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To Dream of Shadows
To Dream of Shadows
Steve N Less | 2023 | History & Politics
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my word ... what a story!! I don't think there are adequate words that capture adequately how I felt about this book and how good it was ... it was absolutely gripping and I was rivetted from the very first to the very last word ... and it's inspired by a true story.

To Dream of Shadows is a powerful story of survival, loss, resilience, hope and the power of friendship and love; it is a difficult book to read in parts but I was absolutely gripped and devoured it in quick time and have no problem recommending this to those of you who love getting totally immersed in a wonderful book that will have your emotions in tatters and your eyes glued to the words.

Many thanks must go to the author, Steve N Lee, for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of To Dream of Shadows.
  
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Jill528 (15 KP) rated Before We Were Yours in Books

Jun 16, 2018 (Updated Jun 16, 2018)  
Before We Were Yours
Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.6 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was completely blown away by this powerful and heart-wrenching story about family, love, perseverance, and loss!

This novel was inspired by the horrifying true events of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, run by Georgia Tann from the 1920’s-1950’s. The plot is written from two points of view, weaving between past and present, this is the story of how one family’s past has shaped its present. Lisa Wingate’s writing is absolutely flawless. She pulls you deep into the lives of each character where you feel like you are inside the novel witnessing all these heinous events up close.

Before We Were Yours is one of the best historical fiction books I have read to date, it will definitely stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommend!
  
The Witcher - Season 1
The Witcher - Season 1
2019 | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Good introduction, true to the feel of the books, despite Geralt
I have played a little of Witcher 3, and have read the three sets of Sapkowski's Witcher short stories which precede the main series of books. I found the series to be quite true to the feel of the books. Throughout the short stories you are reading what feels like a decent story of hunting a monster but longing to have something larger with more background to get your teeth into. Similarly, the series shows us certain of Geralt's exploits vanquishing monsters for various lords, which are ok but somewhat lacking.
Cavill as Geralt doesn't say much, which is true to his character in the game (but then as he is the PoV character, it would be odd if he was constantly chatting to you and there is rarely anyone else there!). He tends to grunt and swear and is generally a right brooding bore.
However, throughout the series we have the backstory to Ciri (the young girl destined to accompany Geralt) and Yenefer (the powerful mage Geralt is obsessed with), both of which give much more insight into the world, the politics and some of the magic.
Yenefer's story is especially gripping, going from a deformed kind-hearted girl to the strong, beautiful, powerful witch she becomes.
A few reviews complain that the story jumps around a lot, both in person/place and time and it is quite hard to stitch it together. All I would say is if you stick with it, it all becomes clear. Like with the books, some of Geralt's stories feature what seem like small details but which turn out to be very important for the future parts of the story.
My main gripe is as with the books the Witcher himself is a dreadfully boring, one-dimensional cliché of a character, but those around him, given more focus, make this quote a gripping and enjoyable series.
  
The Last Book Party
The Last Book Party
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really thought this book was true to what might happen of you worked in New York City in the book publishing world. How easy it would be to get caught up with powerful writers, thinking you could learn so much from them instead lose yourself and your dream of making it big. In turn, causing you to do a few things you might not do usually. I also like that to me the title had multiple meanings in the book. The book seemed to lose a little of the story and drag a bit in the middle which is why I rated it as I did.
  
I
Indivisible
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
As a former military brat, I love to read anything about the military. As a long time fan of Travis Thrasher's this book was a double bonus for me. I loved every second of this 5 star worthy novelization of true events.

PTSD is a very real, very scary thing for many folks. This story is about that. I felt every emotion of Heather and Darren as if it was my own. Every pain filled moment, every tear filled scene was my own. That is powerful when a novelization can do that to me. The beautiful story of Heather and Darren become a part of me and I won't soon forget them.

If you are looking to read a book that will fill you with hope, understanding, mercy and faith, then grab this book now. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I imagine it will be just as powerful as this book is. Five stars just doesn't seem like enough praises for this. Hats off to Travis Trasher for creating a beautiful, emotion filled novelization of Darren and Heather's story.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was under not obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*