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Platinum End: Vol. 1
Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba
Book
Troubled Mirai's life changes when he gains the power of an angel, but he may need to become a devil...
Amanda Palmer recommended Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) by Brian Eno in Music (curated)
Ross (3284 KP) rated Redemption's Blade: After the War in Books
Jun 15, 2018
Storyline is not engaging (2 more)
Reading the aftermath of events that you have no knowledge of
I'm still not 100% sure there wasn't an earlier book I'm meant to have read
A sequel to a book not written yet (that sounds more interesting)
*Disclosure - I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.
The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.
I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.
I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
Over the last few months I have been lucky to read three new Tchaikovsky books. As this was the first fantasy book of those three (the other two being war sci-fi) I had fingers crossed for a return to the heights of the Shadows of the Apt series. I was sadly disappointed.
The scope of this book is truly epic in every sense. The world we are thrown into has a diverse range of beings, species, cities, religions and beliefs and a rich history. The events follow on from the end of a tyrannical reign of the Kinslayer, a power-mad demi-god who tried to break the spirit of those races he didn't just wipe out. We see the Kinslayer-slayer Celestaine's attempts to do good in the aftermath of this war, and try to make one species whole again. This aim leads her on a journey across the world where we are introduced to a range of new peoples and places. The journey goes on from place to place, the company increasing all the while.
I have real respect for Tchaikovsky trying to do something new - tell the story that follows on from a somewhat typical fantasy tale. Sadly for me, the story that went before sounds so much more interesting and engaging - the besting of a truly despicable being. This story is instead something of an empty, largely pointless journey. The ending leads us to believe someone had been luring people with the promise of magical items, to come to him and ultimately their doom - however, the trail leading to him was not exactly clear and the chances of anyone following it would be minimal (let alone someone following it at exactly the right pace to witness certain key events!). The world-building is epic and yet completely forgettable. I found myself forgetting who people were, why they were doing things and I completely missed one major reveal in the final chapters, only to re-read and find that there pretty much was no reveal.
I am a fan of Tchaikovsky's writing style but for me this book was a struggle to get through. I had no feelings towards any of the characters and couldn't remember or care where they had been or why, or what had happened. Not a worthwhile investment of my time.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated A Pairing to Die For in Books
Jan 29, 2021
Can Parker Pair the Victim with the Correct Killer?
Reid Wallace’s estranged family has come for a visit to Boulder, Colorado, and Parker Valentine is hoping to make a good impression on her boyfriend’s family. However, things aren’t going well as Reid’s family is constantly judging everything she says as not being up to their standards. Never mind their opinions of her wine. The visit is interrupted when Reid is arrested for murder. Oscar, the sous chef at Reid’s restaurant and his long-time friend, was murder behind the restaurant, and the police are certain that Reid did it. Parker doesn’t believe that Reid is capable of murder and sets out to figure out what really happened. Can she free her boyfriend from jail?
The first in this series was one of my favorite books from 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it. There is plenty of conflict in this book to keep us hooked. I did think the pacing started to slow in the middle, but about the time I thought that, it picked up again and kept going until we reached the end. The characters are still rich, and I appreciated the growth in their relationships, while the new characters fit perfectly into Parker’s world. For those interested because of the wine theme, there are plenty of scenes in Parker’s winery. I’d forgotten that this series is written in the present tense, which I don’t mind once my brain adjusts. There are three delicious sounding recipes with suggested wine pairings at the end of the book. If you haven’t started this series, you need to fix that. If you’ve read the first, this book will please you.
The first in this series was one of my favorite books from 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it. There is plenty of conflict in this book to keep us hooked. I did think the pacing started to slow in the middle, but about the time I thought that, it picked up again and kept going until we reached the end. The characters are still rich, and I appreciated the growth in their relationships, while the new characters fit perfectly into Parker’s world. For those interested because of the wine theme, there are plenty of scenes in Parker’s winery. I’d forgotten that this series is written in the present tense, which I don’t mind once my brain adjusts. There are three delicious sounding recipes with suggested wine pairings at the end of the book. If you haven’t started this series, you need to fix that. If you’ve read the first, this book will please you.
SA
Statistics and Experimental Design for Psychologists: A Model Comparison Approach
Book
The knowledge of how to calculate and use statistics are necessary skills for all psychology...
Ninth House (Alex Stern #1)
7.0
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Book
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los...
Mirror Sight: Green Rider #5
Book
Karigan G’ladheon is a Green Rider—a seasoned member of the elite messenger corps of King...
A Song of Storm & Shadow (Storms in Amethir #1)
Book
Princess Azmei of Tamnen doesn’t like the decision she’s facing: marry Vistaren of Amethir or...
Epic Fantasy
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Divine ( The Revelations 2) in Books
Jan 4, 2024
2 of 220
Kindle
Divine ( The revelations 2)
By Leanne Rathbone
⭐️⭐️⭐️
What do you do when you discover that your entire life has been a lie, that you were living solely to serve the purpose of another?Seventeen year old Grace Ayre is heartbroken. She's still reeling from the devastating loss of two people whom she loved and the realisation that her life has never really been her own.Lies and deceptions are all she's ever known but now the truth is out. The world she thought she knew is only half the story, and the more she hears from the other side, the more she realises she is nothing more than a clueless little girl. She must reach her eighteenth birthday in order to fulfil a prophecy and end a war that has raged since the dawn of time. There's just one problem...the Guardians are standing in her way. As a band of despicable assassins without conscience, they will stop at nothing to end Grace's life and prevent the prophecy from being realised.If she thought falling hard for a demon was her biggest problem then she was sadly mistaken.Turning eighteen has never been so important.
This was the second in the series and while I did enjoy it and we learned a lot more about Grace and what she has to face I wasnt as gripped as I was with book 1. I can’t exactly pinpoint why though and that is so annoying I just found myself pushing through this one.
Kindle
Divine ( The revelations 2)
By Leanne Rathbone
⭐️⭐️⭐️
What do you do when you discover that your entire life has been a lie, that you were living solely to serve the purpose of another?Seventeen year old Grace Ayre is heartbroken. She's still reeling from the devastating loss of two people whom she loved and the realisation that her life has never really been her own.Lies and deceptions are all she's ever known but now the truth is out. The world she thought she knew is only half the story, and the more she hears from the other side, the more she realises she is nothing more than a clueless little girl. She must reach her eighteenth birthday in order to fulfil a prophecy and end a war that has raged since the dawn of time. There's just one problem...the Guardians are standing in her way. As a band of despicable assassins without conscience, they will stop at nothing to end Grace's life and prevent the prophecy from being realised.If she thought falling hard for a demon was her biggest problem then she was sadly mistaken.Turning eighteen has never been so important.
This was the second in the series and while I did enjoy it and we learned a lot more about Grace and what she has to face I wasnt as gripped as I was with book 1. I can’t exactly pinpoint why though and that is so annoying I just found myself pushing through this one.
The Book of Dust
6.5
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Book
“What can I tell you about it? The first thing to say is that Lyra is at the centre of the...