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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Grave Mercy in Books
Jan 6, 2021
*I received this copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I'd had this on my "to read" shelf on here for a while and then removed it, thinking that since I very rarely read historical books that I might not enjoy it after all.
What a load of rubbish that was!
The synopsis made me think it would be like the <i>Throne of Glass</i> series and in a way it was; assassin, a bit of romance, but it was also not. This was based on true events and there was a lot of different things happening in relation to the duchy.
I have to admit that the first 10-15% was a bit hard for me to get into. There wasn't too much detail about her time at the abbey and as much as I was interested in what she was learning there that bit started to bore me after a while.
It was only with the arrival of Duval and the sparks they ignited that I really started to get into this. I could tell straight away that something was going to happen there and since I'm a romance reader I was happy that there was the possibility of romance. It was nice reading the slow progression of their relationship as it changed.
As for everyone else; Anne, Isabeau, Beast etc. I grew to really like them. They all added great things to the story.
In relationship to Beast, I would really like to know what happened to him, and I'm hoping I will find the answers to that in the next book in the series.
If you like stories of assassins and romance then you'll more than likely like this.
I'd had this on my "to read" shelf on here for a while and then removed it, thinking that since I very rarely read historical books that I might not enjoy it after all.
What a load of rubbish that was!
The synopsis made me think it would be like the <i>Throne of Glass</i> series and in a way it was; assassin, a bit of romance, but it was also not. This was based on true events and there was a lot of different things happening in relation to the duchy.
I have to admit that the first 10-15% was a bit hard for me to get into. There wasn't too much detail about her time at the abbey and as much as I was interested in what she was learning there that bit started to bore me after a while.
It was only with the arrival of Duval and the sparks they ignited that I really started to get into this. I could tell straight away that something was going to happen there and since I'm a romance reader I was happy that there was the possibility of romance. It was nice reading the slow progression of their relationship as it changed.
As for everyone else; Anne, Isabeau, Beast etc. I grew to really like them. They all added great things to the story.
In relationship to Beast, I would really like to know what happened to him, and I'm hoping I will find the answers to that in the next book in the series.
If you like stories of assassins and romance then you'll more than likely like this.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Apple Tree Yard in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Who doesn't like a good thriller novel?
The narrative of this book is quite unique, being recalled as an account from the past. Yvonne, the narrator, often refers to "now" and unknown events that have yet to take place in the story. This definitely builds the suspense a lot.
Yvonne takes us through the development of her extramarrital relationship with the unknown "you" (or "X" as she refers to him in her letters). Later, we will learn the identity of Yvonne's lover, but throughout the book we are given only speculations about his life that Yvonne theorises to be accurate.
This affair is, I suppose, both shocking and familiar at the same time. Yvonne is a successful, loved wife and mother with a safe home and good career. She loves her husband and her children. Her affair is, in this respect, unexpected and outrageous. But at the same time, as Yvonne summarises at the end of the novel, her "one-off" offence falls perfectly into the typical category of people like her. People who do not cheat on their partners because they don't love them. Unline "you", who cheats repeatedly for the excitement of it.
Most of the book is dedicated to the devlopment of the relationship, with other details of Yvonne's life and comments about the present included here and there. Yvonne is eventually sexually assaulted by a coworker/acquaintance. Amazingly, this event leads to Yvonne being on trial for murder.
The court case is described fantastically, with plenty of detail about all the little things that really set the scene. The narrative throughout the book is also fantastic - it really has the 'feel' of a middle-aged woman. 3.5 stars.
The narrative of this book is quite unique, being recalled as an account from the past. Yvonne, the narrator, often refers to "now" and unknown events that have yet to take place in the story. This definitely builds the suspense a lot.
Yvonne takes us through the development of her extramarrital relationship with the unknown "you" (or "X" as she refers to him in her letters). Later, we will learn the identity of Yvonne's lover, but throughout the book we are given only speculations about his life that Yvonne theorises to be accurate.
This affair is, I suppose, both shocking and familiar at the same time. Yvonne is a successful, loved wife and mother with a safe home and good career. She loves her husband and her children. Her affair is, in this respect, unexpected and outrageous. But at the same time, as Yvonne summarises at the end of the novel, her "one-off" offence falls perfectly into the typical category of people like her. People who do not cheat on their partners because they don't love them. Unline "you", who cheats repeatedly for the excitement of it.
Most of the book is dedicated to the devlopment of the relationship, with other details of Yvonne's life and comments about the present included here and there. Yvonne is eventually sexually assaulted by a coworker/acquaintance. Amazingly, this event leads to Yvonne being on trial for murder.
The court case is described fantastically, with plenty of detail about all the little things that really set the scene. The narrative throughout the book is also fantastic - it really has the 'feel' of a middle-aged woman. 3.5 stars.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Leap! (Ballerina) (2017) in Movies
Jul 11, 2019
Leap is set in France during the late 1800s, around the time France was building the Statue of Liberty for the U.S. Two young orphans, Felicie (voiced by Elle Fanning), and Victor (voiced by Nat Wolff) escape their less than stellar confines in an orphanage in hopes of making their lifelong dreams come true. Felicie longs to be a professional ballerina and Victor wants to be the next great inventor. The two best friends become separated when they arrive to Paris. Fortunately, Felicie and Victor find themselves two steps closer to their dreams. Felicie takes up residence in a home where a former professional ballet dancer turned servant maid Odette (Carlie Rae Jepsen) becomes her mentor and teaches Felicie ballet. Felicie makes her way to a prestigious ballet school posing as another student vying for a role in the upcoming “Nutcracker” production. Victor ends up living and working for Pierre Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower. Victor’s hoping to be the first person to fly. The story mainly follows Felicie and her relationship with Odette. A strong bond brought together by Felicie’s enamoration and Odette’s own attachment to ballet.
There are some careful details to the animation and setting, however they are masked by a bland attempt at a very common storyline mixed in with the occasional action sequence. The lackluster character development suffered greatly among most of the characters with the exception of the relationship between Felicie and Odette. The theme of the movie with its simple tone, will find that its core target audience among young girls that are obsessed with theater, dancing, and performing. You definitely want to keep your expectations low and maybe stick to a matinee price tag. It’s still a sweet movie that just doesn’t deviate far from the ordinary.
There are some careful details to the animation and setting, however they are masked by a bland attempt at a very common storyline mixed in with the occasional action sequence. The lackluster character development suffered greatly among most of the characters with the exception of the relationship between Felicie and Odette. The theme of the movie with its simple tone, will find that its core target audience among young girls that are obsessed with theater, dancing, and performing. You definitely want to keep your expectations low and maybe stick to a matinee price tag. It’s still a sweet movie that just doesn’t deviate far from the ordinary.
Elli H Burton (1288 KP) rated After Earth (2013) in Movies
Aug 22, 2019
Premise is interesting. (1 more)
Keeps you on your toes at times.
It's a bit boring at times. (3 more)
Will Smith's not really a presence as much as he should be.
The character progression is non existent with them all.
I don't mind either Jaiden or Will Smith, but feel like this wasn't suited too them. They felt restricted.
Will Smith
Contains spoilers, click to show
As Will Smith is a household name, more often than not you know him in some kind of comedy role, if not he has more presence on camera to show his true acting range. For a character that is hardly seen, I don't think this role suited him. Jaiden suited the character to an extent but when it came to the ghosting part, he was able to ghost so quickly, he was terrified like 10 minutes ago. He doesn't gradually learn to be brave it just happens which isn't true to his character. I actually don't mind watching this film, it has it's good bits. The relationship between them is clear, the father/son role definitely suits them (sounds obvious but not always the case with father/son actors). They manage to put a strain on their relationship in the film as opposed to in real life they are seriously close. The actual storyline is good, noticed how other films after (and perhaps before but I haven't seen any that came before) about monsters being blind but can sense smell, heat, touch and in this case, fear. It also had an underlying worldwide issue - earth turns on humans. Which I'm not surprised with the way we have treated it. I actually remember saying after watching this in the cinema that we really ought to start being more caring to the world. You never know it might happen!
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ClareR (6144 KP) rated Normal People in Books
Jul 26, 2020
Normal People has been lauded by so many people for quite a while now, so when the TV series came out, I thought I’d better get the book down off my shelf and actually read it. I’m shockingly bad at watching TV, so I knew this was the only way I’d be able to keep up with everyone talking about it.
I’d had a bit of a love/ hate relationship with Conversations with Friends, but this was all love. A girl who doesn’t belong, has no friends, has a relationship with one of the popular boys - but no one knows. It’s a secret. Marianne seems so damaged by her family, and I really felt sorry for her. Connell lives with his mother - it has always been just the two of them. He seems quite happy with the arrangement with Marianne. In that typical way of teenagers, where they seem oblivious to the feelings of others and their reputation is everything, Connell makes it clear that his and Marianne’s arrangement is not to be made common knowledge.
Marianne reinvents herself at university, and when she meets Connell there again, it appears that their roles have been reversed.
This was a fascinating read, and captures so well the uncertainty of youth. These characters were finding their place in the world, and they really struggle. I honestly could have read on. It’s obvious that Marianne and Connell are made for one another - and I really did like how the book ended.
I say this about a lot of authors (which is why my house is heaving with books!), and hell, I’ll say it again: I can’t wait to see what Sally Rooney comes up with next.
I’d had a bit of a love/ hate relationship with Conversations with Friends, but this was all love. A girl who doesn’t belong, has no friends, has a relationship with one of the popular boys - but no one knows. It’s a secret. Marianne seems so damaged by her family, and I really felt sorry for her. Connell lives with his mother - it has always been just the two of them. He seems quite happy with the arrangement with Marianne. In that typical way of teenagers, where they seem oblivious to the feelings of others and their reputation is everything, Connell makes it clear that his and Marianne’s arrangement is not to be made common knowledge.
Marianne reinvents herself at university, and when she meets Connell there again, it appears that their roles have been reversed.
This was a fascinating read, and captures so well the uncertainty of youth. These characters were finding their place in the world, and they really struggle. I honestly could have read on. It’s obvious that Marianne and Connell are made for one another - and I really did like how the book ended.
I say this about a lot of authors (which is why my house is heaving with books!), and hell, I’ll say it again: I can’t wait to see what Sally Rooney comes up with next.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
May 28, 2020
Merissa (13956 KP) rated Blinded (Club Indigo #5) in Books
May 12, 2020
Blinded is the fifth book in the Club Indigo series and we start off with our main male character having to have PT due to a climbing accident. Sandra, our PT, is determined to help this grumpy patient and then have absolutely nothing to do with him. The only trouble is, he's a member of the Club Indigo, the same as she is, and he is a master of the ropes, which is something she wants to do more. Sandra has her baggage to contend with and GT has more than few walls to knock down.
This was a great addition to the series. Like with the others, I would say you could read it as a standalone but to get the most out of it, I would recommend reading them in order. Characters from previous books are mentioned so I found it helpful to have read their story first.
I loved how Karen Nappa managed to intertwine Sandra's relationship with her mother (dysfunctional, people!!!) with her budding relationship with GT. I found her fears and concerns completely relatable and, as someone who also shuts down and runs away rather than have a confrontation, I found her reactions to be completely realistic. The Colour Run sounded like so much fun but I would have killed GT for his "little surprise." 🤣
This was a brilliant addition to the series that I loved reading and I can't wait to see who comes next. Absolutely recommended by me.
(P.S. - please let me find out who was the first Top on the Blind Date night!! PLEASE!!!!)
* 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!
This was a great addition to the series. Like with the others, I would say you could read it as a standalone but to get the most out of it, I would recommend reading them in order. Characters from previous books are mentioned so I found it helpful to have read their story first.
I loved how Karen Nappa managed to intertwine Sandra's relationship with her mother (dysfunctional, people!!!) with her budding relationship with GT. I found her fears and concerns completely relatable and, as someone who also shuts down and runs away rather than have a confrontation, I found her reactions to be completely realistic. The Colour Run sounded like so much fun but I would have killed GT for his "little surprise." 🤣
This was a brilliant addition to the series that I loved reading and I can't wait to see who comes next. Absolutely recommended by me.
(P.S. - please let me find out who was the first Top on the Blind Date night!! PLEASE!!!!)
* 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!
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