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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated A Faerie's Revenge in Books
Jan 23, 2020
ARC provided by the author.
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/2015/11/arc-review-a-faeries-revenge-by-rachel-morgan.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
All formatting is lost.
The fifth book in Rachel Morgan's Creepy Hollow series just further proves books four and beyond (however long this one will last) are so much better than the first three books. After the daytime drama-like ending Morgan leaves us back in A Faerie's Secret, we're brought straight back to Creepy Hollow to find Calla Larkenwood in a pretty miserable and "I don't give a care but I'm going to act like I do" state.
My mother watches too much Days of Our Lives (and Dateline). Lupe and I say it just makes her more overprotective because she thinks it's based off of real events. (Dateline is. Days of Our Lives probably is, but it's most likely exaggerated.)
However, by the end of the book, I find I like Calla as a character far more than I ever liked Violet. Calla is like Violet in a lot of ways (have I mentioned this when I reviewed the fourth book?) she's ambitious and kicks faerie butt, but I feel she's more well-rounded than Violet (not that Violet wasn't well-rounded). Calla's afraid of a little thing like claustrophobia, while Violet is completely fearless. To be honest, I don't think I even remember Violet ever being afraid of anything (aside from losing her loved ones), and here's Calla, squeaking over narrow spaces. More things, bad things, happen to Calla, and I absolutely love it.
I know. You must be worried about me now. You'll have to line up behind my mom and Lupe and a few other people who know me very well, which turns out to be very few.
I also find that I miss Oryn so much from the first three books because he just goes straight to the point (and he made things entertaining).
<blockquote>The awkward moment in which I discover that both my wife and my sister have made out with the same guy.</blockquote>
Of course, by books four and five, most of the characters from the first three are pretty much just starting their future with sparkling baby faeries (I imagine them to be much more adorable). Meanwhile, Calla is still getting treated poorly by her trainer (who is really just playing favoritism possibly due to jealousy) and getting flashbacks/nightmares in the midst of dreams from Gaius trying to tell her something.
And murder. Lovely, lovely murder where Calla gets framed and accused for it. It's also by this point where Calla is confronted with the question, as Oryn so fabulously points out, "Why did you really want to join the guild? The guild, or the representation?" (See? He gets straight to the point.)
But in a nutshell, A Faerie's Revenge is really just revenge of the past something that happened ten years ago and that person wants everyone to pay. How that person will do it (and how Calla is connected) is currently unknown, but it's official: you'll definitely want to read the first three books or you'll be spoiled and possibly lost.
<blockquote>Maybe theres no such thing as good guys and bad guys after all. Not when the good guys fail to see whats wrong, and the bad guys are the ones who end up helping you.</blockquote>
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
This review and more can be found at <a href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/2015/11/arc-review-a-faeries-revenge-by-rachel-morgan.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
All formatting is lost.
The fifth book in Rachel Morgan's Creepy Hollow series just further proves books four and beyond (however long this one will last) are so much better than the first three books. After the daytime drama-like ending Morgan leaves us back in A Faerie's Secret, we're brought straight back to Creepy Hollow to find Calla Larkenwood in a pretty miserable and "I don't give a care but I'm going to act like I do" state.
My mother watches too much Days of Our Lives (and Dateline). Lupe and I say it just makes her more overprotective because she thinks it's based off of real events. (Dateline is. Days of Our Lives probably is, but it's most likely exaggerated.)
However, by the end of the book, I find I like Calla as a character far more than I ever liked Violet. Calla is like Violet in a lot of ways (have I mentioned this when I reviewed the fourth book?) she's ambitious and kicks faerie butt, but I feel she's more well-rounded than Violet (not that Violet wasn't well-rounded). Calla's afraid of a little thing like claustrophobia, while Violet is completely fearless. To be honest, I don't think I even remember Violet ever being afraid of anything (aside from losing her loved ones), and here's Calla, squeaking over narrow spaces. More things, bad things, happen to Calla, and I absolutely love it.
I know. You must be worried about me now. You'll have to line up behind my mom and Lupe and a few other people who know me very well, which turns out to be very few.
I also find that I miss Oryn so much from the first three books because he just goes straight to the point (and he made things entertaining).
<blockquote>The awkward moment in which I discover that both my wife and my sister have made out with the same guy.</blockquote>
Of course, by books four and five, most of the characters from the first three are pretty much just starting their future with sparkling baby faeries (I imagine them to be much more adorable). Meanwhile, Calla is still getting treated poorly by her trainer (who is really just playing favoritism possibly due to jealousy) and getting flashbacks/nightmares in the midst of dreams from Gaius trying to tell her something.
And murder. Lovely, lovely murder where Calla gets framed and accused for it. It's also by this point where Calla is confronted with the question, as Oryn so fabulously points out, "Why did you really want to join the guild? The guild, or the representation?" (See? He gets straight to the point.)
But in a nutshell, A Faerie's Revenge is really just revenge of the past something that happened ten years ago and that person wants everyone to pay. How that person will do it (and how Calla is connected) is currently unknown, but it's official: you'll definitely want to read the first three books or you'll be spoiled and possibly lost.
<blockquote>Maybe theres no such thing as good guys and bad guys after all. Not when the good guys fail to see whats wrong, and the bad guys are the ones who end up helping you.</blockquote>
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Eleven Lines to Somewhere in Books
Oct 2, 2020
I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Eleven Lines to Somewhere by Alyson Rudd. Thank you to the team at HQ - for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well:
Synopsis:
Everyone is searching for love. Sometimes we just take our own route to find it.
Ryan sees a young woman on the tube on his way to work, and he can't stop looking at her. Attracted and intrigued, he's set to find out more about this mysterious passenger that shares the tube with him.
Sylvie keeps travelling the underground, unable to leave for reasons unknown to Ryan. He hasn't been dating for ten years, when he was at university and the love of his life died.
But for some reason, he feels he needs to help Sylvie. In a world of missed opportunities and what-ifs, a connection has been made.
My Thoughts:
This is the second book I have read by Alyson Rudd, with the first one being The First Time Lauren Pailing Died. That book intrigued me, and when I saw Eleven Lines to Somewhere being published - I had to know and compare them.
At the beginning, I was intrigued, knowing what the synopsis is. We meet Ryan and Sylvie (separately), and we get a small glimpse into their lives. In the beginning, Ryan's story with his family and friends is more talked about. I liked getting to know Ryan, very slowly throughout the first half of the book. He is a very intriguing character himself, going through a personal time, as well as making very controversial decisions to get to know Sylvie better.
I liked Sylvie's story and her connection to the underground. It was very intriguing to me to read and understand how some moments in life can let us become something that we can't help but be. That a certain experience can cause such a need for Sylvie to action. I loved the psychological aspect of her characterisation, and how the trauma was handled.
Once Ryan and Sylvie got to know each other, the pace of the book changed, I felt. The pace was very slow, but the scenes moved very quickly in time.
Even though I loved Ryan and Sylvie as separate characters, I couldn't love them as a couple.
I felt that there was chemistry and romance missing, and somehow their connection to each other was based on the need to help the other one with their own trauma. For me, that being a single reason to love someone makes me think a person is in such a relationship to only feel better about themselves. Look - I helped someone, I am a better person now. But that's just my humble opinion.
There were a lot of side characters that had their own storylines - which I really enjoyed. A lot of drama and twists happened with them, which was quite enjoyable to read. Some characters in the end were thrown into the story abruptly, almost as if for convenience to the story line. But it worked well in the end.
I really enjoyed this story. Still a 4 star, but I enjoyed it more than The First Time Lauren Pailing Died. If you love contemporary books with a lot of characters, this will be a very good pick for you!
Synopsis:
Everyone is searching for love. Sometimes we just take our own route to find it.
Ryan sees a young woman on the tube on his way to work, and he can't stop looking at her. Attracted and intrigued, he's set to find out more about this mysterious passenger that shares the tube with him.
Sylvie keeps travelling the underground, unable to leave for reasons unknown to Ryan. He hasn't been dating for ten years, when he was at university and the love of his life died.
But for some reason, he feels he needs to help Sylvie. In a world of missed opportunities and what-ifs, a connection has been made.
My Thoughts:
This is the second book I have read by Alyson Rudd, with the first one being The First Time Lauren Pailing Died. That book intrigued me, and when I saw Eleven Lines to Somewhere being published - I had to know and compare them.
At the beginning, I was intrigued, knowing what the synopsis is. We meet Ryan and Sylvie (separately), and we get a small glimpse into their lives. In the beginning, Ryan's story with his family and friends is more talked about. I liked getting to know Ryan, very slowly throughout the first half of the book. He is a very intriguing character himself, going through a personal time, as well as making very controversial decisions to get to know Sylvie better.
I liked Sylvie's story and her connection to the underground. It was very intriguing to me to read and understand how some moments in life can let us become something that we can't help but be. That a certain experience can cause such a need for Sylvie to action. I loved the psychological aspect of her characterisation, and how the trauma was handled.
Once Ryan and Sylvie got to know each other, the pace of the book changed, I felt. The pace was very slow, but the scenes moved very quickly in time.
Even though I loved Ryan and Sylvie as separate characters, I couldn't love them as a couple.
I felt that there was chemistry and romance missing, and somehow their connection to each other was based on the need to help the other one with their own trauma. For me, that being a single reason to love someone makes me think a person is in such a relationship to only feel better about themselves. Look - I helped someone, I am a better person now. But that's just my humble opinion.
There were a lot of side characters that had their own storylines - which I really enjoyed. A lot of drama and twists happened with them, which was quite enjoyable to read. Some characters in the end were thrown into the story abruptly, almost as if for convenience to the story line. But it worked well in the end.
I really enjoyed this story. Still a 4 star, but I enjoyed it more than The First Time Lauren Pailing Died. If you love contemporary books with a lot of characters, this will be a very good pick for you!
Jared Harper (8 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Apex Legends in Video Games
Mar 14, 2019
Apex legends is the first person shooter battle Royale game I've been waiting for. It's not the first, but it's the best in my opinion. Graphics are beautiful and smooth. Movement is quick and fluid with the ability to climb anything and to slide down any slope at a decent speed. Gun fights are always interesting because of each fighters unique but fair abilities. Gun drops are good and most games you have decent loot. Only complaint I have is to buff some of the weaker guns to keep up with the R301 and wingman combo that most people seem to want. Snipers could use some more love especially, as every shot has bullet drop, it would be useful to do more damage since the difficulty of hitting the target is higher than in games without bullet drop. Back to the positives, playing with randoms can be achieved because of the fantastic ping system! No mic? No problem you can communicate just about anything by pinging a location and choosing an option. Storm is rarely deadly, but keeps the fight going at a good rate. However, sometimes when there's a few people left we have a huge circle, and I'd like to see an algorithm that speeds up the circle when there's that few people. Other than a few negatives I LOVE this game and if you haven't played it, you should.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Lila and the Crow in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard is a beautiful story dealing with and sad and very
real issue. Lila arrives at her neScreen Shot 2016-06-21 at 9.04.55 PMw school with the hopes of making new friends; however, instead of being welcomed with open arms she is welcomed with a mean comment. It only takes that one comment to destroy her confidence.
The first day with the first comment was the start of ruining her confidence. The comment came from one student but there are other students who either stand by and allow the comments to come or join in laughing. Eventually, Lila decides not to let the differences defy her but to embrace the differences. This book will show children that there will be situations where other children will hurt of mock them but that they should stand up and not allow the situation to ruin their day, month or year.
This book will open the floor to have a discussion about bullying and how it should not happen and if it is, that you should help the person instead of joining in the bullying or being a bystander. Everyone is different and this book can teach children to embrace and accept the differences.
The illustrations are wonderful, they show such great emotion in the characters as well as creating a mood that fits the story. Lila and the Crow will be a great asset to any home, classroom or library.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard is a beautiful story dealing with and sad and very
real issue. Lila arrives at her neScreen Shot 2016-06-21 at 9.04.55 PMw school with the hopes of making new friends; however, instead of being welcomed with open arms she is welcomed with a mean comment. It only takes that one comment to destroy her confidence.
The first day with the first comment was the start of ruining her confidence. The comment came from one student but there are other students who either stand by and allow the comments to come or join in laughing. Eventually, Lila decides not to let the differences defy her but to embrace the differences. This book will show children that there will be situations where other children will hurt of mock them but that they should stand up and not allow the situation to ruin their day, month or year.
This book will open the floor to have a discussion about bullying and how it should not happen and if it is, that you should help the person instead of joining in the bullying or being a bystander. Everyone is different and this book can teach children to embrace and accept the differences.
The illustrations are wonderful, they show such great emotion in the characters as well as creating a mood that fits the story. Lila and the Crow will be a great asset to any home, classroom or library.
Debbie (52 KP) rated Glitter Bomb in Books
Nov 24, 2018
I received this book from GoodReads give away. I was actually surprised that I finally won a book from them. This book came out on the 2nd of October of 2018. I am a bit behind on giving a review on this book. I actually didn't finish this book until this month. It is considered a cozy mystery and usually they are quick reads for me but the last few months have been real busy for me and I am trying to play catch up.
I have read most of her other series called Cackleberry Club Mysteries. This is the first book from her New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery series. I did enjoy this book even though it wasn't the first book. I was able to figure out who was who without too much trouble.
This takes place during Mardi Gras. Just before the big day during one of the many parades one of the floats explodes and kills someone. The main Characters Ex- Husband happens to be on this float so ends up being a suspect. He convinces her to help him out since she is engaged to the investigator.
She comes up with a whole lot of other people who could have wanted to kill the person who died.
I don't want to say too much about this book because it is a mystery and I don't want to give anything away. It is a good read and I recommend you read it. You might want to read the books in order so you can understand the main characters a little better but you really don't have to. I gave this book 4 stars.
I have read most of her other series called Cackleberry Club Mysteries. This is the first book from her New Orleans Scrapbooking Mystery series. I did enjoy this book even though it wasn't the first book. I was able to figure out who was who without too much trouble.
This takes place during Mardi Gras. Just before the big day during one of the many parades one of the floats explodes and kills someone. The main Characters Ex- Husband happens to be on this float so ends up being a suspect. He convinces her to help him out since she is engaged to the investigator.
She comes up with a whole lot of other people who could have wanted to kill the person who died.
I don't want to say too much about this book because it is a mystery and I don't want to give anything away. It is a good read and I recommend you read it. You might want to read the books in order so you can understand the main characters a little better but you really don't have to. I gave this book 4 stars.
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Queen's Governess in Books
Dec 21, 2018
This is the first book I've read by this author but I thought the concept sounded interesting, even if I do think that perhaps the Tudors are starting to be a bit done to death! The story is in many ways about Elizabeth I, but the narrative character is Kat Ashley, Elizabeth's governess (as from the title!) and later her chief lady of the bedchamber.
The novel is written in the first person, which can be a little clumsy in the hands of an unskilled author, but Harper carried it off well. I was interested in her historical note at the end, as Kat Ashley's origins are a little obscure - I do like to know what is fact and what the author's imagination, but of course fact is often stranger than fiction! I'm not totally sure if the relationship with Cromwell as shown in the novel is based on historical fact or more on conjecture on the author's part.
I did spot a couple of errors in the text - I know they do move county boundaries now and then, but I do beleive that Stamford is in Lincolnshire and not Northamptonshire. Yes, I know it's picky, but it's that sort of thing that makes me stop and think "Are you sure?".
The novel starts with the demise of Anne Boleyn and then takes us back to Kat's earlier life in Devon, leading up to the moment we see in the prologue. We are carried through all the trials and tribulations of the reigns of her half siblings finally followed by Elizabeth's accession and some way into her reign.
The novel is written in the first person, which can be a little clumsy in the hands of an unskilled author, but Harper carried it off well. I was interested in her historical note at the end, as Kat Ashley's origins are a little obscure - I do like to know what is fact and what the author's imagination, but of course fact is often stranger than fiction! I'm not totally sure if the relationship with Cromwell as shown in the novel is based on historical fact or more on conjecture on the author's part.
I did spot a couple of errors in the text - I know they do move county boundaries now and then, but I do beleive that Stamford is in Lincolnshire and not Northamptonshire. Yes, I know it's picky, but it's that sort of thing that makes me stop and think "Are you sure?".
The novel starts with the demise of Anne Boleyn and then takes us back to Kat's earlier life in Devon, leading up to the moment we see in the prologue. We are carried through all the trials and tribulations of the reigns of her half siblings finally followed by Elizabeth's accession and some way into her reign.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated The Boy Next Door (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The theme of the dangerous person living next door as well as forbidden attraction and desires are no stranger to Hollywood as they are themes that have powered some of the most intense and erotic dramas in recent memory.
The latest offering from Hollywood has Jennifer Lopez as Claire, a woman who is newly divorced and falls for her new neighbor played by Ryan Guzman.
At first the relationship is exciting for Claire but things take a turn for the worse and Claire soon learns that her new neighbor is not what he first appeared to be and is a very dangerous and manipulative individual.
You would think with a premise such as this and a decent cast that this would at least be a passable thriller but instead it is about as lifeless and formulaic a film as they come.
The film was completely predictable aside form one brief moment at the end of the film that was mildly unexpected, but other than that I found myself whispering to my husband throughout the movie what was going to happen next, and it did.
Supporting actors John Corbett, playing Lopez’ (estranged) husband, and Ian Nelson as their teenage son, did a passable job given the material they were working with but deserved much better.
Ryan Guzman who plays 19-year-old neighbor Noah, manages to play the creepy psycho part pretty well, but the material was as I said previously; so very predictable.
I wish I could offer more than 1 star out of 5, but I can’t for the film which is a shame as the audience and the cast deserved so much more with this premise.
The latest offering from Hollywood has Jennifer Lopez as Claire, a woman who is newly divorced and falls for her new neighbor played by Ryan Guzman.
At first the relationship is exciting for Claire but things take a turn for the worse and Claire soon learns that her new neighbor is not what he first appeared to be and is a very dangerous and manipulative individual.
You would think with a premise such as this and a decent cast that this would at least be a passable thriller but instead it is about as lifeless and formulaic a film as they come.
The film was completely predictable aside form one brief moment at the end of the film that was mildly unexpected, but other than that I found myself whispering to my husband throughout the movie what was going to happen next, and it did.
Supporting actors John Corbett, playing Lopez’ (estranged) husband, and Ian Nelson as their teenage son, did a passable job given the material they were working with but deserved much better.
Ryan Guzman who plays 19-year-old neighbor Noah, manages to play the creepy psycho part pretty well, but the material was as I said previously; so very predictable.
I wish I could offer more than 1 star out of 5, but I can’t for the film which is a shame as the audience and the cast deserved so much more with this premise.
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