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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Deathless Girls in Books

Mar 24, 2024  
TD
The Deathless Girls
Kiran Millwood Hargrave | 2024
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
57 of 220
Book
The Deathless Girls
By Kiran Millwood Hargrave
⭐️⭐️⭐️

On the eve of her divining, the day she'll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community.

Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn't understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts.

They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate...

Another book that took me by surprise I didn’t know what to expect but it turned out pretty decent. I really liked the end as I wasn’t expecting that either. A sold 3 star.
  
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Marc Riley recommended Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) by Captain Beefheart / Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band in Music (curated)

 
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) by Captain Beefheart / Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) by Captain Beefheart / Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band
1978 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The thing about Shiny Beast is it features Beefheart having come through a very difficult period. If you look at him, he started off with The Legendary A&M Sessions doing 'Diddy Wah Diddy' and then Safe As Milk with Ry Cooder, which is a great blues album with a bit of pop to it. And then you've got Trout Mask Replica which is one of the wonders of the world, really. I love the myth of it, him locking the musicians up in the house and feeding them hallucinogens but not proper food, of them having to go to the local store to thieve food to keep body and soul together, and Beefheart taking credit for all the music when he couldn't really play and he was surrounded by these musical geniuses - so the myth of it is well deserved. They're all great records but then the Magic Band left him and he got session musicians in and it just got depressing. He wasn't a particularly nice character, he was just hell bent on making records the way he wanted them. For example, there's a story about him firing a crossbow at one of his musicians. That's why Ry Cooder left, he had to dive behind the sofa and then left not long afterwards. [Actually Ry Cooder quit in disgust after Beefheart fell off a ten foot stage at the Mount Tamalpais Festival, landing on the band's manager Bob Krasnow. The singer was on LSD and in a state of shock after seeing a girl in the audience turn into a fish with bubbles coming out of its mouth. It was the original Magic Band drummer Doug Moon who threatened Beefheart with a crossbow, unable to put up with the singer's incessant criticism. Ed] It was Mark Smith who introduced me to Beefheart and it was this album, it was 1977 and I was 16. It was an amazing album and so beautiful. 'Tropical Hot Dog Night' is one of the most beautiful songs you'll ever hear. 'The Floppy Boot Stomp' is so exciting… it just rings like a bell. It has some of the most beautiful and exciting music you'll ever hear and the musicianship is great."

Source
  
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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated The Girl of Ink & Stars in Books

Jun 24, 2019  
The Girl of Ink & Stars
The Girl of Ink & Stars
Kiran Millwood Hargrave | 2016 | Children
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is quite a short YA novel, a standalone book that I just picked up on impulse. I immediately got the impression that this was aimed at slightly younger teens - the protagonist was only thirteen, so I didn't really connect that much. It's that awkward age where you think you're old, but you're not. I could imagine thirteen-year-old me would enjoy this quite a bit.

Isabella lives alone with her father, a skilled cartographer. Her mother and twin brother had passed away, leaving the two alone. The Governor had taken control of the land, and his daughter, Lupe, attended the same school as Isabella. The two were very close, and Isabella's angered outburst causes Lupe to run off into the Hidden Territories to prove she wasn't "rotten". A classmate of theirs had recently been found dead, and Lupe was going to find the killer.

Isabella, disguised as her deceased brother, shows Lupe's note to her father and a small group begin going after her, Isabella included. They follow a map passed down to Isabella's mother, through blackened forests scattered with bones. They do find Lupe, along with the Banished and, worst of all, the hell dogs from Isabella's favourite myth.

This myth turns out to play an important role in their journey, and Lupe discovers something about her father when he sacrifices himself to fend off the wolves. They face Yote himself - the mythical fire demon - and Isabella finds herself returning home without Lupe.

It is quite a young teen book, as I said, and the plot develops all because of Isabella calling Lupe's family "rotten". This drama and exaggeration is pretty typical of a children's/teen book, I find, and seemed a little immature to me. The writing was great, I just couldn't get over the simplicity and immaturity of the plot at times.

For a teen book, it was quite dark at times - a lot of death was included. The ending was both happy and sad, which is nice. I get quite fed up of too many happy endings. 3 stars.
  
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Merissa (13329 KP) rated Elemental Claim (War of the Myth #1) in Books

Feb 27, 2018 (Updated Jul 3, 2023)  
Elemental Claim (War of the Myth #1)
Elemental Claim (War of the Myth #1)
Miranda Grant | 2017 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Elemental Claim (War of the Myth #1) by Miranda Grant
ELEMENTAL CLAIM is the first book in the War of the Myth series. It starts off action-packed and remains the same throughout. Told from multiple points of view, we gain insights into the human world, the gods, the WALL, elementarists, descendants, angels, hellhounds, you name it and it is probably in here. It starts with a case of mistaken identity, a 'Mission Gemini' if you will. Emma soon realises that she doesn't really know her sister that well after all. Still, her protective instincts as an older sibling remain in full force, so she will do all she can to save her - even if that means allowing Rogan and his friends to kidnap her.

As I said, this book is full of action and doesn't stop. Emma slowly grows into her powers, but there is definitely still room for more. There are other characters in here that I would love to know about. Xeno, for example. She is the angel only a few years from falling. Her health is failing, and her powers waning. And then suddenly, towards the end of the book, she starts healing. What?! I need to know more. What caused her health to degenerate in the first place, and why is she now healing? And will she and Hunter ever get together? Seriously, I need answers!

This was a well-written book, although there were a few spelling errors that jolted me when I read it. Nothing major, just examples like wanning instead of waning, or severe instead of sever. Certainly not enough to spoil the flow of the story, but enough for me to notice. On the whole, this was a brilliant book, with great world-building, and lots of characters to like, love, or loathe. Absolutely recommended by me, and I can't wait to continue with the series.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Feb 27, 2018