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5150, rue des Ormes (2009)
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5150 ELM'S WAY is located at the end of a quiet street in a small town. When Yannick fell off his...
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Jude I shoot my mouth off and hide behind my smile as I try—and fail—to fill the void inside....
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Darkness, Darkness (Charles Resnick, #12) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
What a great book!
The storyline took me back to my early teenage years and I recall watching the news about the miners strike with my parents but, not coming from a mining community and being quite young, I never fully appreciated what was really happening. I have since seen a couple of things that have touched on the subject but I felt this book brought me new perspectives to this difficult time in British history particularly from the point of view of the striking miners, the "scabs" and the families caught on both sides. Although this is a work of fiction, I found it very believable with a feel of authenticity and I particularly enjoyed the way the author switched from the present to the past throughout which, for me, worked very well.
The book was full of interesting and colourful characters many of whom have their own demons to deal with not least Resnick himself who I felt came across as a sad and melancholic man who appears disillusioned with not only his work but also his life. Many of the characters had issues outside of the main focus of the book and I felt these were seamlessly woven throughout which added further dimensions to this engrossing story. This is all written at great pace which kept me engaged throughout and, to cap it all, it kept me guessing who the killer was right until the end.
Where have I been? I must have had my head in the sand for many years not to have come across John Harvey and Charlie Resnick before! This is Resnick's last case and my first foray into the world of this very interesting character ... it won't be my last and I will go back to the start of the series in order to find out how it all began.
I am grateful to the publisher, Randomhouse UK Cornerstone and www.netgalley.com for sending me a copy in return for an honest review and for introducing me to another new author to add to my ever-growing list of great writers.
http://haziegaze.blogspot.co.uk/
The storyline took me back to my early teenage years and I recall watching the news about the miners strike with my parents but, not coming from a mining community and being quite young, I never fully appreciated what was really happening. I have since seen a couple of things that have touched on the subject but I felt this book brought me new perspectives to this difficult time in British history particularly from the point of view of the striking miners, the "scabs" and the families caught on both sides. Although this is a work of fiction, I found it very believable with a feel of authenticity and I particularly enjoyed the way the author switched from the present to the past throughout which, for me, worked very well.
The book was full of interesting and colourful characters many of whom have their own demons to deal with not least Resnick himself who I felt came across as a sad and melancholic man who appears disillusioned with not only his work but also his life. Many of the characters had issues outside of the main focus of the book and I felt these were seamlessly woven throughout which added further dimensions to this engrossing story. This is all written at great pace which kept me engaged throughout and, to cap it all, it kept me guessing who the killer was right until the end.
Where have I been? I must have had my head in the sand for many years not to have come across John Harvey and Charlie Resnick before! This is Resnick's last case and my first foray into the world of this very interesting character ... it won't be my last and I will go back to the start of the series in order to find out how it all began.
I am grateful to the publisher, Randomhouse UK Cornerstone and www.netgalley.com for sending me a copy in return for an honest review and for introducing me to another new author to add to my ever-growing list of great writers.
http://haziegaze.blogspot.co.uk/
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Girls on Fire in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Hannah Dexter has led a fairly mundane life in the small town of Battle Creek, where everyone knows everyone else and everything that happens to everyone. But her life is turned upside town by two events: the suicide of a local boy, Craig, and the arrival of a new girl, Lacey, who quickly becomes the town's resident bad girl. Hannah and Lacey unite over their hatred of the town's "it girl" Nikki Drummond. Lacey transforms Hannah into Dex--a darker version of Hannah--who adores Lacey and Kurt Cobain's music (this is the early '90s after all). But Hannah doesn't realize that Lacey is hiding a secret from her, a pretty big one, which threatens to destroy the very fabric their friendship is based on.
"Girls on Fire" is an oddly captivating and compelling novel. The story unfolds before you and you're powerless to stop the events as they occur. It's told mainly from the alternating points of view of Lacey and Hannah, and we slowly learn about the events that led to their friendship and its aftermath-- and also Craig's suicide. The book wasn't a particularly fast read for me, but it was fascinating. It's an accident where you can't look away, even though you know something horrible will happen. This book is dark and disastrous and makes you afraid to ever send your children off to high school.
Parts of the novel are a bit cliched (it's almost too dark, too awful) but it doesn't stop it from being intriguing and captivating. It pulls you in to Lacey and Hannah's world and as time somehow moves forward, yet we learn about what happened to Craig in the past, Wasserman does an amazing job of unfurling her plot. I was drawn to the book and the characters. Tragic Lacey, confused Hannah, evil queen Nikki: you can see them so clearly in your head. The book almost casts a spell over you as it sucks you into its world. The writing is intense, the storyline is intense, and you're left almost breathless at the end. I didn't really enjoy the book, per se, but I appreciated it. It's a wild ride, a dark one, and definitely one worth taking.
I received an advanced copy of this novel from Edelweiss (thank you!); it is available everywhere on 5/17/2016.
"Girls on Fire" is an oddly captivating and compelling novel. The story unfolds before you and you're powerless to stop the events as they occur. It's told mainly from the alternating points of view of Lacey and Hannah, and we slowly learn about the events that led to their friendship and its aftermath-- and also Craig's suicide. The book wasn't a particularly fast read for me, but it was fascinating. It's an accident where you can't look away, even though you know something horrible will happen. This book is dark and disastrous and makes you afraid to ever send your children off to high school.
Parts of the novel are a bit cliched (it's almost too dark, too awful) but it doesn't stop it from being intriguing and captivating. It pulls you in to Lacey and Hannah's world and as time somehow moves forward, yet we learn about what happened to Craig in the past, Wasserman does an amazing job of unfurling her plot. I was drawn to the book and the characters. Tragic Lacey, confused Hannah, evil queen Nikki: you can see them so clearly in your head. The book almost casts a spell over you as it sucks you into its world. The writing is intense, the storyline is intense, and you're left almost breathless at the end. I didn't really enjoy the book, per se, but I appreciated it. It's a wild ride, a dark one, and definitely one worth taking.
I received an advanced copy of this novel from Edelweiss (thank you!); it is available everywhere on 5/17/2016.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Magic Unleashed in Books
Mar 12, 2020
Fast Paced with some problems
TW: Sexual Assualt, Child Abuse, Abuse, mention of slavery, mention of forced prostitution, Victim blaming verbiage.
When I was approached about this book tour, I knew I needed to jump in. Magic Unleased is right up my alley, and I couldn't wait to get started. I ended up low on time, so I snagged the audiobook so that I could read it while reading a few other books in between. The narrator did a good job of portraying the characters, though, at times, his voice bordered on monotone.
Devri Walls sure knows how to write a vast world. The descriptions were great, and at times I felt like I was walking around with Rune & Grey. The setting itself was well done, and I liked to see the author's interpretations of the supernatural characters. My favorite was how the fae were portrayed. They weren't sweet, helpful things but tricksters. I just loved it.
The characters were also well done. I wanted to get to know more about Grey and Rune, and I liked seeing how they interacted with all of the characters. I enjoyed the side characters, as well. It seems like everyone, for the most part, was three dimensional. I will admit, I struggled with how young Grey & Rune acted though this is more of a me issue and not a book issue.
The one thing that didn't sit well with me was some of the victim-blaming verbiages in a specific scene. I felt that the character had every right to be upset, and I feel like she was gaslit because she didn't just accept that something "had" to happen. This scene soured me on the book, and I have to admit, I almost DNFd right then and there. After that scene, I started to notice just some of the ways that Rune was treated, and I hated how she was consistently berated instead of helped.
Though I did find some faults with this book, I ended up pushing through. In the end, I enjoyed the world that created. It was fun to see a more sinister side of faeries, and I enjoyed how fast-paced the plot was. I'm not sure that I will continue in the series, but I do understand why so many people have enjoyed it.
When I was approached about this book tour, I knew I needed to jump in. Magic Unleased is right up my alley, and I couldn't wait to get started. I ended up low on time, so I snagged the audiobook so that I could read it while reading a few other books in between. The narrator did a good job of portraying the characters, though, at times, his voice bordered on monotone.
Devri Walls sure knows how to write a vast world. The descriptions were great, and at times I felt like I was walking around with Rune & Grey. The setting itself was well done, and I liked to see the author's interpretations of the supernatural characters. My favorite was how the fae were portrayed. They weren't sweet, helpful things but tricksters. I just loved it.
The characters were also well done. I wanted to get to know more about Grey and Rune, and I liked seeing how they interacted with all of the characters. I enjoyed the side characters, as well. It seems like everyone, for the most part, was three dimensional. I will admit, I struggled with how young Grey & Rune acted though this is more of a me issue and not a book issue.
The one thing that didn't sit well with me was some of the victim-blaming verbiages in a specific scene. I felt that the character had every right to be upset, and I feel like she was gaslit because she didn't just accept that something "had" to happen. This scene soured me on the book, and I have to admit, I almost DNFd right then and there. After that scene, I started to notice just some of the ways that Rune was treated, and I hated how she was consistently berated instead of helped.
Though I did find some faults with this book, I ended up pushing through. In the end, I enjoyed the world that created. It was fun to see a more sinister side of faeries, and I enjoyed how fast-paced the plot was. I'm not sure that I will continue in the series, but I do understand why so many people have enjoyed it.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Beyond Reach / Skin Privilege (UK) (Grant County, #6) in Books
Oct 19, 2019
A worthy end to a solid series - would recommend reading in order.
For some reason, the UK version of this book has a different name (Skin Privilege) to the rest of the world’s Beyond Reach title. Whatever you call it its the end of the Grant County series and what a way to finish!!! It’s a strong and worthy ending to a solid series that had a few ups and downs along the way for me.
We meet up again with Detective Lena Adams back in her hometown of Reece; where she has got herself into a whole world of trouble (no surprise there, it’s her special talent.) With a vicious (and I mean typical Slaughter full-on vicious) murder Lena is the only suspect and our intrepid heroes, Jeffery and Sara; rush to do what they do best i.e. stick their noses in and try to figure out what the hell is going on.
We get 2 different timelines and general POVs with us following Lena pre murder trying to unearth the truth of her family history and Sara and Jeffery trying to piece together Lena’s involvement in a murder. Lena looks especially involved in it when she does a runner from local law enforcement. The two main POVs work well together to slowly lead you through an enjoyable mystery.
I’ve previously not been a huge fan of Jeffery and Lena but this book worked to give me a better understanding and more empathy for Lena; although she is still annoyingly stubborn to the point of it being pretty stupid.
I thought the ending was what this series needed and for those that don’t like it there is a letter from Slaughter on her website explaining her thoughts (don’t read until after you have read the book.) Overall the Grant County Series has had some really high points (the first two books were particularly good) and some low points; A Faint Cold Fear and Indelible didn’t do much for me but overall I’m glad I kept with it and look forward to maybe meeting some of the characters again in the future - I think there is a tie in at some point in her Will Trent series that I’ve not read any of yet but look forward to giving a go - I do enjoy Slaughters writing.
We meet up again with Detective Lena Adams back in her hometown of Reece; where she has got herself into a whole world of trouble (no surprise there, it’s her special talent.) With a vicious (and I mean typical Slaughter full-on vicious) murder Lena is the only suspect and our intrepid heroes, Jeffery and Sara; rush to do what they do best i.e. stick their noses in and try to figure out what the hell is going on.
We get 2 different timelines and general POVs with us following Lena pre murder trying to unearth the truth of her family history and Sara and Jeffery trying to piece together Lena’s involvement in a murder. Lena looks especially involved in it when she does a runner from local law enforcement. The two main POVs work well together to slowly lead you through an enjoyable mystery.
I’ve previously not been a huge fan of Jeffery and Lena but this book worked to give me a better understanding and more empathy for Lena; although she is still annoyingly stubborn to the point of it being pretty stupid.
I thought the ending was what this series needed and for those that don’t like it there is a letter from Slaughter on her website explaining her thoughts (don’t read until after you have read the book.) Overall the Grant County Series has had some really high points (the first two books were particularly good) and some low points; A Faint Cold Fear and Indelible didn’t do much for me but overall I’m glad I kept with it and look forward to maybe meeting some of the characters again in the future - I think there is a tie in at some point in her Will Trent series that I’ve not read any of yet but look forward to giving a go - I do enjoy Slaughters writing.
Garfield - Wicked!
Book
Everyones favourite, lazy, lasagna-loving cat has been around since 1978 and Garfield is just as...
Jonathan Higgs recommended Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins in Music (curated)
Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power in Books
Jan 9, 2020
Honest Review for Free Copy of Book
WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THE CONTENTS IN THIS REVIEW MY NOT BE COMPLETELY ACCURATE. THIS REVIEW WAS DONE ON THE BOOK BEFORE IT WAS COMPLEATED FOR RELEASE AND THE AUTHOR MAY CHANGE THINGS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN. KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU READ ON.
Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
https://www.facebook.com/nightreaderreviews
Freiyon Fables: Hooked on Power by Justin Hunt is the third and I believe the final book in the Freiyon Fables series. Right from the start, the book promises to answer some questions that I had from the start of the series. I have noticed some inconsistencies in formatting or writing style, such as the first book being broken into three separate parts, the first book being one whole book, and now the third being broken apart again. However, I did not notice any problems with the timeline between the three books.
The story starts out with a letter to the reader from an unnamed author (that is until the very end). This author claims that the reader would not recognize him or her from previous stories about Freiyon but intends to “explain the many different mysteries of the World of Freiyon”. It then starts with the story of some pirates who find themselves in Freiyon by mistake. These pirates then capture and torture poor Quasapoor (who you may remember was evil in a previous book) until he goes insane. They then run into Sybil and Helen Rochester and the creation of the Rochester Runes is explained as well.
Adam, a young boy who heard of Freiyon from his mother then and his battle with Captain Liberty (an evil power-hungry pirate) becomes the main focus of the story. He soon finds that time runs differently in Freiyon from the human world and the events his mother told him about are yet to happen. Adam is even present for the creation of Lord Libertas, but I am not going to ruin how that happened for the curious reader. As Adam travels Freiyon and the surrounding lands the reader also learns about how Freiyon itself came to be along with the Wise One and Lightning Tail Island. Will Adam with the help of some new friends and some well-known favorites be able to protect Freiyon from Captain Liberty or will Freiyon be destroyed once and for all?
What I liked best was how the book answered major questions that arose during the first two books, even if some of the explanations seem a bit far fetched. I really enjoyed the appearance of Adam as I had been looking forward to finding out his identity for quite some time. My main problem was with the time difference between Freiyon and the human world because it made things really confusing. I don’t really understand how Adam could even be in Freiyon before his mother and the events she tells him about, even if it was because of a spell gone wrong. Time travel always gets me confused. Also Adam frequently reminds himself that he is in Freiyon’s past and if every time he dose that is mixed with all the times the story backtracks over what a character just did or what happened in a previous book about a third of this book could be completely removed.
The target readers for this book changed a bit from the previous two books in this series. This third edition to the Freiyon Fables is directed more towards middle school readers. While previous Freiyon Fable books may have been appropriate for even some elementary students I feel as if they would get bored after the first one hundred pages or so of this one. Staying consistent with the first two books I rate this one as a 2 out of 4. Originally this final book was going to be given a three for explaining some of the strange things that happened in the first two. However, because of all the repetition (entire paragraphs and pages seemed directly taken from one of the first two books) and how it felt like it was dragging for the final third of the book, I felt like a two was better deserved once again.
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Plants vs. Zombies™ 2
Entertainment and Games
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"As beautifully presented as it is absorbing to play: 8.7 out of 10." – ign.com Play the...