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Thief With No Shadow
Emily Gee | 2007
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I can understand why some other readers gave this such a low rating, but I enjoyed the book. It was slower paced than other books I have read but I finished it rather quickly. Each passage serves some purpose, whether it’s building the world, progressing the story, or familiarizing the reader with the characters. The characters had more self-loathing than I have read in any book but it was understandable considering what they have been through. I don’t think some of the reviewers actually understand how the human mind works. With what these people have had to deal with in their life, they are actually well adapted.

There is also a lot of sex in this book. More than I expected there to be. And half of it is interspecies. I appreciate that the author had the decency not to describe one of them but I could have done without the other. I agree there definitely should be a warning about those scenes. Nowhere is there a warning that there are graphic scenes of any kind.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I loved the mythology. The plot wasn’t overly complicated but it kept me interested even through the slow parts. But mainly, I was so invested in the characters having their happy endings that I couldn’t put the book down. However, I can definitely tell why it’s not for everyone.
  
Wicked Soul (Ancient Blood #1)
Wicked Soul (Ancient Blood #1)
Nora Ash | 2018 | Paranormal
6
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
did not like Liv!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I have *issues* with this book.

Aside from the fact its single person point of view and blah blah blah of course I wanted to hear from Warin, Olivia has to be the single most annoying main character I have ever come across and I cannot,for the life of me figure out why I kept reading!!

She whines and moans and has the mental age of a teenager, I wasn't actually sure how old she was supposed to be til she and Warin are talking about how old he is.

Clearly, the British vampire Night Lord who's name escapes me already, is playing on a much bigger playground than just Chicago. And Warin's brother, Aleric, is part of that playground judging by the epilogue, but I can't see what game he is playing.

The book is reasonably well written, with some sexy scenes and some violence, but nothing too explicit or graphic. I saw no spelling or editing errors.

Will I read book two? Depends on who has the majority voice in that one. If it's Aleric? Possibly.

I just did not like Olivia!

But I did finish it, so for that reason...

3 stars

 Sorry this is short, but I find the 3 star ones for meh books the hardest to write.

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
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Dana (24 KP) rated Saga in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
Saga
Saga
Brian K. Vaughan | 2012 | Comics & Graphic Novels
10
9.2 (21 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am giving this first book a 4.5 stars, because, while I really enjoyed reading it, there were a few points where if got a bit too much for me. If you have read it, you'll understand what I mean. Also, like always, this is a spoiler alert as there will most likely be a bunch of spoilers in this review. So you have been warned.

I can honestly say that I loved the relationship between the two main characters. They have such a deep love for one another and it is refreshing to see. They also have a pretty healthy relationship for the circumstances they are under.

It was cool to start the series in the middle of so much chaos, just like how the characters are in their lives at that time. I like how they set up the rules of the world by explaining it through the daughter as if she is telling us the story.

All the characters, in general, are very compelling and multifaceted, something I (obviously) appreciate a lot.

This was a very good exposition graphic novel that is setting up the rest of the story and I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

The artwork is phenomenal. I cannot express enough how amazing it is! Props to the artists who worked on this, because I feel like they don't get enough credit. So if you're reading this, very well done!!
  
Salt to the Sea
Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Young Adult (YA)
7
8.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
So, I’ve just finished reading all three novels nominated for the YA category of the California Young Reader Medal. The first two I read kind of left me feeling “meh,” so I was all set to be unimpressed with this one as well. I’m so delighted to tell you that I was wrong.

The story is told from the perspectives of four different characters, and I loved how Sepetys begins the narrative by telling of the same opening event from each character’s view point. After that, things unfold a little slowly, but it is completely worth it as you approach the climax…by that time, I was completely invested in each of the characters and was absolutely riveted to what was happening to them.

I’m also terribly impressed that Sepetys tackles telling a story from the “wrong” side (Germans during WWII), painting the characters not as the accepted “evil” caricatures but as real human beings caught up in a horrific war. In doing so, she sheds light on a human tragedy that so few of us know anything about (myself included) because it happened to the Germans as they were losing the war.

I will warn potential readers that the end of this novel does get rather graphic and emotionally wrenching, as you would expect in a novel about war and death. Although writing for a young adult audience, Sepetys does not gloss over the terror, panic, and trauma of the events.
  
Alex, Approximately
Alex, Approximately
8
7.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a super-cute Young Adult Romance. I actually read it for free off RivetedLit - it's free to read there through the end of July. I really enjoyed the change in formatting for the online conversations between Mink and Alex, and the explanation for why Bailey hadn't shared any identifying information online at all. That was pretty well done.

The book is a Young Adult take on the enemies-to-lovers trope, but it mostly avoided the "he picks on you because he likes you" line. The initial conflict between our two characters is really just due to misunderstandings, and the boy quickly apologizes. (With cookies!) I really enjoyed both of these characters, and I was definitely cheering for them as they revealed more of their histories and insecurities to each other.

I REALLY enjoyed their date to Monterey, California - they visited the Natural History Museum and the aquarium, both of which I have been to personally! I lived in Monterey many years ago, so it was neat to see them in a place I have personal memories of.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent young adult romance. There was some mention of sex, but nothing too graphic. I loved the setting; it brought me back to the Pacific Ocean, even if it was California beaches instead of the cold, rocky Pacific Northwest.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com