
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated Romanov in Books
Jun 6, 2019
^^ This is written from different points of view, which allows us to see this intriguing story from several angles. At the end of every chapter there’s a sense of something lurking in the shadows, watching, following, and it could attack at any time. Whilst this added to the suspense and made for great foreshadowing, it was drawn out over a lot of pages, and felt a little repetitive at times.
^^ What I loved about this was the ‘new adult’ romance theme of which gave way to a large proportion of this book. With danger lurking around every corner, Anna soon discovers that she had to look out for not only her own family, but protect her beau, Eric, too. There is also an unusual shape-shifting, supernatural element to this tale, both of which I found added different levels to this modern vampire story. It’s not all as straightforward, as it might – at first – seem.
^^ This story feels like the beginning of a much larger tale, since we are introduced to a lot of characters and different families, all living their lives as they know how. It reminded me of a soap opera, where we watch the lives of many families unravel before our very eyes. An unknown danger is making every effort to thwart the Romanov’s survival, but is Anna strong enough to overcome this evil?
Overall: Samaire Provost has created an atmospheric vampire story with a difference, in that the creatures within are not your standard monsters and their world consists of different rules and ideals. That alone is quite refreshing in this vampire story. Saying that, this is not just a book about vampires, it’s about families, feuds, survival of the fittest and how far you’d go to protect the ones you love. I found it an enjoyable, clever read and it should appeal to readers of vampire fiction who like something a little different from the norm.

Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Well, then. This is going to be one of the harder reviews to write, isn't it. (And it'll probably come out a little choppy, but um... bear with me.)
Okay, so how about I start with this: <i>The Prophecy of Shadows</i> is great, but the only thing working against the book is the instalove between Nicole and Blake. But even the instalove isn't much of a bother Nicole is attracted to Blake from the get go, but she's not as <em>obsessed</em> as Danielle, who would threaten anyone in Blake's proximity. Yet?
Anyways, the first book in the <i>Elementals</i> series brings yet a new idea to the <a title="Mythology" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/search/label/Mythology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mythology</a> genre, sort of following in <a title="Raye Wagner" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/search/label/Raye%20Wagner" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Raye Wagner's</a> footsteps. When Nicole first moves to a new school, she is quickly thrown into the world of witches, people who are descended from Greek gods but not exactly demigods. Witches in Madow's newest series are those not directly descended from a Greek god (basically, a generation or two later...?) and their powers are mostly based off of color theory (definitely not getting into the specifics of that one). Nicole is weirded out and dismisses the entire idea at first, but quickly has a change of heart.
The book is also a little slow on the pacing side, especially for those who like constant action. Madow spends approximately half the book setting up the plot and introducing the world of witches, and I personally think that in itself is good enough without being overwhelming. Even though the witches in the <i>Elementals</i> series are similar to witches in general, I enjoyed learning how each color corresponds to a particular emotion or talent. Any particular legendary creature fighting comes later on in the book.
It'll be interesting to see how Madow takes the series with the sequels, and I'll be looking forward to the sequels (which, by the way, have extremely interesting and adventurous titles).
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-the-prophecy-of-shadows-by-michelle-madow/" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>

Dana (24 KP) rated The Assassin's Blade: The Throne of Glass Novellas in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I loved how all of the stories were connected. This was basically another novel in the series, so that got me all excited.
I had to read this before I got Queen of Shadows because I felt like I needed to be able to better understand Celaena's character even more than I did with reading the other three books.
Like always, Sarah J Maas's plot and character development were on point. There weren't very many slow parts in the plot line. The characters were very well fleshed out. I absolutely adored getting to learn about how Celaena and Arobbyn interacted. I think that was one of my favorite parts of the novellas.
The story does end about a year before the actual series begins, so it was really fun to be able to go back and see everything that had happened before knowing exactly what was going to happen later in the series.
I recommend this to anyone who has been enjoying the Throne of Glass series. Those of you who haven't started the series, do it. I don't think you will regret it. :)

Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Next Time - Single by BLESSED in Music
Jun 17, 2019
“With no control, I’m living life. I’m outta mind, I’m outta sight. I’ve been rollin’ every night. All alone, that’s every night. Tears, they fall like moonlight rain. Shadows on my window paint, now. In the end, they’re all the same. In the end, you’re all the same.” – lyrics
The self-directed black-and-white confessional audiovisual finds BLESSED performing bare-chested. Also, his performance draws inspiration from icons of ‘90s rock ‘n’ roll and hip-hop music.
‘Next Time’ is the first string of singles and videos which BLESSED will be releasing throughout the year, ending in an EP which is slated for late 2019.
The likable tune contains a dreamy storyline, harmonious rap vocals, and chill instrumentation flavored with alternative, hip-hop, and indie-rock elements.
BLESSED moved to Australia as a child, where he was aptly named a blessing by his family.
This project marks the first time he is using his real name instead of a moniker. Also, he is fresh from a national tour supporting Matt Corby.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/blessed-next-time/

David McK (3562 KP) rated Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls in Books
Jan 28, 2019
Unlike those previously two mentioned, this is a more contemporary tale, with Batman at the height of his crime-fighting powers, unlike the aging Batman of [b:The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159], or the still-relatively-green of the majority of [b:The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346331835s/96358.jpg|551787], and also has the wider Bat-family (that sounds awful, doesn't it?) of Nightwing, Robin and Red Robin all in it.
The Court of Owls itself is an urban legend from Gotham of a secret society that lives in the shadows and watches/judges all: like Batman, an urban legend that soon proves not to be such after all.
While I may read volume 2 in the future, it's also not one that I'd be hunting out for.

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