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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Surgeon (Rizzoli & Isles, #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<b>Trigger warning:</b> this book is heavily focused on sexual assault and rape.
This novel is certainly very captivating. I found it difficult to put it down once I had picked it up! I loved the crime and mysterious criminal and I loved the pace of it all. Sometimes, these crime novels can burst with excitement for one second, and then fizzle out until the last few pages, or, completely the opposite of that, be total non-stop action, but feel really over the top and unrealistic. This, on the other hand, had a great mix of action and downtime.
I loved the setting for this, it felt so retro with its mention of floppy disks, pagers, and cassette tapes! This whole book was really well described and brought to life. It felt so real, you completely lost yourselves in the characters worlds. The horror of each murder and plot reveal really grabs you by the throat and give you goosebumps. There’s no escaping the terror in this one.
As for the crime, this one is certainly unique… and gruesome! If you’re like me, and don’t like the thought of surgery or human anatomy, then this will certainly be a struggle to read as it contains many in-depth scenes where we’re walked through what’s happening on the inside of the body. That certainly made it a little hard for me to read because I have this slight fear of our insides and all descriptions of it, but I was too intrigued as to who the killer was, to put it down. While not a particularly twisty turny story, there are plenty of characters in this novel to keep you guessing on who the real killer is.
This always seems to happen to me, but I just can’t seem to get on with female detectives in these kinds of series. Rizzoli wasn’t the worst I have come across, but she still got on my nerves. I’m well aware the message this book was trying to put across was all to do with a “woman in a man’s world”, and I can feel for Rizzoli, it would be hard to be taken seriously in a homicide department in 2001 as a woman… But!!! It was not necessary for her to act as though every single man she encountered was an enemy, needing to be destroyed and put in his place. If she wanted to be taken so seriously as a woman, I’m surprised she couldn’t utter the word “tampon” and described it as being a “disgusting object”. (I have seen this point mentioned by other reviewers and some have said the “fear” of tampons could be a generational thing).
I also wasn’t a fan of the underlying tone this book had, that “all men are capable of evil”. <i>Everyone</i> is capable of evil, why were only men being targeted in this book? Now, I don’t want to sound anti-feminist or something with me saying all this stuff, but I felt the book was a bit radical with some of it’s points about men being raping, murdering bastards. Again, I would like to put my hands up and say I’m <i>really</i> not trying to trivialise or undermine rape “victims” (I prefer the term survivors myself) because I’m close to several, I know how much it fucks them up, but I did feel like this book was a bit heavy hitting towards the male gender as a whole, rather than to the select few scumbags who do that sort of thing <i>(just to rehash this point, I’m not some kind of rape apologist, I just didn’t feel the book needed to be so anti-man).</i>
Another problem I had with this book was sometimes it seemed to have an undermining stance on rape, calling it a woman’s “shameful secret” as though it was their own fault they had been abused in this way. There was also a moment where Rizzoli called herself a “victim of The Surgeon” because she had fucked up part of the investigation, which I thought was completely inappropriate. Comparing a job related incident that was your own fault to being kidnapped and raped is just disgusting. <i>That</i> really got on my nerves. Another thing that grated on me was the overuse of the word “victim” when it came to the rape survivors, but I can imagine that’s more to do with the time this book came out than anything else.
Also!!! (<b>Not a spoiler</b>) There is a disgusting comment on suicide nearer the end of the novel, where Rizzoli calls a man who killed himself a “loser who ate his gun” and “pathetic enough to blow his own brains out”.
Even after having those couple of issues with this novel, I still enjoyed it enough to finish it but I won’t forget the offensiveness of it. I’m going to give myself a break from this series for a month or so, just to really review whether use want to continue with writing I find so problematic. If any of you have gone on to read more of this series, please let me know if it gets any better by not taking digs at traumatised women and mental illness.
This novel is certainly very captivating. I found it difficult to put it down once I had picked it up! I loved the crime and mysterious criminal and I loved the pace of it all. Sometimes, these crime novels can burst with excitement for one second, and then fizzle out until the last few pages, or, completely the opposite of that, be total non-stop action, but feel really over the top and unrealistic. This, on the other hand, had a great mix of action and downtime.
I loved the setting for this, it felt so retro with its mention of floppy disks, pagers, and cassette tapes! This whole book was really well described and brought to life. It felt so real, you completely lost yourselves in the characters worlds. The horror of each murder and plot reveal really grabs you by the throat and give you goosebumps. There’s no escaping the terror in this one.
As for the crime, this one is certainly unique… and gruesome! If you’re like me, and don’t like the thought of surgery or human anatomy, then this will certainly be a struggle to read as it contains many in-depth scenes where we’re walked through what’s happening on the inside of the body. That certainly made it a little hard for me to read because I have this slight fear of our insides and all descriptions of it, but I was too intrigued as to who the killer was, to put it down. While not a particularly twisty turny story, there are plenty of characters in this novel to keep you guessing on who the real killer is.
This always seems to happen to me, but I just can’t seem to get on with female detectives in these kinds of series. Rizzoli wasn’t the worst I have come across, but she still got on my nerves. I’m well aware the message this book was trying to put across was all to do with a “woman in a man’s world”, and I can feel for Rizzoli, it would be hard to be taken seriously in a homicide department in 2001 as a woman… But!!! It was not necessary for her to act as though every single man she encountered was an enemy, needing to be destroyed and put in his place. If she wanted to be taken so seriously as a woman, I’m surprised she couldn’t utter the word “tampon” and described it as being a “disgusting object”. (I have seen this point mentioned by other reviewers and some have said the “fear” of tampons could be a generational thing).
I also wasn’t a fan of the underlying tone this book had, that “all men are capable of evil”. <i>Everyone</i> is capable of evil, why were only men being targeted in this book? Now, I don’t want to sound anti-feminist or something with me saying all this stuff, but I felt the book was a bit radical with some of it’s points about men being raping, murdering bastards. Again, I would like to put my hands up and say I’m <i>really</i> not trying to trivialise or undermine rape “victims” (I prefer the term survivors myself) because I’m close to several, I know how much it fucks them up, but I did feel like this book was a bit heavy hitting towards the male gender as a whole, rather than to the select few scumbags who do that sort of thing <i>(just to rehash this point, I’m not some kind of rape apologist, I just didn’t feel the book needed to be so anti-man).</i>
Another problem I had with this book was sometimes it seemed to have an undermining stance on rape, calling it a woman’s “shameful secret” as though it was their own fault they had been abused in this way. There was also a moment where Rizzoli called herself a “victim of The Surgeon” because she had fucked up part of the investigation, which I thought was completely inappropriate. Comparing a job related incident that was your own fault to being kidnapped and raped is just disgusting. <i>That</i> really got on my nerves. Another thing that grated on me was the overuse of the word “victim” when it came to the rape survivors, but I can imagine that’s more to do with the time this book came out than anything else.
Also!!! (<b>Not a spoiler</b>) There is a disgusting comment on suicide nearer the end of the novel, where Rizzoli calls a man who killed himself a “loser who ate his gun” and “pathetic enough to blow his own brains out”.
Even after having those couple of issues with this novel, I still enjoyed it enough to finish it but I won’t forget the offensiveness of it. I’m going to give myself a break from this series for a month or so, just to really review whether use want to continue with writing I find so problematic. If any of you have gone on to read more of this series, please let me know if it gets any better by not taking digs at traumatised women and mental illness.
David McK (3576 KP) rated A Dance of Cloaks (Shadowdance, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Hmmm ... I'm not really sure what to make of this one.
It is a fantasy novel, and so has your usual fantasy stereotypes of merchants, thieves (and assassins) and magical beings/clerics, with the main protagonists of this falling into the middle of those categories.
This is set primarily in and around one city, which has
been suffering under a clandestine war between the various thieves' guilds and the wealthy merchants of it, and mainly follows Aaron Felhorn, who has been groomed from birth to be the heir to his father Thren - the leader of one such thieves guild. It doesn't focus solely on him , also including the daughter of one such wealthy merchant: if I'm honest, at one stage I thought it was going to turn into a Romeo and Juliet scenario (it didn't).
I also wasn't aware until I read the authors note at the very end that this was actually the second edition of an earlier story: a 'tidied up' and improved version, as it were. I also wasn't aware that this was also meant to be the back-story to a character previously introduced in another series (kinda like the Star Wars prequels in that respect!), so perhaps suffers from having to create a story to explain how the character becomes who he becomes - kinda like the Star Wars prequels had to explain how Darth Vader came to be!
Based on this novel alone, I'm not sure if I would have picked up any of the sequels, but with that knowledge in mind I may yet change my mind.
It is a fantasy novel, and so has your usual fantasy stereotypes of merchants, thieves (and assassins) and magical beings/clerics, with the main protagonists of this falling into the middle of those categories.
This is set primarily in and around one city, which has
been suffering under a clandestine war between the various thieves' guilds and the wealthy merchants of it, and mainly follows Aaron Felhorn, who has been groomed from birth to be the heir to his father Thren - the leader of one such thieves guild. It doesn't focus solely on him , also including the daughter of one such wealthy merchant: if I'm honest, at one stage I thought it was going to turn into a Romeo and Juliet scenario (it didn't).
I also wasn't aware until I read the authors note at the very end that this was actually the second edition of an earlier story: a 'tidied up' and improved version, as it were. I also wasn't aware that this was also meant to be the back-story to a character previously introduced in another series (kinda like the Star Wars prequels in that respect!), so perhaps suffers from having to create a story to explain how the character becomes who he becomes - kinda like the Star Wars prequels had to explain how Darth Vader came to be!
Based on this novel alone, I'm not sure if I would have picked up any of the sequels, but with that knowledge in mind I may yet change my mind.
Kate (493 KP) rated The Dark Web Murders in Books
Feb 6, 2020
I like the twists and turns in this book and the motive. You can guess the motive from the beginning of the book but you can't guess the true ins and outs. There were a couple of different stories going on which helped the story unravel.
I usually read this kind of genre - crime. It was one of the good ones which you couldn't guess.
I was hooked from the first chapter and sometimes crime books take me a few chapters to get into. I couldn't put the book down.
The story flowed really well. The only thing I didn't like was the descriptions of people at the beginning of the book - some of the information was not relevant and never came up in the story. Also I get a feeling for the characters and learn about them as I read. With so many characters described I quickly forgot the information about each character. I understand the author had done this as people had commented that they would prefer this but me personally I didn't like it.
Some of the information that came to light in the book shocked me and the book is definitely not for the faint hearted. Although it is fiction it does remind you that this stuff really does go on.
The audience is definitely adults due to the content which was shocking.
I would 100% read the other books in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
I usually read this kind of genre - crime. It was one of the good ones which you couldn't guess.
I was hooked from the first chapter and sometimes crime books take me a few chapters to get into. I couldn't put the book down.
The story flowed really well. The only thing I didn't like was the descriptions of people at the beginning of the book - some of the information was not relevant and never came up in the story. Also I get a feeling for the characters and learn about them as I read. With so many characters described I quickly forgot the information about each character. I understand the author had done this as people had commented that they would prefer this but me personally I didn't like it.
Some of the information that came to light in the book shocked me and the book is definitely not for the faint hearted. Although it is fiction it does remind you that this stuff really does go on.
The audience is definitely adults due to the content which was shocking.
I would 100% read the other books in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Hero or Tyrant? Henry III, King of France, 1574-89
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Create the perfect props and furnishings with this inspirational sketchbook that helps you doodle...
Merissa (13063 KP) rated Sonata (The Last Note #2) in Books
Mar 11, 2021 (Updated Aug 2, 2023)
SONATA is Viola's book. Well, hers and Lucien's. And if you liked Mr Grumpy-Pants in Melody's book, then you are going to love him in this! We begin with Lucien trying to rescue Viola, but being as she thinks she's going insane, it's not that easy. Rest assured, there is plenty of action and humour in the mix, as Lucien and Viola become mates.
I am loving this series. It really is that simple. The idea of the Muses being mated to vampire brothers gives me so much to look forward to. You know how greedy I am, I want all the details. And, lucky me, I think I'm going to get them. Not all in one go, of course, because there's no way Ms Daniels would be that kind to me. Instead, she'll eek them out, leaving me turning the pages as I continue the story. I guess that makes her a pretty good author, eh? 😂
I thoroughly enjoyed Melody's story, and I have loved this one. But the next one - Moël and Harmony? Oh my, I really can't wait for that one.
Back to this one - well written with a smooth pace, hot and steamy where it should be, with plenty of action and humour. All in all, a perfect read, and thereby absolutely 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!
Mar 11, 2021
I am loving this series. It really is that simple. The idea of the Muses being mated to vampire brothers gives me so much to look forward to. You know how greedy I am, I want all the details. And, lucky me, I think I'm going to get them. Not all in one go, of course, because there's no way Ms Daniels would be that kind to me. Instead, she'll eek them out, leaving me turning the pages as I continue the story. I guess that makes her a pretty good author, eh? 😂
I thoroughly enjoyed Melody's story, and I have loved this one. But the next one - Moël and Harmony? Oh my, I really can't wait for that one.
Back to this one - well written with a smooth pace, hot and steamy where it should be, with plenty of action and humour. All in all, a perfect read, and thereby absolutely 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!
Mar 11, 2021
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires, #2) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
This is the second entry into the Morganville Vampires series and was an entertaining book. In many ways, there were improvements in the story and characterizations. But, I can't help but feel as if, overall, the first was a better and more well-rounded book (minus the cliff-hanger ending of course). I don't always understand Claire's reasons for doing things and how she goes about them are completely dumb. I can get over that because even though she has a high IQ, she's still only sixteen. Not to mention, many geniuses don't have common sense, or much of it at the very least. However, nitpicking aside, I look forward to reading future books in the series.
<b>Note:</b> The title and description are misleading; the fraternity or dance don't have much to do with the whole basic plot. In fact, I don't really get the title at all. They should have saved that for a future book and thought out a new one.
<b>Note:</b> The title and description are misleading; the fraternity or dance don't have much to do with the whole basic plot. In fact, I don't really get the title at all. They should have saved that for a future book and thought out a new one.
David McK (3576 KP) rated The Rebel Killer in Books
Mar 21, 2019
The latest (at the time of reviewing) of Paul Fraser Collard's Jack Lark series, which I see is still being advertised as 'Sharpe meets The Talented Mt Ripley': while that may have been true of the early novels, I feel - now - that Jack Lark has more of his own identity.
Which is, perhaps, ironic in a series where the central conceit is the main character is an imposter.
In this one Jack is not the only imposter: without giving away too much, he sets himself on a trail of revenge whilst wearing the uniform of a Confederate Officer (as opposed to that of a Union officer he wore in the last novel) during the American Civil War. I say wearing, as that is all it really is to him: simply a means towards an end.
Culminating in the battle of Shiloh, Jack definitely seems to have a knack for finding himself caught up in all the great military happenings of his time!
Which is, perhaps, ironic in a series where the central conceit is the main character is an imposter.
In this one Jack is not the only imposter: without giving away too much, he sets himself on a trail of revenge whilst wearing the uniform of a Confederate Officer (as opposed to that of a Union officer he wore in the last novel) during the American Civil War. I say wearing, as that is all it really is to him: simply a means towards an end.
Culminating in the battle of Shiloh, Jack definitely seems to have a knack for finding himself caught up in all the great military happenings of his time!