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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2320 KP) rated Lights! Camera! Puzzles! in Books

Apr 25, 2019  
Lights! Camera! Puzzles!
Lights! Camera! Puzzles!
Parnell Hall | 2019 | Mystery
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Puzzling Murder on a Movie Set
Cora Felton, famed Puzzle Lady, is having her worst nightmare come true when a tell all book from her least favorite ex-husband becomes a bestseller and gets turned into a movie. She agrees to become an associate producer on the film in hopes of control some of the damage even if it means she has to spend time with her least favorite ex-husband on a daily basis. Before things can even get started, however, tragedy visits the set when a production assistant is killed. The police aren’t sure what to make of it, but Cora isn’t that concerned since it has nothing to do with her. However, as things continue to go wrong on the film, she begins to take a more active interest. Can she figure out who is behind everything happening?

As a longtime fan of the series, I was looking forward to Cora’s latest adventure only to find myself disappointed. The star of the series has always been the witty dialogue between Cora and the rest of the characters. I did laugh some, but I found most of it lacking the spark of the better books in the series. The plot is really a series of events, although Cora does get a clue at the end that helps her put things together. We spend most of the book in New York City on various locations, which leaves the series regulars on the sideline, and the new characters aren’t strong enough to carry the book. We do get a new crossword and Sudoku to solve as we read. This is one of those books where it is easy to pick on the shortcomings, but I was entertained as I breezed through the book. Still, this is one only for fans who need Cora’s latest adventure. Those new to the series won’t enjoy the book.
  
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Pandemonium (Delirium, #2) in Books

Jan 31, 2018  
Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)
Pandemonium (Delirium, #2)
Lauren Oliver | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.2 (13 Ratings)
Book Rating
My reaction at the end of the book: I just can't.

I didn't think that it was possible to end the second book with a bigger reveal/cliffhanger than Delirium - but Lauren Oliver shocked me. She slipped a little comment in that immediately made you wonder, "could it be?" I spent the next few pages fearfully reading, unsure if I wanted to know. Which ending would I prefer? All I could do was repeat no, no, no, over and over. This book is the definition of a book hangover. I immediately had to begin reading the third novel in the series.

The world building is just as immersive and well-done as the first. The author vividly describes the landscape and the new hierarchy in which Lena finds herself. This book no longer takes place in Portland, Maine but switches perspectives between the Wilds and New York City. We are also introduced to a new set of characters that help transition Lena into her new Wilds life.

Raven is the leader, young but formed under pressure like a diamond by the Wilds. Tack is her right-hand man, reliable but a bit unfriendly. She is surrounded by Hunter and Bram, tiny Blue, Grandma, Lucky, and many others. There are so many "invalids" in the Wilds that they are not all well-developed and unique characters. Those that are more important to the story are given the attention that they deserve. (Raven is also given a novella, which is a wonderful insight and in my opinion the best of the four novellas that accompany the series.) Lena must find her place and pull her weight - collecting water, tending the fire and checking for messages in the trees.

The style of switching perspectives from now to then continuously was a little off-putting at first. Before long, you get used to the style and are fully immersed in the story. Just as engaging as the first and highly recommended. Just a warning that there are more curse words in the novel than in the first.