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Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)
Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1)
Jaymin Eve | 2020
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I grabbed this one from Kindle Unlimited after taking advantage of their 6 months at a reduced cost offer because, you know, have you seen that cover?!

So this starts with Mera and her best friend heading to school while discussing the fact that they can't wait to have their first shift into their wolves so they can leave their pack after the abuse Mera has received off them after her father tried to kill the alpha when she was younger. Mera runs from the pack before her shift, knowing that death is likely to be her outcome either way - either from the shift itself or from the pack - but she's tracked down before then and brought back. Before long she shifts and finds her mate amongst her pack, only to be rejected by him and the intense pain both she and her wolf are in has her calling out to the Shadow Beast - the god of shifters - and he comes and takes her away.

I don't quite know how I feel about this book. It's like one extreme to another for all the males in Mera's life. Torin; doesn't like her and taunts her continuously but doesn't want her harmed by his father. Jaxson; one of her old best friends - torments her/attacks her almost daily but also seems to have feelings for her. Shadow; can't seem to stand her but won't let anyone else have her or touch her. I was so confused and conflicted by it. I wasn't cheering for anyone in particular. I even briefly wondered if it was going to turn into some reverse harem kind of thing...but nope. Or at least not in this one.

I honestly have no idea if I'm going to continue the series. It was the cover that pulled me into reading this one as it is...so maybe if the cover is as good...? I honestly don't know. I was expecting some romance and it was filled with an angry female and stupid alpha males, though there was a hot scene or two.
  
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Justin Hawkins recommended Powerage by AC/DC in Music (curated)

 
Powerage by AC/DC
Powerage by AC/DC
1978 | Metal, Rock
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think that most people got into AC/DC because of Back In Black and that happened to me as well, but I really wanted to explore the Bon years because Highway To Hell was a great album too. So I wanted to go back from there. I loved all of it actually. I was completely obsessed with AC/DC for a long time in fact, but the one album that really for me was head and shoulders above the rest was Powerage. It’s got songs like ‘Down Payment Blues’ and songs that people would say, ”Oh that’s my favourite AC/DC song”, because they’re trying to be cool and try and talk about their poverty and their roots and that sort of stuff, but it shows that it has a deeper poetry to it – the fact that people want to think of Powerage that way. For me it’s also got the best Angus solo of all of them. It’s on ‘Up To My Neck In You’. It goes on for ages and it’s essentially the same solo twice, but played a bit harder the second time around. It’s really good: him using proper dynamics. He has a lot of phrases that he often goes to, but it’s just the way he uses them on that solo that makes it really special. I’m definitely a Bon enthusiast. I went to Fremantle near Perth in Australia to visit his grave. I’d never been to visit any famous graves before, and we only did it because we were in Australia and had the day off, but you have an expectation of what you’re going to see tribute-wise from other people that had gone to visit it. And there was one guy had written something that had really stayed with me. You can imagine that it’s sort of like a pilgrimage out of town – there’s nothing really around the graveyard. And there’s a bench on the concrete and you can just imagine this guy there with a Sharpie going, “hmmm, now what can I say that really sums up my feelings at this point?” And he had just put: “Love your work Bon.” Ha ha, it was really powerful."

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She Drives Me Crazy
She Drives Me Crazy
Kelly Quindlen | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A stand-out queer romance
Scottie Zajac is reeling from her breakup with her toxic ex-girlfriend, Tally, whom she can't get over, no matter how bad she was for her. After losing to Tally's basketball team, she gets into a fender bender in the school parking lot with her nemesis, cheerleader Irene Abraham. Scottie is still smarting from when Irene had her car towed at a party. Unfortunately, Scottie and Irene's parents' decide that Scottie needs to drive Irene to school once the accident puts her car out of commission. Forced together, Scottie and Irene's tenuous relationship only gets more strained. But when Scottie sees a chance to get back at Tally, she bribes Irene to take part in a fake dating scheme. One that threatens to unravel when both Scottie and Irene realize they may have some very not fake feelings for each other.

Ok, I don't always love fake dating romances, but this book was practically perfect. I love a good (queer) YA rom com and basketball, so I thought this might be good. It was amazing: just so funny and sweet.

Quindlen captures Irene and Scottie perfectly--their vulnerability and their sarcasm. The book is often hilarious, but it also portrays the heartbreaking loss Scottie feels after breaking up with Tally and how she feels less worthy and less of a person after. We can understand that even though Tally is clearly wrong for her--and all her friends and family know it--it's so difficult for Scottie to grasp this and move on.

The story here is so genuine for a fake dating book. The cast of characters is wonderful, including Irene's best friend and Scottie's sister. I'm such a sucker for basketball, and I adored how Scottie's love of basketball was woven into the plot. This is a beautiful story about finding yourself as well as a funny book that made me grin goofily throughout. The ending definitely had me shedding some (happy) tears.

Easily one of my favorite queer books and one of the best books I've read this year.
  
The New Enchantress (Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions #3)
The New Enchantress (Alyssa McCarthy's Magical Missions #3)
Sunayna Prasad | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Suppose you're looking for a good fantasy or girl hero for your middle-grade children. This book "The New Enchantress" is a good one to have. It is about a girl named Alyssa who gets caught with lasting powers that she can not lose.

The first two books are must-reads and introduce us to Alyssa and her adventures. This book is the third in the series and continues Alyssa's journey with her newfound powers. She seems to signify hexing with uncontrollable forces.

Will Alyssa learn lessons and find a way to figure out how to control her newfound powers? Simon tells her that she will need to learn how to control her emotions and her magic promo. Or she will be enslaved to Boo Champ Cory. Will she and her friends learn the lesson they need to know. Will their friendship end?

Alyssa occurs put to the test. How will the magical mission do and take for Alyssa to succeed? Or will Alyssa start to forget her loved one and never remember? Boo Champ Cory and allies seem to have a plan, but will it work?

The plot gets more interesting once the twist and turns start to happen. When chaos strikes, will Alyssa and her allies come out on top, or will they not. This book is excellent for teens and girls alike. There is some trouble that you will be hoping for Alyssa to figure out her problems but will see in time. Will she beat her enemies, or will she not.

The story starts slow, but it gets more entertaining as it goes. My rating remains based on that which is a 4.5 stars (Moons) rating. There are several twists and turns and somewhat starts at the beginning. I do wonder what will happen and if the author will add another book. This series is good to have on your teen bookshelves or middle-grade child or children bookshelves. It does seem to deal with what some middle grades need to deal with friends and even their own emotions and feelings.
  
The Talk of Pram Town
The Talk of Pram Town
Joanna Nadin | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Talk of Pram Town was a bit of a walk down memory lane for me, as someone who was born in the early 1970’s: playing out with my friends, arranging to meet by speaking face to face with them, no mobile phones. I can remember watching Charles and Diana’s wedding, whilst holding commemorative coins bought by my Nan and commemorative mugs that would never be drunk out of (I still have mine somewhere!). But that’s where the similarities in my life, compared to that of 11 year old Sadie and her mum Connie, end.
Sadie and Connie live in Leeds, and don’t appear to have any other family. Connie wants to hit the big time as a singer, but instead sings at local working men’s clubs, and works at the local supermarket. Sadie certainly lives the first 11 years of her life in a much different way to many other people. This house in Leeds seems to be the most stable and ‘normal’ way of life that she has had so far.
So when Sadie is forced to go and live with the grandparents she has never met, her introduction to Essex suburbia is quite a shock to her system!
I loved this book. It has a real sense of time and place, making me feel so nostalgic for my childhood. I really enjoyed Sadie's grandparents: Jean, her grandmother, especially. It’s clear from the beginning that she has her own secrets, secrets that have embittered her over the years. I felt that the slow reveal of her younger life, and how she deals with Sadie as well as her feelings for Connie and Bernard, were fascinating.
But Sadie really is the most wonderful part of this novel. The way that she approaches her new life with such stoicism, her intelligence and curiosity of the new world that she has to grow to at least like, really made me want to read more.
I can’t wait to see what Joanna Nadin writes next - I’ve loved both this and her last novel (The Queen of Bloody Everything), both of which look at mother-daughter relationships.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this - it’s a joy to read.
  
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Shirley Manson recommended Stone Roses by The Stone Roses in Music (curated)

 
Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
1989 | Rock

"I heard about them initially via the NME, and Melody Maker– all those great music newspapers that were there back in the day. My best friend was also into them at the same time and we just became strangely obsessed, very quickly. 
 When they first emerged, I was very active in the club scene; I was always going out every night and I just had this incredible connection with that record. That whole scene that came out of Manchester at that time – the Happy Mondays, the Stone Roses – it just blew my mind. It was a sort of brand new sound that really captured my imagination. 

 Every time I hear that record now, I just get flooded with feelings of pure joy and freedom. I became so, so obsessed with Ian Brown that it was bordering on the unhealthy. 

 They're an amazing band and I still have so much love for them. I was lucky enough to meet Mani and Ian over the years, either on television shows or at festivals. I met Mani at this amazing festival in Spain, in Bilbao: I was literally like a love-struck teenager, except I wasn't [laughs], I was an adult. I was so thrilled to meet him and to play on the same festival line-up. 

 It wasn't until much, much later that somebody told me The Stone Roses had actually opened for my very first band – Goodbye Mr Mackenzie – but I had been completely unaware. It felt like great justice that with the success of Garbage that I finally got to be on the same stage and be aware of it at the same time: it felt like an amazing achievement. 

 In some weird turn of events, me and Ian got stuck together backstage in this mad situation – I think it was in Serbia, of all places, during a thunderstorm. The festival that we were all playing had to get postponed until the storm passed. We were all backstage getting drunk together and I could just not believe that that actually happened: I still can't. It just shows you that dreams can come true, so to speak [laughs]."

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The Killing Choice
The Killing Choice
Will Shindler | 2021 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel is told from multiple perspectives, sharing the thoughts of a very wide variety of characters. The detectives Finn and Paulsen are the ones tasked to solve murders that happened in a very strange circumstances. This crime story is very strongly driven by it’s characters. There are a lot of thoughts shared not only by police, but by the victims’ family as well. The characters are very different and all of them troubled, none of the character is happy in this book. 😀 Every character analise different topic and different feelings, and it does become a little overwhelming sometimes. I really enjoyed the diversity and inclusion of the characters in this book, I like wider representation of people.

As I mentioned before, this novel is more character driven than the plot, that is why, I think the investigation part was quite thin in this book. The surprising discoveries just kind of appear, missing the juicy surprises while investigating. I think all the thinking parts made this book seem quite slow, but on the other hand it allowed the reader to get to know the characters better. I liked that this book has different storylines, and it was interesting to see how all the stories get connected at the end. The topics discussed in this book were all possible aspects of grief, family relationships, drug dealing, guilt, council estate life, mental health issues, revenge, and many more.

The writing style of this book is enjoyable and easy to read. The setting of this book keeps changing, depending on the character, and I really enjoyed that. When the book has many perspectives, I find it difficult to know who is who, especially when their names and surnames are being used without one another. Personally, I prefer either names or surnames, otherwise I am wondering who that person is. 😀 The chapters are pretty short and the pages just flew by for me. I liked the ending of this novel, it rounded up the story very nicely.

So, to conclude, it is a very thought provoking crime story, filled with complex and deeply troubled characters as well as a layered plot. It is a slow burner, that allows the reader to delve deeply into the character’s world.
  
If I Die Before I Wake
If I Die Before I Wake
Emily Koch | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
6
7.7 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
It has a very interesting blurb, and I was expecting a really suspenseful thriller, but it didn’t really impress me.

The main character of this book is Alex, climbing enthusiast who gets paralyzed after climbing accident (or maybe an attempted murder…) He doesn’t remember how the incident happened, and he hears snippets of it and other information with every new visitor. What left me shook and baffled was the situation he was in. His brain was fully functioning but the body didn’t whatsoever. All his inconveniences, cramps, feelings were very painful to read about and really scary, to be honest. You can’t even scratch your itching nose, it is a mental torture! :S

The characters used in this book were not very interesting to me. I did like reading Alex’s story, but I was missing personality and character in other participants of this journey. The whole book was told from Alex’s perspective, and I would have liked to read other people’s perspectives as well. I don’t think other characters were fully utilized in this novel.

I liked that Koch used little snippets of new information in every chapter to kindle the interest to continue, but I didn’t feel tension while reading, and I think it needed some better twists. The dilemma of “To live or to die?”, raised in this book was really difficult and got me thinking, what I would like in such case.

The writing style of this novel was really creative, pleasant and easy to read. The chapters were pretty short and filled with some interesting details of not only Alex’s present but also with memories of his past and his dead mother. All this combination made this book quite an amusing book. After all the suffering and pain, the ending didn’t leave me satisfied as well…:( So to conclude, this novel was really an emotionally difficult journey for me, filled with pain, suffering and helplessness, where you have to choose between death and living. There were some interesting parts which I enjoyed, but it didn’t really work for me. I do hope you will give this book a chance and see for yourself, whether you like it or not. Enjoy 🙂
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Sleeper in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
Sleeper
Sleeper
J.D. Fennell | 2017 | Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this book is Will, he is a sixteen-year-old spy, and the whole book is set in 1941, during the Second World War. I loved that this book is telling an action-filled story but during WWII! I loved how the author described everything, from guns, cars to buildings and streets.

This story was told from single, Will’s, perspective but it was fully sufficient for me, as this story was trying to keep the secrets and give out all the findings slowly. I really liked how J. D. Fennell chose the characters for this novel. The character’s personalities fitted them really well, and all the characters were very interesting to read about. I really liked Will, I think he is very suitable to be a protagonist, he has these super cool qualities, but at the same time, he is very human-like, where he gets injured and suffers from tiredness.

I read this book after a slow one, so all the pace and action was very needed for me. The story keeps moving in every chapter, Will is always on the run, so the setting is constantly changing, but I absolutely loved how the author described wartime London. J.D Fennell transferred the view and the spirit of that time perfectly to me. I felt like I was next to Will during his adventures. 😀 I liked that this story carries a lot of feelings, friendships, loss, and it is very interesting to see how Will is dealing with all of this.

I found the writing style easy and pleasant to read, the chapters are pretty short and it made the whole reading experience quite fast. The ending was very well deserved and left me fully satisfied. So, to conclude, if you like stories like Bourne or Maze Runner, I think you will enjoy this one as well. The characters are very well developed, and the plot is constantly moving. I think this book would be an amazing action/adventure film, and I hope it will come to screens someday. I strongly recommend this book, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did…
  
The Lioness of Morocco
The Lioness of Morocco
Julia Drosten | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a mesmerising story of 2 generation’s lives between London and Mogador, Morocco. The first part tells and incredible story of Sibylla, and her journey through life in new country with new beliefs and traditions. Also, her adjustment and fight for what life throws at her. Life doesn’t really spare her. The relationship with her husband lacks love and understanding, so when handsome acquaintance comes along and sweeps of her feet, she thinks, she finds her love again. But it would be too perfect, and let’s not forget, the plot of this story is happening in Morocco. The second part is more about Sibylla’s children and their way through life. Both parts are very well combined together and make an incredible story of adjustment, love, betrayal. The characters of this book are very diverse, and there is huge variety to choose from in this publication. I always admire strong women characters, who take charge in difficult situations. Sibylla is like that, strong, ambitious and she doesn’t give up easily.

I love reading about different countries and cultures, that’s why all the information about harems was very mesmerising and exotic to me. I loved to see, how women treated each other and their surrounding in Arab country in 19th century. The writing style used in this book was not very easy for me, as it’s written in quite refined and sophisticated manner. Even though it’s quite hard to read this type of writing for me, it gives me a great feeling of the spirit, which the novel should portray. I really loved that all the main characters views and feelings were taken into consideration, and expressed in the book; it was not the story just from one characters perspective. I was really pleased that every chapter had something happening. There were many twists and drama in the book, and it made it really appealing. However, there were few places where plot was quite predictable. The ending was really enjoyable and nicely concluded the story. To conclude, if you would like something exotic, educating, historical and very thorough going book, with strong characters and rebellious women, this is a must read for you.
Was given a review copy for honest opinion about this book.