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At The Earth's Core
At The Earth's Core
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I was 12 or 13 when was introduced to the fantasy/adventure books written by the author of the famous Tarzan series, and first read this novel. The idea of a huge mole machine burrowing to the center of the earth and discovering flying reptiles and other dinosaurish creatures was magical. The writing style now seems somewhat formal and clumsy, but as a young reader I was whisked along into the unknown. Later, in the 1930s, the author has Tarzan make the journey, too. How could that not work?"

Source
  
Drowning in Rapture (Rapture, #1)
Drowning in Rapture (Rapture, #1)
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.25 stars.

This wasn't my kind of erotica. I prefer the less graphic wording and for come to spelt "come" instead of "cum", trivial I know but a pet peeve of mine.

Strangely I quite liked the plotline, as ludicrous as it was, I just didn't gel with the characters and their actions. They just seemed to run away or get pissed off for no real reason.

As tempted as I am to continue the series, despite my low rating, I won't be continuing it.

Not for me.
  
Prodigy
Prodigy
Marie Lu | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance, Young Adult (YA)
6
8.7 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
It took me a while to get into this, what with it being a few years since I read the first book, but I remembered bits.

There was a bit of a surprise thrown in but by the time it came about I was kind if expecting something like that to happen anyway.

I'm going to have to read the third and final book in the series just to see if they manage to reunite the Americas but I'm not too excited about it all.

Off to start it now.
  
UNDER GRAND HOTEL 3
UNDER GRAND HOTEL 3
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
4.5 stars.

Admittedly I got a bit confused at times with not knowing what they were planning in the end, with the pushing of each other away and that last bit but hey ho, it all worked out in the end and they got their wish to kiss under the sun--which was so cute!!

Shortest manga series I've read so far but I really liked this one. Swordfish really grew on me. Sen was a little tougher for me to like but by the end... *sigh*

I'm happy for them.
  
The Haunting of Hill House- Season 1
The Haunting of Hill House- Season 1
2018 | Horror
It gripped me from the start (0 more)
I wasted too much food spilling it when I jumped (0 more)
Made me jump so much I spilt my dinner down me on more than one occasion
I loved this series and not sure why as it scared the life out of me a few times and gave me nightmares but it gripped me from the start and had me hooked! I lost so much sleep staying up late to binge watch then too scared to sleep or waking from a nightmare but it was great and would recommend.
  
The continental
The continental
2023 | Action, Crime, Thriller
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
How did Winston get to be the manager of The Continental, the hotel for hitmen in the John Wick films?

Not a question I ever really thought of before, but that is more or less the driving premise behind this 1970s set prequel (of a sort) to the John Wick movies.

The series is 3 episodes long, each roughly about 1.5 hours long, with each themselves more or less split into 3 acts. In all cases, I found the middle part (and the middle episode) to be the weakest.
  
40x40

Kyera (8 KP) rated Clockwork Angel in Books

Jan 31, 2018  
Clockwork Angel
Clockwork Angel
Cassandra Clare | 2010 | Children
10
9.0 (37 Ratings)
Book Rating
Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. It is set in Victorian London and has an air of steampunk – although it is not explicitly that genre. There are clockwork creations and automatons, a Shadowhunter inventor that tinkers with gears and wires, but the overall setting is not one of steam powered air machines and gear-covered outfits. As a fan of the steampunk genre and aesthetic, I quite enjoyed the subtle notes of it in this series.

The clockwork automatons are intriguing, as they are made from neither Heaven nor Hell and thus the Shadowhunters have no experience dealing with them. They create a unique foe to fight against and are a greater mystery – as our heroes do not know who truly created them, or their nefarious purpose.

Each chapter is headed with an excerpt from a poem that Tessa might have found herself reading over the years. Each is not only a wonderful addition to the story but if you enjoy them, perhaps it will lead you to seek them out in their original forms. I personally do not find myself frequently reading poetry, but the first time I read this book I fell in love with the poems selected. It caused me to go in search of them and read poetry. Perhaps you too will find yourself inspired.

As with the Mortal Instruments, our main character is a female who is unfamiliar with the Shadow World at the beginning of the novel. Before long, she is completely embroiled in the world, the politics and must learn as she goes. In this novel, our heroine is given the Shadowhunter Codex to read which allows her to quickly understand the roles of the Shadowhunter and the world she didn’t even know existed. I have always liked Tessa and felt a kinship to her, as we are very similar.

Tessa is quite tall, especially for a woman in the Victorian era, brunette and loves books more than anything else (other than perhaps her family.) Her Aunt was a very learned woman, so Tessa received a decent education and fostered a love of reading. She is able to quote from books that she loves and does not discriminate between books considered high-brow and those considered for the lower class of society. Tessa is very intelligent and not afraid to voice her opinions, even though it was not widely accepted at that time for women to be sharp of tongue. She also does not like chocolate, which endeared her to me immediately as I also am one of the few people it seems who does not like chocolate.

Our two male leads are Jem and Will, who are parabatai but quite dissimilar from one another. Jem was originally from the Shanghai Institute but found himself in the London Institute when his parents were murdered by demons. He is quiet, kind, intelligent and loves Will like a brother. Will is a Herondale, with all of the charm that comes with it. He is more reckless, boasts about frequenting brothels and dens of vice, and despite his outward attempts to appear cheerful is prone to melancholy.

The Institute is filled with other Shadowhunters and servants with vastly different personalities who bring a lot of interesting storylines with them. Charlotte and Henry are the heads of the Institute, despite their young age. Henry is a brilliant inventor, although a bit scatterbrained. Jessamine was forced to live in the Institute after the death of her parents, but she has never desired to be a Shadowhunter.

The first book introduces us to the Shadow World of London, as Tessa is invited to travel from New York to London to live with her brother. Her plans do not turn out as she had expected and it leads her on an adventure with the Nephilim. It is fascinating to see how different the Shadowhunters of this era are, and yet utterly the same. It was also interesting to see how the Shadowhunters view the Downworld. While it was not entirely equal to the time of the Mortal Instruments series, you realize that is has improved in the century since the Infernal Devices and must be leagues above the treatment in the earliest years of the Nephilim.

Whether Clockwork Angel is your first foray into the Shadow World, or not, it is a highly entertaining and well-written novel that I could not recommend more. Many people feel that this series is the best of the three, so if you’ve been considering reading any of the Shadowhunter Chronicles but were not quite sure – perhaps this is a good place to start. I personally would recommend reading a number of the Mortal Instruments before beginning this series, but that is just my opinion. Either way, if you have not yet read this book – please go do so now! It is one of my favourites and I hope that it will be yours as well.
  
Prophesy (The King & Alpha, #1)
Prophesy (The King & Alpha, #1)
A.E. Via | 2017 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Prophesy (The King & Alpha Series #1) by A.E. Via
Prophesy is the first book in The King & Alpha series, and we start off with Justice and Wick. Justice is the Alpha Zenith, the biggest, baddest wolf shifter of them all. He is fated with Wick, the Vampire King. Both of these know the difficulties in ruling, the decisions that have to be made. One decision that was taken out of Justice's hand was that of a mate. He never imagined he would end up with a vampire, and he paid the price for his pride.

I wouldn't call this an enemy to lover story, as it is their RACES that are at war, not each other. Yes, they have a misunderstanding, but nothing that isn't easily resolved. I enjoyed seeing how they both knew what punishments would work best for their own, and they weren't afraid to punish those responsible. This is the first book, so there is a lot of world-building, and a hint of more story to come (crazy human scientists).

This was an easy read, with it being well-written and evenly paced. There are some steamy moments in there, and the hint of more than one story yet to come. A great start to the series, and definitely recommended by me.

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

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!