Search
Search results
Merissa (13931 KP) rated Lantern (Danubian #1) in Books
Aug 16, 2023
LANTERN is the first book in the Danubian series, and we head to the future where we have gone back to the Dark Ages.
Wren has always known he would leave the Monastery and his lovers behind at some point, but when that time comes, he finds it harder than expected. Not only that, but the solitude of being high in the mountains with only a dog for company, is more than he can bear. Luckily for him, Uli comes along and it's a healthy dose of insta-love for both of them.
There is a lot of world-building and explanations of the spiritual side in this book, as you would expect from the first book in a series. I was enthralled by the descriptions of how life was, but would have liked more about Wren interacting with the villagers and trying to adjust to his new way of life, rather than his constant lamentations about being lonely. I would also have liked more descriptions of Ev and Soren and their relationship with Uli.
On the whole, though, this was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read the next in the series. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 16, 2023
Wren has always known he would leave the Monastery and his lovers behind at some point, but when that time comes, he finds it harder than expected. Not only that, but the solitude of being high in the mountains with only a dog for company, is more than he can bear. Luckily for him, Uli comes along and it's a healthy dose of insta-love for both of them.
There is a lot of world-building and explanations of the spiritual side in this book, as you would expect from the first book in a series. I was enthralled by the descriptions of how life was, but would have liked more about Wren interacting with the villagers and trying to adjust to his new way of life, rather than his constant lamentations about being lonely. I would also have liked more descriptions of Ev and Soren and their relationship with Uli.
On the whole, though, this was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to read the next in the series. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 16, 2023
Merissa (13931 KP) rated Magic, Demons and the Hunter (Enchanted Ink #2) in Books
Aug 25, 2023
MAGIC, DEMONS AND THE HUNTER is part of the Enchanted Ink multi-author series and features Eliphas and Pierre, who we met in A SCENT LIKE NO OTHER, in the FATED MATES ANTHOLOGY.
This time, Mondo is also around. He is the third part of their triad, and the one Pierre and Eli thought was dead. He is very much alive but missing a chunk of memories, including those that would have sent him to Pierre and Eli.
While I love the coven and the triad in particular, I would have preferred to know more about their world and the demons they face. As it is part of a series, I did feel as though I'd missed out on some world-building by not having read book one yet.
The overall arc isn't over by a long shot and I look forward to reading more in this series and seeing other characters find their mates. I just hope I see more of Mondo, Pierre, and Eli, as they are fantastic characters that made me smile.
Hot, dangerous, flirtatious, honesty - it's all here and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely recommended by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 14, 2023
This time, Mondo is also around. He is the third part of their triad, and the one Pierre and Eli thought was dead. He is very much alive but missing a chunk of memories, including those that would have sent him to Pierre and Eli.
While I love the coven and the triad in particular, I would have preferred to know more about their world and the demons they face. As it is part of a series, I did feel as though I'd missed out on some world-building by not having read book one yet.
The overall arc isn't over by a long shot and I look forward to reading more in this series and seeing other characters find their mates. I just hope I see more of Mondo, Pierre, and Eli, as they are fantastic characters that made me smile.
Hot, dangerous, flirtatious, honesty - it's all here and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Definitely recommended by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 14, 2023
Merissa (13931 KP) rated All of Me (Enhanced World Security #2) in Books
Mar 19, 2025
ALL OF ME is the second book in the Enhanced World Security series and follows on some months after the end of One Step Sideways so I absolutely recommend you read them in order! Shae is recovering slowly, Drake is still trying to avoid him, and everyone else is watching from the sidelines.
This was such a twisty-turny story I had to take my time, which I loved. Honestly, these men. You know already that Shae had a rough time of it growing up, but you get the full story of Drake's childhood too, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. Drake's concerns about him and Shae are valid, the same as Shae's about Drake, but I was rooting for them from the start. Add in Tammy, Maxie, Moira, Albert, Joe, and all the others, and I was sold.
This was an amazing story and a great addition to the series. I still need to read the first series, but I now want to even more. You don't have to have read those to enjoy these though. Take my word for it. Absolutely fantastic and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 19, 2025
This was such a twisty-turny story I had to take my time, which I loved. Honestly, these men. You know already that Shae had a rough time of it growing up, but you get the full story of Drake's childhood too, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. Drake's concerns about him and Shae are valid, the same as Shae's about Drake, but I was rooting for them from the start. Add in Tammy, Maxie, Moira, Albert, Joe, and all the others, and I was sold.
This was an amazing story and a great addition to the series. I still need to read the first series, but I now want to even more. You don't have to have read those to enjoy these though. Take my word for it. Absolutely fantastic and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.
** 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; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 19, 2025
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated A Hero Born in Books
Sep 25, 2019
Great plot but translation isn't so good
Despite what you read on the covers (e.g. “It’s like Lord of the Rings”) ignore all of that. It’s nothing like it. There is no epic adventure to fight evil (at least not yet - this is the first book in the series). So before you get all disappointed in what the outside quotes say, completely disregard them.
Translation will always be an issue with these kinds of books. It’s hard to keep it true and coherent. Sometimes you get a good one that is completely comprehensible and makes the reading a journey well worth it. Then you get one like A Hero Born and it’s not the greatest translation. The writing style is dry and hard to get into. Sometimes it gets too descriptive, but other times it’s not descriptive enough. It can be a little long winded at times and it drags - I’m not too sure if that’s because of the run on writing style or the plot itself. Either way by the last third of the book it was getting to be tiresome.
Speaking of the plot, it was good! There’s plenty of action, a bit of intrigue here and there. If you don’t mind something akin to Chinese historical fiction movies with classic martial arts fighting then perhaps this is for you. There are small elements of political intrigue which keeps the story interesting, however keep in mind there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but luckily there is a cast of characters in the beginning of the novel so that should not be a problem. This isn’t a book to put down and turn back to later, this needs to be consistently read you will easily lose your place.
There’s also several plot arcs that happen throughout the novel so it’s best to keep track of them carefully. They are all intertwined at some point. It’s a great plot and if it wasn’t for the horrible writing/translation.
I don’t know if I could recommend this one to anyone. I would under normal circumstances but the writing just do the plot justice. It’s too bad, it would have been such a great series.
Translation will always be an issue with these kinds of books. It’s hard to keep it true and coherent. Sometimes you get a good one that is completely comprehensible and makes the reading a journey well worth it. Then you get one like A Hero Born and it’s not the greatest translation. The writing style is dry and hard to get into. Sometimes it gets too descriptive, but other times it’s not descriptive enough. It can be a little long winded at times and it drags - I’m not too sure if that’s because of the run on writing style or the plot itself. Either way by the last third of the book it was getting to be tiresome.
Speaking of the plot, it was good! There’s plenty of action, a bit of intrigue here and there. If you don’t mind something akin to Chinese historical fiction movies with classic martial arts fighting then perhaps this is for you. There are small elements of political intrigue which keeps the story interesting, however keep in mind there are a lot of characters to keep track of, but luckily there is a cast of characters in the beginning of the novel so that should not be a problem. This isn’t a book to put down and turn back to later, this needs to be consistently read you will easily lose your place.
There’s also several plot arcs that happen throughout the novel so it’s best to keep track of them carefully. They are all intertwined at some point. It’s a great plot and if it wasn’t for the horrible writing/translation.
I don’t know if I could recommend this one to anyone. I would under normal circumstances but the writing just do the plot justice. It’s too bad, it would have been such a great series.
Kelly (279 KP) rated The Magicians: Book 1 in Books
Nov 22, 2018
Harry Potter for grown ups
Contains spoilers, click to show
I was a fan of this book long before the TV series of the same name, and a firm believer that the book in this case is better than the screen. Unlike the TV series, the book comes across more intelligently and the characters are a lot more relatable. Lev Grossman uses popular fantasy books such as The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series for ideas for this novel, but adapts these childhood fantasies to an adult level.
Quentin, the main character within the novel is not your usual hero, being the high achieving teenager who could never quite best his peers, is fixated by a Narnia style story from his child hood (Fillory), which he could never quite overcome. The narrative shares Quentins journey from joining a magical college, making friends to early adulthood and finding that Fillory is real.
Despite the obvious links to other stories, Lev Grossman intelligently uses his story to explore a range of issues such as sexuality and depression, making his characters more relatable to the reader. The villains and events in the story are a lot more sinister than you might expect from a tale that combines so many of our childhood favourites, demonstrating Grossmans clever use in adult emotions. All of this succeeds in engaging the reader even further.
Although this was a book I enjoyed reading from start to finish, I did find the pace was a little fast at times, speeding from one time period in Quentins life to another. I realise that this is because Lev Grossman is portraying the events happening over the course of Quentins late teens and early twenties, but It did become a little frustrating as a reader.
The end of the plot was bitter sweet and did not follow the typical ‘all live happily ever after’ ending that you would expect from this type of tale. Ultimately the book ends on a cliff hanger and left me wanting to know more about what happened next. To me this makes the book a success.
Quentin, the main character within the novel is not your usual hero, being the high achieving teenager who could never quite best his peers, is fixated by a Narnia style story from his child hood (Fillory), which he could never quite overcome. The narrative shares Quentins journey from joining a magical college, making friends to early adulthood and finding that Fillory is real.
Despite the obvious links to other stories, Lev Grossman intelligently uses his story to explore a range of issues such as sexuality and depression, making his characters more relatable to the reader. The villains and events in the story are a lot more sinister than you might expect from a tale that combines so many of our childhood favourites, demonstrating Grossmans clever use in adult emotions. All of this succeeds in engaging the reader even further.
Although this was a book I enjoyed reading from start to finish, I did find the pace was a little fast at times, speeding from one time period in Quentins life to another. I realise that this is because Lev Grossman is portraying the events happening over the course of Quentins late teens and early twenties, but It did become a little frustrating as a reader.
The end of the plot was bitter sweet and did not follow the typical ‘all live happily ever after’ ending that you would expect from this type of tale. Ultimately the book ends on a cliff hanger and left me wanting to know more about what happened next. To me this makes the book a success.
tonidavis (353 KP) rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 3 in TV
Jul 8, 2017
Faith (5 more)
Doppelgangland
Wish
Umbrella scene
Band Candy
Mr Trick
The Zeppo (1 more)
Dead man party
Another amazing season to an amazing show
Some amazing episode in this series also the introduction to Faith and Anya can't be over looked they were both amazing editions to the show." As usal the quotes where outstanding.
"You know what? I was wrong. You are an idiot. My life happens to, on occasion, suck beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle. And it's not just mine. Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own"
I loved Band Candy and a great introduction to Jane Epson on the buffy writing team.
I think everyone got a little misty eyes watching Buffy get her umberlla award at prom.
Only reason this didnt get a 10 from me is because my most hated buffy episode is the Zeppo athough Xander is one of my favorite charcter that epsidose reallt bored me and im not a zombie fan so dead man party was also not to my taste
"You know what? I was wrong. You are an idiot. My life happens to, on occasion, suck beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle. And it's not just mine. Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own"
I loved Band Candy and a great introduction to Jane Epson on the buffy writing team.
I think everyone got a little misty eyes watching Buffy get her umberlla award at prom.
Only reason this didnt get a 10 from me is because my most hated buffy episode is the Zeppo athough Xander is one of my favorite charcter that epsidose reallt bored me and im not a zombie fan so dead man party was also not to my taste
If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, DON’T!
10.0
Rate It
Book
The fourth book in the New York Times-bestselling Magnolia Says DON'T! series that started with If...
Heathski (173 KP) rated How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) in Movies
Feb 20, 2019
Animation and art very expressive (1 more)
Story funny scary and emotional
Emotional rollercoaster
I can write this from a few different perspectives. I went to see this with my nephew who is 4, and the film is a PG. I love the How to train your dragon series. Ive always been impressed by the animation and the strong storyline of the bond between Hiccup and Toothless. This film was excellent. The expression of emotion in the characters was so flawless it felt real The animators and artists excelled themselves, in this truly awesome and beautifully designed film.
I laughed out loud and I had some teary moments. It's was a touching heartfelt goodbye to the series. I enjoyed it. My partner, who's not a huge fan, also enjoyed it and laughed a lot throughout the film. My nephew was entranced. He loves Toothless. The characters were so well done, that he though the baddie (who looks a lot like he was modelled after Arnold Vosloo from The Mummy) was very scary. So much so, he had to leave the cinema, but he came back after some reasurance. We covered his eyes at the next scary bit and soon he was shouting at the screen and getting very animated when the baddie appeared, cheering Hiccup and Toothless along.
This is an awesome family film, plenty of action, very funny and emotional. Watch out for the scary bits and If you are anything like me, make sure you have tissues. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I laughed out loud and I had some teary moments. It's was a touching heartfelt goodbye to the series. I enjoyed it. My partner, who's not a huge fan, also enjoyed it and laughed a lot throughout the film. My nephew was entranced. He loves Toothless. The characters were so well done, that he though the baddie (who looks a lot like he was modelled after Arnold Vosloo from The Mummy) was very scary. So much so, he had to leave the cinema, but he came back after some reasurance. We covered his eyes at the next scary bit and soon he was shouting at the screen and getting very animated when the baddie appeared, cheering Hiccup and Toothless along.
This is an awesome family film, plenty of action, very funny and emotional. Watch out for the scary bits and If you are anything like me, make sure you have tissues. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Merissa (13931 KP) rated Shattered Ties (Guadel Chronicles #4) in Books
Apr 7, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)
Va'del, Jain and Abby are fighting to make their way back to the Capital. Whilst you read about them, you have the timeline of Javin and Va'ma with the others that we lost track of during Brittle Bonds.
This book is non-stop action pretty much all the way through. You can feel the exhaustion of all of them. I have to say that I still feel sorry for Va'del as he still has to fight against the Guadel as well as the lowland mages. I am very pleased that he has the love and support of not just his wives but the rest of those that are fighting for him too.
Va'del has grown so much from the first book and not just physically. As crazy as this sounds, I feel very proud of the achievements he has made. The ending of the book is just perfect and I won't say more than that. What I will say is that Va'del once again has to make a huge sacrifice that most people don't even see or acknowledge. This book has left me with a hangover as I continued to think about the various characters and what their lives would be like "after".
Absolutely brilliant series by Dean Murray. On a par but completely different to his Reflections series. I honestly can't recommend this author highly enough.
* 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!
September 13, 2016
This book is non-stop action pretty much all the way through. You can feel the exhaustion of all of them. I have to say that I still feel sorry for Va'del as he still has to fight against the Guadel as well as the lowland mages. I am very pleased that he has the love and support of not just his wives but the rest of those that are fighting for him too.
Va'del has grown so much from the first book and not just physically. As crazy as this sounds, I feel very proud of the achievements he has made. The ending of the book is just perfect and I won't say more than that. What I will say is that Va'del once again has to make a huge sacrifice that most people don't even see or acknowledge. This book has left me with a hangover as I continued to think about the various characters and what their lives would be like "after".
Absolutely brilliant series by Dean Murray. On a par but completely different to his Reflections series. I honestly can't recommend this author highly enough.
* 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!
September 13, 2016
Merissa (13931 KP) rated Alpha's Fingerling Surprize (The Weird & Wacky World of Shifters #2) in Books
Oct 14, 2022
The potatoes are back, and this time, they're sprouting!
If you enjoyed the first book in this series, then you surely will also enjoy ALPHA'S FINGERLING SUPRIZE. It is time for Russ and Olowin to work out all their misunderstandings and hurt. We also get to catch up with Tala and Frenchie, plus their twins.
I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I do love these potato shifters! And it just goes to show how information can be withheld that really needs to be shared! Maybe if all the potatoes knew about the sprouts... well, it would be a whole different story, is all I'm saying.
Russ and Olowin are solid, once they get over their mutual hurts, and I was so happy to see that. The rest of the pack, however, has some issues. And it's not all cleared up here either. I am fully invested in this pack and the wolves (and potatoes) that live there. I can't wait for more stories, especially if they are as hot as this one.
Speaking of which, Olowin and Russ have a very healthy attraction to each other, but it isn't always referred to in detail. Sometimes, it is enough to know what's going on. Besides, Tala was traumatised enough for everyone!
A brilliant addition to the series that leaves me wanting more. Thoroughly enjoyed every word and looking forward to the next. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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!
I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I do love these potato shifters! And it just goes to show how information can be withheld that really needs to be shared! Maybe if all the potatoes knew about the sprouts... well, it would be a whole different story, is all I'm saying.
Russ and Olowin are solid, once they get over their mutual hurts, and I was so happy to see that. The rest of the pack, however, has some issues. And it's not all cleared up here either. I am fully invested in this pack and the wolves (and potatoes) that live there. I can't wait for more stories, especially if they are as hot as this one.
Speaking of which, Olowin and Russ have a very healthy attraction to each other, but it isn't always referred to in detail. Sometimes, it is enough to know what's going on. Besides, Tala was traumatised enough for everyone!
A brilliant addition to the series that leaves me wanting more. Thoroughly enjoyed every word and looking forward to the next. Definitely recommended by me.
** 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!