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David McK (3632 KP) rated Hexed (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #2) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The second book in Kevin Hearne's 'The Iron Druid' series which, I have to say, I actually preferred over the first.
This might be because, I feel, that Hearne is beginning to find his feet more, with the series beginning to get its own distinct style rather than the very Dresden-ish feeling I got from [b:Hounded|18404329|Hounded|David Rosenfelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382758931s/18404329.jpg|26038191].
I also like the glimpses back into Atticus's history, and the plot strands left for future entries, with his world (as a whole) now beginning to develop further.
While still not (yet) up to Dresden standards, this is beginning to get there: I think I will read a few more of these :)
This might be because, I feel, that Hearne is beginning to find his feet more, with the series beginning to get its own distinct style rather than the very Dresden-ish feeling I got from [b:Hounded|18404329|Hounded|David Rosenfelt|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382758931s/18404329.jpg|26038191].
I also like the glimpses back into Atticus's history, and the plot strands left for future entries, with his world (as a whole) now beginning to develop further.
While still not (yet) up to Dresden standards, this is beginning to get there: I think I will read a few more of these :)
EmersonRose (320 KP) rated Son (The Giver, #4) in Books
Nov 20, 2019
I very much enjoyed reading this book. Lois Lowry is an amazing writer and I absolutely love the way she builds her world without completely explaining everything. Perhaps it is unfair to not give it five stars but I can’t help but compare all the books in the series to The Giver which is one of my all-time favorites. Having read the whole series I love being able to see the connections between books, the connections in this one being stronger than the others. My only complaint is that now I want more. I was happy with the ambiguous ending to The Giver but now that Lowry has answered some questions about what happened to characters, I find myself needing the rest.
Dawn Marie (22 KP) rated Anne with an E in TV
Jan 19, 2018
I couldn't make it through this whole series yes I know I am partial to the Megan follows as Anne version but was open to this new one even thought the title showed promise. I watched trying to keep an open mind but the more I watched the more upset I got. I am not only a fan of the movie version but I am a fan of the books! Too much was changed and it seemed to lag. Most of the characters were not likable or interesting to me except the lady playing marilla. I don t know if it was the girl playing Anne or the dialogue That was bad. Some may like this but I recommend the books or the 1985 movie
Mothergamer (1601 KP) rated Death on the Nile (2022) in Movies
Apr 22, 2022
I really wanted to like this because I grew up on Agatha Christie books and watching the PBS Poirot series with my grandmother. I love Poirot and I like this book, but the screen adaptation is odd. There were strange decisions like including the character Bouc when he's not even in this book and having something happen to him that is not part of the story at all. The pacing felt off with the movie feeling boring and slow in some spots and then a few moments of interesting sprinkled here and there. There didn't seem to be a lot of chemistry among the cast and the actress with four credits to her career so far did a better job emoting and acting than longtime veterans. Branagh did great as Poirot, he was great in the first movie too, but the movie took so long to get going and then when it got to the big reveal it got better. It felt so uneven and I was disappointed. It's not a complete disaster, but it's not stellar either.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated A Prisoner of Versailles (Darkness to Light, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
A PRISONER OF VERSAILLES is an improvement over the first in the series, [b:In the Shadow of the Sun King|4484156|In the Shadow of the Sun King (Darkness to Light, #1)|Golden Keyes Parsons|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266758461s/4484156.jpg|4753411], but still only an okay read. Readers who are interested in the series would benefit from reading the previous entry beforehand, as this does not standalone.
I don't generally read Christian fiction and would not have gotten this had I known ahead of time that it was an Inspirational novel (and the second in a series besides). Since that is partly my fault, I still decided to give it a fair chance and see if the basic plot could overcome my worries. Sadly, it didn't, but not necessarily because of the religious usages, which could be over-the-top at times, but mainly due to a plot that's rather unoriginal and uninspiring.
I did find myself enjoying the first half of the book, but then my interest started dwindling as the story lost my attention. Unfortunately, the main character, Madeleine, still isn't fleshed out enough for me to care what happens to her, but unlike the first book, there were a few characters who were better drawn out: Pierre, Philippe, and Robert. However, since Madeleine is supposed to be someone who readers should care and root for, this is a big downfall for the story.
All in all, the book is better written, the story flows better, and the characters have improved since the last novel, but I seriously doubt I'll look for the conclusion to the series. 2.5 stars
I don't generally read Christian fiction and would not have gotten this had I known ahead of time that it was an Inspirational novel (and the second in a series besides). Since that is partly my fault, I still decided to give it a fair chance and see if the basic plot could overcome my worries. Sadly, it didn't, but not necessarily because of the religious usages, which could be over-the-top at times, but mainly due to a plot that's rather unoriginal and uninspiring.
I did find myself enjoying the first half of the book, but then my interest started dwindling as the story lost my attention. Unfortunately, the main character, Madeleine, still isn't fleshed out enough for me to care what happens to her, but unlike the first book, there were a few characters who were better drawn out: Pierre, Philippe, and Robert. However, since Madeleine is supposed to be someone who readers should care and root for, this is a big downfall for the story.
All in all, the book is better written, the story flows better, and the characters have improved since the last novel, but I seriously doubt I'll look for the conclusion to the series. 2.5 stars
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated Soldier Girl in Books
Jun 16, 2019
Refreshingly different
This was my first Annie Murray and it made me love her storytelling. I found it was so different from what is usually written about women around the time of the war.
I didn't find out until after I had finished it that it was part of a series. I just had to know if there was a sequel as the ending was so abrupt, so many questions still unanswered, I was so relieved to see it was part of a series. I was surprised that it was the second as it was easy to fall into, you don't need to read the previous book to understand this one.
The main character isn't your usual woman in the early 1900's which makes you want to keep reading, to see how she is received in this world that is so strict, a world which anyone who was different were ostracized and frowned upon.
The way Annie Murray writes this story really does make you root for the characters, for me I felt I was there with them, not an easy thing to portray but Annie Murray does it well.
I am still on the look out for book 1 and 3 and hope I find them soon! I'd like to think others will read this (as I definitely think they should) and will fall in love with Annie Murray's books.
I didn't find out until after I had finished it that it was part of a series. I just had to know if there was a sequel as the ending was so abrupt, so many questions still unanswered, I was so relieved to see it was part of a series. I was surprised that it was the second as it was easy to fall into, you don't need to read the previous book to understand this one.
The main character isn't your usual woman in the early 1900's which makes you want to keep reading, to see how she is received in this world that is so strict, a world which anyone who was different were ostracized and frowned upon.
The way Annie Murray writes this story really does make you root for the characters, for me I felt I was there with them, not an easy thing to portray but Annie Murray does it well.
I am still on the look out for book 1 and 3 and hope I find them soon! I'd like to think others will read this (as I definitely think they should) and will fall in love with Annie Murray's books.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Into the Night in TV
May 31, 2020
The cheap gag about Into the Night would be to declare it the best Belgian apocalyptic SF disaster thriller mini-series ever made, but it deserves better than that. Not entirely unlike Lost, but without the plane actually crashing: passengers and crew of a commercial jet find themselves desperately travelling west, perpetually, as the sun's rays have suddenly become lethal. Characters come into sharper focus, tensions within the group build, there are many incidental crises and problems.
It's done with a slightly broad brush and occasionally becomes a little contrived, but there are great performances from the ensemble cast and it soon becomes genuinely gripping and tense, though not without the odd moment of black humour ('I'm going to die in Scotland... with Belgians!' despairs one character in the first episode). Not sure what they're going to do if it gets a second series, but this is a fine piece of entertainment. (Right-thinking people will surely watch the original version, with subtitles if necessary: the English dubbing is not great.)
It's done with a slightly broad brush and occasionally becomes a little contrived, but there are great performances from the ensemble cast and it soon becomes genuinely gripping and tense, though not without the odd moment of black humour ('I'm going to die in Scotland... with Belgians!' despairs one character in the first episode). Not sure what they're going to do if it gets a second series, but this is a fine piece of entertainment. (Right-thinking people will surely watch the original version, with subtitles if necessary: the English dubbing is not great.)
Sarah (126 KP) rated Shallow Graves (The Haunted #1) in Books
Feb 16, 2019 (Updated Feb 16, 2019)
Some plotlines were rather predictable (1 more)
Writing was a little lacklustre in parts
Genuinely creepy, if a little predictable
I read this book with my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and it is the first part in a six book series (although, at the time of writing this review, the sixth book does state there is a seventh to come - which has not materialised some 15 months later, despite the author being quite a prolific writer).
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to; there were some moments of real trepidation, wondering what was coming, but I did feel that the writing lacked a little urgency or ability to induce real fear.
That said, even though there were elements of the storyline that were incredibly predictable from the outset, it did grip me enough to make me continue with the series.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to; there were some moments of real trepidation, wondering what was coming, but I did feel that the writing lacked a little urgency or ability to induce real fear.
That said, even though there were elements of the storyline that were incredibly predictable from the outset, it did grip me enough to make me continue with the series.
John Stack seems to have a knack for choosing unusual settings.
His previous novels - <i>Ship of Rome</i>, <i>Captain of Rome</i> and <i>Masters of Rome</i> all concerned the Roman navy during the first Punic war against Carthage. While this novel is not part of that series, it also has another unusual setting: this time, that of the Spanish Armada.
While it does have an unusual setting, it also shares some similarites with those other books: again, the main protaganist of the novel is an outsider, this time a loyal Recusant (or practising, secret, Catholic) in the English navy compared to the Greek captain in the Roman navy of the <i>Masters of the Sea</i> series. Again, a large chunk of it takes place on sea, rather than on land. Again, it is an enjoyable read.
His previous novels - <i>Ship of Rome</i>, <i>Captain of Rome</i> and <i>Masters of Rome</i> all concerned the Roman navy during the first Punic war against Carthage. While this novel is not part of that series, it also has another unusual setting: this time, that of the Spanish Armada.
While it does have an unusual setting, it also shares some similarites with those other books: again, the main protaganist of the novel is an outsider, this time a loyal Recusant (or practising, secret, Catholic) in the English navy compared to the Greek captain in the Roman navy of the <i>Masters of the Sea</i> series. Again, a large chunk of it takes place on sea, rather than on land. Again, it is an enjoyable read.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Powersat (The Grand Tour #1) in Books
Nov 25, 2019
Dan Randolph has a dream - cheap power for all delivered via a series of orbital sun-powered 'Powersats' that will beam their energy down to Earth. However this is a huge project and there are any number of things that can go wrong. Dan will need to summon all his resources as a businessman and format astronaut to ensure his brainchild has a future.
This is a pretty solid start to the Grand Tour series of books, which seek to show the reader every corner of the solar system together with a gripping story. The science is accurate and plot is certainly gripping.
However this is a fairly workmanlike book, feeling a lot like Bova was writing with gritted teeth to actually get it finished. As a result it is a good but not great work of fiction.
This is a pretty solid start to the Grand Tour series of books, which seek to show the reader every corner of the solar system together with a gripping story. The science is accurate and plot is certainly gripping.
However this is a fairly workmanlike book, feeling a lot like Bova was writing with gritted teeth to actually get it finished. As a result it is a good but not great work of fiction.