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Joelene Marie (28 KP) rated Witchtown in Books
Oct 1, 2018
I had a hard time putting this one down, it grabbed me from page one. The writing style was great, I really enjoyed the originality of the plot, and the pace was perfect, no real slow spots. I would have liked a little more character development, especially with the secondary characters since they are integral to the story. As the heroine, I wish Macie had done more to deal with her problems herself instead of always relying on her friends. Parts of the ending felt a little too convenient, as tho the author was in a rush to tie up loose ends. I'm not sure if there will be anymore books about the witchtown world but I certainly hope so! *Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!*
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Four Days of You and Me in Books
May 7, 2020
I hate writing less-than-positive reviews, especially for authors I typically enjoy, but this book was not a favorite of mine. It's told across Lulu and Alex's four class trips (one per year) with flashbacks to other times. I simply could not warm up to Lulu or Alex. Honestly, of the two, I probably liked him better, but we don't hear his side. It took nearly half the book for the story to engage me even a little bit, and I thought about giving up, but for some reason, I have a tough time just stopping a book.
Now, I read YA a ton, so it's not that I don't enjoy YA novels. I read one right after this and *loved* it. But I found this story way too simplistic, and I feel like teens would too. There is so much better YA out there--for all of us. The book just felt simplistic in its writing and the "will they / won't they" storyline was boring. I did not care if they did or not. Honestly, there was a side plot about Lulu's gay best friend Max that was much more interesting--I would have rather read about him!
Supposedly Lulu is an artist/writer and that's her thing, but that felt forced. Mostly, the book felt about a girl (and her friends) all trying to find boys to like (and like them back). That's what they cared about and talked about. I felt no huge connection between Alex and Lulu and hence no reason to root for them to choose each other. They didn't feel destined for one other, as most couples do in a good romance. The story does pick up a bit near the end, but by then, I just felt burned out.
So maybe this story would resonate a bit more with a teen set (and it should be an older teen set, due to language and themes), but there are a lot of other better books out there. Now, others seem to enjoy this more than me, so maybe I just got caught in a bad mood. 2.5 stars for me, though.
Now, I read YA a ton, so it's not that I don't enjoy YA novels. I read one right after this and *loved* it. But I found this story way too simplistic, and I feel like teens would too. There is so much better YA out there--for all of us. The book just felt simplistic in its writing and the "will they / won't they" storyline was boring. I did not care if they did or not. Honestly, there was a side plot about Lulu's gay best friend Max that was much more interesting--I would have rather read about him!
Supposedly Lulu is an artist/writer and that's her thing, but that felt forced. Mostly, the book felt about a girl (and her friends) all trying to find boys to like (and like them back). That's what they cared about and talked about. I felt no huge connection between Alex and Lulu and hence no reason to root for them to choose each other. They didn't feel destined for one other, as most couples do in a good romance. The story does pick up a bit near the end, but by then, I just felt burned out.
So maybe this story would resonate a bit more with a teen set (and it should be an older teen set, due to language and themes), but there are a lot of other better books out there. Now, others seem to enjoy this more than me, so maybe I just got caught in a bad mood. 2.5 stars for me, though.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Deal (Off-Campus, #1) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
4.5 stars.
This book really grew on me. I wasn't sure at the beginning but I read it non-stop in bed until I got to the 65% mark around midnight last night and my eyes were burning. I had to stop since I had work but I picked it up again this morning and had another marathon reading session and have just finished it and I really liked it!
I fell in love with Garrett from pretty early on. It was just the way he went about getting Hannah to agree to tutor him and then how it all went from there... *sigh* He was pretty amazing by the end of the book.
Hannah was pretty cool, too, once she gave in and became friends with Garrett and then became more. How she trusted him enough to tell him her secret
I just really liked it.
P.S. I really have to start watching my Breaking Bad box-sets!
This book really grew on me. I wasn't sure at the beginning but I read it non-stop in bed until I got to the 65% mark around midnight last night and my eyes were burning. I had to stop since I had work but I picked it up again this morning and had another marathon reading session and have just finished it and I really liked it!
I fell in love with Garrett from pretty early on. It was just the way he went about getting Hannah to agree to tutor him and then how it all went from there... *sigh* He was pretty amazing by the end of the book.
Hannah was pretty cool, too, once she gave in and became friends with Garrett and then became more. How she trusted him enough to tell him her secret
I just really liked it.
P.S. I really have to start watching my Breaking Bad box-sets!
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Public Enemy (1931) in Movies
Jul 30, 2020
Boring
The story of the rise and fall of prohibition-era Tom Powers. The Public Enemy currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. I was excited to dive in to this movie, but I started drowning as soon as I hit the first ten minutes. And, no, it didn’t get better.
Acting: 7
Beginning: 4
The beginning is extremely slow. It was very hard for me to get engaged or even stay that way. I got out of the first ten minutes thinking, “If this is any indication of how the rest of the movie is going to be, count me out.”
Characters: 2
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 5
For a gangster movie, I was really hoping for a lot more action. The gun fights aren’t bad, but they happen so few and far between it makes the rest of the movie really boring. I never felt any stakes at any point with any of the characters either so the conflict is mediocre by comparison.
Entertainment Value: 5
I enjoyed watching a part of cinematic history. I respected that aspect at least. Overall, though, I was mildly entertained at best. I felt there were more lulls than high spots.
Memorability: 6
Pace: 4
I was bored out of my mind for most of the movie. Again, I expected more from a gangster movie. Too much talking, way too much exposition. The movie drags like a sloth.
Plot: 8
The story is solid. The execution was weak. There are a number of different ways this story could have been approached without there being so much repeated dialogue. Tom Powers has an interesting story that happened to get lost in translation with all of this.
Resolution: 2
I won’t spoil the ending, but it did nothing for the main character or his story overall. I felt we reached a climax where I had no sympathy for Tom because they had done little to nothing to that point to make me give a shit about him. Considering how bad the beginning was already, this was absolutely horrible.
Overall: 53Do I think The Public Enemy is a bad movie? Clearly, but I will say it’s not without a handful of shining moments. The camerawork is phenomenal particularly during gun fights. However, because I could never get to a point where I rooted for the main character, it made the movie as a whole hard to enjoy for me.
Acting: 7
Beginning: 4
The beginning is extremely slow. It was very hard for me to get engaged or even stay that way. I got out of the first ten minutes thinking, “If this is any indication of how the rest of the movie is going to be, count me out.”
Characters: 2
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
Conflict: 5
For a gangster movie, I was really hoping for a lot more action. The gun fights aren’t bad, but they happen so few and far between it makes the rest of the movie really boring. I never felt any stakes at any point with any of the characters either so the conflict is mediocre by comparison.
Entertainment Value: 5
I enjoyed watching a part of cinematic history. I respected that aspect at least. Overall, though, I was mildly entertained at best. I felt there were more lulls than high spots.
Memorability: 6
Pace: 4
I was bored out of my mind for most of the movie. Again, I expected more from a gangster movie. Too much talking, way too much exposition. The movie drags like a sloth.
Plot: 8
The story is solid. The execution was weak. There are a number of different ways this story could have been approached without there being so much repeated dialogue. Tom Powers has an interesting story that happened to get lost in translation with all of this.
Resolution: 2
I won’t spoil the ending, but it did nothing for the main character or his story overall. I felt we reached a climax where I had no sympathy for Tom because they had done little to nothing to that point to make me give a shit about him. Considering how bad the beginning was already, this was absolutely horrible.
Overall: 53Do I think The Public Enemy is a bad movie? Clearly, but I will say it’s not without a handful of shining moments. The camerawork is phenomenal particularly during gun fights. However, because I could never get to a point where I rooted for the main character, it made the movie as a whole hard to enjoy for me.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Sanctuary in Books
Apr 27, 2018
rating: 3.8/5
My Summary: Lea is a refugee who has survived for the past few months living in the wild and traveling from house to random house, just trying to stay alive. When she is found, ill, by American soldiers and taken care of and healed, she has a choice—leave the soldiers and spend the winter by herself, homeless, with no protection in the middle of a war, or trade sex for protection and safety from Major Russell. She chooses the exchange. But Lea and Russell both are not prepared for the outcome of the bargain—Love. Lea and Russell are married, and try to build a real relationship from their original bargain. Can they make it work…
Thoughts: I really hate it when a book has what I call “happy-land syndrome—” where everything works out nicely, relationships are smooth and when they’re rough their fixed quickly and painlessly, and everyone lives happily ever after. This book does have a happily ever after of some sort, but it most certainly does not have happy-land syndrome. This book was a picture of a real marriage—the ups, the downs, the arguments, the forgiveness. There were clear differences between passion, lust, and love (which is always refreshing), and there were arguments the way real arguments happen. There was pride, there was sympathy, and there was forgiveness.
There was a lot of humor in this book! Now mind you it was not a “funny” book, but there were some very good funny pieces of dialogue.
Plot: This book didn’t have a complicated plot, or any huge unexpected occurrences. It was a “simple” story line—but it was a very addicting read. That’s not to say that everything that happened was dull or boring or expected, it just means it was definitely not a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of romance. It was more like a cuddle-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-blanket kind of romance. It flowed smoothly, and the pacing was very good—not to fast, not too slow. The only thing about the pacing was that the part where they realized that they’d fallen in love didn’t feel like any kind of climax. Which could have been the point, as it did sort of happen slowly.
Characters: I liked the fact that the characters in this book were like real people—they had their strengths and weaknesses, their qualities and their flaws. Lea was stubborn and rebellious, and not at all submissive to her husband, yet she was a sweet and kind girl, and was willing to make sacrifices for Russell. Russell was a very kind man to Lea, and his protective attitude was appealing, however his language and his anger were his downfalls.
Writing: The writing in this book was good. It wasn’t fantastically breathtaking (J.K. Rowling, Robert Frost, Paolini, Dostoyevsky etc.), it wasn’t mediocre (Stephenie Meyer, Becca Fitzpatrick) and it wasn’t atrocious (Meg Cabot.). I can’t really place it in any of those categories. It sort of fell between the first two. It was very readable, it wasn’t dull and empty of good words with barely acceptable sentence structure, but it wasn’t something that sounded like poetry read aloud either. Again, very readable.
Content: There was a lot of sex in this book. I mean, it’s a romance about a girl who trades her body in exchange for being kept alive by a horny soldier, and I expected it, so I’m not saying I was surprised. I think it could have still been a very good powerful romance without all the details. I skipped a few paragraphs here and there. There was also a lot of language. And yes, it is the military, after all. Soldiers swear. They did in the book, too. I guess some people aren’t bothered by stuff like that in books. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to stop reading, but I thought some of the words (and again, details) could have been left out and the book would have been just as good.
Recommendation: Ages 16+ at least, and wait until you’re 18 if you are picky about content. I rate high for the wonderfully relatable and realistic characters, high-ish for my enjoyment, and medium for plot and writing.
Click here to read the first chapter of Sanctuary.
My Summary: Lea is a refugee who has survived for the past few months living in the wild and traveling from house to random house, just trying to stay alive. When she is found, ill, by American soldiers and taken care of and healed, she has a choice—leave the soldiers and spend the winter by herself, homeless, with no protection in the middle of a war, or trade sex for protection and safety from Major Russell. She chooses the exchange. But Lea and Russell both are not prepared for the outcome of the bargain—Love. Lea and Russell are married, and try to build a real relationship from their original bargain. Can they make it work…
Thoughts: I really hate it when a book has what I call “happy-land syndrome—” where everything works out nicely, relationships are smooth and when they’re rough their fixed quickly and painlessly, and everyone lives happily ever after. This book does have a happily ever after of some sort, but it most certainly does not have happy-land syndrome. This book was a picture of a real marriage—the ups, the downs, the arguments, the forgiveness. There were clear differences between passion, lust, and love (which is always refreshing), and there were arguments the way real arguments happen. There was pride, there was sympathy, and there was forgiveness.
There was a lot of humor in this book! Now mind you it was not a “funny” book, but there were some very good funny pieces of dialogue.
Plot: This book didn’t have a complicated plot, or any huge unexpected occurrences. It was a “simple” story line—but it was a very addicting read. That’s not to say that everything that happened was dull or boring or expected, it just means it was definitely not a sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of romance. It was more like a cuddle-up-with-a-cup-of-tea-and-a-blanket kind of romance. It flowed smoothly, and the pacing was very good—not to fast, not too slow. The only thing about the pacing was that the part where they realized that they’d fallen in love didn’t feel like any kind of climax. Which could have been the point, as it did sort of happen slowly.
Characters: I liked the fact that the characters in this book were like real people—they had their strengths and weaknesses, their qualities and their flaws. Lea was stubborn and rebellious, and not at all submissive to her husband, yet she was a sweet and kind girl, and was willing to make sacrifices for Russell. Russell was a very kind man to Lea, and his protective attitude was appealing, however his language and his anger were his downfalls.
Writing: The writing in this book was good. It wasn’t fantastically breathtaking (J.K. Rowling, Robert Frost, Paolini, Dostoyevsky etc.), it wasn’t mediocre (Stephenie Meyer, Becca Fitzpatrick) and it wasn’t atrocious (Meg Cabot.). I can’t really place it in any of those categories. It sort of fell between the first two. It was very readable, it wasn’t dull and empty of good words with barely acceptable sentence structure, but it wasn’t something that sounded like poetry read aloud either. Again, very readable.
Content: There was a lot of sex in this book. I mean, it’s a romance about a girl who trades her body in exchange for being kept alive by a horny soldier, and I expected it, so I’m not saying I was surprised. I think it could have still been a very good powerful romance without all the details. I skipped a few paragraphs here and there. There was also a lot of language. And yes, it is the military, after all. Soldiers swear. They did in the book, too. I guess some people aren’t bothered by stuff like that in books. It wasn’t so bad that I wanted to stop reading, but I thought some of the words (and again, details) could have been left out and the book would have been just as good.
Recommendation: Ages 16+ at least, and wait until you’re 18 if you are picky about content. I rate high for the wonderfully relatable and realistic characters, high-ish for my enjoyment, and medium for plot and writing.
Click here to read the first chapter of Sanctuary.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated An Engineered Injustice (Philadelphia Legal, #2) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More reviews at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
Wow, it felt like watching one of those court TV series, which sucks you in, and you want to binge watch all the seasons at once. 😀
The protagonist in this novel was Vaughn, most probably not a very likable person by the society, because he is a defense lawyer. I really liked him in this book though, he sounded like a hero to me 😀 There were a wide variety of characters to choose from, and all of them were quite diverse and very intriguing personalities. Even though there were so many characters, I didn’t get lost in who was who, the author described them all pretty well, I think. I really enjoyed, that author used multiple perspectives to tell the story, it allowed me, as a reader, to understand the characters way better.
I really like trains and somehow this story felt close to my heart. I loved the narrative of this book, and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns, which author had to offer. The villains were given away throughout the book, and there was no surprise effect there, but the whole finding out process and proving Eddy’s innocence was what kept me glued to this book. It was very amusing to read a book, where author’s confidence and experience just shines through. There is plenty of legal terms in this novel, but for me it was a plus, just showed that author knows what he was talking about.
I personally think that Mr. Myers is a very gifted writer, and I loved his writing style in this book, it seems difficult, but for me, it was pretty understandable and easy to read. I really enjoyed the structure of the chapters, it didn’t drag to me, wasn’t too long and was divided into smaller parts. I really liked the setting of this book as well, it has this American spirit about it, and I really loved that. The ending of this novel rounded the whole story very nicely and I loved the outcome. So to conclude, if you like to watch court dramas, do give this book a try, it has very amusing and interesting characters and quite twisty and unexpected narrative. I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 😀
Wow, it felt like watching one of those court TV series, which sucks you in, and you want to binge watch all the seasons at once. 😀
The protagonist in this novel was Vaughn, most probably not a very likable person by the society, because he is a defense lawyer. I really liked him in this book though, he sounded like a hero to me 😀 There were a wide variety of characters to choose from, and all of them were quite diverse and very intriguing personalities. Even though there were so many characters, I didn’t get lost in who was who, the author described them all pretty well, I think. I really enjoyed, that author used multiple perspectives to tell the story, it allowed me, as a reader, to understand the characters way better.
I really like trains and somehow this story felt close to my heart. I loved the narrative of this book, and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns, which author had to offer. The villains were given away throughout the book, and there was no surprise effect there, but the whole finding out process and proving Eddy’s innocence was what kept me glued to this book. It was very amusing to read a book, where author’s confidence and experience just shines through. There is plenty of legal terms in this novel, but for me it was a plus, just showed that author knows what he was talking about.
I personally think that Mr. Myers is a very gifted writer, and I loved his writing style in this book, it seems difficult, but for me, it was pretty understandable and easy to read. I really enjoyed the structure of the chapters, it didn’t drag to me, wasn’t too long and was divided into smaller parts. I really liked the setting of this book as well, it has this American spirit about it, and I really loved that. The ending of this novel rounded the whole story very nicely and I loved the outcome. So to conclude, if you like to watch court dramas, do give this book a try, it has very amusing and interesting characters and quite twisty and unexpected narrative. I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 😀
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Watching You in Books
Jul 21, 2018
Well, this had me guessing right up to the end!
This has all the ingredients for a good thriller or mystery: a teenaged voyeur, a potentially unreliable witness with mental health issues, teenaged girls with a crush, career driven men, unfaithful spouses. Quite a lot for a book that's under 500 pages long!
An unspecified dead body appears in the first chapter, and the book then goes on to tell us the sequence of events that lead up to that moment. There are some interesting police interviews tucked in now and again too, that help to clarify (or sometimes obfuscate!) what is actually going on.
This was really good. There was no way that I was going to guess who was murdered and by whom, until the end - I liked that touch. The end was a proper bombshell moment. Great writing from Lisa Jewell!
An unspecified dead body appears in the first chapter, and the book then goes on to tell us the sequence of events that lead up to that moment. There are some interesting police interviews tucked in now and again too, that help to clarify (or sometimes obfuscate!) what is actually going on.
This was really good. There was no way that I was going to guess who was murdered and by whom, until the end - I liked that touch. The end was a proper bombshell moment. Great writing from Lisa Jewell!
Dana (24 KP) rated The Accident Season in Books
Mar 23, 2018
This book is truly haunting. It's creepy, but not in a gross way, that makes you feel anxious throughout the story.
It was a very quick read, but it didn't feel rushed at all. Even with the fast paced movement of the story, nothing was really left out of the story.
The characters were so strange in their own ways. I loved the interconnections between them all and how they were able to play off each other throughout. I felt really connected to them, even though I have nothing really in common with them at all. The relationships were also very complex without being too confusing.
The settings were very well described as well. I loved the Ghost House and I wish I could go and visit it.
Everything was also so subtle in the book!! There were hints about what was happening in the second plot hidden under the more obvious plot that you can pick out if you are looking for it. That being said, the means behind the ends were all earned and did not feel like they were just there to shock and surprise the audience.
I do, however, wish there was more interaction with the mom and her reasons for believing so much in the Accident Season. This could have been expanded on so much, but it wasn't. (At least not in the edition I read which was an ARC, so there could have been more in the finished copy.) I wanted to know more of a backstory with the beginnings of the Accident Season and how it only affects the family and no one else. And I wanted to see more connections and hints to the past throughout as well.
Everything had a very magical quality to it that I really enjoyed!
*****MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!*****
My favorite scene was at the party at the Ghost House when Cara gets drunk. I loved how the writing style mirrored her intoxication so everything got jumbled and distorted. I thought that was a brilliant writing device and I may use it in my own stuff if I ever write it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!!
It was a very quick read, but it didn't feel rushed at all. Even with the fast paced movement of the story, nothing was really left out of the story.
The characters were so strange in their own ways. I loved the interconnections between them all and how they were able to play off each other throughout. I felt really connected to them, even though I have nothing really in common with them at all. The relationships were also very complex without being too confusing.
The settings were very well described as well. I loved the Ghost House and I wish I could go and visit it.
Everything was also so subtle in the book!! There were hints about what was happening in the second plot hidden under the more obvious plot that you can pick out if you are looking for it. That being said, the means behind the ends were all earned and did not feel like they were just there to shock and surprise the audience.
I do, however, wish there was more interaction with the mom and her reasons for believing so much in the Accident Season. This could have been expanded on so much, but it wasn't. (At least not in the edition I read which was an ARC, so there could have been more in the finished copy.) I wanted to know more of a backstory with the beginnings of the Accident Season and how it only affects the family and no one else. And I wanted to see more connections and hints to the past throughout as well.
Everything had a very magical quality to it that I really enjoyed!
*****MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!*****
My favorite scene was at the party at the Ghost House when Cara gets drunk. I loved how the writing style mirrored her intoxication so everything got jumbled and distorted. I thought that was a brilliant writing device and I may use it in my own stuff if I ever write it.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it!!
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated The Crown Tower (The Riyria Chronicles, #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I read the Riyria Revelations, then I thought I would wait a while before reading this book. I mean, it's reasonable to take a break after six volumes in a universe, right? But I did have a sample chapter, just sitting there in the Kindle app. Just. Sitting. It wouldn't really hurt to just take a peek, would it?
I think you know what happened next. In a few minutes, there was less money in my bank account, but I had the full novel in my greedy hands, so I could get on with learning how Royce and Hadrian met. I read far more slowly this time, taking more time to savor the story. I know all too well that there's only one more novel available at the moment, and I'm trying to make myself wait for that one. Trying is the operative word, here. I enjoy Sullivan's work far too much to be very disciplined about it.
I absolutely recommend ALL of the books, but I do think it might be best to read them in the order in which they were published.
I think you know what happened next. In a few minutes, there was less money in my bank account, but I had the full novel in my greedy hands, so I could get on with learning how Royce and Hadrian met. I read far more slowly this time, taking more time to savor the story. I know all too well that there's only one more novel available at the moment, and I'm trying to make myself wait for that one. Trying is the operative word, here. I enjoy Sullivan's work far too much to be very disciplined about it.
I absolutely recommend ALL of the books, but I do think it might be best to read them in the order in which they were published.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Going Under in Books
Jan 11, 2021
3.25 stars.
I liked a lot of this book and there were some bits that I just didn't quite get.
I liked that she was so hell bent on getting justice for her friends and all the other girls. I liked the banter she had going with Terry. I kinda liked the relationship with Ryan, though it seemed to appear out of nowhere after the funeral scene (or maybe I just missed a bit). And though it's wrong of me to like it, the scene with the swim team practise--I thought the author portrayed that really well.
I wasn't so keen on the way she acted with the FSL, I know there was a reasoning behind her behaviour but it did seem to get their attention for the right reasons in the end. Her crazy talking to Beth scenes...I know she's super torn up over her friends death but it's a little too much for me.
I'm just kinda torn over this book because it wasn't entirely comfortable reading at times, knowing what the guys were up to and what she was planning to let happen. But in the end justice prevailed and she got the guy.
I liked a lot of this book and there were some bits that I just didn't quite get.
I liked that she was so hell bent on getting justice for her friends and all the other girls. I liked the banter she had going with Terry. I kinda liked the relationship with Ryan, though it seemed to appear out of nowhere after the funeral scene (or maybe I just missed a bit). And though it's wrong of me to like it, the scene with the swim team practise--I thought the author portrayed that really well.
I wasn't so keen on the way she acted with the FSL, I know there was a reasoning behind her behaviour but it did seem to get their attention for the right reasons in the end. Her crazy talking to Beth scenes...I know she's super torn up over her friends death but it's a little too much for me.
I'm just kinda torn over this book because it wasn't entirely comfortable reading at times, knowing what the guys were up to and what she was planning to let happen. But in the end justice prevailed and she got the guy.