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Amy Christmas (171 KP) rated Let it Snow in Books
Dec 28, 2018
The last story was quite shoddy (4/10) (1 more)
The patron saint of pigs
A mixed bag of stories.
Contains spoilers, click to show
I had to read this at Christmas time, there is no other way, and at first I really quite enjoyed it, the first story The Jubilee Express was really quite something, I loved jubilee's character and her situation with her parents in prison and being shipped off to Florida. At this point Jeb who she meets on the train seems like a really 2D character (and will co time to be for the entire book) I was dissapointed in Jeb's character as there was a lot more potential there but no purpose from the 3 authors. However Jubilee I loved her motives and personality was great and the way that the story flowed from the train into the waffle house and meeting Stuart was great. The Jubilee Express was filled with weird and wonderful characters and a beautiful ending.
It goes down hill from here.
I've never read anything by John Green but I was dissapointed by his segment. The love between Tobin and The Duke is rushed and fake as hell. It didn't feel realistic in any sense of the word, the love in Twilight was better written. The adventure we follow with Tobin is good and enjoyable but the love aspect is not at all. I wanted this segment over with ASAP.
Then the patron saint of pigs, god. I despised Addie. I get that this short story was meant to be a moral story on being selfless etc etc but I got to the end of the story and again was drowned in superficial love that holds no weight or realism. In the end Addie is just forgiven for all that she has done in the past but we see no real change in her thinking. By the end she still constantly acts in her own interests, she only picks up the pig to prove to her friends that she isn't selfish and self absorbed. However the atmosphere of this last story was nice seeing all the stories fully converge.
However I only truly loved The Jubilee Express.
The rest felt heartless and 2D.
It goes down hill from here.
I've never read anything by John Green but I was dissapointed by his segment. The love between Tobin and The Duke is rushed and fake as hell. It didn't feel realistic in any sense of the word, the love in Twilight was better written. The adventure we follow with Tobin is good and enjoyable but the love aspect is not at all. I wanted this segment over with ASAP.
Then the patron saint of pigs, god. I despised Addie. I get that this short story was meant to be a moral story on being selfless etc etc but I got to the end of the story and again was drowned in superficial love that holds no weight or realism. In the end Addie is just forgiven for all that she has done in the past but we see no real change in her thinking. By the end she still constantly acts in her own interests, she only picks up the pig to prove to her friends that she isn't selfish and self absorbed. However the atmosphere of this last story was nice seeing all the stories fully converge.
However I only truly loved The Jubilee Express.
The rest felt heartless and 2D.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Silent Patient in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This complex story is told from two different perspectives, a story which was written down by Alicia, and another one, told by Theo, about his life. I really liked the characters in this book, they are very intriguing, some of them very charismatic, but at the same time very believable. I really liked Alicia’s story and her disturbed personality, but at the same time, I found her quite naive and sometimes annoying. Theo really surprised me, he is too messed up in his head to be a decent psychotherapist. His personality and thoughts were quite scary sometimes, but I absolutely loved the investigation he has done, to find out more about Alicia.
The narrative of this book is very layered, complex, and discusses many issues. The characters are sharing their thoughts about the relationships with their family and their spouses, and how that effected their present personalities. The author creatively incorporated his Greek heritage into this story, filled with Greek Gods and other bits and pieces. The story doesn’t stay still for long periods of time, there are plenty of surprising twists and turns throughout this book and it was a real page turner to me. The author discussed a very wide variety of topics, such as a difficult relationship with parents; blind love for their spouses; drugs; mental health issues etc.
The setting of this book feels very mysterious, and I liked that there are multiple locations used in this novel. The writing style is creative, well crafted, but easy and pleasant to read. The chapters are pretty short, and due to suspense, the pages just flew by for me. I really liked the ending of the book, it rounded the story well but there are many unanswered questions, which left me unsettled.
So, to conclude, this is a very amusing story, filled with complex and unique characters, and a plot, soaked in love, grief and betrayal. I strongly recommend to read this story and find out, whether Theo succeeds in his quest to make Alice speak again or not. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did
The narrative of this book is very layered, complex, and discusses many issues. The characters are sharing their thoughts about the relationships with their family and their spouses, and how that effected their present personalities. The author creatively incorporated his Greek heritage into this story, filled with Greek Gods and other bits and pieces. The story doesn’t stay still for long periods of time, there are plenty of surprising twists and turns throughout this book and it was a real page turner to me. The author discussed a very wide variety of topics, such as a difficult relationship with parents; blind love for their spouses; drugs; mental health issues etc.
The setting of this book feels very mysterious, and I liked that there are multiple locations used in this novel. The writing style is creative, well crafted, but easy and pleasant to read. The chapters are pretty short, and due to suspense, the pages just flew by for me. I really liked the ending of the book, it rounded the story well but there are many unanswered questions, which left me unsettled.
So, to conclude, this is a very amusing story, filled with complex and unique characters, and a plot, soaked in love, grief and betrayal. I strongly recommend to read this story and find out, whether Theo succeeds in his quest to make Alice speak again or not. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did
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Binocular Vision
Clare Skeats and Edith Pearlman
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Edith Pearlman's Binocular Vision are the collected stories of an award-winning author who has been...
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Short but Worth the Read!
Being an avid King fan, I could not wait to read his latest novel, Elevation, and was a bit dismayed by the brevity. Upon starting the first chapter, however, I quickly realized that King had once again duped me into thinking he was only capable of writing long, winding novels (I've been duped before by his short story books and by Joyland) and I was pleasantly entertained from the first word to the last.
Elevation is set in a small town, like most of King's stories, one which gives off the air of being both a town to love and one to avoid on a family trip; it has the small town charm we all look for but comes with the small town bigotry as well. Our main character is a long-time resident with an already established problem of which there seems to be no cure and a rocky relationship with his neighbors, one that has a profound effect on his future. King manages to pull his reader in from first page and attach you to his characters, and not just the protagonist but the supporting cast as well, in a way that will leave you desperately wishing there were just a few more pages.
All in all, Elevation is another Stephen King that should not be passed up, filled with a strong central message about how we view the world and the people in it.
Elevation is set in a small town, like most of King's stories, one which gives off the air of being both a town to love and one to avoid on a family trip; it has the small town charm we all look for but comes with the small town bigotry as well. Our main character is a long-time resident with an already established problem of which there seems to be no cure and a rocky relationship with his neighbors, one that has a profound effect on his future. King manages to pull his reader in from first page and attach you to his characters, and not just the protagonist but the supporting cast as well, in a way that will leave you desperately wishing there were just a few more pages.
All in all, Elevation is another Stephen King that should not be passed up, filled with a strong central message about how we view the world and the people in it.
Amy Curtis (49 KP) rated Four: A Divergent Collection in Books
Jan 12, 2019
The follow-on we all needed
The novel contains 5 short stories set in Tobias Eaton’s (Four’s) perspective. Some of the stories are events that you have seen from Tris’ point of view during the Divergent series. Throughout the series, he is quite a mysterious character and the only thing you really know is the small bits of information that he decides to reveal to Tris.
Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene is the first story of the book and it recaps events that have already been told to those that have already read the trilogy. The second story, The Transfer, begins to give you a bit of a backstory into Four’s past who has always been somewhat of an enigma to readers. It shows you how he became a part of Dauntless and explains more about his character.
The third short story is one of my personal favourites as you are introduced to Eric and you begin to see the vendetta that he held against Four and why. Just like Tris, Four is a Divergent and contains traits of more than one faction. When Four begins his Dauntless training he is able to recognise reality from fictions during the tests and has to be careful that it is not discovered as a Divergent.
The last two stories are titled The Son and The Traitor describing more recent events of how Tobias knew that his mother was alive and recaps how he becomes closer to Tris. It is a heart-warming collection that makes you feel like the Divergent series lives on. I was absolutely heart-broken when I finished the trilogy so once Roth brought out a follow-on for it, I couldn’t read it quick enough.
Roth does well to switch from character’s perspectives particularly when she has already told some of the story in a different person’s point of view. This was the series that I wasn’t ready to put down and I can’t wait to read it again.
Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene is the first story of the book and it recaps events that have already been told to those that have already read the trilogy. The second story, The Transfer, begins to give you a bit of a backstory into Four’s past who has always been somewhat of an enigma to readers. It shows you how he became a part of Dauntless and explains more about his character.
The third short story is one of my personal favourites as you are introduced to Eric and you begin to see the vendetta that he held against Four and why. Just like Tris, Four is a Divergent and contains traits of more than one faction. When Four begins his Dauntless training he is able to recognise reality from fictions during the tests and has to be careful that it is not discovered as a Divergent.
The last two stories are titled The Son and The Traitor describing more recent events of how Tobias knew that his mother was alive and recaps how he becomes closer to Tris. It is a heart-warming collection that makes you feel like the Divergent series lives on. I was absolutely heart-broken when I finished the trilogy so once Roth brought out a follow-on for it, I couldn’t read it quick enough.
Roth does well to switch from character’s perspectives particularly when she has already told some of the story in a different person’s point of view. This was the series that I wasn’t ready to put down and I can’t wait to read it again.
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Witcher - Season 1 in TV
Jan 13, 2020
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.
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.
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Brightley & Glow in Books
Oct 5, 2020
I don’t often read Children’s Bedtime stories, as I think myself to be a grown up person (sometimes). But I couldn’t ignore Brightley & Glow by Sophie Carmen, as the cover was too gorgeous.
Even though I am past this whole bedtime story moment, I sometimes do read children's books. Maybe because I get nostalgic. Or maybe, because sometimes, we forget to look and remember the little things. And Children's books are all about little things in life. Moments and fragments that we often remember to forget as adults. Take a moment to look in the sun. A moment to smile to a person. Create a little space for yourself. Breathe. And be happy!
Brightley & Glow is quite short, but full of amazing art. I loved the way everything was represented, the dark background and the bright colours surrounding it. The story was also really cute. Brightley is a shooting star and his job soon will be to start bouncing and slowly fall out of the sky, so children can make their wishes. But his brother, Glow is a shining star. And his job is to stay close with the Moon and keep shining at night. When it’s time for Brightley to leave, both him and his brother become very sad and try to solve this unfairness so they can stay together.
I found the story in Brightley & Glow quite moving and absolutely adorable. It brought out many feelings inside me. How it feels when you see a loved one leave, and you know they have to go, and you have to accept the fact. But it also shows us how you can still love someone so fiercely and innocently that you are willing to give up everything for them.
If you have little ones, I highly recommend this Children’s Bedtime Story. It is short, but adorable, and the images are really cute as well!
Even though I am past this whole bedtime story moment, I sometimes do read children's books. Maybe because I get nostalgic. Or maybe, because sometimes, we forget to look and remember the little things. And Children's books are all about little things in life. Moments and fragments that we often remember to forget as adults. Take a moment to look in the sun. A moment to smile to a person. Create a little space for yourself. Breathe. And be happy!
Brightley & Glow is quite short, but full of amazing art. I loved the way everything was represented, the dark background and the bright colours surrounding it. The story was also really cute. Brightley is a shooting star and his job soon will be to start bouncing and slowly fall out of the sky, so children can make their wishes. But his brother, Glow is a shining star. And his job is to stay close with the Moon and keep shining at night. When it’s time for Brightley to leave, both him and his brother become very sad and try to solve this unfairness so they can stay together.
I found the story in Brightley & Glow quite moving and absolutely adorable. It brought out many feelings inside me. How it feels when you see a loved one leave, and you know they have to go, and you have to accept the fact. But it also shows us how you can still love someone so fiercely and innocently that you are willing to give up everything for them.
If you have little ones, I highly recommend this Children’s Bedtime Story. It is short, but adorable, and the images are really cute as well!
Hunted By Treaty (Qui Treaty Collection #3)
8.0
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His touch unleashes her heritage. Hiding is no longer an option. After decades of war, the Qui...
Science Fiction Erotica Romance
Merissa (13961 KP) rated The Botanist (The Sin Bin #2.5) in Books
Sep 16, 2017
The Botanist: Short Story (The Sin Bin #2.5) by Dahlia Donovan
The Botanist is part of The Sin Bin series, and let me tell you, this may be classed as a short story, but it is full of everything you could wish for... apart from one thing, which I'll get to later!
Wyatt (Earp) Hardy is a Navy Seal, on a combined exercise with the UK. They come across a boat that shouldn't be there, and their scans reveal four bodies on-board, when there should only be one. It turns into a rescue mission, and Wyatt lays eyes on Aled for the first time. Aled has been tortured, and is in a state of shock. However, he is returned home, and Hamish and Wyatt hope that he will be okay.
He's not.
I am a long-term fan of Ms. Donovan's; she has never disappointed me with any of her stories - and trust me when I say this one is right up there! Wyatt is a giant of a man, with a heart to match. He wants to push Aled in some ways, but never bad ways. He goes above and beyond to do what he thinks will help. Aled, what a brave and courageous guy, even when he thinks he isn't. The rapport that these two have is off the charts, and I loved the pair of them.
With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this was one helluva story that packs a mighty punch for being short. And that, right there, is the only problem I have with it! I NEEDED MORE!!!! I seriously wasn't ready for this book to be over. I loved every single word. There just weren't enough of them to please me ?
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely!
Do I recommend any of Dahlia Donovan's work? You betcha!
Do I want more from Aled and Wyatt? YES!!!!!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comment here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Wyatt (Earp) Hardy is a Navy Seal, on a combined exercise with the UK. They come across a boat that shouldn't be there, and their scans reveal four bodies on-board, when there should only be one. It turns into a rescue mission, and Wyatt lays eyes on Aled for the first time. Aled has been tortured, and is in a state of shock. However, he is returned home, and Hamish and Wyatt hope that he will be okay.
He's not.
I am a long-term fan of Ms. Donovan's; she has never disappointed me with any of her stories - and trust me when I say this one is right up there! Wyatt is a giant of a man, with a heart to match. He wants to push Aled in some ways, but never bad ways. He goes above and beyond to do what he thinks will help. Aled, what a brave and courageous guy, even when he thinks he isn't. The rapport that these two have is off the charts, and I loved the pair of them.
With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this was one helluva story that packs a mighty punch for being short. And that, right there, is the only problem I have with it! I NEEDED MORE!!!! I seriously wasn't ready for this book to be over. I loved every single word. There just weren't enough of them to please me ?
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely!
Do I recommend any of Dahlia Donovan's work? You betcha!
Do I want more from Aled and Wyatt? YES!!!!!!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comment here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!