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Merissa (13440 KP) rated Capturing Fate (Fatal Truth #2) in Books
May 13, 2021 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)
CAPTURING FATE is the second book in the Fatal Truth series, although it could be read as a standalone. I say could because if you do, you're missing out on another 5-star read!
This novel had me confused slightly, to begin with, simply because of the timeline. I 'presumed' it would start after book one finished, but it didn't. It actually runs parallel to book one for most of it but gives you a completely different viewpoint.
And what a viewpoint it was. This book is such a gripping read. The big bad here is fully dimensional, evil in every way. Seriously, I hated the man! And Dolan and Daught, bless them. They really go through the mill. In fact, all of her boys have done and do. My heart broke for them so many times.
Although this is still dark and violent, it's not quite as violent as book one. This makes sense as this is a different book! Trust me though, it's still not light and fluffy.
I adored the ending and probably had a sappy smile on my face. The uncles about floored me, and I loved them all for it. The only problem now is there are nineteen other people I need HEAs for. If anyone deserves a HEA, it's them!
A brilliant addition to the series, and one I have no hesitation in recommending. A stunning story that kept me in its grip from start to finish. READ IT!
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
May 13, 2021
This novel had me confused slightly, to begin with, simply because of the timeline. I 'presumed' it would start after book one finished, but it didn't. It actually runs parallel to book one for most of it but gives you a completely different viewpoint.
And what a viewpoint it was. This book is such a gripping read. The big bad here is fully dimensional, evil in every way. Seriously, I hated the man! And Dolan and Daught, bless them. They really go through the mill. In fact, all of her boys have done and do. My heart broke for them so many times.
Although this is still dark and violent, it's not quite as violent as book one. This makes sense as this is a different book! Trust me though, it's still not light and fluffy.
I adored the ending and probably had a sappy smile on my face. The uncles about floored me, and I loved them all for it. The only problem now is there are nineteen other people I need HEAs for. If anyone deserves a HEA, it's them!
A brilliant addition to the series, and one I have no hesitation in recommending. A stunning story that kept me in its grip from start to finish. READ IT!
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
May 13, 2021
Kyera (8 KP) rated Queen of Shadows in Books
Feb 1, 2018
In the fourth book of the Throne of Glass series, Queen of Shadows is the most epic in scope and storyline of Sarah J Maas' ToG books yet. We finally get to experience life outside of Rifthold on a grand scale. She continues switching perspectives in her chapters, bringing us more from the Prince, Aelin, Manon, etc. with the addition of Elide who is located in Morath.
World building is one of my favourite parts of novels, so the inclusion of many new places was wonderful. We got to see places that we had only heard of before, even if they were just brief glimpses. There still was not enough Abraxos in this novel for my liking, where is my favourite character?
I love seeing character development in novels and being the fourth book, the author has had a lot of storylines to play with and allow her characters to grow. While Aelin and Chaol seemed to have experienced personality changes between the first two and second two novels in the series, the other characters walked the line between interesting character development and outright personality changes. I enjoyed getting more of a glimpse into Rowan, Manon and Lysandra's heads.
That being said, I do feel that at times the characterization felt forced so that she could get to a plot point more quickly. I would have loved to experience a more authentic building of relationships, change of emotions because overall it felt too abrupt. There was a sense of insta-love, insta-friendship, insta-everything. The book is quite long, so I understand not being able to dedicate the pages to that development, but it is disappointing not to see it.
Overall, these abrupt personality changes and character interactions made the book feel like the author had decided halfway through writing Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows that she wanted the series to go in a different direction. It's not entirely cohesive, but I still highly enjoyed the read because it is engaging and fun. I don't want it to seem like I didn't enjoy the read, I just want to be clear about the pitfalls of the book.
One major concern I had with the series is Sarah J Maas' portrayal of relationships. Sometimes you might feel warm and fuzzy about how cute they are together or how protective one is, but sometimes it goes too far. When the relationships become territorial or obsessive or commanding, essentially dictating what one party can do - that's when it slips into an unhealthy territory. As long as younger readers are aware that this is a fictional relationship and not to idealize it, I think that it is fine. I just worry that teens might internalize it as the right way (like Twilight, which is also unhealthy), so I wanted my concerns with the portrayal to be known.
Overall, this is a long but enjoyable read. I know a lot of people had struggled with Heir of Fire being so different from her first two books in the series. She did seem to change her mind about what she wanted to be and where the plot was going. Although this book continues that plotline, it is definitely better than its predecessor so it might be worth taking a chance on again. There is also a lot of action in Empire of Storms, the fifth book in the series. It has some great fight sequences and Abraxos, which is important, so you really need to read this book to get to that point.
World building is one of my favourite parts of novels, so the inclusion of many new places was wonderful. We got to see places that we had only heard of before, even if they were just brief glimpses. There still was not enough Abraxos in this novel for my liking, where is my favourite character?
I love seeing character development in novels and being the fourth book, the author has had a lot of storylines to play with and allow her characters to grow. While Aelin and Chaol seemed to have experienced personality changes between the first two and second two novels in the series, the other characters walked the line between interesting character development and outright personality changes. I enjoyed getting more of a glimpse into Rowan, Manon and Lysandra's heads.
That being said, I do feel that at times the characterization felt forced so that she could get to a plot point more quickly. I would have loved to experience a more authentic building of relationships, change of emotions because overall it felt too abrupt. There was a sense of insta-love, insta-friendship, insta-everything. The book is quite long, so I understand not being able to dedicate the pages to that development, but it is disappointing not to see it.
Overall, these abrupt personality changes and character interactions made the book feel like the author had decided halfway through writing Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows that she wanted the series to go in a different direction. It's not entirely cohesive, but I still highly enjoyed the read because it is engaging and fun. I don't want it to seem like I didn't enjoy the read, I just want to be clear about the pitfalls of the book.
One major concern I had with the series is Sarah J Maas' portrayal of relationships. Sometimes you might feel warm and fuzzy about how cute they are together or how protective one is, but sometimes it goes too far. When the relationships become territorial or obsessive or commanding, essentially dictating what one party can do - that's when it slips into an unhealthy territory. As long as younger readers are aware that this is a fictional relationship and not to idealize it, I think that it is fine. I just worry that teens might internalize it as the right way (like Twilight, which is also unhealthy), so I wanted my concerns with the portrayal to be known.
Overall, this is a long but enjoyable read. I know a lot of people had struggled with Heir of Fire being so different from her first two books in the series. She did seem to change her mind about what she wanted to be and where the plot was going. Although this book continues that plotline, it is definitely better than its predecessor so it might be worth taking a chance on again. There is also a lot of action in Empire of Storms, the fifth book in the series. It has some great fight sequences and Abraxos, which is important, so you really need to read this book to get to that point.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Angelic Retribution in Books
Nov 8, 2019
I thought the the first two installments of the Afterlife saga, following the exploits of human-turned-angel Aurora, were absoluately terrific. With this third installment I feel like I need to invent some new superlatives as all the existing ones seem somehow inadequate.
There's not much of the story I can discuss without giving things away, but this very much continues following the trend for the themes to get darker as the series has gone on. The angels are becoming desperate as the demon hordes press in relentlessly. After her actions in the second book Aurora is viewed with a great deal of suspicion by everyone and Abaddon is still focussed on getting her join the demon ranks.
The story that Cope tells here begs to be read; the stakes have been raised and it's really not clear what is going to happen next, and there are a number of shock twists and developments that take the plot in all sorts of directions I hadn't expected at the outset. As usual the writing and characterisation is flawless, smoothly flowing off the page throughout, effortlessly following the changes in pace as the story twists through its chapters.
If you enjoyed the first two books and want to find out what happens next to Aurora and her friends you will not be disappointed. If you have not read any of the series and are looking for something interesting, thought-provoking and pacey to read then I can't recommend these books highly enough.
There's not much of the story I can discuss without giving things away, but this very much continues following the trend for the themes to get darker as the series has gone on. The angels are becoming desperate as the demon hordes press in relentlessly. After her actions in the second book Aurora is viewed with a great deal of suspicion by everyone and Abaddon is still focussed on getting her join the demon ranks.
The story that Cope tells here begs to be read; the stakes have been raised and it's really not clear what is going to happen next, and there are a number of shock twists and developments that take the plot in all sorts of directions I hadn't expected at the outset. As usual the writing and characterisation is flawless, smoothly flowing off the page throughout, effortlessly following the changes in pace as the story twists through its chapters.
If you enjoyed the first two books and want to find out what happens next to Aurora and her friends you will not be disappointed. If you have not read any of the series and are looking for something interesting, thought-provoking and pacey to read then I can't recommend these books highly enough.
Madbatdan82 (341 KP) rated Mr Mercedes in TV
Mar 10, 2019
A 'killer series' well worth a binge.
We were looking for a new season to binge through and discovered this and were not disappointed. Simple premise - retired grizzled cop cant forget that one unsolved case. Starts to look back into it and the killer starts to play games with him. What sets it apart from other similar series are the performances particularly the brilliant Brendan Gleeson as the old retired detective. All the characters are developed in a way that you feel there's something wrong with them but you still have some sympathy - even with the killer. From episode one there's some really nasty deaths as well. So we'll worth a watch and there's now a second season to continue you're enjoyment.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Slayer (Slayer #1) in Books
Mar 19, 2019 (Updated Mar 19, 2019)
When I saw that Kiersten White was writing a Slayer novel, I was completely intrigued. I really liked Paranormalcy.
So, the extent of my Buffy knowledge is limited to the film. But, apparently, crap has gone down, and everyone hates Buffy? The novel does an ok job at filling in necessary gaps, so I wasn't completely lost. Overall, the story was just meh and predictable. I'm fairly sure I've already figured out the entire book series to come. It's also another reminder that new YA is not for me, at all. The characters were...well, kind of meh. The story didn't really pick up until the last 100 pages Overall, this was an ok book, it wasn't good, but it wasn't god-awful. I definitely don't plan on continuing to read the series.
So, the extent of my Buffy knowledge is limited to the film. But, apparently, crap has gone down, and everyone hates Buffy? The novel does an ok job at filling in necessary gaps, so I wasn't completely lost. Overall, the story was just meh and predictable. I'm fairly sure I've already figured out the entire book series to come. It's also another reminder that new YA is not for me, at all. The characters were...well, kind of meh. The story didn't really pick up until the last 100 pages Overall, this was an ok book, it wasn't good, but it wasn't god-awful. I definitely don't plan on continuing to read the series.
Maigret's First Case
Georges Simenon and Ros Schwartz
1.0
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A sparkling new translation of this flashback to the start of Inspector Maigret's career, part of...
Endure (Need #4)
10.0
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It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s...
Cynthia Armistead (17 KP) rated Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I enjoyed this book, and plan to go on to the next book in the series, [b:Web of Lies|6933152|Web of Lies (Elemental Assassin, #2)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1262902266s/6933152.jpg|7164540]. I'm hoping that [a:Jennifer Estep|580315|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1264385515p2/580315.jpg] grows as an author, though, as the foreshadowing regarding the real "big bad" as well as the revelation of a fact important to the main character were both rather clumsily done, in my opinion.
I'm aware of another series by Estep, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/44008-bigtime">Bigtime</a>;. I was thinking of reading it, but it was written earlier than the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/47271-elemental-assassin">Elemental Assassin</a> series, and now I'm not so sure about whether I want to read it or not. Estep's characters are interesting, but I'm not sure that they're interesting enough to hold me through writing that's less polished than [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]. Then again, I've certainly read worse. I suppose it all depends on what I happen to have in hand at any given time. I'd be more likely to read it if there were short stories available similar to the ones on Estep's web site that drew me in to this series.
I didn't do reviews for those, but there are three stories that occur chronologically before [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]: [b:Poison|10869243|Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.5)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|15784488] [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] and [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109]. Reading them certainly isn't necessary to enjoy the novel, and it's definitely better to avoid reading [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] first. They are good stories, though, and I do recommend that anyone who enjoys Estep's work seek them out in order to enjoy the additional bits of information gained in them. For instance, [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109] is the story of an event that is pivotal to Gin and Caine's relationship, and its consequences are likely to continue echoing through the next few volumes of the series.
I'm aware of another series by Estep, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/44008-bigtime">Bigtime</a>;. I was thinking of reading it, but it was written earlier than the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/47271-elemental-assassin">Elemental Assassin</a> series, and now I'm not so sure about whether I want to read it or not. Estep's characters are interesting, but I'm not sure that they're interesting enough to hold me through writing that's less polished than [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]. Then again, I've certainly read worse. I suppose it all depends on what I happen to have in hand at any given time. I'd be more likely to read it if there were short stories available similar to the ones on Estep's web site that drew me in to this series.
I didn't do reviews for those, but there are three stories that occur chronologically before [b:Spider's Bite|6611038|Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)|Jennifer Estep|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1254292883s/6611038.jpg|6805023]: [b:Poison|10869243|Poison (Elemental Assassin #0.5)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|15784488] [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] and [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109]. Reading them certainly isn't necessary to enjoy the novel, and it's definitely better to avoid reading [b:Web of Deceit|11478192|Web of Deceit (Elemental Assassin #0.75)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413134] first. They are good stories, though, and I do recommend that anyone who enjoys Estep's work seek them out in order to enjoy the additional bits of information gained in them. For instance, [b:Spider's Bargain|11478167|Spider's Bargain (Elemental Assassin #0.90)|Jennifer Estep|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|16413109] is the story of an event that is pivotal to Gin and Caine's relationship, and its consequences are likely to continue echoing through the next few volumes of the series.
Debbiereadsbook (1570 KP) rated Lander (Oberon Cycle #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
A-MAZ-ING follow up!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Oberon Cycle, and you really REALLY must read book one, Skythane, first. These are NOT stand alones!
What they are though, is brilliant!
Reeling from their discoveries that they are not who they thought they were, Xander and Jameson thought they had fulfilled their prophecy, but it seems there is more in store for these two, as joining the worlds of Oberon and Titania has bought them more than they expected!
Told from both Xander and Jameson AND a whole host of other characters who I don't recall having a say in book one, we get the whole picture of what is happening on this little planet that was put back together. There are some things laid out for book three, some things that I'm not sure how will play out, but that's not an issue here, because I loved this book!
What made it, for me, *and please don't fall off your chair when I say this* is how very CLEAN this book is! Xander and Jameson shut you down, right at the good bits and they do it so well, its brilliantly written! Their love, even when faced with the possibility that it might be chemically induced, is evident, even when they take time apart get to the bottom of what they are really feeling, and it comes across in all the right places. Also, Quince and Robyn, while they don't get to their "good bits" yet, I expect they will shut me down just as good.
The general world *and I mean this quite LITERALLY* building is amazing, and you still don't get a massive info dump, its comes in dribs and drabs, but I again stress, you NEED book one first. The world building here is not the same as book one because, you know, they joined this world and everything is different, and not recapped the same way as it comes across in book one.
I cannot wait to see how this pans out, I'd love everyone, and I mean each and every member of this massive cast, to get their own happy ever after, I just don't see how that might play out. I have hopes for some people, I really do!
Coatsworth skill continues to grow, and I look forward to reading the final part to this series, even if I do have to wait another year!
5 amazing stars!
*8same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 2 in the Oberon Cycle, and you really REALLY must read book one, Skythane, first. These are NOT stand alones!
What they are though, is brilliant!
Reeling from their discoveries that they are not who they thought they were, Xander and Jameson thought they had fulfilled their prophecy, but it seems there is more in store for these two, as joining the worlds of Oberon and Titania has bought them more than they expected!
Told from both Xander and Jameson AND a whole host of other characters who I don't recall having a say in book one, we get the whole picture of what is happening on this little planet that was put back together. There are some things laid out for book three, some things that I'm not sure how will play out, but that's not an issue here, because I loved this book!
What made it, for me, *and please don't fall off your chair when I say this* is how very CLEAN this book is! Xander and Jameson shut you down, right at the good bits and they do it so well, its brilliantly written! Their love, even when faced with the possibility that it might be chemically induced, is evident, even when they take time apart get to the bottom of what they are really feeling, and it comes across in all the right places. Also, Quince and Robyn, while they don't get to their "good bits" yet, I expect they will shut me down just as good.
The general world *and I mean this quite LITERALLY* building is amazing, and you still don't get a massive info dump, its comes in dribs and drabs, but I again stress, you NEED book one first. The world building here is not the same as book one because, you know, they joined this world and everything is different, and not recapped the same way as it comes across in book one.
I cannot wait to see how this pans out, I'd love everyone, and I mean each and every member of this massive cast, to get their own happy ever after, I just don't see how that might play out. I have hopes for some people, I really do!
Coatsworth skill continues to grow, and I look forward to reading the final part to this series, even if I do have to wait another year!
5 amazing stars!
*8same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1) in Books
May 22, 2019
Gore heavy police procedural
This is the first book in the Rizzoli and Isles thriller series, apparently there is a TV series based off this but I’ve never seen it so went into this blind. Isles does not appear as a character in this book and even RIzzoli is more of a secondary character.
Catherine Cordell is a skilled surgeon working in Boston where she fled to following a horrific attack two years ago. Although she killed her attacker her exterior confidence hides the continued fear the trauma has instilled in her everyday life. When the impossible seems to occur and the killer returns to stalk her, Detective Moore is determined to protect along with fellow officer Rizzoli.
The villain and what he does is full on terrifying and creepy as hell (just the way I like them.) However if you are in any way squeamish and don’t like a lot of blood and gore you should probably avoid this book. There is a lot of graphic descriptions of injuries of people coming into an emergency room, surgery and torture. Rape is also a central theme and again descriptions can be disturbing so be warned.
This felt like a very solid police procedural book. The style will be familiar with Criminal Minds fans in that you get to see a bit behind the curtain. I didn’t feel there was a lot of puzzling mystery, but you were swept along in the investigation to find the unsub.
My main hope with this series is Rizzoli becomes a bit more human, in this book I just wanted to slap her for being such a cow to both victims and colleagues. Her constant internal moaning about how bad she is treated because she’s a woman made me laugh, it seemed more to be just because she isn’t a very nice person. She doesn't come across as a very good cop at all, poor at doing interviews, following procedure, working as a team. Meanwhile Moore was a much more sympathetic character.
Looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.
Catherine Cordell is a skilled surgeon working in Boston where she fled to following a horrific attack two years ago. Although she killed her attacker her exterior confidence hides the continued fear the trauma has instilled in her everyday life. When the impossible seems to occur and the killer returns to stalk her, Detective Moore is determined to protect along with fellow officer Rizzoli.
The villain and what he does is full on terrifying and creepy as hell (just the way I like them.) However if you are in any way squeamish and don’t like a lot of blood and gore you should probably avoid this book. There is a lot of graphic descriptions of injuries of people coming into an emergency room, surgery and torture. Rape is also a central theme and again descriptions can be disturbing so be warned.
This felt like a very solid police procedural book. The style will be familiar with Criminal Minds fans in that you get to see a bit behind the curtain. I didn’t feel there was a lot of puzzling mystery, but you were swept along in the investigation to find the unsub.
My main hope with this series is Rizzoli becomes a bit more human, in this book I just wanted to slap her for being such a cow to both victims and colleagues. Her constant internal moaning about how bad she is treated because she’s a woman made me laugh, it seemed more to be just because she isn’t a very nice person. She doesn't come across as a very good cop at all, poor at doing interviews, following procedure, working as a team. Meanwhile Moore was a much more sympathetic character.
Looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here.