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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer in TV
Dec 27, 2019
Fascinating
This is a story that I have to admit I know nothing about. Most likely because I couldn't handle the tales of animal cruelty. However I watched this because I was whole heartedly assured that you don't actually see any animal cruelty.
For anyone out there worried about watching this, i can confirm you don't see the whole of the animal cruelty videos. It's still not pleasant hearing about them, and this is one of my bigger issues with this documentary as it gets a little too uncomfortable at times. That said, this is still a fascinating series to watch and almost incredible that these internet sleuths have manage to uncover the killers identity. This has obviously been Hollywood-ised and very overdramatised, but this doesn't make it any less enjoyable. There are some irritations with the internet sleuths, especially when they start sticking their noses into the police investigation after the suspect is identified, and the monologuing at the end is hilariously cheesy.
The story behind this though and the killer's motives are almost like something out of a film, and makes for an almost unbelievable story. There are some holes in the story too which make for interesting pondering afterwards.
For anyone out there worried about watching this, i can confirm you don't see the whole of the animal cruelty videos. It's still not pleasant hearing about them, and this is one of my bigger issues with this documentary as it gets a little too uncomfortable at times. That said, this is still a fascinating series to watch and almost incredible that these internet sleuths have manage to uncover the killers identity. This has obviously been Hollywood-ised and very overdramatised, but this doesn't make it any less enjoyable. There are some irritations with the internet sleuths, especially when they start sticking their noses into the police investigation after the suspect is identified, and the monologuing at the end is hilariously cheesy.
The story behind this though and the killer's motives are almost like something out of a film, and makes for an almost unbelievable story. There are some holes in the story too which make for interesting pondering afterwards.
Rhys (240 KP) rated The Outsider in Books
Jun 30, 2018 (Updated Jul 7, 2018)
Contains spoilers, click to show
‘The Outsider’ is a crime/horror novel of four distinct parts. The first is the murder and investigation described in the blurb. This part is more traditionally crime novel than horror and introduces the main characters, giving them all distinct personalities and building up to the twist. Part two takes place after said twist (obviously, giving this away would destroy the enjoyment of the first part) and involves a new focus on the ‘antagonist’ of the third part: Ralph Anderson.
Part three introduces Holly, a character from the Finders Keepers books (that I have not read at this time) and continues for most of the book. This part is heavily inspired by several vampire novels and series including ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Strain’ but keeps a distinct Stephen King feeling.
(Part four is epilogue, which ties up loose ends and ensures that the characters who survive, as well as some who do not, have a happy ending.)
Previous King novels can feel forced, or full of ‘fluff’ that exists only to pad out the time between gruesome murders and intense horror. In this novel, every piece of dialogue has a purpose, whether to build on a character’s.... character... or to make the world seem more real, ground the supernatural in reality.
Despite what is said on the ‘bad’ section, this novel works well as a stand alone. Holly, the character that connects this to previous works, is written as though it will be a reader’s first encounter with her. She is built up from scratch and goes through development at the same rate as the other characters (her previous appearances are described enough that a reader will know the gist, but do not give away anything from the ‘Mr. Mercedes’ trilogy other than that Bill Hodges at some point dies.)
(For context, I am not a regular reader of King’s novels, having tried ‘It’ and ‘Insomnia’ but quickly loosing interest in both.)
Why not full marks? Around half way through the novel there is a scene that simply does not fit in with the rest of the story. The character that will eventually become King’s equivalent of Renfield from ‘Dracula’ meets the Outsider in the bathroom, with said character appropriately terrified. Why is this such an odd scene? Throughout the tense conversation (in which the Outsider’s powers are shown in full) Jack is suffering from an upset stomach (and King seems strangely obsessed with describing.) Horrible, yes, but horror it is not.
Overall, I would recommend this novel to a fan of Stephen King or to someone who wants to get into his writing.
Part three introduces Holly, a character from the Finders Keepers books (that I have not read at this time) and continues for most of the book. This part is heavily inspired by several vampire novels and series including ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Strain’ but keeps a distinct Stephen King feeling.
(Part four is epilogue, which ties up loose ends and ensures that the characters who survive, as well as some who do not, have a happy ending.)
Previous King novels can feel forced, or full of ‘fluff’ that exists only to pad out the time between gruesome murders and intense horror. In this novel, every piece of dialogue has a purpose, whether to build on a character’s.... character... or to make the world seem more real, ground the supernatural in reality.
Despite what is said on the ‘bad’ section, this novel works well as a stand alone. Holly, the character that connects this to previous works, is written as though it will be a reader’s first encounter with her. She is built up from scratch and goes through development at the same rate as the other characters (her previous appearances are described enough that a reader will know the gist, but do not give away anything from the ‘Mr. Mercedes’ trilogy other than that Bill Hodges at some point dies.)
(For context, I am not a regular reader of King’s novels, having tried ‘It’ and ‘Insomnia’ but quickly loosing interest in both.)
Why not full marks? Around half way through the novel there is a scene that simply does not fit in with the rest of the story. The character that will eventually become King’s equivalent of Renfield from ‘Dracula’ meets the Outsider in the bathroom, with said character appropriately terrified. Why is this such an odd scene? Throughout the tense conversation (in which the Outsider’s powers are shown in full) Jack is suffering from an upset stomach (and King seems strangely obsessed with describing.) Horrible, yes, but horror it is not.
Overall, I would recommend this novel to a fan of Stephen King or to someone who wants to get into his writing.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Raven King in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I am actually giving this a 4.5-5 Star review.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series. I have loved and lost characters and little bits of my heart and soul because of it.
This series, but specifically this book, is just so beautifully written. Every moment is circular in the end. Each character is written with so much care, affection, and love that it breaks my heart.
Maggie Stiefvater is a poet as well as an author. There were so many passages in this book that I underlined as being so beautiful. I cried a lot because of the writing style, in a good way.
Many of the event in this book had been foretold in the previous books, which I thought was cool. Even though we knew what was going to happen, we didn't exactly know how it would happen, so that was surprising and a lot of fun.
Henry Cheng was a surprising character to say the least. I didn't know how I felt about him at first, but he started to grow on me. (As Ronan would probably say, "like a fungus" because he's a smartass like that.)
***THE REST OF THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS IN IT SO BE WARNED***
I loved how my ships were resolved in the end. I didn't want anyone to be hurt or to be alone, and they weren't. Blue and Gansey are just so freaking cute together because they are so opposite! And Ronan and Adam are just hilarious in their interactions. They just seem so angry at each other so often.
I was really sad, but also understanding, of how Noah had to move on. I just thought he was so sweet, but it was his time.
Also, the whole mess with Glendower himself was not easily predictable at all, at least for me. I did not see that one coming. Their whole quest was for not, but they ended up better for it anyway.
Orphan Girl is also so adorable. I love how much like Ronan she is, especially in her temper.
Cabeswater being from Ronan, that was a twist. Also, loved how he is going to dream another one!!
I just love this book so much and even though I know it has to end, I don't want it to.
Sorry if this got a bit rambly and weird, I just have so many emotions about this book!!
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series. I have loved and lost characters and little bits of my heart and soul because of it.
This series, but specifically this book, is just so beautifully written. Every moment is circular in the end. Each character is written with so much care, affection, and love that it breaks my heart.
Maggie Stiefvater is a poet as well as an author. There were so many passages in this book that I underlined as being so beautiful. I cried a lot because of the writing style, in a good way.
Many of the event in this book had been foretold in the previous books, which I thought was cool. Even though we knew what was going to happen, we didn't exactly know how it would happen, so that was surprising and a lot of fun.
Henry Cheng was a surprising character to say the least. I didn't know how I felt about him at first, but he started to grow on me. (As Ronan would probably say, "like a fungus" because he's a smartass like that.)
***THE REST OF THIS WILL HAVE SPOILERS IN IT SO BE WARNED***
I loved how my ships were resolved in the end. I didn't want anyone to be hurt or to be alone, and they weren't. Blue and Gansey are just so freaking cute together because they are so opposite! And Ronan and Adam are just hilarious in their interactions. They just seem so angry at each other so often.
I was really sad, but also understanding, of how Noah had to move on. I just thought he was so sweet, but it was his time.
Also, the whole mess with Glendower himself was not easily predictable at all, at least for me. I did not see that one coming. Their whole quest was for not, but they ended up better for it anyway.
Orphan Girl is also so adorable. I love how much like Ronan she is, especially in her temper.
Cabeswater being from Ronan, that was a twist. Also, loved how he is going to dream another one!!
I just love this book so much and even though I know it has to end, I don't want it to.
Sorry if this got a bit rambly and weird, I just have so many emotions about this book!!
Lindsay (1774 KP) rated The Dan Diaries in Books
Aug 30, 2018
In the Dan Dairies we get to see Dan’s POV. It in point of view that we see how it is for him and his friend Frank. It mostly the journey of Dan and how he helps his loves one and including Hank.
It starts out with Dan and transition. What he needs to do and help the main man up head and what need to direct one person path to her destiny. Will Dan succeed or will he not? To me this is more a summary of the 3 books that are before this one. It goes over summary of some of the big events that Hank has to deal with and Dan having to convince Hank (Olivia Henry).
Frank is a part of this, with Dan is it mostly about Dan and though his point of view. If you have not read the Beyond Trilogy. This is only the summary of it. This really concludes the series and helps define some of the holes or to see Dan and his view point. If you want the story and details of Olivia and Finn story, you will need to read Beyond Trilogy - books, Beyond Believing, Beyond Love, Beyond Forever.
The author does a really good job of this. She really show the Dan’s life in the afterlife and his point of view well.
It starts out with Dan and transition. What he needs to do and help the main man up head and what need to direct one person path to her destiny. Will Dan succeed or will he not? To me this is more a summary of the 3 books that are before this one. It goes over summary of some of the big events that Hank has to deal with and Dan having to convince Hank (Olivia Henry).
Frank is a part of this, with Dan is it mostly about Dan and though his point of view. If you have not read the Beyond Trilogy. This is only the summary of it. This really concludes the series and helps define some of the holes or to see Dan and his view point. If you want the story and details of Olivia and Finn story, you will need to read Beyond Trilogy - books, Beyond Believing, Beyond Love, Beyond Forever.
The author does a really good job of this. She really show the Dan’s life in the afterlife and his point of view well.
Louise (64 KP) rated Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick in Books
Jul 2, 2018
When I saw this making the rounds on booktube, I thought I must read it, it sounds amazing and nothing I have never read before. It appears graphic novels and comics are popular once again.
First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.
I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.
The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)
I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.
The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.
There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.
Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!
The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.
So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.
I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
First of all I want to mention just how amazing the artwork in this book is and the colours are so pretty as can be seen above.
I had to read this twice as I just wasn't sure first time round, I took my time reading this once again and I stand by my initial thoughts that this book is ok but could be better.
The story just jumps all over the place, you will be reading about current happenings and then it will jump to the future and I was just like huh! whats going on? and getting very confused! (it's not difficult)
I didn't feel any connection with the main characters John and Suze they just meet at a party have sex, realise they can both stop time and John reminiscing on the first time he realised he could do it.
The premise of the books sounds great and had me hooked but it was just ok. - John and Suze find that they can both stop time when they climax, so they make a plan to rob the bank to fund the library that is closing down.
There is also a part that refers to all women in the sex industry must have been abused in there younger days which I found very stereotypical, not funny and could be offensive to some readers.
Also there is sex police! Yes you heard me right! SEX POLICE!!
The humour on this novel was very crude or could be called 'Bathroom humour,' there is a lot of sexual content and pictures so if you are easily offended this is not the book for you.
So overall this book was just MEH! It had it pro's but unfortunately was outweighed by the cons. I am not sure if I will be continuing on with this series, I think I need to see what other people think first.
I rate this 3 out of 5 stars.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Fifty Shades of Grey in Books
Jul 10, 2018
I thought this book was an entertaining read. I started hearing about these books a couple weeks ago and I thought I would give them a try. This is one of those guilty pleasure reads. The basic premise of this book is that a rich man wants to make a non rich virgin his submissive. It is something that many women fantasize about but in real life would be terrifying. The rich man (Christian) is a stalker, but because he has money then it is fine.
The characters are easy to relate to. I found that the main character (Ana) held a lot of insecurities that many of us are scared to admit. With that said, I quickly became tired of "Oh My..." and "My inner goddess" being repeated over and over and over.
A lot of people are dwelling on the fact that the Ana was scared of Christian. But in all honesty, if someone new into the lifestyle is not scared than they do not know the full weight of what is involved in BDSM.
I think that this book has eased the reader into the world of BDSM. It is very witty and I found at times that I was laughing.
The writing skills were not extremely good. It felt that the author kept looking up words in the thesaurus and it did not seem to flow extremely well.
All in all, the book was entertaining and witty. I will continue on in the series.
The characters are easy to relate to. I found that the main character (Ana) held a lot of insecurities that many of us are scared to admit. With that said, I quickly became tired of "Oh My..." and "My inner goddess" being repeated over and over and over.
A lot of people are dwelling on the fact that the Ana was scared of Christian. But in all honesty, if someone new into the lifestyle is not scared than they do not know the full weight of what is involved in BDSM.
I think that this book has eased the reader into the world of BDSM. It is very witty and I found at times that I was laughing.
The writing skills were not extremely good. It felt that the author kept looking up words in the thesaurus and it did not seem to flow extremely well.
All in all, the book was entertaining and witty. I will continue on in the series.
Merissa (13123 KP) rated Origin Exposed (Descended of Dragons #2) in Books
Apr 19, 2023
I was chomping on the bit to have this story and see where things would take Stella, Gresham and Ewan, and boy was I NOT disappointed!
There are once again, more plot twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, with the action coming thick and fast. Every page is completely imbued with emotions, whether it is sadness or joy. There were times when I thought my own heart was breaking and it wasn't even one of the main characters!
As for Stella, Gresham and Ewan themselves - Stella has a lot on her plate in this book. She does insist on keeping secrets from those who care about her, which isn't altogether surprising as she keeps being told not to say anything to anyone. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at the reaction to Gresham. It's not like anything he has said or done has been that well hidden so it took me a while to understand her 'over-reaction'. To be fair though, I'm more than happy with how things are turning out with Ewan! Can I just add though, that since Jen has proven herself to be a wicked author, I'm not banking on anything with anyone until I see it in print! ;)
An excellent continuation of the series and I really can't wait for more. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Oct 23, 2015
There are once again, more plot twists and turns than you can shake a stick at, with the action coming thick and fast. Every page is completely imbued with emotions, whether it is sadness or joy. There were times when I thought my own heart was breaking and it wasn't even one of the main characters!
As for Stella, Gresham and Ewan themselves - Stella has a lot on her plate in this book. She does insist on keeping secrets from those who care about her, which isn't altogether surprising as she keeps being told not to say anything to anyone. To be honest, I was a bit surprised at the reaction to Gresham. It's not like anything he has said or done has been that well hidden so it took me a while to understand her 'over-reaction'. To be fair though, I'm more than happy with how things are turning out with Ewan! Can I just add though, that since Jen has proven herself to be a wicked author, I'm not banking on anything with anyone until I see it in print! ;)
An excellent continuation of the series and I really can't wait for more. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Oct 23, 2015
ClareR (5916 KP) rated Cruel Acts (Maeve Kerrigan #8) in Books
Apr 19, 2019
An exciting, beautifully written police thriller.
For someone, who in the past, has always said that they don’t like thrillers, police procedurals or anything vaguely in those styles, I’m not doing too badly at reading exactly those type of books lately. And I’m really enjoying them - this book in particular.
Considering that this is the eighth book in the series and I haven’t read the other seven (soon to be e was no confusion, and I didn’t feel as though I was missing out at all.
The lead character, Maeve Kerrigan, is a detective sergeant, and she has been put on the case of the retrial of Leo Stone. He had been found guilty of the gruesome murders of two women. However, a juror from the original trial has now made it known that THAT trial was prejudiced. Maeve and her partner, Josh Derwent, are in charge of re-examining the evidence. Another woman goes missing whilst Sone is in custody, though, throwing the whole investigation into doubt.
This is a seriously exciting book - there are cliff hangers all over the place (I had to stop reading from time to time to work, eat, sleep, parent, so the multiple cliffhangers may have been of my own making), and I loved how new evidence revealed. The main characters are immensely likeable, and those who are less so are so well described that you end up disliking them as well. The last chapters of the book also tense and exceedingly fast paced, that I felt as though I couldn’t breathe until the end! I was well and truly sucked in to the action.
I will be going back to the first seven books of this series to fill in my Kerrigan knowledge, and I’m looking forward to any future books in this series! This one comes highly recommended!
Considering that this is the eighth book in the series and I haven’t read the other seven (soon to be e was no confusion, and I didn’t feel as though I was missing out at all.
The lead character, Maeve Kerrigan, is a detective sergeant, and she has been put on the case of the retrial of Leo Stone. He had been found guilty of the gruesome murders of two women. However, a juror from the original trial has now made it known that THAT trial was prejudiced. Maeve and her partner, Josh Derwent, are in charge of re-examining the evidence. Another woman goes missing whilst Sone is in custody, though, throwing the whole investigation into doubt.
This is a seriously exciting book - there are cliff hangers all over the place (I had to stop reading from time to time to work, eat, sleep, parent, so the multiple cliffhangers may have been of my own making), and I loved how new evidence revealed. The main characters are immensely likeable, and those who are less so are so well described that you end up disliking them as well. The last chapters of the book also tense and exceedingly fast paced, that I felt as though I couldn’t breathe until the end! I was well and truly sucked in to the action.
I will be going back to the first seven books of this series to fill in my Kerrigan knowledge, and I’m looking forward to any future books in this series! This one comes highly recommended!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2387 KP) rated A Pairing to Die For in Books
Jan 29, 2021
Can Parker Pair the Victim with the Correct Killer?
Reid Wallace’s estranged family has come for a visit to Boulder, Colorado, and Parker Valentine is hoping to make a good impression on her boyfriend’s family. However, things aren’t going well as Reid’s family is constantly judging everything she says as not being up to their standards. Never mind their opinions of her wine. The visit is interrupted when Reid is arrested for murder. Oscar, the sous chef at Reid’s restaurant and his long-time friend, was murder behind the restaurant, and the police are certain that Reid did it. Parker doesn’t believe that Reid is capable of murder and sets out to figure out what really happened. Can she free her boyfriend from jail?
The first in this series was one of my favorite books from 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it. There is plenty of conflict in this book to keep us hooked. I did think the pacing started to slow in the middle, but about the time I thought that, it picked up again and kept going until we reached the end. The characters are still rich, and I appreciated the growth in their relationships, while the new characters fit perfectly into Parker’s world. For those interested because of the wine theme, there are plenty of scenes in Parker’s winery. I’d forgotten that this series is written in the present tense, which I don’t mind once my brain adjusts. There are three delicious sounding recipes with suggested wine pairings at the end of the book. If you haven’t started this series, you need to fix that. If you’ve read the first, this book will please you.
The first in this series was one of my favorite books from 2020, so I had high hopes for this one. I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it. There is plenty of conflict in this book to keep us hooked. I did think the pacing started to slow in the middle, but about the time I thought that, it picked up again and kept going until we reached the end. The characters are still rich, and I appreciated the growth in their relationships, while the new characters fit perfectly into Parker’s world. For those interested because of the wine theme, there are plenty of scenes in Parker’s winery. I’d forgotten that this series is written in the present tense, which I don’t mind once my brain adjusts. There are three delicious sounding recipes with suggested wine pairings at the end of the book. If you haven’t started this series, you need to fix that. If you’ve read the first, this book will please you.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated A Faint Cold Fear (Grant County, #3) in Books
Jul 13, 2019
Hope this was just a blip in a promising series......
Contains spoilers, click to show
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series so was looking forward to reading this, and I may be guilty of over anticipation as it fell far short of expectations.
It got off to a powerful start but soon turned into a bit of a slog. The previous books felt more story driven, while this more focused on the characters which isn't my ideal. Despite the focus the characters didn't seem to develop. Lena I could do without at this point, yes she's been through a lot and she's not coping well but god make the odd good decision at least, just so frustrating.
Jeffery and Sara's constant bickering followed by making up is tedious, why she wants to get back with the guy is lost on me. When Jeffery looses is because Sara is speaking to an old colleague in a hospital while a loved one is in critical condition made me just want to yell run from him he's a controlling, cheating bastard stop going back to him your a strong woman you don't need that. Updates on the critically injured sister just got stupid how many times was it just "she's doing better" without really addressing what was going on with her just seemed odd, we got more detail on how long and much traffic there was on the way to the hospital.
The main plot just never caught on for me and the investigation just lacked any sense of urgency or intrigue.
I'll be continuing with the series hoping this one was a blip and we return to stronger stories.
It got off to a powerful start but soon turned into a bit of a slog. The previous books felt more story driven, while this more focused on the characters which isn't my ideal. Despite the focus the characters didn't seem to develop. Lena I could do without at this point, yes she's been through a lot and she's not coping well but god make the odd good decision at least, just so frustrating.
Jeffery and Sara's constant bickering followed by making up is tedious, why she wants to get back with the guy is lost on me. When Jeffery looses is because Sara is speaking to an old colleague in a hospital while a loved one is in critical condition made me just want to yell run from him he's a controlling, cheating bastard stop going back to him your a strong woman you don't need that. Updates on the critically injured sister just got stupid how many times was it just "she's doing better" without really addressing what was going on with her just seemed odd, we got more detail on how long and much traffic there was on the way to the hospital.
The main plot just never caught on for me and the investigation just lacked any sense of urgency or intrigue.
I'll be continuing with the series hoping this one was a blip and we return to stronger stories.