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Regulations updated annually once released by the province. iHunter Saskatchewan gives hunters and...
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Sports and Utilities
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Don't be confused by imitators. iHunter BC is the #1 Hunting app for BC hunters! Regulations...
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Don't be confused by imitators. iHunter Ontario is the #1 Hunting app for Ontario hunters! iHunter...
Hunting Call
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Hunting Call improves your skill to bring in deer, predators, waterfowl, elk, birds and much more....
FREE VPN For iPhone And iPad
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The smartest VPN app on iOS now FREE! - No registration required - Unlimited bandwidth - Free...
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Dead in a Week (Forensic Instincts #7)
Book
What would you do if your daughter was kidnapped and given only a week to live? Lauren...
Suspense Thriller
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Black-Eyed Susans in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Now, a grown woman and mother, Tessa is working with the Terrell's legal team to exonerate him. This includes a forensic scientist (the forensics in the book are detailed and excellent). Her main reason? It seems wherever she lives, a patch of Black-Eyed-Susans follows, forcing her to live in fear, and to wonder if the sentenced killer truly is guilty. But if he isn't, are Tessa and her daughter safe? Why can't she remember what happened nearly 20 years ago? Tessa fears she is going insane, but also can't live with herself if she doesn't try to find out what happened so long ago.
This was a wonderful book; the subject matter is frightening, but the book itself was a captivating page-turner. The mystery is extremely well-plotted and riveting. Even when I was pretty sure I had things figured out, I was rapidly turning pages, still guessing and eagerly awaiting to find out what had happened to Tessa (and the other "Susans," as she calls them) back then. The book flips between present-day Tessa's point of view and to "Tessie," as a younger Tessa was known, talking about events leading up to and right after Terrell's trial. It's a suspenseful plot device that works well here; I was up late turning pages, desperate to know what happened.
Tessa is a well-formed character, even with her angst and anxieties resulting from her horrific past. Her supporting cast - her daughter, Terrell's lead lawyer, the forensic scientist, a quirky neighbor, her best friend from her youth - are all well-done, too. At times, the book is confusing due to Tessa's unreliable narration; she is suffering from memory loss and anxiety, after all, but it only adds to the book's suspense and intrigue. Perhaps the only thing I can find to complain about is that the ending is a bit too pat: it pops up suddenly to resolve things, but there's still a door left open, and it does nothing to diminish how enjoyable the book and the story is. Overall, an excellent thriller and a worthy read.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky in Books
Dec 14, 2018
<i>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</i> by David Litwack is set in a world similar to our own, however there have been many wars as a result of religion and the people have separated themselves into believers and non-believers. Helena Brewster and Jason Adams live on the republic where the people rely heavy on reason and reject the supposedly irrational ramblings of the zealots who live on the “Blessed Lands”. One day a nine-year-old girl, Kailani, escapes from the Blessed Land and sails over to the republic where Helena and Jason find her. Kailani is immediately captured and questioned by the authorities that want to send her to a correctional facility to undo the brainwashing of the zealots.
In the meantime, as it is several months until her tribunal, Helena and Jason become Kailani’s legal guardians and take her to live at Glen Eagle Farm away from the main population of the busy towns. Kailani is loved and admired by the inhabitants on the farm, however there are people on the Blessed Land that want her back.
This is certainly an interesting story that explores a range of themes. For Helena there is the grief she is suffering as a result of the recent death of her father, and the feelings she has towards her mother whom she felt abandoned by. Between Jason and Helena there is also a developing romance as the two connect in their determination to protect Kailani. The most important theme, however, is that of the antagonism between the believers and non-believers. Those living on the Blessed Land want to indoctrinate everybody with their ideals about the soul whereas on the republic this is forbidden as they insist on living a life ruled through fact. As the story goes on certain characters begin to understand the need for both realism and religion. One person even suggests, “In our pursuit of reason, we’ve become as unreasonable as the other side.”
Kailani is a lovable character, which makes the novel a joy to read. It is interesting to compare how a child brought up under a strict religion innocently views the world in comparison with adults who have no faith what so ever. Although written for adults it is suitable for young teens to read too who, although may not understand the significance of the two different sides, are sure to love and enjoy reading about Kailani.