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Aspiring novelist Lena London has been given the change of a lifetime, helping her idol, best-selling author Camilla Graham, polish up her newest novel. But Lena has hardly arrived in town when she finds the dead body of a young man near Camilla’s house. What is going on?
There is a strong element of wish fulfillment in this novel, and I must admit I enjoyed that real life fantasy. Camilla writes gothic novels, and there are elements of those here as an homage to the genre. Even though I’m not familiar with that genre, I still spotted a few; I probably missed others, but it wasn’t that big a deal to me. The characters are fun and the plot was strong. I did have some issues with the pacing at the end, but overall, I enjoyed this. It certainly left me anxious for the next one.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-dark-and-stormy-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
There is a strong element of wish fulfillment in this novel, and I must admit I enjoyed that real life fantasy. Camilla writes gothic novels, and there are elements of those here as an homage to the genre. Even though I’m not familiar with that genre, I still spotted a few; I probably missed others, but it wasn’t that big a deal to me. The characters are fun and the plot was strong. I did have some issues with the pacing at the end, but overall, I enjoyed this. It certainly left me anxious for the next one.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-dark-and-stormy-murder-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated The Bird Eater in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I honestly wasn't looking to pick up another horror novel so soon after the last one, but seeing the glowing write-up on Amazon I couldn't resist. I have to agree with their editor and say it was pretty damn scary. The novel uses many familiar horror tropes in a story about a man returning to his possibly haunted childhood home after having had a rather traumatic experience. Is he seeing ghosts or is his grief making him insane? Not exactly a new idea, but it is executed very well, with engaging characters and frequently suspenseful scenarios. What sells the whole thing the most for me is the genuinely frightening "ghost". I can honestly say that for 2 consecutive nights, when I got out of bed to use the restroom, I was suddenly filled with trepidation about venturing into the dark hallway for fear it might be lurking in the shadows. And if that's not the sign of a successful horror story, then I don't know what is.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The 6th Extinction (Sigma Force, #10) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
I enjoyed the story and the exotic locations the story takes place across the globe from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, to the remote tepuis of Brazil, and all the way to Antarctica. It was a very fast-paced thriller, with less investigation and more diving-right-in-and-doing than some of the other books in this series. The returning characters from previous novels were a nice surprise, but I wont names in case you are a fan of the series and havent read this one yet. Jenna, Nikko, and Drake were nice additions to the team, and I wouldnt mind seeing them pop up again in future volumes. I do wish that Seichan had a bigger part in this one though.
As always with James Rollinss books, be sure to read / listen to the Notes to the Reader at the end of the novel. He always explains what out of the book is science, and what is fiction. In this novel particularly, that is the scariest part of all.
As always with James Rollinss books, be sure to read / listen to the Notes to the Reader at the end of the novel. He always explains what out of the book is science, and what is fiction. In this novel particularly, that is the scariest part of all.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated war/SONG in Books
Jul 10, 2018
Characters (2 more)
Plot
Writing
I am really struggling to write this review simply because I loved this book so much. As many of you know, I have a HUGE thing for vampires so to find a new vampire series has made me incredibly giddy. Armada West's war/SONG is a fast paced adventure that is sure to delight any vampire fan. This is one vampire novel that isn't too cliché and I loved the vampire vs. magi element in it.
What really stole the show in this novel were the characters. Each character was well thought out and made you yearn to learn more about them. I couldn't help but fall in love with Luca, and I found the heroine to be fascinating as well. Armada West certainly knows how to create characters you're going to miss once the book ends.
All in all, I really loved this book. I am genuinely surprised that this book doesn't have more reviews. I cannot wait to read more of Armada's books. Seriously, read it!
What really stole the show in this novel were the characters. Each character was well thought out and made you yearn to learn more about them. I couldn't help but fall in love with Luca, and I found the heroine to be fascinating as well. Armada West certainly knows how to create characters you're going to miss once the book ends.
All in all, I really loved this book. I am genuinely surprised that this book doesn't have more reviews. I cannot wait to read more of Armada's books. Seriously, read it!
ClareR (5950 KP) rated The Ministry of Utmost Happiness in Books
Jul 11, 2018
This is a novel to take your time over. It wasn't written in a rush, and it really feels like it when you're reading it. I might even have to read it again. There are three or four separate stories which end up weaving their way together by the end of the novel.
We look at how Indians treat Anjum and her fellow Hijra, the political unrest in Kashmir and the atrocities that are committed by those who should know better. The latter is seen through the eyes of Tilo and the men who love her: Musa, Biplab and Naga.
A lot of this isn't comfortable reading at all. It is beautifully told, it's frustrating and it is teaching us a lot about what it is to be Indian, Kashmiri, Hijra, female and of a low caste. Some of it is unimaginably sad and seems hopeless; but we are left with a sliver of hope. And we have Anjum to thank for that, I think.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this beautiful book.
We look at how Indians treat Anjum and her fellow Hijra, the political unrest in Kashmir and the atrocities that are committed by those who should know better. The latter is seen through the eyes of Tilo and the men who love her: Musa, Biplab and Naga.
A lot of this isn't comfortable reading at all. It is beautifully told, it's frustrating and it is teaching us a lot about what it is to be Indian, Kashmiri, Hijra, female and of a low caste. Some of it is unimaginably sad and seems hopeless; but we are left with a sliver of hope. And we have Anjum to thank for that, I think.
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this beautiful book.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Open Earth in Books
Oct 3, 2018
R-Rated and Pretty Good
When I was browsing Netgalley, I came across this graphic novel and the description caught my eye. I loved the idea of the graphic novel tand I'm glad that I was able to read it.
Obviously, this book isn't going to be for pruder individuals. The reason I say this is because at times the graphics were definitely R-rated. This isn't something that you could handsell to a teen or recommend for someone that is younger. With that said, the graphics were very well done and I loved the cutesy artistic style that they portrayed.
Something else that I liked was the integration of spanish in the book. It was done sporadically and it added to the story. I enjoyed the book though I wish it was longer and would have delved into deeper depths of the characters. I felt like I was thrown into a story and didn't feel like I knew anything about any of the characters.
All in all it was a quick good steamy read.
Obviously, this book isn't going to be for pruder individuals. The reason I say this is because at times the graphics were definitely R-rated. This isn't something that you could handsell to a teen or recommend for someone that is younger. With that said, the graphics were very well done and I loved the cutesy artistic style that they portrayed.
Something else that I liked was the integration of spanish in the book. It was done sporadically and it added to the story. I enjoyed the book though I wish it was longer and would have delved into deeper depths of the characters. I felt like I was thrown into a story and didn't feel like I knew anything about any of the characters.
All in all it was a quick good steamy read.
Charlotte (0 KP) rated The Mortal Instruments 1: City of Bones in Books
Nov 2, 2018
Sets up the rest of the series (2 more)
The brother-sister plot line (spoilers as for why in review)
The fantasy world Clare creates
Contains spoilers, click to show
I love this book (currently reading book 5 of the series) because of the world that Clare relates. Whilst it contains the fantasy ideas expressed in different novels; it brings them all together in a unique and interesting way. Controversially, I enjoy the brother-sister plot line the novel introduces to the budding romance of Clary and Jace; it means that we are not reading the same cliche teen romance. People think it is weird but SPOILER ALERT they are not actually brother and sister but allows character progression and other storylines to happen. This allows the romance to occur naturally and when we can see that the feelings are genuine and true. Overall, Clare has produced a great novel to begin her series and leaves reader wanting to know more and delve deeper into the Shadowhunter world.
David McK (3600 KP) rated Specter of the Past (Star Wars: The Hand of Thrawn Duology, #1) in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Back in the early 90s (round about '91 or so, so pre Special Editions), Timothy Zahn released a new Star Wars novel - <i>Heir to the Empire</i> - that would both become the first in a trilogy, and the first in the Star Wars expanded universe (EU) series as a whole.
The main antagonist of those stories was Grand Admiral Thrawn, a brilliant strategist who believed that a species art held the their weakness. Indeed, the novels were also the first to ever name the capitol of the Empire and the Old Republic ('Coruscant').
By the end of the trilogy, Thrawn was defeated and assassinated. Or was he?
This novel was first released in the mid 90's, round about the time of the Special Editions, and before the first of the Prequel trilogy. Set 10 years after the events of <i>The Last Command</i>, this also sees the return of certain characters from Zahn's previous entries in the Star Wars canon, but (I felt) was not quite as entertaining a read.
The main antagonist of those stories was Grand Admiral Thrawn, a brilliant strategist who believed that a species art held the their weakness. Indeed, the novels were also the first to ever name the capitol of the Empire and the Old Republic ('Coruscant').
By the end of the trilogy, Thrawn was defeated and assassinated. Or was he?
This novel was first released in the mid 90's, round about the time of the Special Editions, and before the first of the Prequel trilogy. Set 10 years after the events of <i>The Last Command</i>, this also sees the return of certain characters from Zahn's previous entries in the Star Wars canon, but (I felt) was not quite as entertaining a read.
David McK (3600 KP) rated Four Days in June: Waterloo: A Battle for Honour and Glory in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The title, of course, is a reference to the Waterloo campaign of 1815, where the Emperor Napoleon was finally defeated for good by a combined Anglo-Prussian army led by Wellington (for the Anglo-Dutch army) and Blucher (Prussian).
This novel tells the story through the eyes of five different characters involved in that battle: De Lancey, MacDonnell, Ziethen, Ney and Napoleon. While it also involves the battles of Quatre-Bras and Ligny, a ;arge part of the novel - not surprisingly - concentrates on the Battle of Waterloo itself. What may be surprising, however, is on how much it concentrates on the battle for La Haye Sainte (within Waterloo)!
I must admit, I also found. Some of the. Writing. To be a bit dis. jointed (I'm exaggerating here for effect), with very short, 'choppy' sentences.
As it's a period of history I'm interested in, I can now say that I've read the book. However, it's not one that I'd be rushing back to: not as good as, say, 'Sharpe's Waterloo' which has a similar approach.
This novel tells the story through the eyes of five different characters involved in that battle: De Lancey, MacDonnell, Ziethen, Ney and Napoleon. While it also involves the battles of Quatre-Bras and Ligny, a ;arge part of the novel - not surprisingly - concentrates on the Battle of Waterloo itself. What may be surprising, however, is on how much it concentrates on the battle for La Haye Sainte (within Waterloo)!
I must admit, I also found. Some of the. Writing. To be a bit dis. jointed (I'm exaggerating here for effect), with very short, 'choppy' sentences.
As it's a period of history I'm interested in, I can now say that I've read the book. However, it's not one that I'd be rushing back to: not as good as, say, 'Sharpe's Waterloo' which has a similar approach.
David McK (3600 KP) rated Moonraker (James Bond, #3) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I know I've seen it, but I don't really remember all the much about the 1979 Moonraker film (incidentally, the year I was born), other than that it starred Roger Moore (in his fourth role as James Bond), and that James Bond went into space.
James Bond does not go into space.
At least, not in the novel on which that film is (very loosely) based - or, more accurately, from which they took the title.
Instead, we have a Cold-War era spy thriller, with the Moonraker of the title really more of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (an IBM) rather than the Space Shuttle of the movie. Nor is there CIA involvement, nor a battle-in-space, nor a madman setting out to wipe out all life on Earth ... you get the picture.
There are, however, elements of the novel that make it into future Bond movies, in particular the facial reconstructive surgery of 'Die Another Day' clearly picking up it's cue from the background given to the central antagonist of Drax, and just what happened to him during the war.
James Bond does not go into space.
At least, not in the novel on which that film is (very loosely) based - or, more accurately, from which they took the title.
Instead, we have a Cold-War era spy thriller, with the Moonraker of the title really more of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (an IBM) rather than the Space Shuttle of the movie. Nor is there CIA involvement, nor a battle-in-space, nor a madman setting out to wipe out all life on Earth ... you get the picture.
There are, however, elements of the novel that make it into future Bond movies, in particular the facial reconstructive surgery of 'Die Another Day' clearly picking up it's cue from the background given to the central antagonist of Drax, and just what happened to him during the war.