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KittyMiku (138 KP) rated Her Last Goodbye in Books
May 23, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
As with any mystery, it is amazing to have that suspense with a tad bit of danger. After all, the excitement is in the wondering who did what and what may have caused an event to happen. However, Her Last Goodbye is more than just that. It allows the reader to see into some of the worries and dangers it is to be a parent, how romance can lead to vulnerable states of mind (which we all know can lead to some acts of intimacy), as well as how some people have some complicated views on how a relationship should work. It was even more shocking and terrifyingly real than the first book in the Morgan Dane series. I found myself ridden with anxiety, fear, and concern through out the book. Having so many difficult situations to have to sort through and ideas, I found this book hard to put down, even when it got too intense to keep reading at the moment.
First of all, Morgan having three children is always nice to see. With her concern about her children's livelihood always about her, it wasn't hard for her to connect with the missing woman, Chelsea, who was a mother of 2 small children, and how she wasn't likely to leave her children that she adored so much. It was, however, rough for her to try to come up with clues and facts to prove that the woman just didn't run away from her family. To see Morgan struggle through that idea and then to end up having her own children threatened on multiple occasions by a variety of men, only made things worse. I found those parts exceptionally hard to read. Having a child myself, I don't think I would have been as rational or as brave as she was. Just the thought of the things she went through and the ideas of a mother just abandoning her children, has me shaken. Even though, as stated in the book, mothers sometimes do strange things like that, it still isn't easy to process or understand. Then to watch a mother go into Mama Bear mode to protect her own, kept my own mind whirling. I like to think I would do anything to protect my daughter, but my own problem with conflict would have been enough to make sure I got out of whatever situation that would put me in that rough spot. It had fuel Morgan even more though. She pushed harder to find and get rid of the person behind her own children's danger. This only makes her even more loveable. It is actually inspiring to have such a strong woman character, who would do anything to protect her loved ones. I can't help but feel more drawn to her in this book, and I feel that my admiration and love for her will grow in the future. Even so, I still found a lot of other disturbing things within the story.
We all know that there are people out there who believe women should be completely submissive to men, but it was still really hard to read and stomach a character who had this belief. To kidnap, condition, and even train another person seems extremely harsh, yet a they existed. I found it harder to read how they would torture another human being to break their mind and their spirit, just to train a woman to think and be something they weren't. Especially when said person was supposedly in love with their prey. I did find it inspiring on how, even being tortured, a woman can overcome it and try to escape and get back to her family. In fact, the thought of her family propelled her and kept her trying to get back home. It really made me happy to see that family was her motivation. Though, it was rough to get through, it made me wonder how many women could go through what she had and still find the courage and strength to keep trying to figure out a way to escape and get home. Even though, it was clear she was traumatized, it was clear she was more concerned with getting home to her children than how she could be caught and tortured and punished for trying. I found this to be a pleasant idea to have about someone who was captured. After all, wouldn't you end up within just a few days of being hurt over and over, give up and just conform to whoever was trying to condition you was ways? I probably would have. But this woman character definitely shed some light how nothing else mattered where your family is concern.
I found how strong feelings for someone and their family can really change how you view things to be a nice delight. I hadn't expected Lance to end up falling for Morgan's children the way he did to happen. It had been hinted that he loved and wanted a relationship with Morgan, but to see him fall in love with her girls and want to protect them as much as Morgan did, was really a pleasant sight. I know there are men out there like that, but its still rare and to see how his love for Morgan ends up extending to her children was just the right about of sentiment and love the book need to keeps things from going overboard. I enjoyed how he tried his best to make sure her girls were safe and even let them into his house to keep them protected, to be exhilarating and touching. It is always nice to have some wholesome love and concern to help break up some of the tension in a storyline and Leigh's way of adding this to Lance's character was a nice call. It helped keep the danger presented while showing a parental side to Lance and offering up how your friends and potential lover's can easily adore your children as much as you do.
Overall, I would rate Melinda Leigh's Her Last Goodbye 5 stars out of 5 stars for how well written and emotional filled the book was. It could stand alone as it gives refreshers on what happened in the last book, as well as had its own storyline. Though, the character developments increased and they continued to grow through out the story, the reader wouldn't feel like they missed a whole lot by reading this book first. I have to say that has to be something that is delightful. After all, wouldn't is just bite if you had to read the first book to even think about picking up the second. Sometimes you don't always realize what you are grabbing and having a series that has books that could stand alone if they needed to, makes it so much easier to start by whatever book you happen to pick up first. I definitely recommend this book to all our thrill seekers. Its not for the faint of heart, but is still extremely excellent to read.
First of all, Morgan having three children is always nice to see. With her concern about her children's livelihood always about her, it wasn't hard for her to connect with the missing woman, Chelsea, who was a mother of 2 small children, and how she wasn't likely to leave her children that she adored so much. It was, however, rough for her to try to come up with clues and facts to prove that the woman just didn't run away from her family. To see Morgan struggle through that idea and then to end up having her own children threatened on multiple occasions by a variety of men, only made things worse. I found those parts exceptionally hard to read. Having a child myself, I don't think I would have been as rational or as brave as she was. Just the thought of the things she went through and the ideas of a mother just abandoning her children, has me shaken. Even though, as stated in the book, mothers sometimes do strange things like that, it still isn't easy to process or understand. Then to watch a mother go into Mama Bear mode to protect her own, kept my own mind whirling. I like to think I would do anything to protect my daughter, but my own problem with conflict would have been enough to make sure I got out of whatever situation that would put me in that rough spot. It had fuel Morgan even more though. She pushed harder to find and get rid of the person behind her own children's danger. This only makes her even more loveable. It is actually inspiring to have such a strong woman character, who would do anything to protect her loved ones. I can't help but feel more drawn to her in this book, and I feel that my admiration and love for her will grow in the future. Even so, I still found a lot of other disturbing things within the story.
We all know that there are people out there who believe women should be completely submissive to men, but it was still really hard to read and stomach a character who had this belief. To kidnap, condition, and even train another person seems extremely harsh, yet a they existed. I found it harder to read how they would torture another human being to break their mind and their spirit, just to train a woman to think and be something they weren't. Especially when said person was supposedly in love with their prey. I did find it inspiring on how, even being tortured, a woman can overcome it and try to escape and get back to her family. In fact, the thought of her family propelled her and kept her trying to get back home. It really made me happy to see that family was her motivation. Though, it was rough to get through, it made me wonder how many women could go through what she had and still find the courage and strength to keep trying to figure out a way to escape and get home. Even though, it was clear she was traumatized, it was clear she was more concerned with getting home to her children than how she could be caught and tortured and punished for trying. I found this to be a pleasant idea to have about someone who was captured. After all, wouldn't you end up within just a few days of being hurt over and over, give up and just conform to whoever was trying to condition you was ways? I probably would have. But this woman character definitely shed some light how nothing else mattered where your family is concern.
I found how strong feelings for someone and their family can really change how you view things to be a nice delight. I hadn't expected Lance to end up falling for Morgan's children the way he did to happen. It had been hinted that he loved and wanted a relationship with Morgan, but to see him fall in love with her girls and want to protect them as much as Morgan did, was really a pleasant sight. I know there are men out there like that, but its still rare and to see how his love for Morgan ends up extending to her children was just the right about of sentiment and love the book need to keeps things from going overboard. I enjoyed how he tried his best to make sure her girls were safe and even let them into his house to keep them protected, to be exhilarating and touching. It is always nice to have some wholesome love and concern to help break up some of the tension in a storyline and Leigh's way of adding this to Lance's character was a nice call. It helped keep the danger presented while showing a parental side to Lance and offering up how your friends and potential lover's can easily adore your children as much as you do.
Overall, I would rate Melinda Leigh's Her Last Goodbye 5 stars out of 5 stars for how well written and emotional filled the book was. It could stand alone as it gives refreshers on what happened in the last book, as well as had its own storyline. Though, the character developments increased and they continued to grow through out the story, the reader wouldn't feel like they missed a whole lot by reading this book first. I have to say that has to be something that is delightful. After all, wouldn't is just bite if you had to read the first book to even think about picking up the second. Sometimes you don't always realize what you are grabbing and having a series that has books that could stand alone if they needed to, makes it so much easier to start by whatever book you happen to pick up first. I definitely recommend this book to all our thrill seekers. Its not for the faint of heart, but is still extremely excellent to read.
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated The Girl Before in Books
Mar 17, 2019
What a page-turner! I was gripped from start to finish – if I could have read it in one sitting I would have!
The story alternates between being told by 2 different central female characters, Emma in the past, and Jane currently. Following a burglary, Emma and her boyfriend find an amazing new house, which adapts to how you live – you need a special microchip to be allowed entrance, and the lighting and shower settings adapt to your personal tendencies and preferences. But there’s a catch – to rent it, you have to obey a strict set of rules laid down by the obsessive and intriguing architect.
Switch scene to Jane – following a tragic still birth, Jane finds relief in finding an amazing new house where she can start over again. Things turn tense though when Jane finds out that previous tenant, Emma, looks exactly like Jane and was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Things become more worrying still when Jane discovers her current beau, the elusive architect of the house, has only been taking on tenants who look like his dead wife.
When I read the synopsis, I thought that what happens with Jane would be identical to what happened with Emma, but each character does in fact have other things going on, and there was more to story than a fantastic house and a bizarre way to live. I won’t give away any more of the story – I wouldn't want to spoil it.
The majority of chapters where only about 2 minutes long, so it was easy to tell myself I had time for just one more chapter! It was like reading a James Patterson novel, but with oodles more intrigue! I enjoyed this author’s debut novel so much, I've already downloaded Delaney’s other book, and have pre-ordered the third! Thoroughly recommended!
The story alternates between being told by 2 different central female characters, Emma in the past, and Jane currently. Following a burglary, Emma and her boyfriend find an amazing new house, which adapts to how you live – you need a special microchip to be allowed entrance, and the lighting and shower settings adapt to your personal tendencies and preferences. But there’s a catch – to rent it, you have to obey a strict set of rules laid down by the obsessive and intriguing architect.
Switch scene to Jane – following a tragic still birth, Jane finds relief in finding an amazing new house where she can start over again. Things turn tense though when Jane finds out that previous tenant, Emma, looks exactly like Jane and was found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Things become more worrying still when Jane discovers her current beau, the elusive architect of the house, has only been taking on tenants who look like his dead wife.
When I read the synopsis, I thought that what happens with Jane would be identical to what happened with Emma, but each character does in fact have other things going on, and there was more to story than a fantastic house and a bizarre way to live. I won’t give away any more of the story – I wouldn't want to spoil it.
The majority of chapters where only about 2 minutes long, so it was easy to tell myself I had time for just one more chapter! It was like reading a James Patterson novel, but with oodles more intrigue! I enjoyed this author’s debut novel so much, I've already downloaded Delaney’s other book, and have pre-ordered the third! Thoroughly recommended!
Ambitious twisty thriller
With a satire type feel to the plot, we have a tale about a super famous thriller writer called J.T LeBeau who is only known by their pen name (and it’s not J.K Rowling for sure….) They are well known for their killer (pardon the pun) twists. So this book sets itself up to some high expectations with a title like Twisted about an author who writes awesome twists you better have some darn good twists!
It’s one of those books you are better off not having to much plot detail on and just going with, so I’ll save on the details. I found it to be a well written book, I liked the style and it moved along at a good pace. I think the plot would have benefited from a few more characters but on the whole I like the ones we had (even if I didn’t necessarily like the person.) In particular the cops were interesting, for a book that does not focus on them, rather than just the standard insert cardboard cutout type cops.
For all the hype of twists it did deliver to some extent but for me it just fell short of having a real stunner twist(s.) Maybe not helped with the whole premise putting you on high alert for them. I do read a lot in this genre so I think it takes quite a bit these days to really get my jaw to drop and this didn’t quite get me to that point but still some enjoyable curves.
This was the first book by Steve Cavanagh that I have read and I think the premise of the book was very interesting it just set its sights a little higher than it managed to reach. Still it was an enjoyable ride and I’m looking forward to reading more by him.
It’s one of those books you are better off not having to much plot detail on and just going with, so I’ll save on the details. I found it to be a well written book, I liked the style and it moved along at a good pace. I think the plot would have benefited from a few more characters but on the whole I like the ones we had (even if I didn’t necessarily like the person.) In particular the cops were interesting, for a book that does not focus on them, rather than just the standard insert cardboard cutout type cops.
For all the hype of twists it did deliver to some extent but for me it just fell short of having a real stunner twist(s.) Maybe not helped with the whole premise putting you on high alert for them. I do read a lot in this genre so I think it takes quite a bit these days to really get my jaw to drop and this didn’t quite get me to that point but still some enjoyable curves.
This was the first book by Steve Cavanagh that I have read and I think the premise of the book was very interesting it just set its sights a little higher than it managed to reach. Still it was an enjoyable ride and I’m looking forward to reading more by him.
Debbiereadsbook (1171 KP) rated Seeing Beyond the Scars (The Manx Cat Guardians #1) in Books
Apr 3, 2018
a good solid 3 stars
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
For the most part, I quite enjoyed this, but there was one issue that very nearly ruined it for me.
EDITING.
This book needs a major edit. Almost every other page there were words, while spelt correctly, did not fit in the sentence. Images, when it should have said imagine. Little things, that mount up, and because of this, I very nearly dumped it. It NEEDS mentioning, because it did effect my reading pleasure.
THAT SAID!
I did enjoy it, mostly. The tale of a little cat, looking after her charge. A damaged man, and a disillusioned man, coming together. Brad is pretty much a recluse, only going out his house when he HAS to. His new neighbour and his naughty cat have him all a-dither. Martin is hit with that "MINE" moment you usually get with shifters (there are no shifters in this book!) and the attraction is instant and powerful. HOT too! But I found it a little too much, too soon, you know?? Brad is damaged, emotionally and physically, by his history, and I would have expected him to be way more skittish.
I would have liked some more of Princess, more specifically, about HER, and her sort of being and her people (for want of a better word!) We get hints and clues, but I'm left feeling like I missed something, you know?? Something important about her.
A first time author and in places, it shows. BUT!!! One to watch out for, I think. A good start, as a new author, AND as the first in a series. I'd like to follow it, maybe I'll get what I'm missing from Princess.
3 solid GOOD stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
For the most part, I quite enjoyed this, but there was one issue that very nearly ruined it for me.
EDITING.
This book needs a major edit. Almost every other page there were words, while spelt correctly, did not fit in the sentence. Images, when it should have said imagine. Little things, that mount up, and because of this, I very nearly dumped it. It NEEDS mentioning, because it did effect my reading pleasure.
THAT SAID!
I did enjoy it, mostly. The tale of a little cat, looking after her charge. A damaged man, and a disillusioned man, coming together. Brad is pretty much a recluse, only going out his house when he HAS to. His new neighbour and his naughty cat have him all a-dither. Martin is hit with that "MINE" moment you usually get with shifters (there are no shifters in this book!) and the attraction is instant and powerful. HOT too! But I found it a little too much, too soon, you know?? Brad is damaged, emotionally and physically, by his history, and I would have expected him to be way more skittish.
I would have liked some more of Princess, more specifically, about HER, and her sort of being and her people (for want of a better word!) We get hints and clues, but I'm left feeling like I missed something, you know?? Something important about her.
A first time author and in places, it shows. BUT!!! One to watch out for, I think. A good start, as a new author, AND as the first in a series. I'd like to follow it, maybe I'll get what I'm missing from Princess.
3 solid GOOD stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Sorry to Bother You (2018) in Movies
Apr 1, 2019
Bananas
When a man gets a job at a call center, he finds that using his “white voice” not only gets him ahead faster, but it takes him down a road crazier than he ever could have imagined. “Crazier” is the operative word here as this movie pushes crazy to the absolute limit. Sorry to Bother You is not without its flaws, but it gets the job done in terms of quality.
Acting: 10
Beginning; 10
Characters: 10
Cassius’ (LaKeith Stanfield) character works on a number of levels. He’s your average guy trying to make it in the world having to rob Peter to pay Paul. He’s easily lovable and funny. More importantly, he’s relatable. There was a number of times watching the movie where I found myself thinking, “Definitely been there before.”
While his character shines, it pales in comparison to Detroit played by the phenomenal Tessa Thompson. She has such a smoothness about her that you can’t escape. In this role, she is a starving artist trying to pave her way and stay true to herself as she wants Cassius to do. She’s cool as shit, but also not the type of girl you ever want to doublecross. I can’t express enough how much Detroit impacted the movie as a whole.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
The movie succeeds with a lot of jarring imagery, although I will admit that the shock value felt too strong at times. The visuals won’t change your life, but there were a few moments that raised an eyebrow or two. This is the lovechild of when artsy-fartsy meets comedy.
Conflict: 8
Genre: 10
Memorability: 10
Pace: 9
There were a couple of times where I found myself asking, “Ok, where is this going?” But it gets there eventually. It’s consistently funny and is meant to be one of those movies that you probably need to watch a couple of times to really grasp. Outside of one lull, expect to be consistently entertained throughout as this strange mystery unfolds.
Plot: 9
Resolution: 3
Overall: 86
Sorry to Bother You should be a classic, but a meh ending keeps that award just out of reach. I still really liked it and I think you will too. However, it fell just short of me loving it. If you’re looking for some strong social commentary, look no further.
Acting: 10
Beginning; 10
Characters: 10
Cassius’ (LaKeith Stanfield) character works on a number of levels. He’s your average guy trying to make it in the world having to rob Peter to pay Paul. He’s easily lovable and funny. More importantly, he’s relatable. There was a number of times watching the movie where I found myself thinking, “Definitely been there before.”
While his character shines, it pales in comparison to Detroit played by the phenomenal Tessa Thompson. She has such a smoothness about her that you can’t escape. In this role, she is a starving artist trying to pave her way and stay true to herself as she wants Cassius to do. She’s cool as shit, but also not the type of girl you ever want to doublecross. I can’t express enough how much Detroit impacted the movie as a whole.
Cinematography/Visuals: 7
The movie succeeds with a lot of jarring imagery, although I will admit that the shock value felt too strong at times. The visuals won’t change your life, but there were a few moments that raised an eyebrow or two. This is the lovechild of when artsy-fartsy meets comedy.
Conflict: 8
Genre: 10
Memorability: 10
Pace: 9
There were a couple of times where I found myself asking, “Ok, where is this going?” But it gets there eventually. It’s consistently funny and is meant to be one of those movies that you probably need to watch a couple of times to really grasp. Outside of one lull, expect to be consistently entertained throughout as this strange mystery unfolds.
Plot: 9
Resolution: 3
Overall: 86
Sorry to Bother You should be a classic, but a meh ending keeps that award just out of reach. I still really liked it and I think you will too. However, it fell just short of me loving it. If you’re looking for some strong social commentary, look no further.
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Dicetopia in Tabletop Games
Jun 12, 2019
As board gamers, we are always looking for cool new games to play! Occasionally, that search takes us to Kickstarter, which is where I found Dicetopia. After reading the campaign page, I was immediately hooked and decided to back it! I enjoyed following Dicetopia through production, and the finished product is everything I hoped it would be! Maybe after reading this review, you’ll want to give it a try too!
Welcome to the Dicetopia – a vast city teeming with opportunity. Some people capitalize on those opportunities for the greater good, but not you. You and your faction have more dubious motivations – you see a city ripe for the taking. Unfortunately for you, other factions in the city see the same thing. Now, you must work quickly and quietly to gain control over the city’s neighborhoods before your opponents! Pick up loot, carry out secret missions, and undermine your opponent in any way possible. The sneakiest and most clever faction will come out on top – will it be yours?
In Dicetopia, you are a member of a faction vying for control of the city. You and your opponents have secret missions to complete, and your strategy will vary depending on those missions. On your turn, you will swap one of the agents from your faction board with a die from any neighborhood. Each neighborhood has an action associated with it, and placing an agent there allows you to take the designated action. Neighborhood actions could be beneficial for you (re-rolling a die on your faction board), or they could be detrimental for your opponent (swapping one of their dice for one from the board). A controlling presence is one key to success, so make sure you have more agents than your opponent in any neighborhood! End-game scoring is in three parts: 1. Die total from your faction board, 2. Points for controlling a neighborhood, and 3. Successful completion of your secret missions. The player with the highest score wins!
Overall, I love Dicetopia. It’s kind of a game of worker placement without the weight that is sometimes associated with that mechanic. As someone who has not played many worker placement games before, I think Dicetopia does a good job introducing players to the mechanic. You place your agent, take the die, perform the corresponding action, and that’s your turn. Easy peasy. And since your secret missions dictate your strategy, the game is really more about dice/set collection than it is about worker placement. Another thing I like about the game is that it is dictated by dice, which means you’ll never play the same game twice. All of the dice are rolled and randomly placed during setup, so your city board will always be different for each game. And depending on your secret missions, the die values could make completing your secret missions easier or harder! That means you have to strategize your use of neighborhood actions even more! There is so much more strategy involved in this game than meets the eye, and I love that.
The one thing I do not like about Dicetopia is that whenever you place an agent in a neighborhood, you must take the corresponding action. Even if you don’t want to, or if it would be against your best interest. That gets a little frustrating as the game goes on, because some actions (later in the game) could essentially undo your entire game, costing you points by altering your success on secret missions. I wish the neighborhood actions were optional, because then it wouldn’t feel like my entire game strategy had been thrown out the window in the last couple of turns.
Besides my one grievance with the neighborhood actions, I really thoroughly enjoy playing Dicetopia. It was definitely a great find on Kickstarter for me, and I hope you’ll decide to give it a shot too! Purple Phoenix Games gives it a 9 / 12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/dicetopia-review/
Welcome to the Dicetopia – a vast city teeming with opportunity. Some people capitalize on those opportunities for the greater good, but not you. You and your faction have more dubious motivations – you see a city ripe for the taking. Unfortunately for you, other factions in the city see the same thing. Now, you must work quickly and quietly to gain control over the city’s neighborhoods before your opponents! Pick up loot, carry out secret missions, and undermine your opponent in any way possible. The sneakiest and most clever faction will come out on top – will it be yours?
In Dicetopia, you are a member of a faction vying for control of the city. You and your opponents have secret missions to complete, and your strategy will vary depending on those missions. On your turn, you will swap one of the agents from your faction board with a die from any neighborhood. Each neighborhood has an action associated with it, and placing an agent there allows you to take the designated action. Neighborhood actions could be beneficial for you (re-rolling a die on your faction board), or they could be detrimental for your opponent (swapping one of their dice for one from the board). A controlling presence is one key to success, so make sure you have more agents than your opponent in any neighborhood! End-game scoring is in three parts: 1. Die total from your faction board, 2. Points for controlling a neighborhood, and 3. Successful completion of your secret missions. The player with the highest score wins!
Overall, I love Dicetopia. It’s kind of a game of worker placement without the weight that is sometimes associated with that mechanic. As someone who has not played many worker placement games before, I think Dicetopia does a good job introducing players to the mechanic. You place your agent, take the die, perform the corresponding action, and that’s your turn. Easy peasy. And since your secret missions dictate your strategy, the game is really more about dice/set collection than it is about worker placement. Another thing I like about the game is that it is dictated by dice, which means you’ll never play the same game twice. All of the dice are rolled and randomly placed during setup, so your city board will always be different for each game. And depending on your secret missions, the die values could make completing your secret missions easier or harder! That means you have to strategize your use of neighborhood actions even more! There is so much more strategy involved in this game than meets the eye, and I love that.
The one thing I do not like about Dicetopia is that whenever you place an agent in a neighborhood, you must take the corresponding action. Even if you don’t want to, or if it would be against your best interest. That gets a little frustrating as the game goes on, because some actions (later in the game) could essentially undo your entire game, costing you points by altering your success on secret missions. I wish the neighborhood actions were optional, because then it wouldn’t feel like my entire game strategy had been thrown out the window in the last couple of turns.
Besides my one grievance with the neighborhood actions, I really thoroughly enjoy playing Dicetopia. It was definitely a great find on Kickstarter for me, and I hope you’ll decide to give it a shot too! Purple Phoenix Games gives it a 9 / 12.
https://purplephoenixgames.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/dicetopia-review/
Cat Danger Allan (29 KP) rated The Princess Bride in Books
Jan 27, 2020 (Updated Jan 27, 2020)
It is still my favourite book in all of the world. And more then ever, I wish I had written it
Contains spoilers, click to show
I watched the movie and loved how closely it related to the fairy tale in the book. We have Wesley and Buttercup who fall in love. However, when Wesley goes to make his fortune his ship is taken by the dreaded pirate Rogers, who never leaves a man alive. So Buttercup in her depression agrees to marry Prince Humperdink. One day Buttercup is kidnapped by a swordsman, a giant and the brains of the group. And so it goes.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
Merissa (11961 KP) rated Shadow Bound (Shadow #1) in Books
Oct 20, 2023
SHADOW BOUND is the first book in the Shadow series, starting off with the Daughter of Death, Talia. Not only that, but you get a nice prologue that tells you about the love between her father and mother, and just what their situation was. I really liked that.
After the prologue, you move forward twenty-six years to find Talia packing for a new job after successfully defending her dissertation. All that changes when two Wraiths force their way into her home and kill her flatmate. Talia goes on the run, successfully hiding for a few months until her luck seems to run out. While this has been going on, Adam has been searching for her. She is the only one so far he has found that mentions 'Shadowman' and he is desperate to find her. He does, in the nick of time, and that's when the fun really starts.
Talia doesn't simply turn into a kick-ass bad-ass b!tch. Nope, she claws her way through her instincts to run and hide, only really coming into her own during the last part of the book. Adam is a bitter, arrogant jerk (with reason) who wants to use Talia at the beginning and, by the end, will do anything to protect her.
This is a fast-paced story that will keep you turning the pages. The world-building was great and really helped to set the scene, not only for this book but also for the others in the series. Talia and Adam are ably supported by a fascinating group of characters that I hope will be in later books. I found it to be a great start to the series and look forward to Custo's story, which is next.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 20, 2023
After the prologue, you move forward twenty-six years to find Talia packing for a new job after successfully defending her dissertation. All that changes when two Wraiths force their way into her home and kill her flatmate. Talia goes on the run, successfully hiding for a few months until her luck seems to run out. While this has been going on, Adam has been searching for her. She is the only one so far he has found that mentions 'Shadowman' and he is desperate to find her. He does, in the nick of time, and that's when the fun really starts.
Talia doesn't simply turn into a kick-ass bad-ass b!tch. Nope, she claws her way through her instincts to run and hide, only really coming into her own during the last part of the book. Adam is a bitter, arrogant jerk (with reason) who wants to use Talia at the beginning and, by the end, will do anything to protect her.
This is a fast-paced story that will keep you turning the pages. The world-building was great and really helped to set the scene, not only for this book but also for the others in the series. Talia and Adam are ably supported by a fascinating group of characters that I hope will be in later books. I found it to be a great start to the series and look forward to Custo's story, which is next.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 20, 2023
Azia (0 KP) rated the Xbox 360 version of Assassin's Creed 2 in Video Games
Jan 23, 2018
A Beautiful Game
A definite step up from the last game and a well thought out storyline made Assassins Creed 2 intriguing and eventful. The characters, I felt, were written beautifully and acted accordingly to their personalities.
I do have a few problems however and I understand that no game is perfect so I found ways around these glitches.
Ezio often failed to follow my demands as when I tried to freerun around the buildings, he seemed to favour jumping off them instead of safely landing on the next one. It took more than a few attempts to complete some missions because of this. It might have been me not using the controller properly or the controller being out of sync but no matter what I did to try and combat this, he still seemed to enjoy leaping to his death.
I do have a lot of praise for this game though as it made me laugh on several occasions and finally completing it felt amazing. Avoiding spoilers, the final scene made my heart race and made me maybe a little too excited for the next game.
The combat is designed well and fits with the style of the game. Although I found it difficult to get my head around, mastering fighting techniques took little effort and killing soldiers became easier the more I practiced. The health of Ezio and the soldiers was equally balanced and left you would a good and perhaps difficult at times fight but always one you could win with the right skills.
The graphics in this game are stunning and standing on a viewpoint to watch over it all reminds me how beautiful it is. The detail in the buildings and the general design are accurate.
The NPCs could get rather annoying at times with musicians running up to me in the squares and getting in my way tested my patience. The basket carriers were even worse. Soldiers would get angry with me if I knocked one over which would happen often as they liked to walk into my path.
Overall, a stunning game with a developed and intriguing storyline. While it took time to get around a few problems, this game is one of the only games I want to complete 100%. And if I can find all those feathers, I eventually will!
I do have a few problems however and I understand that no game is perfect so I found ways around these glitches.
Ezio often failed to follow my demands as when I tried to freerun around the buildings, he seemed to favour jumping off them instead of safely landing on the next one. It took more than a few attempts to complete some missions because of this. It might have been me not using the controller properly or the controller being out of sync but no matter what I did to try and combat this, he still seemed to enjoy leaping to his death.
I do have a lot of praise for this game though as it made me laugh on several occasions and finally completing it felt amazing. Avoiding spoilers, the final scene made my heart race and made me maybe a little too excited for the next game.
The combat is designed well and fits with the style of the game. Although I found it difficult to get my head around, mastering fighting techniques took little effort and killing soldiers became easier the more I practiced. The health of Ezio and the soldiers was equally balanced and left you would a good and perhaps difficult at times fight but always one you could win with the right skills.
The graphics in this game are stunning and standing on a viewpoint to watch over it all reminds me how beautiful it is. The detail in the buildings and the general design are accurate.
The NPCs could get rather annoying at times with musicians running up to me in the squares and getting in my way tested my patience. The basket carriers were even worse. Soldiers would get angry with me if I knocked one over which would happen often as they liked to walk into my path.
Overall, a stunning game with a developed and intriguing storyline. While it took time to get around a few problems, this game is one of the only games I want to complete 100%. And if I can find all those feathers, I eventually will!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated We Were Liars in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Cadence (Cady) grows up slightly insulated from the world - the first grandchild born to the weathly Harris and Tupper. Her mother is one of the Harris' three daughters, all of whom have their own children and each of whom vie for their father's affection (and eventual inheritance). During the summer's, Cady stays on a private island with her family, growing up with her cousins - including a group they call the Liars, composed her herself, her cousins Mirren and Johnny, and Johnny's friend, Gat. Thick as thieves during the summer, it seems like nothing can separate the quartet - but is that really true?
So, this is a tough one to review. I'd heard a lot of glowing things and this had a ton of positive reviews from my friends. Even my stepmom (who lent the book to me) liked it. So maybe my expectations were just too high when I read it, but I felt "eh." That's not to say that I didn't find the big *ahh spoilery ending* to be amazing and shocking. I did, and I felt wowed and, yes, a bit amazed, and did sort of want to re-read things in that context.
But, I don't think I could. Because, overall, I found the book kind of annoying. I certainly don't think you have to like every character you read about, but good grief, I just found Cady whiny and deplorable. She and her entitled cousins were so irritating. Johnny's friend, Gat, attempts to bring them back to reality (Gat's heritage is Indian, meaning Cady's grandfather despises him and also forbids Cady's aunt to marry Gat's uncle, or risk being disinherited), but he definitely fails. The aunts are selfish and petty and only care about their inheritance, not their children. Lockhart's prose is lovely in many places, but in others just confusing - the metaphors and use of language to refer to Cady's illness (she suffers from migraines and such) is borderline confusing.
The ending was jarring, yes (don't read any spoilers - it won't be worth it), but the rest of the book didn't seem to be matched to it. I didn't see the point of all Cady's whining and the family squabbles. Just because the family was rich, they weren't interesting, nor mysterious. Perhaps I missed the larger point, but I was left shaking my head.
So, this is a tough one to review. I'd heard a lot of glowing things and this had a ton of positive reviews from my friends. Even my stepmom (who lent the book to me) liked it. So maybe my expectations were just too high when I read it, but I felt "eh." That's not to say that I didn't find the big *ahh spoilery ending* to be amazing and shocking. I did, and I felt wowed and, yes, a bit amazed, and did sort of want to re-read things in that context.
But, I don't think I could. Because, overall, I found the book kind of annoying. I certainly don't think you have to like every character you read about, but good grief, I just found Cady whiny and deplorable. She and her entitled cousins were so irritating. Johnny's friend, Gat, attempts to bring them back to reality (Gat's heritage is Indian, meaning Cady's grandfather despises him and also forbids Cady's aunt to marry Gat's uncle, or risk being disinherited), but he definitely fails. The aunts are selfish and petty and only care about their inheritance, not their children. Lockhart's prose is lovely in many places, but in others just confusing - the metaphors and use of language to refer to Cady's illness (she suffers from migraines and such) is borderline confusing.
The ending was jarring, yes (don't read any spoilers - it won't be worth it), but the rest of the book didn't seem to be matched to it. I didn't see the point of all Cady's whining and the family squabbles. Just because the family was rich, they weren't interesting, nor mysterious. Perhaps I missed the larger point, but I was left shaking my head.