Search
Search results
Merissa (12066 KP) rated Thanatos (Guardians of Hades #8) in Books
Jun 16, 2021 (Updated Jul 18, 2023)
THANATOS is the eighth book in the Guardians of Hades series and the final one of this series... I think! There is mention of them returning (which I can't wait for) but whether it will be a separate series or not, well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.
Calindria has been thought dead for six centuries, and the woman she is now is very different from the girl she once was. She has a power over nature, and a power over death, both of them out of control. She needs time and peace to learn to control them, not so easy when you're in a very dodgy realm trying to escape with your life. Luckily for her, Thanatos is on hand to help, although he also comes with his own issues.
This was a brilliant book. I was hooked from the very first page. Calindria is a great character, being both soft and hard when necessary. My heart broke for Thanatos' history, and I'm glad they were both able to work through it. The pacing is perfect - not too fast or slow. Instead, you are whisked away on an adventure with some steamy moments.
The world-building in this story also deserves a mention. It was so descriptively written, it felt real when they were talking about having certain powers dampened or completely gone.
A fantastic end to this series while still leaving me wanting more. I do think it should be titled Calindria though, not Thanatos! LOL Absolutely brilliant, and highly recommended by me.
** 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!
Jun 16, 2021
Calindria has been thought dead for six centuries, and the woman she is now is very different from the girl she once was. She has a power over nature, and a power over death, both of them out of control. She needs time and peace to learn to control them, not so easy when you're in a very dodgy realm trying to escape with your life. Luckily for her, Thanatos is on hand to help, although he also comes with his own issues.
This was a brilliant book. I was hooked from the very first page. Calindria is a great character, being both soft and hard when necessary. My heart broke for Thanatos' history, and I'm glad they were both able to work through it. The pacing is perfect - not too fast or slow. Instead, you are whisked away on an adventure with some steamy moments.
The world-building in this story also deserves a mention. It was so descriptively written, it felt real when they were talking about having certain powers dampened or completely gone.
A fantastic end to this series while still leaving me wanting more. I do think it should be titled Calindria though, not Thanatos! LOL Absolutely brilliant, and highly recommended by me.
** 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!
Jun 16, 2021
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Lie to Me - Single by Veronica Fusaro in Music
Jun 17, 2019
Veronica Fusaro is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Thun, Switzerland. Not too long ago, she released a music video for her “lie to me” single.
“If I told you not to leave would you turn and look back to me? And maybe if you’d stay, we could try to dream away the day is way too bright, it’s fulfilled with lies anyway. Have another drink, you could show me how you wink all of your sorrows away. Something is telling me that you’re my escape.” – lyrics
‘lie to me’ tells an adorable tale of a young woman who is in a foggy room at night with someone who she desires to be with.
Apparently, she doesn’t care if this person tells her stories which aren’t necessarily true. All she wants is for him to keep talking for a few more months until July comes.
Later, she admits that she wants to frame his face just in case he disappears outside into the cold weather.
‘lie to me’ contains a relatable storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the likable tune possesses guitar-driven instrumentation scented with a lovely commercial pop fragrance.
“‘lie to me’ is “inspired by a Friday night out, but talks about much more than just a weekend. It addresses the rapidity of the world we live in and our desperate cry to find real emotions.” – Veronica Fusaro
Veronica Fusaro stepped into the spotlight in 2016 with her self-produced EP, entitled, “Lost In Thought”.
Shortly afterward, she surprised the Swiss music industry by winning the “Demo of the Year” at the M4Music-Festival.
Since then, she has toured small and large stages, from New Zealand to London and all the way back to Switzerland. With the experience of 136 shows in 2018, this year is set to be even more exciting for Fusaro.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/veronica-fusaro-lie-to-me/
“If I told you not to leave would you turn and look back to me? And maybe if you’d stay, we could try to dream away the day is way too bright, it’s fulfilled with lies anyway. Have another drink, you could show me how you wink all of your sorrows away. Something is telling me that you’re my escape.” – lyrics
‘lie to me’ tells an adorable tale of a young woman who is in a foggy room at night with someone who she desires to be with.
Apparently, she doesn’t care if this person tells her stories which aren’t necessarily true. All she wants is for him to keep talking for a few more months until July comes.
Later, she admits that she wants to frame his face just in case he disappears outside into the cold weather.
‘lie to me’ contains a relatable storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the likable tune possesses guitar-driven instrumentation scented with a lovely commercial pop fragrance.
“‘lie to me’ is “inspired by a Friday night out, but talks about much more than just a weekend. It addresses the rapidity of the world we live in and our desperate cry to find real emotions.” – Veronica Fusaro
Veronica Fusaro stepped into the spotlight in 2016 with her self-produced EP, entitled, “Lost In Thought”.
Shortly afterward, she surprised the Swiss music industry by winning the “Demo of the Year” at the M4Music-Festival.
Since then, she has toured small and large stages, from New Zealand to London and all the way back to Switzerland. With the experience of 136 shows in 2018, this year is set to be even more exciting for Fusaro.
https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/veronica-fusaro-lie-to-me/
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated You Are Not Alone in Books
Mar 19, 2020
A few seconds change Shay Miller's life forever. It's almost ironic, as Shay, 31, and a market researcher, is obsessed with data. She's been keeping data books since age eleven, listing statistics and facts the way other girls write in diaries. Shay's recently lost her job, and her roommate and best friend, Sean, spends more time with his girlfriend than her. She feels hopeless and isolated. Then everything changes, and Shay finds herself swept up in the glamorous world of the Moore sisters, Cassandra and Jane. They have a way of making Shay feel different. They also seem to be everywhere, shaping Shay's life in strange ways.
I've learned by now when I pick up a book by the Hendricks-Pekkanen duo that I need to just suspend disbelief for a bit and go with it. If I can do that and enjoy the ride, then the book is a fun little escape mechanism. When looked at via this prism, You Are Not Alone was very successful.
The book is told from different points of view that often stray into various time periods, and it took me a while to keep all the characters straight. Cassandra and Jane have a host of friends, and I had to bookmark the page that introduced them all so I could remember who was who for a while. There seem to be unreliable narrators galore for a while--can we trust Shay? The sisters? Their friends?
I don't want to get too much into the plot and give anything away. It's a crazy story and again, not really probable (I hope). However, it's highly addictive, and I found the book to be compulsively readable. I also really grew to like Shay, even if I was suspicious about her.
There are some great twists and turns in this thriller, which I really enjoyed. I liked how this one kept me guessing, even if there was an eye roll or two in there too. It was definitely wild! 4 stars.
I've learned by now when I pick up a book by the Hendricks-Pekkanen duo that I need to just suspend disbelief for a bit and go with it. If I can do that and enjoy the ride, then the book is a fun little escape mechanism. When looked at via this prism, You Are Not Alone was very successful.
The book is told from different points of view that often stray into various time periods, and it took me a while to keep all the characters straight. Cassandra and Jane have a host of friends, and I had to bookmark the page that introduced them all so I could remember who was who for a while. There seem to be unreliable narrators galore for a while--can we trust Shay? The sisters? Their friends?
I don't want to get too much into the plot and give anything away. It's a crazy story and again, not really probable (I hope). However, it's highly addictive, and I found the book to be compulsively readable. I also really grew to like Shay, even if I was suspicious about her.
There are some great twists and turns in this thriller, which I really enjoyed. I liked how this one kept me guessing, even if there was an eye roll or two in there too. It was definitely wild! 4 stars.
Survivors: the Quest®
Games and Entertainment
App
Three strangers find themselves stranded on a secluded island. Abandoned buildings, an old laptop...
Flight Centre: Cheap Flights
Travel and Lifestyle
App
Flight Centre’s official app for booking flights and researching great travel deals anytime, from...
The Former World
10.0
Rate It
Book
Little Forest is one small village among a few town in a small area in England. Beth and her best...
Dark Flame (Flame #3)
10.0
Rate It
Book
Committed to the rule of law, vampire Brannick falls hard for a beautiful fae who illegally seduces...
Adult Paranormal Romance
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jul 12, 2022
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Darkslayer: Wrath of the Royals in Books
Feb 5, 2019
Strong debut novel, deeper than expected
Wrath of the Royals, the first in the 16 book Darkslayer series following Venir, the Darkslayer (an axe-wielding barbarian) and his companion Melagal (the cowardly "rogue") as they run from the titular wrath of one of the royal families. Venir tends to get himself into bets, as alpha male types just seem attracted to him, and one such bet ends him in the bad books with one of the most powerful, and twisted, royal families.
This leads to the pair going on the run to escape the inevitable wrath. However, little do they know that the Underlings (those twisted, evil humanoids Venir is driven to hunt) are after Venir from different angles - one due to his relentless genocide of their race, and another due to being hired to hunt him down by the royals.
On the surface, I expected this to be a basic sword and sorcery tale; the barbarian wandering the wilds hacking down the Underlings. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fairly well told tale with different layers and a more intricate plot than I had expected.
Halloran's prose is decent, with a good knack for getting the balance between over-narration and concise descriptions. There is enough description of the world without it being laboured. There are some odd choices for phrases or wording here or there (eg "Impending pain was on its way"), and the book could do with a decent thorough edit, but for a first book it is a good effort.
The world of Bish turns out to be something of an experiment on the part of a God, seeing if she can design a world that will remain in permanent conflict for eternity, good and evil constantly vying but neither side ever truly winning. While this could be seen as literally setting up for "deus ex machina" whenever the author chooses, this didn't really come to the fore in this book.
Venir is a reasonably well-crafted character, albeit a stupid brute and something like Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law (when he puts on his magical helmet (yes I know!) he becomes more driven to destruction, somewhat akin to the emergence of The Bloody Nine). Numerous times he just gets up in the night and wanders off searching for the conflict he has sensed, the helmet guiding him onwards. But his actions play well off those of his travelling companions, which has now become something like the fellowship of the ring, but without a ring.
The book ends with an extended epilogue giving an idea of Venir's life before he found his magical axe, shield and mind-controlling helmet.
A good self-contained book, which concludes well and could be read on its own, without continuing the series, though I plan to (ideally before my Kindle Unlimited period runs out!).
This leads to the pair going on the run to escape the inevitable wrath. However, little do they know that the Underlings (those twisted, evil humanoids Venir is driven to hunt) are after Venir from different angles - one due to his relentless genocide of their race, and another due to being hired to hunt him down by the royals.
On the surface, I expected this to be a basic sword and sorcery tale; the barbarian wandering the wilds hacking down the Underlings. I was pleasantly surprised to find a fairly well told tale with different layers and a more intricate plot than I had expected.
Halloran's prose is decent, with a good knack for getting the balance between over-narration and concise descriptions. There is enough description of the world without it being laboured. There are some odd choices for phrases or wording here or there (eg "Impending pain was on its way"), and the book could do with a decent thorough edit, but for a first book it is a good effort.
The world of Bish turns out to be something of an experiment on the part of a God, seeing if she can design a world that will remain in permanent conflict for eternity, good and evil constantly vying but neither side ever truly winning. While this could be seen as literally setting up for "deus ex machina" whenever the author chooses, this didn't really come to the fore in this book.
Venir is a reasonably well-crafted character, albeit a stupid brute and something like Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law (when he puts on his magical helmet (yes I know!) he becomes more driven to destruction, somewhat akin to the emergence of The Bloody Nine). Numerous times he just gets up in the night and wanders off searching for the conflict he has sensed, the helmet guiding him onwards. But his actions play well off those of his travelling companions, which has now become something like the fellowship of the ring, but without a ring.
The book ends with an extended epilogue giving an idea of Venir's life before he found his magical axe, shield and mind-controlling helmet.
A good self-contained book, which concludes well and could be read on its own, without continuing the series, though I plan to (ideally before my Kindle Unlimited period runs out!).