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This book has me confuse if it a fantasy book or something else. With that in mind, I have enjoy this book if it one. Though I think it hit some mystery as well.

The orphan in this book is named Thomas. He is determined to fulfill his mother deathbed wish. We learn that his nurse is his mother. Though he to want to protect from the evil. This books take us on his jouney to Magnus Along the way he takes rescue some people. Though He first asked to Release the knight along with pickpocket boy and mute and deaf girl. As they travel Tomas tell the knight some things that he plans to do but not all is revel. He tell the knight about what he want to conquered of Magnus. There are three others that have secrets as well as he.

Does Thomas conquer Magnus or not that you will need to read an find out. Also to find out the other three names of one on his journey you need to read. I dislike giving away surprise and ending. This is a Fantasy and Mystery book in set a Medieval England.
  
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Dana (24 KP) rated Shards and Ashes in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
SA
Shards and Ashes
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am keeping this review short because I was not a fan of the book, so I don't want to spend a lot of time on it.

I did not really like this book, but I have read most of these authors and I have loved their books before, so I think it may have been the subject matter or something, because this was not my cup of tea.

For starters, all the stories were grossly depressing. I can take sad stories, we all know that, but this was to another level of sad. It was like there was no hope in most of these and I just couldn't get behind it.

I understand if people like these stories, I won't hold it against you if you do, but I am not a fan.

Even the worlds of these stories were under-developed. The rules of the worlds were not explained, so there was no reasoning for why these characters did what they did. It was disappointing to say the least.

I am not giving up on these authors, especially since I like quite a few of them.
  
The Kind Worth Killing
The Kind Worth Killing
Peter Swanson | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.6 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
It would be hard to describe this book without giving too many of its surprises away, so I am just going to summarize the very beginning. A man meets a woman in an airport lounge in England, on the flight home, the 2 wind up discussing the possibility of killing his unfaithful wife and her lover. By the time the plane lands, they have the beginnings of an actual plan worked out. Where things go from there I cannot say, but do be prepared for a chain of events that are a lot less straightforward than that description might suggest. Twists and surprises are scattered liberally throughout this tale of revenge, which pulls the reader in pretty much from the first page. The characters, while understandably a bit hard to like, are never less than interesting, which only helps to add to the suspense when they find themselves in potentially dangerous situations. My only real complaint would be that the ending felt a bit flat. It's not to say that it's bad, rather that it didn't feel climactic enough considering all that had transpired before it. Still, that shouldn't stop you from reading this otherwise excellent and suspenseful novel.
  
Building Stories
Building Stories
Chris Ware | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The unique presentation had me more than a little curious to get into this one, and I found it worked wonderfully for the material. Very well drawn, and with recurring themes and symbolism that are alternately beautiful and sad. This is decidedly not an uplifting work, with the harshness of life and the world around us seeming to be an even more universal theme throughout than the building around which the stories revolve. Luckily for me I suppose, the piece I randomly read last, while possibly being the saddest of all, also contained a really solid prospect of hope and one of the few truly uplifting portions found inside, thus making giving it the best ending I could have hoped for (for my tastes anyway). This is a truly incredible work of art that I cannot recommend highly enough.

As a side note, this could make a really interesting movie, especially in the hands of the right director. P.T. Anderson springs to mind for me. They could even allow you to watch segments in random order on the DVD, thus somewhat recreating the sensation of the "book". Could be interesting.
  
TP
The Passenger
Lisa Lutz | 2016
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Firstly I'd like to thanks Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Passenger is thrilling and exhilarating! With twists and turns around every corner, I can assure you, you will not be bored.

While this books plot is overused, Lutz did really well to add her own spark to it, making it unique and fast paced, exactly what I love in a book. Each character presented had their own story to tell and I'm happy to say I found none of them annoying or boring (maybe apart from Domenic's use of the word 'sweetheart' a lot).

Tanya/Nora/Debra's/whatever you want to call her's story is heartbreaking and challenging throughout. I tend to find women found in these predicaments (in books) do all the wrong things and only make their life more difficult, but Tanya does everything expertly and wonderfully. She's such a likeable character that you are backing her the whole way through, even at the times where her actions are questionable.

I will definitely recommend this to friends and family when it is published as I believe it's a fabulous fast paced thriller that thousands will enjoy.
  
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Heather Morris | 2018 | Biography, History & Politics, Religion
8
8.7 (74 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well written (3 more)
Likeable characters
Good story line
I like the fact that its a true story
Not sure how accurate some parts are (1 more)
At some points it seems to downplay the severity of the camp and the treatment of the prisoners
A Novel based on a true story
This book has received a massive hype about being amazing. So much so that I went over my usual budget on the purchase of a book to get a new hardback copy.
Although I read this book in a day, and did enjoy it, I hoped for a better insight into the life at the camp, and often found myself questioning whether certain things claimed in the book were true.
This was a good book, and I understand that some adaptations were made when converting it into a novel, but I think this has either been slightly overdone to play up the romance in the novel, or the lead character genuinely had a huge advantage over the other prisoners due to his role?
All in all, I am giving this a 7 because it was good, but doesn't quite reach the huge hype that it seems to have been given.
  
TA
Tracking a Shadow (Jarvis Mann Detective #1)
R. Weir | 2014
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Very interesting read. Jarvis Mann is back on the job. This time he is helping a woman with stalker issues. But is it all what it seems? I like Jarvis humor and his laid back style. He is different from most men you read about. He knows he’s not the best and didn’t expect others to bow down. He was flawed but that also made him perfect. He can’t hold onto a woman that’s for sure. He believed lies over what was in front of him. I liked that this wasn’t all about giving him a HEA but his journey as a P.I.
I knew something was up with the case from jump. I couldn’t believe Emily at all. But when the woman is beautiful men have a hard time denying them. The twist and turns the author put in the book made it worth reading. I don’t read many detective books but this one was an excellent choice. The plot and characters were well written. There was even some naughty scenes that made Jarvis very human. Because most men don’t have superhuman stamina.
  
13 Reasons Why  - Season 1
13 Reasons Why - Season 1
2017 | Drama
Detail to the book (1 more)
Spot on casting
Changed key themes (0 more)
I just finished the first season of this show last night and though there were some major issues that turned me away from giving this a higher rating, overall it was a good show and one that i intend to share with my teenage sister. This show may be extremely difficult to watch for someone who may be suicidal, or who has experienced sexual assault. The casting was done extremely well and in a manner that really makes you hate the characters you're supposed to hate.

Unfortunately the last few episodes really turned the story from about about WHY the main character killed herself and instead turned it into a revenge story of sorts. It really took quite a bit away from what I felt was the take-home message of the book. It certainly didn't glorify suicide, but it turned the story away from looking at the deeper issues and how one small event can lead down a very dark path and into making it feel like it was drama for the sake of drama. I don't know if I'll continue on to Season 2.
  
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Betrayal at House on the Hill
2004 | Adventure, Exploration, Horror, Miniatures
A lot of people I know really like this game, but I am not a big fan. I've played it four or five times- I keep giving it another chance and I just don't think it deserves one. The good thing is it has a lot of replayability with all of the different scenarios. The bad- this game has a LOT of down time. When it isn't your turn, it is incredibly boring. There's not a lot of big decisions or thought to even be made on your turn, so you have about 30 seconds of doing something interesting and then 10-15 minutes of waiting around before it's your turn again (especially if people haven't played before). The game is very high variance- it really depends on a lot of random elements. It is the randomness more than anything you actually strategize during the game to do that determines what happens in the end. It's a really simple semi-cooperative board game. If you are newer to board games and want to play something simple, I would recommend it. If you're expecting a challenging horror board game with a traitor mechanic, I really would not.
  
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Akward (448 KP) Jul 20, 2018

I completely agree with what you've said. I honestly view it as a gateway game between Catan and more complicated games. Our group played it religiously for a few months, and I will say that it did get better with a more experienced group. After a short while, the turns could be done in 2-3 minutes (even with a 6 player group), so there was much less downtime. But there's no way around the fact that it is poorly balanced, which is ultimately what turned our group off.

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ClareR (5686 KP) rated Templar Silks in Books

Aug 10, 2018  
Templar Silks
Templar Silks
Elizabeth Chadwick | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Historical fiction at it's best!
William Marshall is on his death bed and is looking back on his life. The Templar Silks of the story are the burial silks that he was given 30 years previously, when he became a secular Knight of the Templar Knights in Jerusalem. He promised that he would become a full member of the Order before he died, so he sends a trusted servant to collect the silk shroud from where he had entrusted it. While he waits for the silks, William slips into drug-induced remembrances of his time leading up to and during his time in Outremer. We learn of the riches of Jerusalem and those that ruled it; that King Baldwin had crippling leprosy, yet still ruled; and that those who ruled supposedly under the eye of God, did so only to gain more money and power (so, the same as everywhere else then, really!).
I'm sad to see that this is the end of William Marshall (I'm giving nothing away here!). I've enjoyed reading all of the books about him: even though they're largely speculation, Elizabeth Chadwick has still done her research in to the time very well.