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Freeze Before Burning (Sam Tate Mystery #3)
Freeze Before Burning (Sam Tate Mystery #3)
Nikki Stern | 2021 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sam is on a break visiting her family trying to figure out things from her past when she finds her self in the middle of an investigation involving somebody who has been penned as the dry ice killer.


This is a gripping story from the start definitely has you thinking who the perpetrator could be. A completely different way to murder people from the usual shootings stabbings etc. It's amazing how well the teams pull together and how close they all become. It does get you on the edge of your seat but it's a cope-able one. I am definitely interested in reading all the other stories in this series as Sam certainly has a knack for solving crimes.


Fantastic writing
  
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) created a post

Aug 31, 2022  
August Reads

So this month I’ve read 20 books

I’ve read some really good books this month!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 6
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 9
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4
⭐️⭐️ 1

So many good reads this month! I’ve loved so many of them!
My absolute favourite was Grace by Leanne Rathbone I found her on TikTok and the first book in her series was just brilliant! Another was a path of Darkness and Runes by another lady I found on TikTok Marnie Norton it was so good!

My worst book was Jacys Lesson it was just a huge let down!

Overall it’s been a fantastic month for books I have so many I’m looking forward to on my tube for September!
     
EF
Escape from Eden
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).

I've always been drawn to books that deal with cults, so when Escape from Eden by Elisa Nader came up for review, I was overjoyed! Luckily, I wasn't disappointed.

I love the synopsis of the book, and I think it's spot on, so I won't bore you with the blurb in my own words.

The title definitely suits the book as Gabriel and Mia are actually trying to escape. It's definitely an intriguing title and one that caught my attention.

I wasn't sold on the cover to begin with, but after awhile, it grew on me. I like the photo of Mia peeking out behind some kind of bush. It definitely sets the tone of the story.

The world building, overall, was really fantastically written, and I found myself instantly drawn into the book. However, I did wonder how Mia, a girl whose been in a compound since the age of 10 with no links to the outside world, knew about sex. Maybe she picked it up from other members, I don't know, but that question kept gnawing at me.

The pacing of this book did start out a bit slow for my liking, and I was wondering if this book would end up on my DNF (did not finish) pile. Luckily, after the first few chapters, the pacing picks up immensely, and it becomes hard to put this book down.

I loved the plot! Although plots about people trying to escape a cult aren't new, Nader did an excellent job at keeping the plot original. There aren't any major plot twists, but it doesn't matter. This book doesn't need them because it is just that good! The author also does a fantastic job of incorporating a bit of romance without it overshadowing the major plot point. Since I'm a Christian, I must admit that I was a little worried this book would belittle religion and/or God, but after reviewing the book, I didn't find anything offensive in it which was a relief.

I felt as if the characters were written really well. I loved Mia, and although I didn't connect with her right at first, I began to slowly love and care for her. I admired her courage even when she was vulnerable. I also loved Gabriel and the dry humor he brought to the story. I couldn't help but love him! Even mean girl Bridgette was written fantastically!

The dialogue was fantastic and flowed smoothly with the exception of the little bit of some info dump at the beginning of the book. The character interactions never felt forced or weak. There are a few swear words in this book though, so be forewarned if you''re not a fan of swearing.

Overall, Escape from Eden is a fantastic read once you get past the first few chapters. I loved how fantastic the characters were and how great the story line was written!

I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to read about strong characters and a fascinating plot that will leave you breathless.

(I received a free hardback copy of this title from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Spare Room in Books

Feb 19, 2020 (Updated Feb 19, 2020)  
Spare Room
Spare Room
Dreda Say Mitchell | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
While browsing Audible one day for an audiobook to listen to, I stumbled upon Spare Room by Dreda Say Mitchell. The book synopsis instantly had me hooked, and I knew I had to listen to this book. I ended up liking Spare Room very much!

Lisa is a young women with some psychological problems. However, she is determined to make it on her own without relying on her parents. When she spots an ad in the newspaper for a spare room in London for a great price, she inquires about the room and ends up living there. After finding a suicide note in her room, Lisa decides to find out more about this man while trying to figure out her own murky past. However, all this will place Lisa in grave danger.

The plot for Spare Room was highly interesting and written very well. Mitchell did a fantastic job at making it easy to transport readers into the setting. I felt like I was with Lisa every step of the way. The pacing, for the most part, is decent, and I found myself having to know more. There were a few spots were the pacing slowed, but for the most part, this book had a lot of action. I had to know more about Lisa's past. There were times I was questioning whether Lisa was sane horrific things happen to her or if she was just losing her mind. There were quite a few plot twists. Some were predictable, but others, I never saw coming. All of my questions were answered by the end of the book, and there were no cliff hangers which I was happy about.

The characters in Spare Room all felt realistic and like they were real people instead of characters in a novel. Mitchell did such a great job of breathing life into each individual character. Lisa was such a complex woman. I admired her tenacity to find out the truth at all costs even when she had everything going against her. Her determination was fierce, and she never let anyone get in her way. Alex was a sweetheart, and I loved how caring he was towards Lisa and how much he helped her out. Lisa's parents cared for Lisa, it was obvious, but I found myself wishing they would go about helping Lisa in better ways. Martha and Jack were fantastic! I always found myself not trusting Martha even though she came across as completely innocent to begin with, and I was always wondering if Jack really was as bad as Lisa thought he was. Patsy was probably my favorite character. That old woman reminded me of my grandma a lot of the time.

The narration, done by Kristin Atherton, was pretty good for the most part. I felt like Atherton started out the beginning of the book a bit flat, but she quickly got better. Her accents and voice changes for different characters were fantastic especially for the characters of Jack and Patsy.

Trigger warnings for Spare Room include violence, animal murder, attempted murder, murder, suicide, alcohol, some sex (though not graphic), profanity, and gas-lighting.

All in all, Spare Room weaves an interesting story with a fantastic cast of characters that will suck you right into their world. I would definitely recommend Spare Room by Dreda Say Mitchell to everyone aged 16+ who loves a great solid story.
  
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Kelly Rettie (748 KP) Feb 19, 2020

Really happy for this review.... it's currently on my kindle waiting to be read.... really looking forward to it now😊

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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) Feb 19, 2020

It's really good! It starts a little bit slow, but it quickly picks up. =D

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Sarah (7800 KP) created a post

Oct 29, 2018  
On Saturday evening I went to see Symphonic Fantasy at the Manchester Bridgewater Hall. This featured songs from a number of films and tv shows, performed by the Manchester Concert Orchestra and the Canzonetta choir, led by conductor Toby Purser.

Whilst the thought of going to see a standard orchestra doesn’t particularly appeal, getting to see an orchestra performing film scores was very enticing and I have to admit, I was not disappointed - I loved it. Some of the scores were a little more obscure or less well known (like Hook, Chronicles of Narnia and Dragonheart), but there were some fantastic choices in here from Harry Potter, Game of Thrones (the Rains of Castamere & the title score the main draws) The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. My favourite by far though was the Jurassic Park theme, it’s one of my all time favourites so seeing this performed live by an orchestra was truly brilliant.

The Bridgewater Hall itself is a great venue for such a show and admittedly we had brilliant seats - close enough without being too close to not be able to see the entire orchestra. I also liked that they didn’t bother with any flashy extras like video screens or special effects, it was purely about the music and without any other distractions, it really let you appreciate the music itself.

My only criticism is around a small number of the music choices, and that they could’ve chosen some better more well known scores. There’s lots out there to choose from! That said, it was still a fantastic civilised night out and definitely something worth considering if you like film scores. 9/10
     
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Andy K (10823 KP) Oct 29, 2018

Sounds great Sarah!

Reaper (Birds of a Feather #5)
Reaper (Birds of a Feather #5)
Lena North | 2018 | Contemporary, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Reaper (Birds of a Feather #5) by Lena North
Reaper is the fifth and final book in the Birds of a Feather series, and it goes out with a bang! Annie is spying on Wilder's ranch, with something to tell them, and not sure of her reception or the reaction once she does. It feels strange for her to mingle amongst people she feels like she already knows, and yet doesn't. Olly is his usual taciturn self, and yet Annie breaks through his barriers easy enough. Things don't go easy for the two of them though, and the whole gang gets involved to keep Annie safe until Olly retrieves his head out of his butt!

What a finale. Seriously, it was fantastic. I love Olly, I have done all the way through this series, but I will admit to enjoying seeing him make a fool of himself. I wasn't too impressed with some of his behaviour though, and was glad he was made to see the error of his ways.

So many characters, so many stories. I can't say out of all of them which are my favourites! Lena North has done an amazing job of making each of these characters and situations completely different, and yet maintaining the overall storyline. I wasn't sure at the beginning if I would like these as much as I did The Dreughan Trilogy. I can now confirm that yes, I did - absolutely!

For a fantastic coming-of-age story, then I can definitely recommend this whole series, and basically anything written by Lena North too!

* Verified Purchase ~ July 2018. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Frozen II (2019) in Movies

Dec 7, 2019 (Updated Jan 22, 2020)  
Frozen II (2019)
Frozen II (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
Frozen II is a genuinely fantastic sequel that build on the original in every way.

It's feels more mature for a start. It's still a magical, kid friendly, animated adventure for sure, but the film manages to touch upon subjects such as death, loss, depression, how it's ok to feel angry, and all without veering too far away from a family feature.

The more mature tone comes with more mature animation - and it's really something. The animation is pretty much flawless. The contrasting colour pallets - the icy cold blues and white of Arendelle, to the autumnal greens and oranges of the forest - are all pleasing to look at.
I'm not one for musicals, and I wasn't keen on the songs from the original, but the music in Frozen II is way more tolerable. Well written, and sometimes epic, and that Lost in the Woods song is a banger - the fact that Weezer did a recording of it just earns the movie bonus points in my eyes.

The plot is easy to follow, whilst offering a twist here and there, but the overall message is once again, the importance of family, and the importance of writing wrongs from the last. Interestingly, there is no villain in Frozen II. The focus is purely on the good guys trying to make the world a better place for everyone. It's all rather wholesome.
The characters are all great in their own ways, and the creature designs are fantastic.

I have nothing bad to say about Frozen II. It's a damn solid sequel that easily surpasses the first film. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and listen to Weezer all night.
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Us (2019) in Movies

Dec 15, 2019  
Us (2019)
Us (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
The first thing I'll say about Us is just how unnerving it . It's one of those horror films that leaves you with a sense of unease at everyday normal things.

Jordan Peele's second horror offering verges on standard horror tropes, clearly taking influence from horror that had come before, and at times feeling similar in nature to The Strangers, and It Follows, but it's intriguing underneath-the-surface plot and underlying social commentary save it from being just another horror film.
The idea of doppelganger horror has been explored before, but it feels a bit more apt in todays climate, as Peele explores the fear of outsiders, whilst also carrying a message about wealth gaps and the effect of privilege obliviousness.
In doing so, he successfully crafts a family of character we can root for, facing off against 'monsters' that sometimes feel all to familiar.

Lupita Nyong'o in particular is a massive stand out here, playing an inherently good central character, desperately protecting her family against a shadow of herself, who at times come across as relatable.

The plot has a decent amount of depth to it, and I'm glad that the narrative explores beyond the central family.
Jordan Peele's camerawork is fantastic throughout. There are striking shots put forwards from start to finish. He also makes fantastic work of colour... The vibrant setting of Santa Cruz works nicely, and the simple colour setup for The Tethered creates a look that is sure to become iconic in the horror genre.

I found Us to be a hugely enjoyable experience, and between Peele and Ari Aster, the future of horror is looking pretty exciting.
  
Changed (The Made Ones Saga #2)
Changed (The Made Ones Saga #2)
Vicki Stiefel | 2020 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Changed is the second book in The Made Ones Saga and this time we meet with Bree and her Catman, Gato. We caught a glimpse of her in Kit's book but this time the focus is all on her!

Initially, Bree is slightly annoyed 😉 that all her armour has disappeared. Instead, she is stuck with her natural hair colour, no tattoos, no piercings. Luckily for her, she is around people who help her to realise her armour was actually camouflage. And as for Gato, well, he loves her red hair.

This was a fantastic second book. The world is now more familiar which helped but, for me, the best part was Bree's attitude. She is attacked how many times, by people she thought were friends, and she still manages to come out of it with a smile on her face. Audi and Fortis are just sublime and I really hope to see more of them in the last book. I wasn't too sure about Arina to begin with but she is also someone I am hoping will get their HEA.

The interweaving between Kit's book and Bree's is wonderfully done. Once again, as with Kit and Rafe, Bree and Gato are supported by an amazing cast. I loved seeing Kit and Rafe again in this one.

A fantastic addition to the series and now I will (im)patiently wait for Awakened. Absolutely recommended by me!

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!