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Education and Games
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This engaging game of skill is a mobile tutor for self-study of vocabulary and phonetics on the...
ABC Alphabet Learning Games for Kids-EduKitty ABC
Education and Games
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Great set of alphabet learning games and ABC flashcards for kids to learn English alphabet and their...
Elemental Magick (The Donovan Coven #1)
8.0
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For most of Aaron’s life, things have been uninteresting, boring, safe--just the way he likes...
MM Fantasy Romance Paranormal
Blackberry Wine
7.3
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Like her well-received 1999 novel, Chocolat, Harris's latest outing unfolds around the arrival of an...
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ClareR (5674 KP) rated A Spell of Good Things in Books
Mar 31, 2023
A Spell of Good Things by Ayòbámi Adébáyò is a book that looks unflinchingly at the have’s and have not’s in Nigeria. The two main characters come from two very different backgrounds.
Eniola is a boy who looks like a man. His schoolteacher father loses his job due to a shakeup in the education system, and falls into a deep depression. This leaves Eniola working as an errand boy for the local tailor, collecting newspapers and begging (much against his will). He wants so much more for his life, though…
Wuraola is from a wealthy family. Her parents are proud of her succeeding in her aim to be a doctor - and now they expect her to marry. And Kunle is the son of friends that they favour. But he’s volatile in private (to say the least).
We follow the stories of Eniola and Wuraola and the differences in their lives are stark. Eniola goes to school hungry, he’s beaten by the teachers because his parents pay their school fees late (if at all). And finally, he thinks he has found a way out of his poverty - when in fact it’s something far worse.
Wuraola’s life is difficult in a different way: she has a well-paid, well-respected job, but the Nigerian health system is overstretched, underfunded and doesn’t have enough doctors. But she believes in doing her duty, so she works hard, and says yes when Kunle proposes.
Wuraola’s and Eniola’s lives are on a collision course though.
I inhaled this book. It’s gritty and doesn’t hold back in any way. It’s an insight into lives I’ve never experienced and so powerfully told. The themes of domestic abuse, poverty, access to education and political corruption make for a heartbreaking read.
Recommended.
Eniola is a boy who looks like a man. His schoolteacher father loses his job due to a shakeup in the education system, and falls into a deep depression. This leaves Eniola working as an errand boy for the local tailor, collecting newspapers and begging (much against his will). He wants so much more for his life, though…
Wuraola is from a wealthy family. Her parents are proud of her succeeding in her aim to be a doctor - and now they expect her to marry. And Kunle is the son of friends that they favour. But he’s volatile in private (to say the least).
We follow the stories of Eniola and Wuraola and the differences in their lives are stark. Eniola goes to school hungry, he’s beaten by the teachers because his parents pay their school fees late (if at all). And finally, he thinks he has found a way out of his poverty - when in fact it’s something far worse.
Wuraola’s life is difficult in a different way: she has a well-paid, well-respected job, but the Nigerian health system is overstretched, underfunded and doesn’t have enough doctors. But she believes in doing her duty, so she works hard, and says yes when Kunle proposes.
Wuraola’s and Eniola’s lives are on a collision course though.
I inhaled this book. It’s gritty and doesn’t hold back in any way. It’s an insight into lives I’ve never experienced and so powerfully told. The themes of domestic abuse, poverty, access to education and political corruption make for a heartbreaking read.
Recommended.
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Luna Ascending (Wolves of Fenrir Watch #1) in Books
Jul 30, 2021 (Updated Jul 17, 2023)
LUNA ASCENDING is the first book in the Wolves of Fenrir Watch and we find a world on the brink of war, with the humans blissfully unaware of anything.
Freya thinks she is human but there is something about her that will make you think otherwise. Maybe it's the dodgy electrics or the migraines, but from the very beginning, you know she isn't who she thinks she is. With two major factions after her, Freya needs to figure out just who she is before very much longer.
Whilst the premise of this story is a good one, the execution was a bit rough. I definitely wouldn't call it a romance as there is none. Erotica, maybe. I felt no connection between our main characters, not even the 'good' ones. There is a scene halfway through that is rape. She is coerced by a spell and thinks she wants it, but it's still rape. So be warned. The sex scenes between her and the other MC are hot (ish) but because of no connection, they still felt quite clinical. There was a lot of telling and not so much showing in this story.
It finishes on a cliffhanger and I am curious enough to want to continue this story and get some answers to the questions I have. It is very fast-paced, and with enough spelling and editorial errors to be worth mentioning. I found this to be a quick read but enjoyable.
TRIGGER WARNING - RAPE/DUB-CON/SEXUAL COERCION
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
Jul 30, 2021
Freya thinks she is human but there is something about her that will make you think otherwise. Maybe it's the dodgy electrics or the migraines, but from the very beginning, you know she isn't who she thinks she is. With two major factions after her, Freya needs to figure out just who she is before very much longer.
Whilst the premise of this story is a good one, the execution was a bit rough. I definitely wouldn't call it a romance as there is none. Erotica, maybe. I felt no connection between our main characters, not even the 'good' ones. There is a scene halfway through that is rape. She is coerced by a spell and thinks she wants it, but it's still rape. So be warned. The sex scenes between her and the other MC are hot (ish) but because of no connection, they still felt quite clinical. There was a lot of telling and not so much showing in this story.
It finishes on a cliffhanger and I am curious enough to want to continue this story and get some answers to the questions I have. It is very fast-paced, and with enough spelling and editorial errors to be worth mentioning. I found this to be a quick read but enjoyable.
TRIGGER WARNING - RAPE/DUB-CON/SEXUAL COERCION
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* 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!
Jul 30, 2021
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated Laws of Attraction (The Manx Cat Guardians #6) in Books
Apr 29, 2019
i had another hissy fit!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 6 in the Manx Cat Guardians series, and you really SHOULD read the other books first. There is MUCH referenced to, but not fully explained, from those books, and you will need to know what’s happened before now. And, you know, I TOLD you to!
Nick has had an attraction to his brother’s best friend, Brody, since he was a child. Now, on the Isle of Man, working on Aaden and Greg’s new kitchen, with Brody in close proximity, Nick can no longer hide his feelings. Brody’s reaction to Nick at Christmas has him questioning everything he ever thought about the squirt. When a certain witchy-poo's involvement in both men’s feelings come to light, and that spell is lifted, Brody is confused about some things, but he knows this: Nick is HIS. They just need to get to the bottom of Brody’s true feelings, what Nick thinks happened all that time ago, and just how deep that witch went with her spell.
So, yes, book 6, but I’ve been awaiting this one since we met Nick and Brody in book 4, Searching For A Soul to Love. Nick is Aaden’s younger brother and Brody his best friend. There were some hints to this book in that one, and a development in 12 Disasters of Christmas and this one does not disappoint!
Well, it DOES, just a tad, and I’m being petty, I know but these books tend to bring out my darkest thoughts, and also the most extreme! I wanted Nick and Brody to get together FAR sooner in this book! They do get together, I just had to wait til nearly the end for the main event! Oh don’t get me wrong, its sexy, and steamy and hawt as hell in places, but for the final joining of their souls and bodies? FAR too long I had to wait! And this is why I can’t stretch to 5 stars!
Everyone has a say, EVERYONE! Brody and Nick, mostly, but some of the other guys get a few minutes too. We also get a lot of that witchy-poo, Christina, and how she spelled Brody and Nick all that time ago, and WHY she did it. And now she’s paying the price for that: but she was warned! She is working off her penance, helping to find out who is trying to sabotage Greg at work and she wants her magic back. She does NOT like feeling human! Some amusing moments, though, for Christina and her body without magic.
King Manannan has a say, and we get how he feels about said witch. Which was totally unexpected! I did not see that coming! There are a lot of HINTS about what Christina is to the King, and about something that her father did to her as a child, but these are not fully explained and I wanted to know! Again, the extremes these books drag out of me! I was like, JUST BLOODY TELL ME!! And Ms Sayle, in true fashion, does not tell me, and so again, I spat me dummy out and threw my toys out the pram and everything, A-BLOODY-GAIN!
And we meet Ellie, and Cam, who are the stars of the next book. And even though THEY didn’t meet each other, I have a feeling their book will be quite explosive. So, write quicker, please!
Because I had to wait so bloody long for the main event, and because my questions about the King and Christina are NOT answered (but I think HERE, everyone will be asking questions about those two!) I can only stretch to..
..a hot and steamy 4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
This is book 6 in the Manx Cat Guardians series, and you really SHOULD read the other books first. There is MUCH referenced to, but not fully explained, from those books, and you will need to know what’s happened before now. And, you know, I TOLD you to!
Nick has had an attraction to his brother’s best friend, Brody, since he was a child. Now, on the Isle of Man, working on Aaden and Greg’s new kitchen, with Brody in close proximity, Nick can no longer hide his feelings. Brody’s reaction to Nick at Christmas has him questioning everything he ever thought about the squirt. When a certain witchy-poo's involvement in both men’s feelings come to light, and that spell is lifted, Brody is confused about some things, but he knows this: Nick is HIS. They just need to get to the bottom of Brody’s true feelings, what Nick thinks happened all that time ago, and just how deep that witch went with her spell.
So, yes, book 6, but I’ve been awaiting this one since we met Nick and Brody in book 4, Searching For A Soul to Love. Nick is Aaden’s younger brother and Brody his best friend. There were some hints to this book in that one, and a development in 12 Disasters of Christmas and this one does not disappoint!
Well, it DOES, just a tad, and I’m being petty, I know but these books tend to bring out my darkest thoughts, and also the most extreme! I wanted Nick and Brody to get together FAR sooner in this book! They do get together, I just had to wait til nearly the end for the main event! Oh don’t get me wrong, its sexy, and steamy and hawt as hell in places, but for the final joining of their souls and bodies? FAR too long I had to wait! And this is why I can’t stretch to 5 stars!
Everyone has a say, EVERYONE! Brody and Nick, mostly, but some of the other guys get a few minutes too. We also get a lot of that witchy-poo, Christina, and how she spelled Brody and Nick all that time ago, and WHY she did it. And now she’s paying the price for that: but she was warned! She is working off her penance, helping to find out who is trying to sabotage Greg at work and she wants her magic back. She does NOT like feeling human! Some amusing moments, though, for Christina and her body without magic.
King Manannan has a say, and we get how he feels about said witch. Which was totally unexpected! I did not see that coming! There are a lot of HINTS about what Christina is to the King, and about something that her father did to her as a child, but these are not fully explained and I wanted to know! Again, the extremes these books drag out of me! I was like, JUST BLOODY TELL ME!! And Ms Sayle, in true fashion, does not tell me, and so again, I spat me dummy out and threw my toys out the pram and everything, A-BLOODY-GAIN!
And we meet Ellie, and Cam, who are the stars of the next book. And even though THEY didn’t meet each other, I have a feeling their book will be quite explosive. So, write quicker, please!
Because I had to wait so bloody long for the main event, and because my questions about the King and Christina are NOT answered (but I think HERE, everyone will be asking questions about those two!) I can only stretch to..
..a hot and steamy 4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
abc PocketPhonics: letter sounds & writing + first words
Education and Games
App
“PocketPhonics teaches the basics of reading and writing to young kids. Most surprising? It seems...
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Wolfhound Century in Books
Apr 27, 2018
When I first started reading (well, listening) to this book, I got a little confused and disoriented. There were a lot of names and places that, although they were English, they weren’t words or names that I knew, so I had trouble keeping track of what was going on. Part of the problem was I listened to a chapter here, a chapter there. So I put it aside, listened to something else, and went back to it later when I had hours upon hours to invest into it.
Boy am I glad I listened to this story.
I cannot describe to you how beautiful this story was. It was exciting and nerve wracking and terrifying. It was totally new and different and unique from anything else I’ve ever read. It had a love story, but it was an epic love story, not a romance as defined by the modern-day genre. It was sweet and beautiful and enthralling. It’s fantasy, but it’s not “elves and dwarves and fairies” fantasy… it’s fantastical and imaginary and connected with nature, but there aren’t warlocks. Higgins has his own set of creatures, his own city and country, his own history, his own world, and I loved it (though I didn’t want to live there. Read the summary, you wouldn’t either). On top of that, the writing was descriptive and concrete, and I felt like I was a part of the world. I felt like I was Lom an Marucia and Raku (I have no idea how to spell their names because I listened to the audio). I seriously didn’t want it to end.
Man, it’s been a good year for audiobooks! Guys, get this one asap. Give it thirty minutes of your time, and you’ll be sucked in.
Neil Dickson, the narrator, was also wonderful. He’s done a few other audiobooks, including the dramatized edition of The Importance of Being Earnest, and James Patterson’s The Jester. I’m definitely going to keep my eyes open for other work he does.
Content/Recommendation: Some violence, darker themes. Ages 16+
Boy am I glad I listened to this story.
I cannot describe to you how beautiful this story was. It was exciting and nerve wracking and terrifying. It was totally new and different and unique from anything else I’ve ever read. It had a love story, but it was an epic love story, not a romance as defined by the modern-day genre. It was sweet and beautiful and enthralling. It’s fantasy, but it’s not “elves and dwarves and fairies” fantasy… it’s fantastical and imaginary and connected with nature, but there aren’t warlocks. Higgins has his own set of creatures, his own city and country, his own history, his own world, and I loved it (though I didn’t want to live there. Read the summary, you wouldn’t either). On top of that, the writing was descriptive and concrete, and I felt like I was a part of the world. I felt like I was Lom an Marucia and Raku (I have no idea how to spell their names because I listened to the audio). I seriously didn’t want it to end.
Man, it’s been a good year for audiobooks! Guys, get this one asap. Give it thirty minutes of your time, and you’ll be sucked in.
Neil Dickson, the narrator, was also wonderful. He’s done a few other audiobooks, including the dramatized edition of The Importance of Being Earnest, and James Patterson’s The Jester. I’m definitely going to keep my eyes open for other work he does.
Content/Recommendation: Some violence, darker themes. Ages 16+
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated The Ghost of Mavis in Books
Apr 9, 2019
The Ghost of Mavis had me intuited by wanting to know what it was about. Was it a mother that died with a young girl. There a mystery to it that you are pondering from the minute you start reading.
Mavis shows up at the Pearly gates in a wedding dress. Why and what reason. Mary Lynn Plaisance write the story well. This is her first book, that I have read. She leaves you guessing and pondering about a little girl. Who is this little girl and what is she waiting for? All we know at the beginning Mavis as died and is at the age of 88. What her angels tell her is, that she miss her lick and was to marry again.
Mavis is confused but are we as well? She also wonders why she wears a wedding dress. She wants to go back to earth to be born into a rich family. When she goes to ask, her angels she's going back to earth on a mission. To do that she will go back as a ghost and her angel Anna will help her until she finds this James Windsor.
You start to wonder what life is after death. Where do we go? Is it a belief that we reincarnate back to our family or do we stay in haven. That you will have to decide. Mary does a splendid job with this and talking about the afterlife. I would suggest if you enjoy paranormal fan or even a little mystery fan this is a good book to read. I recommend it to read.
The book is well written and few mistakes. I believe a may have caught one mistake in the entire book. It was probably one that got the word misplaced not even spell wrong when editing, it wonderful. I hope to read more by Mary Lynn Plaisance.
Mavis shows up at the Pearly gates in a wedding dress. Why and what reason. Mary Lynn Plaisance write the story well. This is her first book, that I have read. She leaves you guessing and pondering about a little girl. Who is this little girl and what is she waiting for? All we know at the beginning Mavis as died and is at the age of 88. What her angels tell her is, that she miss her lick and was to marry again.
Mavis is confused but are we as well? She also wonders why she wears a wedding dress. She wants to go back to earth to be born into a rich family. When she goes to ask, her angels she's going back to earth on a mission. To do that she will go back as a ghost and her angel Anna will help her until she finds this James Windsor.
You start to wonder what life is after death. Where do we go? Is it a belief that we reincarnate back to our family or do we stay in haven. That you will have to decide. Mary does a splendid job with this and talking about the afterlife. I would suggest if you enjoy paranormal fan or even a little mystery fan this is a good book to read. I recommend it to read.
The book is well written and few mistakes. I believe a may have caught one mistake in the entire book. It was probably one that got the word misplaced not even spell wrong when editing, it wonderful. I hope to read more by Mary Lynn Plaisance.