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ClareR (6238 KP) rated The Dark Lake in Books

Sep 5, 2018

The Dark Lake

Sarah Bailey | 2017 | Mystery, Thriller

7.3

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

One to watch for.

A debut thriller that really kept me on the edge of my seat. Rosalind Ryan, a local Drama and English teacher, is found dead in the lake at a local nature reserve. Gemma Woodstock, a local Detective Sergeant, is put on the case. Except Gemma has a history with Rosalind, and she has a lot of other personal baggage.
I enjoyed this. They're all very human characters with lots of faults, sometimes unpleasant ones: but I liked that. I liked that the murderer wasn't at all obvious (to me, anyway!) and had me guessing right up to the end, and the whole reason for the murder was a shock, and at the same time, understandable.
I will keep an eye out for future novels by this author, particularly in this series. I really do think that she'll be one to watch out for in the future.

Kudos

Ross (3284 KP) rated Captain Marvel, Volume 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More in Books

Sep 17, 2018

Captain Marvel is not a superhero I am familiar with, but with a free Kindle Unlimited trial and an upcoming movie about her, I thought I should give it a try.
Some really good artwork here, being slightly cartoony in nature but not too twee. Some good interaction with Guardians of the Galaxy.
But in general, just a bit flimsy and dull. A lot of the book falls into Phantom Menace-esque international trade tariff discussions which take up quite a large proportion of the page count.
I don't feel like this really shows off one of the most powerful superheroes in all their glory, rather being a strong independent woman sorting things out through political discussion and diplomacy before eventually resorting to her powers. While this was right for the story being told, I found it a boring one. I may not be the target market for this.

Kudos

Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Tin Man in Books

Jun 21, 2019

Tin Man

Sarah Winman | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.2

(5 Ratings)

Book Rating

Plot, language, characters (0 more)

Didnt like the ending. Point of view confusing (0 more)

Beautifully written

This is a beautifully written novel from multiple point of views. There's Ellis, a broody young man and Michael, a fun, quirky, lovable chap. There's the most perfect love affair that lasts a brief moment. Then there's Annie, with a bit of Ellis's nature and a bit of Michael's. She should have come between Ellis and Michael but she just fits, and the two become three. I won't give too much away, but I cried, laughed, and was taken on an epic journey. I loved this book. If I had to pick a little niggling fault, it was the ending. I found the POV a little confusing. I wasn't sure who was taking and had to read it a couple of times. Otherwise, amazing. I'll be buying more books from this author.

Kudos

Rebecca Billcliff (2409 KP) rated The Twilight Saga (Twilight, #1-4) in Books

Nov 18, 2019

An intriguing story (0 more)

Bella needs a slap (0 more)

A Guilty Pleasure

Reading these in my (very) late teens, I could not help but be gripped by the romance, the forbidden nature, the utter devotion of the characters, and the tween take on some occult characters.
The way the world is explained is pretty good, and allows the story to realy flow. All the characters are interesting, often flawed and draw you in. The general themes as well as the juxtaposition of totally normal teenage crap, like meeting the boyfriend's family, and the danger faced by the characters is sometimes farcical, but no less compelling because of it.
The story feels complete, the characters develop, and Bella becomes less of an ass.
It was a lovely read, and I am looking forward to diving back in, a decade later, to see if I still feel the same.