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Merissa (11869 KP) rated A Raven's Touch in Books
May 23, 2023
This story starts with Justice waking up from a dream, outside her home in her nightwear. Not only that, but she appears to have two 'muffins' growing out of her shoulder blades. She has no idea of what is going on, is afraid to tell her parents, and on top of that, needs to get ready to go back to the hell that is called high school.
A Raven's Touch includes some shocking (violent) scenes in the high school that are necessary to the storyline. So much happens in such a small amount of time, but it is well-written and paced so it doesn't feel rushed when you are reading it. There is a reference made in the beginning to Matt Smith's Doctor Who - or at least, I like to think so. This made me smile as I read through the beginning.
This is a story of friendships, hardships, love and hate. With vampires, witches, elves and angels who speak to "Him" on a daily basis, this is the start of a series that I am looking forward to continuing. Personally, I can't wait to read more about Darien and Justice, although Moira and Tom make me smile too. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Feb 19, 2016
A Raven's Touch includes some shocking (violent) scenes in the high school that are necessary to the storyline. So much happens in such a small amount of time, but it is well-written and paced so it doesn't feel rushed when you are reading it. There is a reference made in the beginning to Matt Smith's Doctor Who - or at least, I like to think so. This made me smile as I read through the beginning.
This is a story of friendships, hardships, love and hate. With vampires, witches, elves and angels who speak to "Him" on a daily basis, this is the start of a series that I am looking forward to continuing. Personally, I can't wait to read more about Darien and Justice, although Moira and Tom make me smile too. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Feb 19, 2016
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Turning Point (The ELI Chronicles, #3) in Books
Oct 5, 2020
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The Turning Point by Julia Ash is the third book in the ELI Chronicles. Thank you to Julia, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Read my reviews of the first two books in the series:
<b>The ELI Chronicles Series</b>
#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2387441859">The One and Only</a> - ★★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2803361466">The Tether</a> - ★★★★
#3 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3377612307">The Turning Point</a> - ★★★★
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Book-Review-Banner-77.png"/>;
The Turning Point continues where the previous book left off. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, I would recommend reading my review on the first book - The One and Only, as this review contains spoilers from the other two previous books. Now that you have been warned, I can safely continue. :)
<b><i>Ruby Spencer has continuously saved the world.</i></b>
First, it was the zombie infection. Then, she was turned into a vampire against her will. In the first book we found out her blood was special, and in the second book - we find out why. Her blood was a result of a donor from another planet, which she ended up saving in the second book. And this time - the planet needs help again. But also this time - Ruby might not be the one that can save it.
Because the animals have their own language, and Ruby cannot understand it. If she could understand them, she would know that they are tired of being puppets to the humans and the vampires. And wolves are more than happy to lead this rebelion.
Without an alpha that can fight for their rights and lead their uprising, the animals will destroy everything in front of them. Ruby is the only one who can connect the animals with their rightful king - is she could only find him.
I have to admit, I struggled a bit at the beginning, when at one point we were introduced to all the different creatures and abilities (zombies, vampires, sculpting, werewolves, multiple planets, search for the true king). While the first and second book were more focused on one part of the story, in this book we had all of the different aspects colliding into one. And despite my struggles at the beginning, it all worked out in the end.
<b><i>I really loved this book, and it was a perfect last book to conclude this series.
</i></b>
The ending was beautiful and I enjoyed the final few twists, where you couldn’t trust anyone. I loved the love this family had for each other, and how kind and generous they always are. They care so much for each other, it's really nice to read it. It was such an adventurous ride, and I was eager to know how it ended. I am also glad they gave Zagan another chance to prove he changed, and that he deserves another chance at life.
If you have read my previous reviews - you will know me and Clay don’t really get along. But this book changed my opinion a bit, and I actually ended up liking his character and his story in this book. (surprise, surprise).
The ELI Chronicles, as a whole, is a series not only about zombie apocalypse, vampires, werewolves, rightful kings and special abilities, but also a story about the true power of one family, and their love for each other. Julia Ash managed to combine these two things into the books so well, and make this journey not only adventurous, but also heartwarming.
<b><i>And I have to say - I am glad that I am part of it by reading this series.</i></b>
I am glad I have experienced this book, and grown together with it. Thinking of where I was on my journey when I started the first book, and where I am now, I can understand and appreciate this story way more and connect better with it. Definitely a must-read for all fans of sci-fi, adventure and thrillers.
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The Turning Point by Julia Ash is the third book in the ELI Chronicles. Thank you to Julia, for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Read my reviews of the first two books in the series:
<b>The ELI Chronicles Series</b>
#1 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2387441859">The One and Only</a> - ★★★★
#2 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2803361466">The Tether</a> - ★★★★
#3 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3377612307">The Turning Point</a> - ★★★★
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Book-Review-Banner-77.png"/>;
The Turning Point continues where the previous book left off. If you haven’t read the previous books in the series, I would recommend reading my review on the first book - The One and Only, as this review contains spoilers from the other two previous books. Now that you have been warned, I can safely continue. :)
<b><i>Ruby Spencer has continuously saved the world.</i></b>
First, it was the zombie infection. Then, she was turned into a vampire against her will. In the first book we found out her blood was special, and in the second book - we find out why. Her blood was a result of a donor from another planet, which she ended up saving in the second book. And this time - the planet needs help again. But also this time - Ruby might not be the one that can save it.
Because the animals have their own language, and Ruby cannot understand it. If she could understand them, she would know that they are tired of being puppets to the humans and the vampires. And wolves are more than happy to lead this rebelion.
Without an alpha that can fight for their rights and lead their uprising, the animals will destroy everything in front of them. Ruby is the only one who can connect the animals with their rightful king - is she could only find him.
I have to admit, I struggled a bit at the beginning, when at one point we were introduced to all the different creatures and abilities (zombies, vampires, sculpting, werewolves, multiple planets, search for the true king). While the first and second book were more focused on one part of the story, in this book we had all of the different aspects colliding into one. And despite my struggles at the beginning, it all worked out in the end.
<b><i>I really loved this book, and it was a perfect last book to conclude this series.
</i></b>
The ending was beautiful and I enjoyed the final few twists, where you couldn’t trust anyone. I loved the love this family had for each other, and how kind and generous they always are. They care so much for each other, it's really nice to read it. It was such an adventurous ride, and I was eager to know how it ended. I am also glad they gave Zagan another chance to prove he changed, and that he deserves another chance at life.
If you have read my previous reviews - you will know me and Clay don’t really get along. But this book changed my opinion a bit, and I actually ended up liking his character and his story in this book. (surprise, surprise).
The ELI Chronicles, as a whole, is a series not only about zombie apocalypse, vampires, werewolves, rightful kings and special abilities, but also a story about the true power of one family, and their love for each other. Julia Ash managed to combine these two things into the books so well, and make this journey not only adventurous, but also heartwarming.
<b><i>And I have to say - I am glad that I am part of it by reading this series.</i></b>
I am glad I have experienced this book, and grown together with it. Thinking of where I was on my journey when I started the first book, and where I am now, I can understand and appreciate this story way more and connect better with it. Definitely a must-read for all fans of sci-fi, adventure and thrillers.
stacey (81 KP) rated Queen of the Damned (2002) in Movies
May 18, 2017
sound track (5 more)
Old style vampire
Lestat
pretty good picture quality
good back story
Costumes
i seen this 30 times when it came out and i was only 7
i will forever love Queen of the damned, is it bad i know every word? hell to the no its not!
" we are your main desire" --- oh god are you ever, since seeing this movie my fascination with vampires was born. You could say i'm a little obsessed with them.. but in all truth, i'm more than obsessed with them, when all the girls wanted to be something special when they were older i told everyone i wanted to be a vampire, running around with my fake paper teeth, my long cape, screaming when the light hit my skin and running after people to suck their blood. Yeah i was a weird child.
This movie in my opinion is a master piece to anne rice work. If you havent seen it i would suggest that you do
Many people hate this movie, but for me it's a walk down memory lane, every year on my birthday i play this movie and recite it word for word, singing the songs, and dancing to the music. this movie is a big thing for me, it started my love for the violin. When lestat plays with the gypsy. I ran to my mother and told her i wanted a violin. I used to lay in bed and imagine him playing for me.
photo creds to google
" we are your main desire" --- oh god are you ever, since seeing this movie my fascination with vampires was born. You could say i'm a little obsessed with them.. but in all truth, i'm more than obsessed with them, when all the girls wanted to be something special when they were older i told everyone i wanted to be a vampire, running around with my fake paper teeth, my long cape, screaming when the light hit my skin and running after people to suck their blood. Yeah i was a weird child.
This movie in my opinion is a master piece to anne rice work. If you havent seen it i would suggest that you do
Many people hate this movie, but for me it's a walk down memory lane, every year on my birthday i play this movie and recite it word for word, singing the songs, and dancing to the music. this movie is a big thing for me, it started my love for the violin. When lestat plays with the gypsy. I ran to my mother and told her i wanted a violin. I used to lay in bed and imagine him playing for me.
photo creds to google
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Midnight Alley (The Morganville Vampires #3) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This is my favorite book in the series so far because the plot FINALLY focuses on Claire's schooling. When her schedule got replaced with harder classes, I went just a bit green with envy - I'm a nerd at heart, even though I haven't been to school in years. I also love that we get more background information about the town of Morganville, such as its purpose and an explanation of the more mystical aspects of the town. Myrnin was quite a fascinating character, and I would not have minded if the text spent more time on Claire's studies with him, as well as her advanced class studies. (And yes, my favorite parts of the Harry Potter series was the classroom stuff.)
I didn't like that this book did not have Eve's journal entries at the end like previous books have done. Those previously gave me clues into her mind and her relationship with Michael, as well as a taste of what happens in the next book, so I was rather disappointed when I realized it was missing.
I'm hoping that future books go into more detail about what the journals cover as well as what exactly the red crystals are and how they affected Claire. I'm hoping that the drama with Eve's brother Jason gets resolved quickly as I find him just plain annoying and obnoxious. The ending had me exclaiming out loud, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series, Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires, Book 4).
I didn't like that this book did not have Eve's journal entries at the end like previous books have done. Those previously gave me clues into her mind and her relationship with Michael, as well as a taste of what happens in the next book, so I was rather disappointed when I realized it was missing.
I'm hoping that future books go into more detail about what the journals cover as well as what exactly the red crystals are and how they affected Claire. I'm hoping that the drama with Eve's brother Jason gets resolved quickly as I find him just plain annoying and obnoxious. The ending had me exclaiming out loud, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series, Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires, Book 4).
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Queene of Light (Lightworld/Darkworld, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
What could have been interesting, wasn't. What could have been unique, failed. What showed promise, wasn't there. Too bad.
Seeing as this is classified as paranormal romance (instead of what I originally thought was urban fantasy), it might be nice if the main two characters were at least a little likable. Nope, sorry to say, this ain't the case. Ayla is boring, unsympathetic, uninteresting, vapid, gullible, weak-willed, slow on the uptake, need I go on? Malachi is also boring, uninteresting, and slow, but he has the addition of sounding like a robot. Sounds like a winning match, eh? Clearly, these two wooden creatures are made for each other. The secondary characters served their purpose: Mabb, your typical baddie; Garret, Mabb's brother and hopeful usurper, he was almost interesting, but he suffered from the same thing his sister did, cliche; and Keller, who was the only character (or anything really) in the whole book that showed a spark of life.
The pace of the book was plodding. I lost interest every other page if I was lucky. The descriptions are seriously lacking and almost everything is boring, boring, boring. I never quite saw what the purpose of vampires and werewolves served in the book. Maybe they play a bigger role in the next two books, otherwise they're pointless and don't make sense in this world. Speaking of the universe, what the author created, while not altogether original, could have been awesome instead of vague and confusing. A real missed opportunity.
My advice: skip it. Read at your own risk of falling asleep.
Seeing as this is classified as paranormal romance (instead of what I originally thought was urban fantasy), it might be nice if the main two characters were at least a little likable. Nope, sorry to say, this ain't the case. Ayla is boring, unsympathetic, uninteresting, vapid, gullible, weak-willed, slow on the uptake, need I go on? Malachi is also boring, uninteresting, and slow, but he has the addition of sounding like a robot. Sounds like a winning match, eh? Clearly, these two wooden creatures are made for each other. The secondary characters served their purpose: Mabb, your typical baddie; Garret, Mabb's brother and hopeful usurper, he was almost interesting, but he suffered from the same thing his sister did, cliche; and Keller, who was the only character (or anything really) in the whole book that showed a spark of life.
The pace of the book was plodding. I lost interest every other page if I was lucky. The descriptions are seriously lacking and almost everything is boring, boring, boring. I never quite saw what the purpose of vampires and werewolves served in the book. Maybe they play a bigger role in the next two books, otherwise they're pointless and don't make sense in this world. Speaking of the universe, what the author created, while not altogether original, could have been awesome instead of vague and confusing. A real missed opportunity.
My advice: skip it. Read at your own risk of falling asleep.
Merissa (11869 KP) rated Lord of Rage (Royal House of Shadows, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Lord of Rage is based on the tale of Goldilocks and is the tale of Nicolai's younger sister Breena. Raised as a princess Breena always knew it would be her duty to marry a man chosen by her father to make an alliance between kingdoms. Everything changes when Elden comes under attack and her parents are killed by the blood sorcerer. On their death beds the king and queen used the last of their magic to send their 4 children to safety. Breena finds herself alone in the forest - lost, terrified and grieving for her family she is tired and hungry when she stumbles across the isolated cottage that Osborn shares with his brothers Bernt and Torben. Osborn is the last of the Ursan beserkers, his village was destroyed in a vampire attack that only his 2 young brothers survived. After years working as a mercenary to provide for them all Osborn wants now is a quiet life and to eventually get revenge on the vampires that took everything from them. The last thing he needs is a beautiful stranger invading his space, particularly one who has been invading his dreams to share passionate kisses. Breena is determined to trace her brothers and discover what happened to their kingdom and she will do whatever it takes to get Osborn to help her achieve her goals.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series and I will read on to find out what happened to Breena's other brothers and to see if Nicolai can manage to regain his kingdom.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series and I will read on to find out what happened to Breena's other brothers and to see if Nicolai can manage to regain his kingdom.
Merissa (11869 KP) rated Dracula in Books
Dec 17, 2018
The one that is credited with starting them all - this was, and remains, a classic. I am possibly in the minority in that I love the vampire genre, both film and book, but have never seen Bram Stoker's Dracula on the screen. So this book was completely new to me.
This is taking the vampire back to basics. There is no "glory" in being bitten, it is hurtful and raw and will not leave you feeling aroused to pleasured; it will leave you feeling weak, lethargic and near to death. The vampires in this aren't uncommonly handsome although they do possess charisma in bucketloads. This version is written in 1800's English so at times it can be a bit hard to follow although, on the whole, it is an easy enough read. It is also written completely in diary format although the diary could be one of 6/7 characters. There is a lot of detail given in the surroundings, the ambiance, the feelings and you will definitely be reading a lot about how sweet a woman Mina Harker is! A compliment given to her in the book is that she has a woman's heart but a man's brain!
The whole book builds up to the characters meeting up with Dracula and the struggle and fight that will commence once they do. However, the book itself seems to wrap everything up within a couple of pages and so has the feeling of being incredibly rushed at the end.
A classic.
This is taking the vampire back to basics. There is no "glory" in being bitten, it is hurtful and raw and will not leave you feeling aroused to pleasured; it will leave you feeling weak, lethargic and near to death. The vampires in this aren't uncommonly handsome although they do possess charisma in bucketloads. This version is written in 1800's English so at times it can be a bit hard to follow although, on the whole, it is an easy enough read. It is also written completely in diary format although the diary could be one of 6/7 characters. There is a lot of detail given in the surroundings, the ambiance, the feelings and you will definitely be reading a lot about how sweet a woman Mina Harker is! A compliment given to her in the book is that she has a woman's heart but a man's brain!
The whole book builds up to the characters meeting up with Dracula and the struggle and fight that will commence once they do. However, the book itself seems to wrap everything up within a couple of pages and so has the feeling of being incredibly rushed at the end.
A classic.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Northanger Abbey (The Austen Project, #2) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The idea of The Austen Project is for six modern day authors to have a go do writing a modern day re-imagining of each of Jane Austen's major works. The first was Joanna Trollope's version of Sense & Sensibility, where the reviews seem to have been fairly lukewarm. This is the second offering, Northanger Abbey as re-imagined by Val McDermid.
Now, I've not read of of McDermid's works before, although I did think she was pretty smart when she won on Celebrity Mastermind. After reading this, I remain impressed. The novel tracks the original very closely and it's quite clever in how it does this. It is hard to imagine someone quite as naive as Catherine Morland in this day and age, but McDermind's 'Cat' Morland does pretty well. It's a very slangy novel ("amazeballs!"), sprinkled with 'txt spk', but then the original is quite slangy - especially the parts with Isabella Thorpe! I do think that to appreciate it you have to know the original quite well and have a passing knowledge of current popular culture. Catherine believing the General Tilney has murdered his wife or has locked her up somewhere is slightly fantastic, but rather more grounded than Cat's idea that the family may be Vampires.....! Still, if you can suspend your disbelief this is a fun and engaging read - in fact, a very 'nice' book... and with a very 'nice' hero. And I'm pretty sure this Henry Tilney would spell out all his texts properly - no want of grammar and total inattention to stops here!
Now, I've not read of of McDermid's works before, although I did think she was pretty smart when she won on Celebrity Mastermind. After reading this, I remain impressed. The novel tracks the original very closely and it's quite clever in how it does this. It is hard to imagine someone quite as naive as Catherine Morland in this day and age, but McDermind's 'Cat' Morland does pretty well. It's a very slangy novel ("amazeballs!"), sprinkled with 'txt spk', but then the original is quite slangy - especially the parts with Isabella Thorpe! I do think that to appreciate it you have to know the original quite well and have a passing knowledge of current popular culture. Catherine believing the General Tilney has murdered his wife or has locked her up somewhere is slightly fantastic, but rather more grounded than Cat's idea that the family may be Vampires.....! Still, if you can suspend your disbelief this is a fun and engaging read - in fact, a very 'nice' book... and with a very 'nice' hero. And I'm pretty sure this Henry Tilney would spell out all his texts properly - no want of grammar and total inattention to stops here!
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, #9) in Books
Jul 23, 2019
Better than the last!
Contains spoilers, click to show
The vamps have been out for years, and now the weres and shifters have decided to follow the lead of the undead and reveal their existence to the ordinary world. Sookie Stackhouse already knows about them, of course - her brother turns into a panther at the full moon, she's friend to the local were pack, and Sam, her boss at Merlotte's bar, is a shapeshifter.
The great revelation goes well at first - then the horribly mutilated body of a were-panther is found in the parking lot of Merlotte's, and Sookie agrees to use her telepathic talent to track down the murderer. But there is a far greater danger than this killer threatening Bon Temps: a race of unhuman beings, older, more powerful, and far more secretive than the vampires or the werewolves, is preparing for war. And Sookie is an all-too-human pawn in their ages-old battle...
I have struggled with this series lately! Actually I have struggled with Charlaine Harris for a while! But I actually didn't mind this book. It was easier to read than the last few sookie didn't completely annoy the hell out of me. I think her being with Eric makes her less whinny maybe I don't know. I actually shouted out loud poor Sam a few times when will she wake up to him !
I actually got into the story line in this one too poor Jason and poor Crystal even a bitch like her didn't deserve that! Looking forward to hearing more the fairies too!!
Recommended

The great revelation goes well at first - then the horribly mutilated body of a were-panther is found in the parking lot of Merlotte's, and Sookie agrees to use her telepathic talent to track down the murderer. But there is a far greater danger than this killer threatening Bon Temps: a race of unhuman beings, older, more powerful, and far more secretive than the vampires or the werewolves, is preparing for war. And Sookie is an all-too-human pawn in their ages-old battle...
I have struggled with this series lately! Actually I have struggled with Charlaine Harris for a while! But I actually didn't mind this book. It was easier to read than the last few sookie didn't completely annoy the hell out of me. I think her being with Eric makes her less whinny maybe I don't know. I actually shouted out loud poor Sam a few times when will she wake up to him !
I actually got into the story line in this one too poor Jason and poor Crystal even a bitch like her didn't deserve that! Looking forward to hearing more the fairies too!!
Recommended

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Lost and the Chosen (The Lost Sentinel, #1) in Books
Jan 29, 2020
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
I don't think this book ever really slowed down it's pace. It starts with Vinna getting ready for her next mma? fight. After winning the fight she heads outside and sees a strange ripple in the air that she can't help but investigate and comes across a battle between two groups of men. She gets drawn into the fight and the winning side tell her she's like them - a caster - and that she should go with them back to their accommodation so they can fill her in on what she is. It takes a little convincing but she eventually goes and begins to learn about what she is. In the process she meets five fellow casters and feels a connection to each of them.
A lot more happens than my abbreviated version above and it's really good. We have some really good interaction between Vinna and each of the five guys. You get really drawn into their story. Then there's the older paladin group and their bond and how they are with Vinna. It's a little complicated at times between them and I got a little upset myself near the end.
I thought this was really well written and thought out. It was a different take on magicians/magic users and I really enjoyed it.
It does have a bit of a cliffhanger ending and I am interested to see what will happen next, both with Vinna and her harem and the vampires who are after her.
I don't think this book ever really slowed down it's pace. It starts with Vinna getting ready for her next mma? fight. After winning the fight she heads outside and sees a strange ripple in the air that she can't help but investigate and comes across a battle between two groups of men. She gets drawn into the fight and the winning side tell her she's like them - a caster - and that she should go with them back to their accommodation so they can fill her in on what she is. It takes a little convincing but she eventually goes and begins to learn about what she is. In the process she meets five fellow casters and feels a connection to each of them.
A lot more happens than my abbreviated version above and it's really good. We have some really good interaction between Vinna and each of the five guys. You get really drawn into their story. Then there's the older paladin group and their bond and how they are with Vinna. It's a little complicated at times between them and I got a little upset myself near the end.
I thought this was really well written and thought out. It was a different take on magicians/magic users and I really enjoyed it.
It does have a bit of a cliffhanger ending and I am interested to see what will happen next, both with Vinna and her harem and the vampires who are after her.