Search

Search only in certain items:

40x40

BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Winter in Books

Jan 2, 2019  
Winter
Winter
Marissa Meyer | 2016 | Children
8
8.9 (26 Ratings)
Book Rating
Full review to come.I have really enjoyed this series. Exploring a future version of Earth where the moon in populated, there are only a handful of actual "countries", cyborgs, androids, and emperors work together to bring peace and safety to both Lunars and Earthens. However, I found Winter to be mercilessly long. That being said, this was an epic finale to The Lunar Chronicles. I am SO glad that I FINALLY read this series.

I have become quite attached to all of the characters in these books. I think Cress and Scarlet are my personal favorites...along with Thorne and Wolf. Of course, the majority of the series revolves around Cinder and she truly turns out to be a remarkable girl. Winter has MANY different perspectives, making it easy to get a little muddled, but doesn't take long to get in the flow. I think by having so many point of views of the surroundings and activities it helps fill a lot of would be gaps. This is also a contributing factor to why the book is so long. Hardcover is 827 pages in length and took me about a week to complete. To keep this review spoiler free for anyone who hasn't read the first three books, I will simply state that Winter wraps the whole story up quite nicely. And despite its length, this is a journey that I am glad I was a part of.

The Lunar Chronicles is not a Christian series and is marketed as "Young Adult". I feel that it is appropriate for this age group (and adults can enjoy it too of course!). The romance is clean and sweet. There is no foul language that I can think of. There is some violence as the wolf hybrid soldiers reign terror on Luna and Earth. Also there is a pretty epic battle to wrap everything up.

If you enjoy sci-fi and young adult fiction, I think you would enjoy this series! Check it out and let me know your thoughts!

I borrowed Winter from my local library. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
AT
All That is Solid Melts into Air
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b>My rating: 3.5</b>

<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>

<i>All That is Solid Melts into Air</i> (the title taken from a Karl Marx quote) is the debut novel from Irish author Darragh McKeon. Set mostly in 1986, it follows the lives of several people in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.

On reading the blurb I thought that the plot would be solely focused on the Chernobyl disaster however this was not the case. In fact it is difficult to pick out what the actual plot line was. Each character has individual storylines, some of which connect up, but the disaster is not completely the entire focus of the novel.

Beginning in April 1986 we read about Yevgeni, a nine-year-old piano prodigy and his life in Soviet Russia. We also discover his aunt, Maria, who, although through third person narrative, describes her life, thoughts and difficulties at this period of time. The person who appeared to be the main character for the majority of the narrative was Grigory Ivanovich Brovkin, a surgeon who so happens to be Maria’s ex-husband that gets sent out to Ukraine to assist with the clean up after the Chernobyl incident. In Ukraine lives Artyom, a thirteen-year-old boy who is forced to evacuate his home to get away from the radiation. Here, while not until November 1986, Grigory and Artyom’s storylines merge together.

The novel ends in April 2011, but by this point Artyom’s story has fizzled out, his sole purpose being to show the reader what life was like for the evacuees: shockingly terrible.

As I have said, there was not really a main plotline, however the book gives a good account of what happened and how things were dealt with after. That is, of course, if it is historically accurate. Despite studying the Soviet Union at school, my knowledge of the Chernobyl disaster was virtually non-existent. There is also a hint of romance regarding Grigory and Maria.

Overall it was incredibly well written, full of description and very interesting.
  
I received an ARC edition of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As the title says, this is book 2 in the Eternal Mates series and as such I recommend reading Kissed by a Dark Prince first, although this is not altogether necessary.

A lunar month has passed since the end of Book 1 and during that time Sable has been dreaming of King Thorne but keeps telling herself that she isn't interested. She is aiming to be Commander in Archangel and is determined to make the mission to help King Thorne a success - but only for career options, of course! Thorne has also been dreaming of Sable and knows that she is his fated female but is at a loss on how to proceed. During which time he is also trying to find a way to stop his kingdom from being overrun and how to improve his subjects' lives (if they survive the coming battle).

Felicity Heaton has written another fantastic series that you can lose yourself in. There are aspects of most characters that you can either relate to or admire... and trust me, I did a lot of admiring of Thorne! But with elves, werewolves, dragons and vampires there is someone there to interest everyone. And I just have to say that I love how the Vampire Erotique Theatre makes a show (another fantastic series if you haven't read it yet).

This book has everything from shapeshifters, vampires, demons (obviously) to war, battles, portals and angels. It is a book to immerse yourself in and not come up for air until you've finished it. Claimed by a Demon King is smoking hot and if Thorne is inexperienced, then all the angels in heaven won't be able to help Sable once he gets some experience under his belt! A perfect blend of innocence and pure, unadulterated male who has found his match in Sable. May the gods help Hell, because with this pair, anything is possible.

Highly recommended for all fans of Paranormal Romance and Felicity Heaton.

http://archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/2014/02/claimed-by-demon-king-eternal-mates-2.html
  
We Hunt The Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1)
We Hunt The Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1)
Hafsah Faizal | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
7.0 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the first book in a planned duology, and I NEED THE SECOND ONE RIGHT NOW. Zafira is a firecracker, and Nasir is a precious gumdrop, and Altair is a mystery, while I can't help but read Kifah as Valkyrie from Avengers. (Seriously, if this ever gets made into a movie and Tessa Thompson DOESN'T get cast as Kifah, I'll be upset.)

These characters, and this setting, and this worldbuilding, and this plot...Faizal has blown me away with this book. There are twists I saw coming, and some I did not, so I'm not going to go into much detail about the plot, but Zafira and a few other people are searching for a magical artifact to restore magic to their kingdom, after it was locked away many years ago. I don't remember exactly how long it's been; Zafira can't remember having magic, but she does mention at one point that her mother was a healer. So sometime during her mother's lifetime? The kingdom has been cursed in the absence of magic, different curses for the different districts, and the Arz is a magical forest encroaching on the borders. Almost no one who goes into the Arz ever comes out again, so it's incredibly dangerous for anyone who isn't Zafira. Zafira has the unique ability to always know which direction she needs to go to reach her goal, and it's this ability that brings her to the attention of the Silver Witch, who sets her on the path to find the artifact. The artifact is, of course, on the enchanted island that serves as a prison for all the magical objects and creatures, so Zafira and her companions face all kinds of unknown dangers.

I really enjoyed basically everything about this book. There was character development, a touch of romance, a team learning to work as a team, secrets, magic, ancient evils, trauma and emotional work...just a lot. (Also enemies-to-lovers, if you're into that.) It is a brilliant epic fantasy, and I cannot WAIT for the second book. I need to know what happens! (It doesn't end on a cliffhanger, exactly, but things are definitely NOT. RESOLVED.)

You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
  
40x40

Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Hook in Books

Nov 11, 2019  
Hook
Hook
Gina L. Maxwell | 2019 | Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (1 more)
Action Packed
Heartbreaking & beautiful.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault, Child Abuse, Murder, Abuse, Angst, Drug Use

As many of you know, I've been waiting anxiously for Hook to come out! I was one of the lucky bloggers that Gina gave a copy to in exchange for an honest review. I read Pan earlier this year and fell completely head over heels for Gina's writing, and I've been shoving Pan down everyone's throats because it is that amazing! Now, full disclosure, I have only read one other M/M romance, so I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was that I couldn't wait to fly into Neverland again.

I built Hook up in my head so much that at times I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. Luckily, Hook was everything I wanted and more. This book follows Hook & John's story. The chemistry between them was out of this world. It was fun to see the anger, the angst, and the fire between the two of them. The characters as always were well written and thoroughly entertaining. I laughed, I cried, and I had to put my book down a few times, so I didn't throw my kindle.

The plotline was one of the shining stars of this book. It was action-packed, intense, and extremely engaging. I never wanted to put the book down, yet I enjoyed it so much I never wanted it to end. I loved the undercover aspect of the book, and it makes me want to reread some of my favorite romantic suspense. I was always on the edge of my seat and couldn't wait to see how everything unfolded.

All in all, I LOVED this book. It lived up to the hype that I had in my head, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series when it comes out. If you enjoy angst-filled bad boys with a heart of gold, this is the book for you. Gina truly knows how to write angst in a way that everyone can enjoy.
  
Angelbound (Angelbound Origins #1)
Angelbound (Angelbound Origins #1)
Christina Bauer | 2013 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is another book that has been on my Kindle for years. It's been a little over six years since I bought this from Amazon so it's about time I read this.

This starts with Myla, a quasi-demon, waking for school, only to find she has to fight in the arena again, something she lives for. There's some politics going on with the angels and demons and she finds herself being drawn into it. Add in Prince Lincoln of the thrax, a group of human demon killers, and she's not having the best time... Not with the tension that sparks between them.

I'll admit I'd been put off by the number of pages in this. I am not a fan of really long books and this is listed as being 500+ pages... But, I was quickly drawn into this. It had a really easy to read style and I quickly grew to like Myla. She's the kick arse, evil soul defeating, demon killing quasi-demon that want's to know who her dad is. And it is a mystery that I enjoyed seeing unravelled. There were quite a few twists and turns along the way.

The romance was kinda cute. They really don't like each other much to start with what with Lincoln being a demon hunter and Myla being part demon but the more time they spent together, it was pretty obvious that they had a spark between them and I enjoyed the build up to their relationship starting and flourishing.

I also really liked a few of the secondary character's such as Walker and Cissy. Zeke also wasn't so bad when he stopped being so "I'm hot, no-one can resist me" and started acting more normal.

It was a very well thought out and detailed story that I enjoyed getting my teeth into but I'm not going into too many details as it would totally ruin it for you. Let's just say Purgatory is in for a hell of a ride. If you like stories involving demons and angels then I'd give this a go.
  
40x40

Merissa (11935 KP) created a post

Feb 24, 2021  
❤🔥FREEBIE ALERT!!!❤🔥 FOR FINLAY by J. Nathan is #FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2CmQYdq

Amazon Universal: https://mybook.to/Finlay

Nook: http://bit.ly/2hpIoi3

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2glYhG8

Apple: http://apple.co/2huPtdx

Google: https://bit.ly/GooFin

---

EXCERPT

“Can I do that? Can I just hold you tonight?” Her eyes held a mix of amazement and disappointment. And after a long torturous pause, she nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.” I lay down beside her, wrapping her tiny body in my arms and pulling her front into my chest. “Trying to sleep is gonna be a lot harder now.” Finlay’s laughter mixed with my own, somehow easing the awkwardness that existed now that I’d screeched on the brakes. “Yeah. I totally appreciate you being a gentleman and all, but maybe next time, give me some warning first.” I smiled, leaning down and pressing my lips to her forehead. “Next time, I won’t be a gentleman.”

---

BLURB

Finlay Thatcher is a lost soul, guilt-ridden after the death of her twin brother. When Alabama's football coach gives her the opportunity to work for him, she knows it's her chance to move on, even if it means living her brother's dream.

Caden Brooks is Alabama's star quarterback. He's got it all. The attention of adoring fans. A girlfriend who'd do anything to hold on to him. And a future in the pros. He's getting along just fine until Finlay steps into his life, despising him at first sight and pushing his buttons like no other.

Unfortunately for Finlay, and her attempt to keep Caden at arm's length, there's nothing Caden loves more than a challenge. The problem with this challenge is she comes with a secret that has the power to destroy everything.

This New Adult Romance is book one in the For You standalone series. Each book can be read as a complete standalone as it follows a new couple.

---

@jnathanauthor @magicpenbooktours #freebooks #freebook #ForFinlay #ForYouBookSeries #jnathan #MagicPenBookTours #SportsRomance #newadultromance #newadultbooks #footballromance #collegeromance #freeromancebooks #bookstagram #ilovesportsromance #ilovenewadultbooks #iloveromance #ireadromance #ilovetoread #igreads #romancenovel #romancereads #bibliophile
     
40x40

Karina Longworth recommended Kitty Foyle (1940) in Movies (curated)

 
Kitty Foyle (1940)
Kitty Foyle (1940)
1940 | Classics, Drama, Romance
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Next would be Kitty Foyle, which is the movie that Ginger Rogers won her Oscar for. She is obviously mostly remembered for a singing and dancing star from the Astaire and Rogers musicals, but this is a melodrama – there was no singing or dancing. It basically tells the story of a girl who grows up on the wrong side of the tracks and falls in love with a wealthy heir to a big Philadelphia fortune, and has to navigate romance and class and all of these different issues. It’s a very conservative film and it’s very didactic. It’s extremely problematic in a lot of ways, but I find it fascinating. The performance that she gives, though… I think a lot of times, some of these great stars, they win an Oscar for a movie that’s not their best work, or it’s sort of given as a consolation prize for them not winning for something that is a classic. I think people think that about Kitty Foyle because nobody watches it any more, and people only remember Ginger Rogers as a dancer, but her performance in this movie is stunning. The character she’s playing has to sort of take on different personas over the course of her life and with different people in her life. The way that Ginger Rogers performs those unique and distinct versions of the same person is just really incredible. Obviously, there’s a huge degree of difficulty to a career based on singing and dancing. I wrote about this in my book, but there’s that old line about Ginger Rogers that “She had to do everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels.” The whole idea of her stardom is about how much harder it is for a woman to do the same things that a man does. But all of that said, I think there’s a degree of difficulty to this performance that is the kind of thing that is really, true great acting and great stardom, but it’s the kind of thing where the labor doesn’t show, and so people don’t talk about it in that way."

Source