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Sam (74 KP) rated The Hate u Give in Books

Nov 30, 2018  
The Hate u Give
The Hate u Give
Angie Thomas | 2017 | Children
2
8.4 (54 Ratings)
Book Rating
Strong Characterisation, Great Cover (0 more)
Wrong Tone, Bad Examples (0 more)
Problematic
I was so excited to start reading this one. Because of how popular it had been, I'd put off buying it for ages. Waterstones had a special edition in and that was as much of an excuse as I needed to buy it.
It's got five-star reviews everywhere, has won so many awards, and literally, everyone is talking about it. So, of course, it's worth a try.
Only I didn't enjoy it to the point where I got halfway through and couldn't finish it. I wasn't even sure whether to post the review because I know that lots of people will disagree with me over this.
I was so excited for a book to be out that's about police brutality in America towards black teenagers, and was surprised, to begin with, that something as serious as this was in a YA book, but also happy that it was being told to teenagers. It sounded like my ideal book.
But I just couldn't get along with it at all. The whole idea with the book is to show what casual racism is doing to America, but at the same time on every few pages, there's another part talking about how horrible and funny and evil white people are. If a book wants to make a stand against racism, make a stand against it from both sides, not just one. You cannot end racism by calling the other race.
I just found it really one-sided in its battle against racism. I am definitely not saying that the police shooting was right, let me just say that, and Starr has every right to hate the police for shooting her best friend. However, this does not mean that every few pages there needs to be a comment about how awful white people are.
A much healthier focus for the book would have been equality, not switching the racism to the other side in a 'how-do-you-like-it-now' move.

Read the full review at https://ohbookit.blog
  
Armed 'N' Ready (Federal K-9 #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Andi Hardt loves what she does, finally, leaving the rat race business world after a huge violation of trust she started her own business. The Dog Park Café, a restaurant and dog park all in one and fills her days with joy. She is currently staying at her ex-boyfriends house while the pipes in her house are being fixed, while she is washing her stray dog in the shower early one morning her life is totally upended.

Sergeant Nick Houston is trying not to pay attention to the woman in the teeny tiny bikini in the shower washing her dog. All he wanted to do was serve a warrant and get illegal guns off the street. His K9 Saxon is standing guard right along side him as always and seems to be wondering what is going on as well. This woman and her dog are in shock, but for only a minute though then she starts throwing things at him. Can she really be a partner in all this illegal activity?

Andi and Nick have to work together to find out what exactly is going on with her ex and to clear her name. She agrees to have Nick work at the club as a bartender and shadow her every move to draw out Joe and get some answers. Neither of them counted on the attraction they share moving front and center. Will that attraction be enough to let them throw caution to the wind and be together?

I received an advance copy without expectation for review. Any and all opinions expressed are my own. My first read from this author with 4 ½ stars, it won’t be my last by any means.
  
40x40

Ross (3284 KP) rated The Iron Circlet in Books

Nov 13, 2017  
The Iron Circlet
The Iron Circlet
Phil Tucker | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The truth of the world starting to be revealed (0 more)
That ruddy circlet (0 more)
Wowsers. I was a little tentative starting this the fourth book in the Chronicles of the Black Gate series, as I found the third book to drag somewhat, though it ended well.
That proved unfounded. This book gets straight back in the swing of things right from the off and the pace just does not let up. Other that a little bit of re-gouping and re-organising at the outset, the plot continues with chapter after chapter offering excitement and plot/character development aplenty.
Tharok is still up to no good, running amok with his massive army of orc-like kragh, backed by trolls and a medusa and looking to capitalise on his victory at the end of book 3.
Tiron finds himself deep behind enemy lines and totally out of his depth but finding ways to adapt.
Asho looks to lead the defence of Ennoia against the kragh invasion, while Kethe tries to do the same in Nous.
And Audsley finds himself in an assassination plot and getting a potted history of the real background of the empire.
This is simply fantasy fiction at its best: an epic world created, full of wonderful creatures and characters with an intricate plot which, while covering numerous threads never becomes untenable, with exciting and surprising battle scenes and twists.
Simply put one of the best fantasy books I have ever read, and I am now greedily wolfing down the final book in the series.
  
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
Jeepers Creepers (2001)
2001 | Horror, Mystery
Subhuman dumpsterscum Victor Salva adds absolutely nothing to this as an auteur let alone as a basic director: he shoots it mostly in the most unengaging, dated way possible and the writing - which can at best be described as semi-coherent - feels like a Quibi's worth of material thinly stretched into feature length. Overall a very haphazard, spotty experience that doesn't deliver nearly as much of the goods as it should... but definitely still weird, gross, and funny enough to suffice. That Sistine Chapel-esque lair of mutilated bodies, cobwebs, dirt, and vials of various mysterious liquids is almost worth the price of admission alone (in fact just in general the production is A-class when Salva can actually shoot it right), and Justin Long's one continuous panic attack of a performance is so tremendous. And come on, JC is one *hell* of a killer - running on moving cars, foully scarfing down innards, pulling 180s with his swiss army knife collection of bodily contortions, and whistling jazz tunes like some sort of crowd-pleasing merger of Predator and Freddy Krueger. Shame there isn't enough of him, but I just have to admire how that ending takes zero prisoners. It's fun, nowhere near the classic it should have been though even if there are hints of what it could have been sprinkled throughout.
  
Sky in the Deep
Sky in the Deep
Adrienne Young | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
Sky in the Deep came out in April to a LOT of hype. It's mostly deserved. The plot is a little odd; the two clans come together every five years to fight in a blood feud between their gods. But they only fight every five years in a designated place - if you really hated each other, why wouldn't you try to wipe out the other tribe all the time, instead of letting them rebuild their strength for five years? And then this third, mysterious tribe shows up and is enough for you to set aside all your anger at each other? I don't know. It's a little weird.

That oddness aside, I loved this story! I loved Eelyn's fierceness, and also her willingness to see the Riki as people too. Eventually, of course. In Eelyn we have the definition of a strong female character. (She's not the only one, either!) She is admired for her fierceness and strength, but not seen as any less female. Women are warriors in her culture too.

It's a pretty straightforward book, with a few graphic scenes of violence in the fights. Everything happened pretty much as I expected it to, but I still enjoyed seeing Eelyn grow and change throughout the book. It's also very atmospheric; I could almost hear the snow crunching beneath boots, the rushing roar of the mountain river, the quiet creaking of the frozen lake. Young's writing style pulls you right into the book and doesn't let you go.

Set aside your questions about the plot's logic and just enjoy this book. It's wonderful.

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