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Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Hemlock in Books
Mar 19, 2018
Great plot, great action
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Possible spoilers, you’ve been warned***
The book starts off well and has a good pace and momentum throughout the book. The setting is also well done and small with a handful of characters so it’s simple and makes the reading enjoyable. I particularly liked the dream sequences Mac has with Amy. They can be cliche but it helps move the plot along and adds to the mood.
The werewolf aspect is interesting in the book. The notion of them having a ‘rehabilitation’ camp has a dystopia feel and there’s also Mac trying to solve Amy’s murder. So there’s different characteristics of the book to please YA readers which makes the experience reading this fun and enjoyable.
Of course you need a bit of romance in the story as well right? I’m all for Kyle and Mac being together. I found the love triangle aspect here irritating and forced on. Jason did not have sort of chemistry at all with Mac. It felt forced, awkward, and well...it just didn’t sit well with me (your boyfriend likes your best friend...just. No.) The love triangle just made things so cliche and sappy. The story didn’t need this. It was fine with just Kyle and Mac!
The mystery aspect was good throughout the novel. The crumb trail to figuring out who was behind the attacks wasn’t that obvious until the late third of the book and although it was already known who it was, the action sequence and climax of the story was pretty exciting and a lot of things are revealed. The revelations weren’t the type to blind side you, it fits well into the story and puts the pieces together. Which is fine. I think the action scenes are enough to keep readers interested.
I was happy with the way the book ended and I’ll be picking up the second one. Recommended for YA lovers who just want a good light read with some good action and a readable enjoyable plot.
The book starts off well and has a good pace and momentum throughout the book. The setting is also well done and small with a handful of characters so it’s simple and makes the reading enjoyable. I particularly liked the dream sequences Mac has with Amy. They can be cliche but it helps move the plot along and adds to the mood.
The werewolf aspect is interesting in the book. The notion of them having a ‘rehabilitation’ camp has a dystopia feel and there’s also Mac trying to solve Amy’s murder. So there’s different characteristics of the book to please YA readers which makes the experience reading this fun and enjoyable.
Of course you need a bit of romance in the story as well right? I’m all for Kyle and Mac being together. I found the love triangle aspect here irritating and forced on. Jason did not have sort of chemistry at all with Mac. It felt forced, awkward, and well...it just didn’t sit well with me (your boyfriend likes your best friend...just. No.) The love triangle just made things so cliche and sappy. The story didn’t need this. It was fine with just Kyle and Mac!
The mystery aspect was good throughout the novel. The crumb trail to figuring out who was behind the attacks wasn’t that obvious until the late third of the book and although it was already known who it was, the action sequence and climax of the story was pretty exciting and a lot of things are revealed. The revelations weren’t the type to blind side you, it fits well into the story and puts the pieces together. Which is fine. I think the action scenes are enough to keep readers interested.
I was happy with the way the book ended and I’ll be picking up the second one. Recommended for YA lovers who just want a good light read with some good action and a readable enjoyable plot.
TI
This is Gail
Book
A national bestseller, this is an inspiring story of one woman's journey through heartbreaking loss...
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated We Were Liars in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Read the original review: https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/10/book-review-we-were-liars/
I honestly had no idea what to expect with this book. Even part-way through, I wasn't sure. But as the end drew nearer, I began to fall in love with the heartbreak and tragedy within the pages.
It tells the story of the Liars: Cadence, Gat, Johnny and Mirren. Mirren, Gat, Johnny and Cadence.
The Beautiful Sinclair Family spend their summers on Beechwood Island every year. But the aunties are fighting over Granny Tipper's possessions after she passes away, and the family is being torn apart. The Liars want their idyll back; they'll do anything to fix the family.
This is a love story, and it is a tragedy. Cadence begins to remember the horrific events of summer fifteen, when she was involved in a terrible accident. Her memory comes back in pieces, and she has to fit the pieces together like a jigsaw. When the final picture is complete, I was so shocked - it made too much sense, yet no sense at all.
The writing style is simple and to the point, but also full of wonderful metaphors. There are extracts of a fairytale variation every now and then, which I personally think was a very nice touch. It's rather unique in the way it's written, but in a good way. It has several phrases that are repeated throughout the story, or developed upon, which works nicely in this book.
Also, there are a few visual aids for the story; a may of the island and a family tree of the Sinclair family. While that could be seen as childish, I appreciate the diagrams as they help to keep track of the characters, though I did get a little lost and confused at times still.
Overall, I think We Were Liars deserves 4 stars out of 5. It's different, unexpected, and full of emotion. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it really grew on me as I read.
BookMarked
I honestly had no idea what to expect with this book. Even part-way through, I wasn't sure. But as the end drew nearer, I began to fall in love with the heartbreak and tragedy within the pages.
It tells the story of the Liars: Cadence, Gat, Johnny and Mirren. Mirren, Gat, Johnny and Cadence.
The Beautiful Sinclair Family spend their summers on Beechwood Island every year. But the aunties are fighting over Granny Tipper's possessions after she passes away, and the family is being torn apart. The Liars want their idyll back; they'll do anything to fix the family.
This is a love story, and it is a tragedy. Cadence begins to remember the horrific events of summer fifteen, when she was involved in a terrible accident. Her memory comes back in pieces, and she has to fit the pieces together like a jigsaw. When the final picture is complete, I was so shocked - it made too much sense, yet no sense at all.
The writing style is simple and to the point, but also full of wonderful metaphors. There are extracts of a fairytale variation every now and then, which I personally think was a very nice touch. It's rather unique in the way it's written, but in a good way. It has several phrases that are repeated throughout the story, or developed upon, which works nicely in this book.
Also, there are a few visual aids for the story; a may of the island and a family tree of the Sinclair family. While that could be seen as childish, I appreciate the diagrams as they help to keep track of the characters, though I did get a little lost and confused at times still.
Overall, I think We Were Liars deserves 4 stars out of 5. It's different, unexpected, and full of emotion. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it really grew on me as I read.
BookMarked
ClareR (6101 KP) rated The Museum of Broken Promises in Books
Sep 8, 2019
I would absolutely visit this museum!
This is a story about a museum that contains the physical objects that symbolise a broken promise or a betrayal to those who have donated them (and this is SUCH a good idea for a museum!). The Museum of Broken Promises is in Paris, and its owner Laure chooses the items that go in to the museum after she either speaks to the donator, or simply reads the note that is sent with the item. Laure has experience in these matters: her own object sits in the museum.
I don’t know what I was expecting from this novel, but I was so surprised by the way this story progressed. Laure as a young woman becomes an au pair for a Czech family in Paris after her father dies. She then realises that she needs a break from university to grieve and get away from her life for a while. So when the family return to Prague for the summer, Laure goes with them. And so begins her life behind the iron curtain.
What follows is a love story between Laure and a musician and political activist, Tomas. We see how restricted people and their thoughts were, and we see why Laure becomes the woman she is in present day Paris.
I really liked the way we moved back and forth through time with Laure, and got to see Prague before its Velvet Revolution, Germany just after the Wall comes down and Paris in the present day. Laure is far more complex a character than I expected her to be at first.
I adored this book. It’s a sad story told so well - and I warn you that the end should be read with tissues to hand.
Many thanks to the publisher Corvus and NetGalley for my copy of this book, and to Pigeonhole for actually making me read it on time (I love my Pigeonhole gang!)!
I don’t know what I was expecting from this novel, but I was so surprised by the way this story progressed. Laure as a young woman becomes an au pair for a Czech family in Paris after her father dies. She then realises that she needs a break from university to grieve and get away from her life for a while. So when the family return to Prague for the summer, Laure goes with them. And so begins her life behind the iron curtain.
What follows is a love story between Laure and a musician and political activist, Tomas. We see how restricted people and their thoughts were, and we see why Laure becomes the woman she is in present day Paris.
I really liked the way we moved back and forth through time with Laure, and got to see Prague before its Velvet Revolution, Germany just after the Wall comes down and Paris in the present day. Laure is far more complex a character than I expected her to be at first.
I adored this book. It’s a sad story told so well - and I warn you that the end should be read with tissues to hand.
Many thanks to the publisher Corvus and NetGalley for my copy of this book, and to Pigeonhole for actually making me read it on time (I love my Pigeonhole gang!)!
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Second Time Around in Books
Sep 10, 2019
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ
Word Count: 8,140
Average Goodreads Rating: 2.67/5 stars
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Second Time Around is a story about mistaken identities. Jamie meets the man of his dreams, Matthew, at a party celebrating the opening of his new bakery. Better yet, Matthew seems to be into him. There’s just one problem: there’s a good chance Matthew is heterosexual and thinks Jamie is a girl.
You can read this book for free on Smashwords
Misunderstanding and mistaken identities can make for good stories. And Second Time Around isn’t an exception. The plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole story.
Jamie and his roommate John are both fantastic characters. I love John’s open-mindedness and his loyalty to his friend, and I love how Jamie is able to open up his own bakery and be himself instead of conforming to society’s rules.
I really wish I saw more of Matthew.
Unfortunately, I can’t get a read on his character because he’s barely in the story. You don’t actually see Matthew meeting Jamie at the party, it’s just talked about later.
Don’t get me wrong, Matthew seems all right. Aside from waiting two freaking weeks to talk to Jamie about the incident at the bakery. What the hell, dude? Yeah, you might have just met Jamie, and you need to talk to your brother about some things, but two weeks to check on somebody after that is excessive.
But that’s my only complaint about Matthew.
I really wish this story was longer and we got to see more of everyone, especially what happens to Matthew and Jamie, and what happens when Jamie meets Matthew’s brother. If it was longer, I might have gotten more attached to the characters and felt more about them. However, as is, it’s not a bad read, especially if you need a mood booster. So I only took off two stars for the length of the book and Matthew’s dick move.
Word Count: 8,140
Average Goodreads Rating: 2.67/5 stars
My Rating: 3/5 stars
Second Time Around is a story about mistaken identities. Jamie meets the man of his dreams, Matthew, at a party celebrating the opening of his new bakery. Better yet, Matthew seems to be into him. There’s just one problem: there’s a good chance Matthew is heterosexual and thinks Jamie is a girl.
You can read this book for free on Smashwords
Misunderstanding and mistaken identities can make for good stories. And Second Time Around isn’t an exception. The plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole story.
Jamie and his roommate John are both fantastic characters. I love John’s open-mindedness and his loyalty to his friend, and I love how Jamie is able to open up his own bakery and be himself instead of conforming to society’s rules.
I really wish I saw more of Matthew.
Unfortunately, I can’t get a read on his character because he’s barely in the story. You don’t actually see Matthew meeting Jamie at the party, it’s just talked about later.
Don’t get me wrong, Matthew seems all right. Aside from waiting two freaking weeks to talk to Jamie about the incident at the bakery. What the hell, dude? Yeah, you might have just met Jamie, and you need to talk to your brother about some things, but two weeks to check on somebody after that is excessive.
But that’s my only complaint about Matthew.
I really wish this story was longer and we got to see more of everyone, especially what happens to Matthew and Jamie, and what happens when Jamie meets Matthew’s brother. If it was longer, I might have gotten more attached to the characters and felt more about them. However, as is, it’s not a bad read, especially if you need a mood booster. So I only took off two stars for the length of the book and Matthew’s dick move.
Amanda (96 KP) rated The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Books
May 29, 2019
“If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.”
So I thought about it, and I’ve decided to write my review for this book. I’ve never read books that center around The Holocaust. I never thought I would, because I’ve seen several movies and just the sheer graphics of it alone made me sad. I know this was supposed to be based on a true story, but I went into it with the mindset that it wasn’t true, because most times, some of those stories are fabricated for drama purposes. I’ve read that even Heather Morris added some things to the story for that reason, so again, I saw it as just another story.
The story centers around Lale who is transferred to Auschwitz, but is given the job as a tattooist. From the descriptions, he has to use a really awful needle and has to press down hard enough for the numbers to be seen and never removed – a highly painful process that he has to perform even on children. Then one day, he tattoos a lady that catches his eye, Gita, and from then on he plans to love her and marry her WHEN they get out of Auschwitz.
Off the bat, something about the writing kind of bothered. I couldn’t quite pin point what it was. I read somewhere that this book was originally written as a screen play and I think that was it. To me, the style had a vagueness to it that made it feel like some parts I was reading something from an old story book from when I was in high school. I’m not saying that style was terrible. This particular writing style is not my favorite to read.
I liked the premise of the story. I can’t begin to imagine what it was truly like in those camps. I can’t comment on it either, but like I said, I also didn’t go into this book thinking it was all a true story about these two people. So, there were some bits of the story that I had a hard time believing, but then again, I’m not sure if it was a true part or a fabrication part.
All in all, the story wasn’t bad. I felt so horribly for Lale having to have that job, but he survived, and Gita. The remembering of their families and wondering if they are alive or dead struck me a bit. I know I’ve said this, but I can’t imagine that kind of pain. I feel horrible whenever Lale thought of his mother.
“His mother he can see perfectly. But how do you say goodbye to your mother? The person who gave you breath, who taught you how to live?”
You can’t, that’s the answer.
The book didn’t live up to the hype, in my opinion, but Morris wrote a nice and moving story in the end. I know there are some other stories like this. One of my Twitter friends recommend the Librarian of Auschwitz, so perhaps I will see about that book.
I don’t believe I’ll be seeking out the sequel to this book. I do hope it’s better than the first, but the story is still good.
So I thought about it, and I’ve decided to write my review for this book. I’ve never read books that center around The Holocaust. I never thought I would, because I’ve seen several movies and just the sheer graphics of it alone made me sad. I know this was supposed to be based on a true story, but I went into it with the mindset that it wasn’t true, because most times, some of those stories are fabricated for drama purposes. I’ve read that even Heather Morris added some things to the story for that reason, so again, I saw it as just another story.
The story centers around Lale who is transferred to Auschwitz, but is given the job as a tattooist. From the descriptions, he has to use a really awful needle and has to press down hard enough for the numbers to be seen and never removed – a highly painful process that he has to perform even on children. Then one day, he tattoos a lady that catches his eye, Gita, and from then on he plans to love her and marry her WHEN they get out of Auschwitz.
Off the bat, something about the writing kind of bothered. I couldn’t quite pin point what it was. I read somewhere that this book was originally written as a screen play and I think that was it. To me, the style had a vagueness to it that made it feel like some parts I was reading something from an old story book from when I was in high school. I’m not saying that style was terrible. This particular writing style is not my favorite to read.
I liked the premise of the story. I can’t begin to imagine what it was truly like in those camps. I can’t comment on it either, but like I said, I also didn’t go into this book thinking it was all a true story about these two people. So, there were some bits of the story that I had a hard time believing, but then again, I’m not sure if it was a true part or a fabrication part.
All in all, the story wasn’t bad. I felt so horribly for Lale having to have that job, but he survived, and Gita. The remembering of their families and wondering if they are alive or dead struck me a bit. I know I’ve said this, but I can’t imagine that kind of pain. I feel horrible whenever Lale thought of his mother.
“His mother he can see perfectly. But how do you say goodbye to your mother? The person who gave you breath, who taught you how to live?”
You can’t, that’s the answer.
The book didn’t live up to the hype, in my opinion, but Morris wrote a nice and moving story in the end. I know there are some other stories like this. One of my Twitter friends recommend the Librarian of Auschwitz, so perhaps I will see about that book.
I don’t believe I’ll be seeking out the sequel to this book. I do hope it’s better than the first, but the story is still good.
Solar Family: Planets for Kids
Education, Games and Stickers
App
**LEARN interesting facts about the PLANETS in the SOLAR SYSTEM with INTERACTIVE STORY and FUN...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated A United Kingdom (2017) in Movies
Oct 1, 2017
One of the greatest love stories in the past century
Rarely can you make a claim that a true relationship is the greatest love story in the past century until you hear about Seretse Khama and his wife Ruth.
As an African chieftain of Bechuanaland, now Botswana, Khama was studying law in the UK before meeting Ruth, a secretary and daughter to a British Army captain. Even after the Second World War interracial couples faced much prejudice, but none so much as a king of a British protectorate and an ordinary white woman.
Facing many trials and tribulations, even exile from his own country thanks to the British relationship with the then apartheid nation of South Africa, the couple attempt to endure endless hardships to be the rightful rulers of Botswana.
It's always magnificent when you hear these stories are based on real life events. The Notebook has nothing on this.
As an African chieftain of Bechuanaland, now Botswana, Khama was studying law in the UK before meeting Ruth, a secretary and daughter to a British Army captain. Even after the Second World War interracial couples faced much prejudice, but none so much as a king of a British protectorate and an ordinary white woman.
Facing many trials and tribulations, even exile from his own country thanks to the British relationship with the then apartheid nation of South Africa, the couple attempt to endure endless hardships to be the rightful rulers of Botswana.
It's always magnificent when you hear these stories are based on real life events. The Notebook has nothing on this.
RachelReads (74 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books
May 24, 2017
Amazing protagonist (2 more)
Action packed
It's a page turner - you will not want to put the book down!
Great Start to the Series
A Court of Thorns and Roses was just a sea of feels. It took me a while to pick this up, because I'm in love with Sarah J Maas' other series, Throne of Glass, and was scared I was going to be disappointed. I was wrong. This book is a story retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but SJM just takes it to a whole other level. This book will keep you on the end of your seat, as you fall in love with the characters and the world. This is such a fantastic first book to this series, and it honestly just gets better from here on out! Definitely pick up this book if you haven't already!
Dana (24 KP) rated The Too-Clever Fox (Grisha Verse, #2.5) in Books
Mar 23, 2018
One thing I love about Leigh Bardugo is that she goes so in depth in the world she created! I absolutely love basically anything Leigh Bardugo will ever write, these short stories included!
This story, like the others, gives the female characters so much agency and power!!
There are spoilers in the rest of the review from here, so be warned!
We, as both the readers and as the Fox, don't suspect this seemingly weak character to be able to do anything, but boy does she surprise us!! I loved how the fox was so trusting in this girl because how could a girl be dangerous? Right? WRONG!!!
This is just another beautiful addition to Leigh Bardugo's already amazing collection of works!1
Please just read all of the folk tales she releases from this series/world!! It adds so much depth to the already fantastic world she created!
This story, like the others, gives the female characters so much agency and power!!
There are spoilers in the rest of the review from here, so be warned!
We, as both the readers and as the Fox, don't suspect this seemingly weak character to be able to do anything, but boy does she surprise us!! I loved how the fox was so trusting in this girl because how could a girl be dangerous? Right? WRONG!!!
This is just another beautiful addition to Leigh Bardugo's already amazing collection of works!1
Please just read all of the folk tales she releases from this series/world!! It adds so much depth to the already fantastic world she created!