Rachel King (13 KP) rated 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Of course, what sane person wouldn't want to travel all over Europe for a month on some else's dime? Even though the tasks sometimes made no sense, and Ginny often had to miss out on the typical tourist destinations, the memories that she created and the life lessons that she gleaned from these abstract travels are invaluable. In addition, she gains a family member, a romantic relationship, and the freedom to go where she wants and be who she wants to be without feeling constrained by the life she had led previously to this adventure.
I was slightly disappointed with what happened towards the end, but the way that Ginny deals with it actually makes it better than it probably would have been otherwise. This ending also shows how well she truly knows her Aunt Peg, even after Peg's death. Her Aunt Peg was able to leave her with the roadmap to a lifetime of lessons and adventures, all stamped with Peg's unforgettable style.
Gail (4 KP) rated Fever Pitch (Heavy Influence, #1.5) in Books
Jun 4, 2018
Though these two are older and mature. They seem to make some bad choices. Aly is able to make the decision to find Jake and renew their connection after three years of separation. The emotions are high and the love intense. This couple comes clashing together with so many emotions and ups and downs that your world spins. Aly may have grown but Jake hasn’t he is still so immature and dishonest. This story just gives us an update on how things are going with our couple. With them being separated. I don’t like Jake in this story he seems to love Aly strongly but doesn’t give her what she deserves.
Don’t come looking for a cute love story in this series. It will leave you hurting and wanting more. This is a preview of Broken Notes. It gives us something to look forward to while we wait for the next book. If you haven’t picked up any of these books you're missing out. The author gives so much in this series and I enjoyed every moment.
Micky Barnard (542 KP) rated The Orphan's Tale in Books
Dec 13, 2018 (Updated Dec 13, 2018)
The two main characters in this book, Noa and Astrid are two women brought together through the rough and barren circumstances of war. They develop that kind of bond that feels like sisterhood. The main story centralises around a circus, such a contrast to war and occupation but this wasn't a joyful, fun life. These two aerialists, learner and mentor, continued in this world just to survive. There was a wonderful cast of characters both in the circus and also along their travels; the character development was superb.
This book provoked such emotion, making the reader really feel the desperation, attachments and loss and hope in 1940s war time Europe. This story was not neatly tied up to make the reader satisfied. Any discomfort or sadness I felt was necessary and right. I don't want to feel my emotions smoothed over for a more comfortable experience, I want to vicariously feel the experiences of these characters cast from real history....and I did.
Pam Jenoff has excelled in her writing, concept, story and character development. This is her best work yet.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Frankenstein in Baghdad in Books
Jul 23, 2019
It's an interesting retelling of Frankenstein - which I haven't actually read, and now feel like I really should. But it bounces around between several viewpoints. It's not too many to keep straight, but it's definitely too many to truly care about. And it suffers from an unreliable narrator - it's written as several stories told to an author from multiple people that he's woven together into a single narrative, and while he does that well, it suffers from contradictions between how different characters recall things, scenes that don't play a part in furthering the plot but the characters thought they were important, and no authoritative "this is what REALLY happened" to draw it all together.
And I very much dislike unreliable narrators, so that alone is enough to make me dislike the book. If you like ambiguous narratives and vigilante stories, however, you might enjoy this, and the writing style itself was quite engrossing.
You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Last Child of Leif in Books
Nov 18, 2019
That's an extremely simplistic rendering of the start of this book, but one that is quite illustrative of the way that the whole story unfolds. What starts as something very simple evolves into something a whole lot more complicated.
Valiant does indeed end up hiding in a travelling circus as its traction engines slowly pull it across an alternate 19th Century Eastern Europe. But this is no ordinary circus and among it's various performers and other attractions much skill and knowledge is hidden. As the journey continues it becomes clear that forces want Valiant dead and really will stop at nothing to achieve this.
With a story this complex and with the very big cast of characters it would be easy for the reader to get confused, but Pridmore is very careful to introduce everything and everybody gradually, giving each time and space so the reader becomes familiar. The characterisation is outstanding, everybody in the circus is very much their own person and very well realised and each character develops throughout the book, sometimes with some surprising revelations.
The plot itself is really good, building at each turn, becoming gradually more complex and more expansive as each chapter passes. The threats appear credible and the efforts to repel them are completely in line with how the characters have been developed up to that point.
Overall this is an utterly compelling read that has been very well written
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