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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
So sad to know that this is the last book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles. This trilogy has been my favorite of all his works by far! I'm hoping he will work Sadie, Carter, & Walt/Anubis into another series as the end left it pretty open to be picked up into the future with new Gods & magic trying to disrupt the ancient Egyptian beliefs.
This book was great! It was a satisfying ending to the series, despite the fact that it did leave things open to being picked up in the future. (Maybe he'll do something like he did with Percy Jackson & then Heroes of Olympus?!?) Again Sadie & Carter are such likable, believable, well-developed characters. The things they go through are extraordinary without a doubt, but they are so easy to identify with...which I'm sure helps with the appeal of the series to younger readers. But just because that is the target audience, doesn't mean an adult won't enjoy it.
The book is full of history, love, battles, & courage that it is very easy to get wrapped up in.
This book was great! It was a satisfying ending to the series, despite the fact that it did leave things open to being picked up in the future. (Maybe he'll do something like he did with Percy Jackson & then Heroes of Olympus?!?) Again Sadie & Carter are such likable, believable, well-developed characters. The things they go through are extraordinary without a doubt, but they are so easy to identify with...which I'm sure helps with the appeal of the series to younger readers. But just because that is the target audience, doesn't mean an adult won't enjoy it.
The book is full of history, love, battles, & courage that it is very easy to get wrapped up in.

Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Switched (Trylle, #1) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
This was a great book! Ihad previously seen it on Barnes and Noble's website. I had it on my list to purchase for my Nook, but before I got the chance to, I won a copy from First Reads. This book was a quick interesting read.
It was a bit of a Twilight wanna-be as I'd heard & read in some reviews. However I don't believe anything can live up to Twilight so I went into this book with a clear head. It is about a girl who discovers that she is actually a Trylle princess...in other words, she is a troll. Yup, I said troll!!! I don't want to give too much away, but my outlook on trolls has changed after reading this book! I really look forward to the next 2 books in the trilogy. I may even have to get the ebooks. I don't know if I can wait for the print versions to hit the shelves!
I am very curious to see what happens.
It was a bit of a Twilight wanna-be as I'd heard & read in some reviews. However I don't believe anything can live up to Twilight so I went into this book with a clear head. It is about a girl who discovers that she is actually a Trylle princess...in other words, she is a troll. Yup, I said troll!!! I don't want to give too much away, but my outlook on trolls has changed after reading this book! I really look forward to the next 2 books in the trilogy. I may even have to get the ebooks. I don't know if I can wait for the print versions to hit the shelves!
I am very curious to see what happens.

Rachel King (13 KP) rated Specials (Uglies, #3) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I loved this book and thought it was the best of the trilogy. The excitement of Tally and Shay's destruction of the Armory, Tally helping to defend Diego from attack, and other scenes - written so well that I could almost feel the adrenaline pumping through my own veins. The feel and speed of the book had a cinematic quality. I imagine Westerfeld wrote in this style on purpose to capture the style of the Specials, just as the second book had an "airhead" style of writing. The vocabulary also reflects the subculture of the Specials with words such as icy, which indicates the state of being clear-headed. I was saddened by Zane's death and disappointed that Tally could not have had more of a good-bye with him before he died, but I did like that she was reunited with David. I'm rather split as to which boyfriend of hers I prefered, since Zane and David are both very different and compliment Tally in different ways. Fortunately, Westerfeld made that decision for me.

Elizabeth (1521 KP) rated Entwined with You (Crossfire, #3) in Books
Apr 24, 2019
I'm going to assume that this series is not a trilogy because just about everything was left unresolved. The story felt rushed and all over the place, things added just to fill space or for shock value. Too often I found myself thinking how incredibly unbelievable it was and couldn't understand how they could overreact one minute and then completely underreact the next.
Maybe it was the amount of time that passed between my reading the first two books and this one, or maybe it was all of the other books I'd read during that time that had me more aware of its shortcomings. The number of times the word "deft" appeared made me never want to see or hear the word ever again. I was reminded of its overuse in "Fifty Shades" as well. I'm sure there are other ways that these authors can convey the prowess and skill these men possess.
If I could give half stars, I would have given this 2 1/2, but since I can't, I rounded up to 3.
Maybe it was the amount of time that passed between my reading the first two books and this one, or maybe it was all of the other books I'd read during that time that had me more aware of its shortcomings. The number of times the word "deft" appeared made me never want to see or hear the word ever again. I was reminded of its overuse in "Fifty Shades" as well. I'm sure there are other ways that these authors can convey the prowess and skill these men possess.
If I could give half stars, I would have given this 2 1/2, but since I can't, I rounded up to 3.

MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Final Shadows (A Bishop Files Novel, Book 3) in Books
Apr 26, 2019
I adore Kay Hooper and the Bishop/SCU/Haven stories. That being said, these Bishop Files novels don’t seem to have the same….punch, if you will, as the main stories. This was a disappointing end to the trilogy, and a disappointing installment in the Bishop/SCU universe.
Almost the entire book is the characters talking. Explaining what happened over the last two books and why, explaining what’s going to happen and why, explaining what they need to do to end the “war.” SO.MUCH.TALKING. Even when action moments took place, they were over far too quickly, and then – you guessed it – back to talking, because evidently they found it necessary to dissect every little moment. Not even Bishop or Miranda were excluded from this overly descriptive narrative. At this point in the series, did we really need a rehash of what everyone’s powers/abilities are?
The ending of this book made me say “What?? UGH. That’s how it’s ending?”
Looking forward to eventually returning to the main SCU storyline.
Almost the entire book is the characters talking. Explaining what happened over the last two books and why, explaining what’s going to happen and why, explaining what they need to do to end the “war.” SO.MUCH.TALKING. Even when action moments took place, they were over far too quickly, and then – you guessed it – back to talking, because evidently they found it necessary to dissect every little moment. Not even Bishop or Miranda were excluded from this overly descriptive narrative. At this point in the series, did we really need a rehash of what everyone’s powers/abilities are?
The ending of this book made me say “What?? UGH. That’s how it’s ending?”
Looking forward to eventually returning to the main SCU storyline.

BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated The Mister in Books
May 19, 2019
It lacks the shock and drama of Fifty Shades. (1 more)
It's too slow.
Not as good as the author's Fifty Shades trilogy
There are probably a great many women hoping for another "Fifty Shades" book direct from the same author - but they will all be disappointed, for the reasons above.
Additionally although the book is written from the POV of both the male and the female central characters, the male part is written from the first person, while the female part is written in the third person. And the erotic scenes take place from the male POV. So, it's written more for fans of "Fifty Shades as Told By Grey", rather than "Fifty Shades" per se.
The central female character got on my nerves, lacking in confidence where she ought to have it in spades.
I got half way through the book and stopped. I was mildly curious about the background story but not enough to persevere with such a slow book.
Additionally although the book is written from the POV of both the male and the female central characters, the male part is written from the first person, while the female part is written in the third person. And the erotic scenes take place from the male POV. So, it's written more for fans of "Fifty Shades as Told By Grey", rather than "Fifty Shades" per se.
The central female character got on my nerves, lacking in confidence where she ought to have it in spades.
I got half way through the book and stopped. I was mildly curious about the background story but not enough to persevere with such a slow book.

Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Matrix Revolutions (2003) in Movies
Jun 2, 2019
So as we left our heroes, the last human city, Zion, is coming under imminent threat from the army of robot "squiddies" hurling toward them at lightning speed and Neo has discovered he has superhuman powers and can do lots of cool stuff.
After Agent Smith visits the Oracle at the beginning of the film, he really disappears along with Neo while the large dogfight between the humans who are using these Avatar/Aliens type robot machine things to defend Zion.
Most of the battle scenes are mediocre at best. The whole time I was thinking I had seen all of this done better in other movies.
The scenes between Neo and Trinity at the end tie the story of the three films together somewhat, but the ultimate climax is not very interesting and somewhat of a letdown.
Ultimately, Warner Brothers wanted to make The Matrix a film trilogy, and although the original will always maintain its status as truly revolutionary, the sequels will always be remembered as disappointments.
After Agent Smith visits the Oracle at the beginning of the film, he really disappears along with Neo while the large dogfight between the humans who are using these Avatar/Aliens type robot machine things to defend Zion.
Most of the battle scenes are mediocre at best. The whole time I was thinking I had seen all of this done better in other movies.
The scenes between Neo and Trinity at the end tie the story of the three films together somewhat, but the ultimate climax is not very interesting and somewhat of a letdown.
Ultimately, Warner Brothers wanted to make The Matrix a film trilogy, and although the original will always maintain its status as truly revolutionary, the sequels will always be remembered as disappointments.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated A Girl's Guide to Landing a Greek God in Books
Mar 9, 2018
A Girl’s Guide to Landing a Greek God by Bill Fuller (Mythmaker’s Trilogy #1) – 4
After running out on her own wedding, Angie takes a trip to Greece with a request from her grandmother to go to one particular island. What she doesn’t know is that on the island is Milos, a man who has been in love with Angie for years. Oh, and he also happens to be a Greek god. What will happen when she arrives?
Fantasy and romance – not my normal genres at all, and this book was heavy on the romance early on, which meant I was a little bored. Once the fantasy began to play a bigger factor in the book in the second half, I got much more interested in the book. So interested, in fact, that I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next to these characters.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-girls-guide-to-landing.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
After running out on her own wedding, Angie takes a trip to Greece with a request from her grandmother to go to one particular island. What she doesn’t know is that on the island is Milos, a man who has been in love with Angie for years. Oh, and he also happens to be a Greek god. What will happen when she arrives?
Fantasy and romance – not my normal genres at all, and this book was heavy on the romance early on, which meant I was a little bored. Once the fantasy began to play a bigger factor in the book in the second half, I got much more interested in the book. So interested, in fact, that I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next to these characters.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/04/book-review-girls-guide-to-landing.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Slipstream (A Crisis of Two Worlds, #1) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
After my playthrough of the "Mass Effect" trilogy of video games wound up as a tragically optimistic, sci-fi, gay love story; I decided to look into finding some gay sci-fi romance fiction and stumbled upon this title. I have to say I am glad I did. This book is by no means perfect; there are a few questionable character decisions and some of the dialogue just doesn't feel like something that people in the age group represented would ever actually say, but despite those flaws, this still wound up being a highly entertaining read. The romance elements are kept somewhat to a minimum, which actually works better for me, but when they do arise they are indeed pretty romantic and about 90% believable. The sci-fi / fantasy / adventure elements are more pronounced and while they can stretch credulity a bit more regularly, they were more than suitably exciting enough to allow for the requisite suspension of disbelief. It ends satisfactorily while still leaving quite a lot to be resolved in the sequel, which I can say I look forward to reading.

Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated Shady Lady (Corine Solomon, #3) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
I have to give a fairly high rating to a book that involves a woman who largely saves herself from multiple assassins (natural and supernatural) sent by the head of a drug cartel. There are sexy men in her life (three, in fact), but she's definitely the heroine here, not a clinging vine. That's a refreshing approach.
To be honest I don't think this book should be shelved with paranormal romances at all. It deserves to be called urban fantasy, or something along those lines, because relationships are not the main focus of the plot.
Corine has changed a great deal from the beginning of the series, and we learn much more about her background in this volume, explaining some of her behavior. The exposition is never tiresome or without reason — it's worked into the plot very nicely. I enjoy seeing character development, and getting more of the "why" helps the reader make sense of her decisions.
This volume feels like the end of the series, but it was a nice little trilogy and well worth reading.
To be honest I don't think this book should be shelved with paranormal romances at all. It deserves to be called urban fantasy, or something along those lines, because relationships are not the main focus of the plot.
Corine has changed a great deal from the beginning of the series, and we learn much more about her background in this volume, explaining some of her behavior. The exposition is never tiresome or without reason — it's worked into the plot very nicely. I enjoy seeing character development, and getting more of the "why" helps the reader make sense of her decisions.
This volume feels like the end of the series, but it was a nice little trilogy and well worth reading.