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Amelia's Tea (8 KP) rated Mistborn: The Final Empire in Books
Sep 30, 2019
Incredible world-building. A fascinating magic system, and great lore. (2 more)
Great characters, with believable backstories and motivations.
Female protagonist who feels real, flawed, and is relatable.
A Welcome Surprise
Honestly, I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did, as I bought it on a whim based on positive discussion around the author, Sanderson. I took this with me on a holiday, and spent 2 days pouring over the pages - it totally sucked me in!
Initially I found the book hard to get into, just for the sheer amount of information to take in, however when I got over this hump I was sucked in.
I loved the protagonist, Vin. I found her very believable and easy to root for. Without spoiling anything, her story is amazing to follow. She's not a Mary Sue, has her flaws and even failures.
In general, I loved the characters - even the hateable ones, I loved to hate them.
The world-building is incredibly extensive and enjoyable. The lore is fascinating, and this book left me dying to find out more. I ordered the follow-up book while I was still on my holiday, so that it would arrive once I landed home!
Overall I definitely recommend this book for fantasy fans.
Initially I found the book hard to get into, just for the sheer amount of information to take in, however when I got over this hump I was sucked in.
I loved the protagonist, Vin. I found her very believable and easy to root for. Without spoiling anything, her story is amazing to follow. She's not a Mary Sue, has her flaws and even failures.
In general, I loved the characters - even the hateable ones, I loved to hate them.
The world-building is incredibly extensive and enjoyable. The lore is fascinating, and this book left me dying to find out more. I ordered the follow-up book while I was still on my holiday, so that it would arrive once I landed home!
Overall I definitely recommend this book for fantasy fans.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated B is for Burglar (Kinsey Millhone, #2) in Books
May 29, 2019
Ok mystery bogged down in detail
I listened to the audio book of this read by Mary Peiffer.
Another outing with the independent PI Kinsey Millhone. This time she is approached to track down the missing sister of Beverly Danziger in what appears to be a straightforward case. It quickly starts to look a lot more suspicious when even the sister herself doesn't seem to want Kinsey to get to the bottom of the matter. A lot of different threads appear for Kinsey to try and unravel.
I found this book to really get bogged down in minor details and excessive descriptions of every little thing, making it a bit of a drag. The strong female lead was wasted on a bit of a drawn out story line, I felt it lacked something to keep the reader engaged (descriptions of egg sandwiches just doesn't cut it).
Written in the 80s I do love the nostalgia of a world pre mobile phones, saving the “battery died” line most books feel the need to throw in now. I also like having a female protagonist that doesn't get bogged down in a romantic relationship storyline which seems to be a habit in crime books with a female lead.
Kinsey has a good level of dogged determination and we were given numerous avenues of investigation to explore keeping the mystery engaging (although her missing an obvious clue which seemed totally unfathomable for her or any PI to miss drove me a little potty.). The main let down with this book though was the ending where it just seemed to go off the tracks a bit with unnecessary risk taking and crazy plot device.
The audio-book is a nice easy listen so I’ll probably continue on with Kinsey in that format.
Another outing with the independent PI Kinsey Millhone. This time she is approached to track down the missing sister of Beverly Danziger in what appears to be a straightforward case. It quickly starts to look a lot more suspicious when even the sister herself doesn't seem to want Kinsey to get to the bottom of the matter. A lot of different threads appear for Kinsey to try and unravel.
I found this book to really get bogged down in minor details and excessive descriptions of every little thing, making it a bit of a drag. The strong female lead was wasted on a bit of a drawn out story line, I felt it lacked something to keep the reader engaged (descriptions of egg sandwiches just doesn't cut it).
Written in the 80s I do love the nostalgia of a world pre mobile phones, saving the “battery died” line most books feel the need to throw in now. I also like having a female protagonist that doesn't get bogged down in a romantic relationship storyline which seems to be a habit in crime books with a female lead.
Kinsey has a good level of dogged determination and we were given numerous avenues of investigation to explore keeping the mystery engaging (although her missing an obvious clue which seemed totally unfathomable for her or any PI to miss drove me a little potty.). The main let down with this book though was the ending where it just seemed to go off the tracks a bit with unnecessary risk taking and crazy plot device.
The audio-book is a nice easy listen so I’ll probably continue on with Kinsey in that format.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Building Empires(MidKnight Blue #1) in Books
Dec 28, 2017
A Law Enforcement Thrill Ride
This book is a spin off of another series that Sherryl D. Hancock writes but slightly different in that the primary characters are not lesbians. That said you will see some of those characters in this book because all is intertwined in the world Hancock creates.
This is the in depth introduction to Midnight Chevalier. As always Hancock does a fantatstic job creating characters and Midnight does not disappoint as the tough, no nonsense female protagonist. There is more violence in this book but that is indicitive of the life Midnight lives. It is also what you would expect from this character and her motley crew of unlikely heros.
I love everything Hancock writes because she focuses on allowing the character drive the story and her characters are amazingly developed. I have already recommended the MidKnight Blue series to friends who love crime stories and romance and action andjust good writing. Pretty much anyone who likes to read.
This is the in depth introduction to Midnight Chevalier. As always Hancock does a fantatstic job creating characters and Midnight does not disappoint as the tough, no nonsense female protagonist. There is more violence in this book but that is indicitive of the life Midnight lives. It is also what you would expect from this character and her motley crew of unlikely heros.
I love everything Hancock writes because she focuses on allowing the character drive the story and her characters are amazingly developed. I have already recommended the MidKnight Blue series to friends who love crime stories and romance and action andjust good writing. Pretty much anyone who likes to read.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Fly You To The Moon (Stardust Erotic Romance Series #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I received this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I would like to say this was a cute romance novella but the heroine was too frustrating. Actually, both leads were but male protagonists was more understandable. The couple fell in love but, due to their relationship, are not allowed to be together. However, they still act like they are together, e.i. jealousy, touching, etc. That was all fine and dandy, but the female lead was too childish for me. Not to mention she seemed to cry on nearly every page. I dont mind tears, they realistic. But this novel had too much.
Also for being the first in the series, there isnt much background information. While its not absolutely necessary, it would have been much appreciated.
The author created a interesting universe with realistic characters (even though they werent my favorites). It ends with a pretty hot scene, but is overall pretty tame.
I would like to say this was a cute romance novella but the heroine was too frustrating. Actually, both leads were but male protagonists was more understandable. The couple fell in love but, due to their relationship, are not allowed to be together. However, they still act like they are together, e.i. jealousy, touching, etc. That was all fine and dandy, but the female lead was too childish for me. Not to mention she seemed to cry on nearly every page. I dont mind tears, they realistic. But this novel had too much.
Also for being the first in the series, there isnt much background information. While its not absolutely necessary, it would have been much appreciated.
The author created a interesting universe with realistic characters (even though they werent my favorites). It ends with a pretty hot scene, but is overall pretty tame.
This is a really well written, thought provoking, short read. It is the day in the life of an unnamed, black, female protagonist, and the racism and misogyny that she encounters constantly both at work and in the wider community. Even when she is offered a promotion, her work colleagues believe she has got the job because of the colour of her skin and her sex. The fact that she has had to work twice as hard as anyone else to get where she is, is ignored.
I can’t help but think that she’s not happy in her job or her relationship, and her cancer diagnosis is pushing these matters to the front of her mind.
There’s a lot of racism in this novel, and the effects of that on the main characters psyche. To be constantly thought of as “less than” must be frustrating, depressing and maddening.
I’ll be very interested to read what comes next from Natasha Brown.
I can’t help but think that she’s not happy in her job or her relationship, and her cancer diagnosis is pushing these matters to the front of her mind.
There’s a lot of racism in this novel, and the effects of that on the main characters psyche. To be constantly thought of as “less than” must be frustrating, depressing and maddening.
I’ll be very interested to read what comes next from Natasha Brown.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Merrily We Go to Hell (1932) in Movies
Sep 3, 2020 (Updated Sep 3, 2020)
Pre-code (4 more)
What's good for the goose is good for the gander.
Skeet Gallagher as Buck, the sidekick
Florence Britton as Charlcie, the female sidekick
Directed by female director Dorothy Arzner
Contains spoilers, click to show
It was an important movie of its time. It is a pre-code movie so it was able to get away with sins such as alcoholism and infidelity of husbands AND wives without making them pay in the end.
Sylvia Sidney plays Joan Prentice, the daughter of the president of Prentice coffee and Fredric March plays Jerry Corbett, a newspaperman who wishes to be a playwright. They meet at a society party where she is trying to ignore the advances of a very handsy older man and he is on the terrace drunk and drinking even more. She somehow finds him charming and he finds her "swell." They make a date to meet up again and romance follows. I mean, allegedly follows though it seems like a huge plot point to me what they see in each other and what kind of substance their relationship has. I've never been a very romantic person but even this seems terribly lacking to me.
Skeets Gallagher plays the sidekick Buck and he's worth his weight in gold. He a drinking buddy and scenes with him often start with the camera panning him tap dancing from behind. He's sweet, sympathetic, charming, and adorable and brings so much life to the role and film. Florence Britton plays the female sidekick to Fredric March's Jerry Corbett and is a bold lady, and kind. She and Buck are so much fun and not sloppy drunk like Corbett. I would much rather watch a movie with the two of them.
Sylvia Sidney, the female protagonist was bold and determined. After her husband cheats on her with his former wife, she goes out to have a little fun, too. She gets tired of her husband's constant drunkenness and leaves him. He seems to come to his senses at the end of the movie and goes to her. Spoiler alert: she is in the hospital having delivered their baby. He didn't know she was pregnant and only learned about the baby after reading the birth announcement in the newspaper. This is a premonition of things to come once the code comes into play as any sin must be paid for with a person's ruin or death. However, it ends on a happy note that their marriage will be better and that they are hopeful for the future.
* Watch for Cary Grant in one of his earliest roles as the male lead in the period drama play towards the end of the film.
Sylvia Sidney plays Joan Prentice, the daughter of the president of Prentice coffee and Fredric March plays Jerry Corbett, a newspaperman who wishes to be a playwright. They meet at a society party where she is trying to ignore the advances of a very handsy older man and he is on the terrace drunk and drinking even more. She somehow finds him charming and he finds her "swell." They make a date to meet up again and romance follows. I mean, allegedly follows though it seems like a huge plot point to me what they see in each other and what kind of substance their relationship has. I've never been a very romantic person but even this seems terribly lacking to me.
Skeets Gallagher plays the sidekick Buck and he's worth his weight in gold. He a drinking buddy and scenes with him often start with the camera panning him tap dancing from behind. He's sweet, sympathetic, charming, and adorable and brings so much life to the role and film. Florence Britton plays the female sidekick to Fredric March's Jerry Corbett and is a bold lady, and kind. She and Buck are so much fun and not sloppy drunk like Corbett. I would much rather watch a movie with the two of them.
Sylvia Sidney, the female protagonist was bold and determined. After her husband cheats on her with his former wife, she goes out to have a little fun, too. She gets tired of her husband's constant drunkenness and leaves him. He seems to come to his senses at the end of the movie and goes to her. Spoiler alert: she is in the hospital having delivered their baby. He didn't know she was pregnant and only learned about the baby after reading the birth announcement in the newspaper. This is a premonition of things to come once the code comes into play as any sin must be paid for with a person's ruin or death. However, it ends on a happy note that their marriage will be better and that they are hopeful for the future.
* Watch for Cary Grant in one of his earliest roles as the male lead in the period drama play towards the end of the film.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Truly, Madly (Lucy Valentine, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
TRULY, MADLY is mystery, romance, chick-lit and a bit of paranormal all wrapped up in one delightful little package. Lucy Valentine is a nice, normal, and a little bit quirky protagonist who never got on my nerves. It's nice to have a main character who isn't totally self-absorbed, ditzy, neurotic, clumsy and just plain irritating, basically just about every female you run across in lighter fiction books these days. All the other characters added to the story seamlessly and there wasn't one who was unnecessary. I enjoyed the psychic angle and thought that it was used in a fresh and interesting way. The plot was engaging and moved swiftly, and everything was well-written in an easy and smooth manner. I don't really have any major complaints and look forward to the next in the series.
The best word to use in describing this book is cute. So if you like cute, check it out, it's a nice piece of brain candy that won't offend your intelligence.
The best word to use in describing this book is cute. So if you like cute, check it out, it's a nice piece of brain candy that won't offend your intelligence.
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