do what he did. Lonetree didn't take any crap from anyone.
I enjoyed the dialogue and found that it flowed smoothly and freely. I mostly enjoyed reading about Jack though. There is some swear words as well as violence and gore so be warned if that's not your thing.
Overall, Night Chill is a creepy story that leaves you wondering what if this really did and has been happening. The plot is fantastic, the world building spooky, and the characters amazing!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 18+ who are fans of classic horror and for fans of writers such as Richard Laymon.
(I received this title in ebook format for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
The cover and synopsis of this book sounded creepy, and I love creepy! I'm always after a great horror novel, and this was definitely didn't disappoint. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Richard Laymon's novels except a lot better (and Richard Laymon is one of my favorite horror authors).
How creepy is that cover!?! (Hint: the answer is very)! I'm not sure who the little girl is on the cover. I thought it may be Melissa (not going into details due to spoilers), but I could be wrong. Still, the cover definitely grabbed my attention.
I don't really know how the title pertains to the story, but it's definitely a creepy title nonetheless.
The world building was done very well which is what makes this story that much spookier. Gunhus does a fantastic job making the readers believe that something like this could actually happen. Not once did I doubt anything in the story line. I felt that all my questions were answered throughout the book except one question about Max although it's not relevant to the story.
The pacing reels you in from the very first sentence. I devoured this book, and it held my attention very much so throughout the whole book. Never once does it slow down or go too fast that I don't know what's going on.
The plot was super spooky! The idea that a stranger with supernatural powers is trying to kidnap your child, and no one believes what you say even though it's the truth is definitely frightening. While it's probably been done before, Gunhus takes the idea and nurtures it, giving it wings to grow into something horrorific. There were some good plot twists although I did predict one early on. The ending of the book leaves it open to become a series although you can read this book as a standalone. However, if there is another book, I definitely will be reading it!
I thought the characters were very well written. Jack came across as a very devoted dad. At first, I did doubt his sanity, and I did wonder if he was hallucinating, but he quickly quashed those ideas. I loved how Jack was willing to do whatever it took to save Sarah and keep his family together. I found Nate Huckley to be an awesome bad guy although simply referring to him as "bad guy" seems so wrong because he is so much more. Huckley is intelligent, witty, and knows exactly what he wants. I found him to be scary mostly due to how he could be anywhere he wanted no matter what. He could also make people do whatever he wanted them too. He's definitely one of my favorite baddies in a book. My favorite character, however, was Joseph Lonetree. I loved how hardcore he came across although he proved to be a big softie. I understood his need to do what he did. Lonetree didn't take any crap from anyone.
I enjoyed the dialogue and found that it flowed smoothly and freely. I mostly enjoyed reading about Jack though. There is some swear words as well as violence and gore so be warned if that's not your thing.
Overall, Night Chill is a creepy story that leaves you wondering what if this really did and has been happening. The plot is fantastic, the world building spooky, and the characters amazing!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 18+ who are fans of classic horror and for fans of writers such as Richard Laymon.
(I received this title in ebook format for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Inky Books (3 KP) rated A Court of Mist and Fury in Books
Jun 21, 2018
Well, from the beginning, this book sure was a ride of emotions and plot events. I kept thinking that in the first part of the book the plot wasn’t moving, there was nothing happening. But now, after I have finished the book, I know that there were some very important events going on.
One thing I have learned about Sarah J. Maas and her characters is that she is never very nice to them for very long. But this causes me to feel sorry for them, to want them to be happy, thus showing that it is a good book to get me so emotionally involved. I knew this fact in Thorne of Glass and was expecting it in this series, but maybe not so early on. It defiantly shows that she has evolved as a writer and has become much more confidant.
Speaking of evolving, these characters did a bunch of it throughout this book and in between the first and second. While some characters (Feyre) transitioned over time, especially after all those nasty things she went through in the first book, I felt like others (Tamlin) had changed much too quickly. This defiantly could be explained at the span of three months that was between the first book and this one, but it still seemed abrupt and more like a plot device. Unquestionably for the plot. But I think it worked out well for the story arch that we are continuing to follow, one that is getting impressively complicated.
Feyre’s evolving rivals those of Alien, Lysandra, or Maven from Thorne of Glass. I know I keep bring this series up, making comparisons, but I just wanted to say how happy I was that Sarah J. Maas didn’t abandon her character evolving pattern. It makes each of her books so much more fun to read than others, some of which the characters don’t evolve enough to really see much of a difference. The evolving keeps me guessing at what the characters might do next, and that makes for a good book.
Sarah J. Maas also isn’t one to shy away from putting two people together to fall in love then having them change their mind. But, I liked Tamlin in the first, but not enough to completely ship them and wanting it to continue into the next book. I was hoping she would pull out one of those ‘I loved you but I don’t love you anymore’ moves. Because there are many relationships in this book that affect the plot, I won’t give any spoilers on it. Sorry if I implied it and you caught on, but really it was only the first 50 pages that might have been mildly ruined.
Bad things to say. Hmm. You know, there really isn’t much I have to complain about. I wish that Tamlin didn’t become so easy to hate right off (sorry, but once again only the first 50 pages), that we couldn’t see more of Feyre’s transition to becoming a high fae, her powers thereof, and watching more of these lovely relationships evolve as each person becomes closer, friends or otherwise. Other than those though, I don’t have much else to say.
At the time I am writing this review there is still three weeks left until the next book comes out, so once again I have to distract myself with others until I can get it. Sigh.
Wait, why did I wait so long to read it? Oh that’s right, so I wouldn’t be in the waiting position like I am now!
Also, a warning for younger readers, this book does become NC-17.
One thing I have learned about Sarah J. Maas and her characters is that she is never very nice to them for very long. But this causes me to feel sorry for them, to want them to be happy, thus showing that it is a good book to get me so emotionally involved. I knew this fact in Thorne of Glass and was expecting it in this series, but maybe not so early on. It defiantly shows that she has evolved as a writer and has become much more confidant.
Speaking of evolving, these characters did a bunch of it throughout this book and in between the first and second. While some characters (Feyre) transitioned over time, especially after all those nasty things she went through in the first book, I felt like others (Tamlin) had changed much too quickly. This defiantly could be explained at the span of three months that was between the first book and this one, but it still seemed abrupt and more like a plot device. Unquestionably for the plot. But I think it worked out well for the story arch that we are continuing to follow, one that is getting impressively complicated.
Feyre’s evolving rivals those of Alien, Lysandra, or Maven from Thorne of Glass. I know I keep bring this series up, making comparisons, but I just wanted to say how happy I was that Sarah J. Maas didn’t abandon her character evolving pattern. It makes each of her books so much more fun to read than others, some of which the characters don’t evolve enough to really see much of a difference. The evolving keeps me guessing at what the characters might do next, and that makes for a good book.
Sarah J. Maas also isn’t one to shy away from putting two people together to fall in love then having them change their mind. But, I liked Tamlin in the first, but not enough to completely ship them and wanting it to continue into the next book. I was hoping she would pull out one of those ‘I loved you but I don’t love you anymore’ moves. Because there are many relationships in this book that affect the plot, I won’t give any spoilers on it. Sorry if I implied it and you caught on, but really it was only the first 50 pages that might have been mildly ruined.
Bad things to say. Hmm. You know, there really isn’t much I have to complain about. I wish that Tamlin didn’t become so easy to hate right off (sorry, but once again only the first 50 pages), that we couldn’t see more of Feyre’s transition to becoming a high fae, her powers thereof, and watching more of these lovely relationships evolve as each person becomes closer, friends or otherwise. Other than those though, I don’t have much else to say.
At the time I am writing this review there is still three weeks left until the next book comes out, so once again I have to distract myself with others until I can get it. Sigh.
Wait, why did I wait so long to read it? Oh that’s right, so I wouldn’t be in the waiting position like I am now!
Also, a warning for younger readers, this book does become NC-17.
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated The Boy Who Talks to Animals in Books
Feb 29, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
The Boy Who Talks To Animals by Nic Carey is a hard book to describe. The best way I can come up with is to offer a quote from the book:
“Where does legend end and reality begin? Perhaps all reality has root in legend and the two are intertwined.” - Professor Lofthouse page 140
Ben has worked at the zoo for years and had always wanted to be a zookeeper ever since he was a child. He loves animals and has dedicated his life to their care and happiness. Sometimes this means going into work super early and at times staying all night long. One night he started to notice strange things happening at the zoo restaurant, making him believe someone is breaking in and getting into the food. Concerned about the security of the zoo and the safety of not only the animals but also for the person breaking in, Ben sets a trap and waits to see who it is.
Much to Ben’s surprise, the culprit is a young boy about twelve years old. This boy appears to be a runaway and has been getting his food from the zoo for quite a while now. Slowly Ben befriends the boy and discovers something odd and wondrous about him. While this boy either can’t or won’t talk to people, he can talk to animals. All the animals in the zoo love this boy, even the most dangerous ones consider him to be one of their own. The people that spend a lot of time around the boy also start to notice some changes within themselves. Now all Be can hope for is that the zoo can offer this special boy the shelter, protection, love, and life that he deserves.
What I liked best was the Professor's description of hidden skills and his explanation of Autism was one of the best I have ever heard. He suggests that our ancestors had abilities like the boy in the story but since we lost our connection with the planet we lost those abilities. At times that extra chromosome shows up, giving a person access to these ancient abilities, but they must give up something else such as the ability to speak in order to access it. Honestly, my biggest problem occurs before the book actually starts. There is a four-page synopsis at the beginning of the book. While a synopsis in itself is not a problem this one was so long and detailed that after reading it I lost interest in reading the book. This was because the synopsis contains major spoilers and tells the reader how the book ends. I highly recommend if anyone decides to read this book that you do not read the synopsis.
Content-wise this book is safe for just about anyone to read. Aside from kissing the only thing that could be classified as inappropriate is a primate grabbing at a woman’s butt in one short area. The book is a bit long which may discourage some younger readers. I rate this book 2 out of 4. The story itself is really good but the delivery isn’t all that great. Besides the synopsis (which ruined the book for me) inside the book which tells everything of importance that happens. Also, the book drags, nothing really happens until the last few chapters and the first half of the book is really slow to progress.
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“Where does legend end and reality begin? Perhaps all reality has root in legend and the two are intertwined.” - Professor Lofthouse page 140
Ben has worked at the zoo for years and had always wanted to be a zookeeper ever since he was a child. He loves animals and has dedicated his life to their care and happiness. Sometimes this means going into work super early and at times staying all night long. One night he started to notice strange things happening at the zoo restaurant, making him believe someone is breaking in and getting into the food. Concerned about the security of the zoo and the safety of not only the animals but also for the person breaking in, Ben sets a trap and waits to see who it is.
Much to Ben’s surprise, the culprit is a young boy about twelve years old. This boy appears to be a runaway and has been getting his food from the zoo for quite a while now. Slowly Ben befriends the boy and discovers something odd and wondrous about him. While this boy either can’t or won’t talk to people, he can talk to animals. All the animals in the zoo love this boy, even the most dangerous ones consider him to be one of their own. The people that spend a lot of time around the boy also start to notice some changes within themselves. Now all Be can hope for is that the zoo can offer this special boy the shelter, protection, love, and life that he deserves.
What I liked best was the Professor's description of hidden skills and his explanation of Autism was one of the best I have ever heard. He suggests that our ancestors had abilities like the boy in the story but since we lost our connection with the planet we lost those abilities. At times that extra chromosome shows up, giving a person access to these ancient abilities, but they must give up something else such as the ability to speak in order to access it. Honestly, my biggest problem occurs before the book actually starts. There is a four-page synopsis at the beginning of the book. While a synopsis in itself is not a problem this one was so long and detailed that after reading it I lost interest in reading the book. This was because the synopsis contains major spoilers and tells the reader how the book ends. I highly recommend if anyone decides to read this book that you do not read the synopsis.
Content-wise this book is safe for just about anyone to read. Aside from kissing the only thing that could be classified as inappropriate is a primate grabbing at a woman’s butt in one short area. The book is a bit long which may discourage some younger readers. I rate this book 2 out of 4. The story itself is really good but the delivery isn’t all that great. Besides the synopsis (which ruined the book for me) inside the book which tells everything of importance that happens. Also, the book drags, nothing really happens until the last few chapters and the first half of the book is really slow to progress.
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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021) in Movies
May 19, 2021
Disappointing
And…we have the “leader in the clubhouse” for the WORST FILM OF 2021.
As faithful readers of my reviews know, I’m all for a “turn you mind off” action flick, not really caring about plot/characters, but let some competent storytelling and decent action scenes transport me away from the real world for a few hours (or in this case, for 100 minutes) and THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD started off promisingly enough and so I settled into my chair looking to be entertained.
I’m still waiting
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD stars Angelina Jolie as a “Fire Jumper” who is suffering from a traumatic experience and is shying away from human connection and interaction, looking for cheap, death-defying thrills to feel some sort of emotion. Into her world comes a young boy who has witnessed a murder and the murderers are chasing him, so she must save him.
And…of course…there’s a fire.
I can roll with that flimsy plot (certainly other action flicks have been entertaining with much less plot) but TWWMD (as I will call this from now on) fails to capitalize at all on any of the aspects of the plot and fails to garner much in the way of interest throughout the film.
Director/Writer Taylor Sheridan (the writer on the terrific HELL OR HIGH WATER) was brought on board this film early on as a “script doctor” and then stepped into the Director’s role when the original director (smartly) dropped out and he promised the producer’s that he could get Angelina Jolie to star in it.
To be fair, Jolie brings the necessary star quality to the role of emotionally crippled “Fire Jumper” Hannah, and she looks like she was “game” for whatever Sheridan asked her to do - there just isn’t much for her to do.
And this is unfortunate, for Sheridan starts the movie with an interesting scene where our two hitmen (Aiden Gillen - “Littlefinger” from GAME OF THRONES and Nicholas Hoult - Beast in the X-MEN FIRST CLASS films) take out their first target. This is actually a pretty good scene and one that starts the film out with promise. Little did I know that it was the best scene in the film.
After that, nothing interesting really happens and the other characters (with an exception that I will speak about in a moment) are not interesting at all (I’m looking at you, Tyler Perry, who was clearly doing a favor for Sheridan). As a matter of fact, some of the other characters were just plain annyoing (I’m looking at you, “Fire Jumper” Friends of Hannah).
The exception to this is the work of Jon Bernthal (Shane in the first 2 season of THE WALKING DEAD) and Medina Senghore (an actress I had not seen before) as a local cop and his “survivalist” wife. These two bring some intensity and spark to pretty dull proceedings - I think I would have rather have seen a film that focused on these 2 characters, rather than Jolie’s.
Most of the blame for this must fall to Writer/Director Sheridan. I don’t think he ever figured out what type of film he was making. Is it an action flick? Sort of (and the action scenes are not all that good/interesting). Is it a redemption story? Sure. (But I didn’t buy how Jolie’s character needed redemption). Is it a story of survival? Kind of (but I didn’t really care for the child actor that was being saved).
There was a good idea in here, but this movie wasn’t even close to a good movie on this idea. Skip this one.
Letter Grade: C
4 stars (out of 10) and you can take this to the Bank(ofMarquis)
As faithful readers of my reviews know, I’m all for a “turn you mind off” action flick, not really caring about plot/characters, but let some competent storytelling and decent action scenes transport me away from the real world for a few hours (or in this case, for 100 minutes) and THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD started off promisingly enough and so I settled into my chair looking to be entertained.
I’m still waiting
THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD stars Angelina Jolie as a “Fire Jumper” who is suffering from a traumatic experience and is shying away from human connection and interaction, looking for cheap, death-defying thrills to feel some sort of emotion. Into her world comes a young boy who has witnessed a murder and the murderers are chasing him, so she must save him.
And…of course…there’s a fire.
I can roll with that flimsy plot (certainly other action flicks have been entertaining with much less plot) but TWWMD (as I will call this from now on) fails to capitalize at all on any of the aspects of the plot and fails to garner much in the way of interest throughout the film.
Director/Writer Taylor Sheridan (the writer on the terrific HELL OR HIGH WATER) was brought on board this film early on as a “script doctor” and then stepped into the Director’s role when the original director (smartly) dropped out and he promised the producer’s that he could get Angelina Jolie to star in it.
To be fair, Jolie brings the necessary star quality to the role of emotionally crippled “Fire Jumper” Hannah, and she looks like she was “game” for whatever Sheridan asked her to do - there just isn’t much for her to do.
And this is unfortunate, for Sheridan starts the movie with an interesting scene where our two hitmen (Aiden Gillen - “Littlefinger” from GAME OF THRONES and Nicholas Hoult - Beast in the X-MEN FIRST CLASS films) take out their first target. This is actually a pretty good scene and one that starts the film out with promise. Little did I know that it was the best scene in the film.
After that, nothing interesting really happens and the other characters (with an exception that I will speak about in a moment) are not interesting at all (I’m looking at you, Tyler Perry, who was clearly doing a favor for Sheridan). As a matter of fact, some of the other characters were just plain annyoing (I’m looking at you, “Fire Jumper” Friends of Hannah).
The exception to this is the work of Jon Bernthal (Shane in the first 2 season of THE WALKING DEAD) and Medina Senghore (an actress I had not seen before) as a local cop and his “survivalist” wife. These two bring some intensity and spark to pretty dull proceedings - I think I would have rather have seen a film that focused on these 2 characters, rather than Jolie’s.
Most of the blame for this must fall to Writer/Director Sheridan. I don’t think he ever figured out what type of film he was making. Is it an action flick? Sort of (and the action scenes are not all that good/interesting). Is it a redemption story? Sure. (But I didn’t buy how Jolie’s character needed redemption). Is it a story of survival? Kind of (but I didn’t really care for the child actor that was being saved).
There was a good idea in here, but this movie wasn’t even close to a good movie on this idea. Skip this one.
Letter Grade: C
4 stars (out of 10) and you can take this to the Bank(ofMarquis)