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Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Library at Mount Char in Books
Feb 19, 2018
Every now and then I see a cover and / or book title so frequently that I decide I have to read it, even if i have only the vaguest idea what it might be about. That was the case with The Library at Mount Char. I'm glad I didn't read any reviews or dig too deep before starting this one, or I might have passed. I don't usually go for excessive violence and gore, but sometimes a story is so well-told that I find it worth cringing through to read it. The Library at Mount Char was definitely worth the cringing!
The characters and situations in this story were so unique and yet believable, that I had a hard time putting the book down. Mr. Hawkins also must have a somewhat twisted sense of humor. I don't know if I was supposed to be laughing, but there is a scene involving a character named Steve and 2 lions that had me chuckling out loud. I was also pleased at how in-the-dark he manages to keep the reader, and how much fun it was figuring out what was actually going on as the story progressed. While I can't say that I was particularly fond of any of the characters, it was hard not to root for Carolyn, at least to a degree, and to cheer as some others finally got their comeuppances. I do hope that there will be a second book coming sometime in the future. While not a cliff-hanger by any means, it does end in such a way that the story could be continued.
If the gore and language don't bother you, I would definitely recommend this one!
Warnings: This book is full of graphic violence and gore including, on occasion, sexual violence. It also includes large quantities of graphic language. It is NOT a kids' book.
NOTE: I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
The characters and situations in this story were so unique and yet believable, that I had a hard time putting the book down. Mr. Hawkins also must have a somewhat twisted sense of humor. I don't know if I was supposed to be laughing, but there is a scene involving a character named Steve and 2 lions that had me chuckling out loud. I was also pleased at how in-the-dark he manages to keep the reader, and how much fun it was figuring out what was actually going on as the story progressed. While I can't say that I was particularly fond of any of the characters, it was hard not to root for Carolyn, at least to a degree, and to cheer as some others finally got their comeuppances. I do hope that there will be a second book coming sometime in the future. While not a cliff-hanger by any means, it does end in such a way that the story could be continued.
If the gore and language don't bother you, I would definitely recommend this one!
Warnings: This book is full of graphic violence and gore including, on occasion, sexual violence. It also includes large quantities of graphic language. It is NOT a kids' book.
NOTE: I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Climate Change, Security Risks, and Conflict Reduction in Africa: A Case Study of Farmer-Herder Conflicts Over Natural Resources in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Burkina Faso (1960-2000): 2016
Book
Millions of people are already affected by weather-related shocks every year in West Africa and...
Swamp Water (37 KP) rated Super Blood Hockey in Video Games
Sep 13, 2017
Blood and pucks!
This game reminded me of the good old days of hockey games, by which I mean THE FIGHTS! I remember playing hockey games on the Sega Mega-Drive, and most of the fun to be had in those games was derived from trying to start a fight in the game. It was a novelty, but a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that there was a Monster Hockey League game that tried to amp up the violence a bit. Super Blood Hockey is a fun tribute to those old hockey games, with a dash of extra violence. No need to wait around for a fight, they happen quite a lot. Even the ref can get knocked over in the mayhem! My only gripe with the game is that the speed of the characters feels sluggish, and almost tank-like in their turning for some. Luckily, you can unlock a feature to adjust the characters weight, essentially giving them all a speed boost. I feel like it should be faster off the bat, but still, this is a great nod to those old hockey games, and has a fantastic, frantic arcade feel to it. Highly recommended, especially with friends!
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated The Dead House in Books
Apr 27, 2018
This is one of the best, most intense, creepiest books I’ve ever read. I would read it again in a heartbeat. I would buy it for myself and for my friends. I would buy copies for a local library and make sure they always had one on the shelf.
This book is filled with mystery, magic, and incomprehensable events that never fully resolve themselves but still leave you feeling resolved at the end. It plays with concepts I don’t see often in YA, and doesn’t shy away from hard questions. There is some questionable content, so I wouldn’t recommend it to all ages. But I am totally adding Dawn Kurtagich to my Author Watch list and hope you will too!
I don’t want to say too much about the story itself because I don’t want to spoil it. I requested the book, forgot about it, and then picked it at random having absolutely no idea what it was about. Suffice to say I was completely enthralled and enjoyed every moment of it. I can’t stress this enough: GO GET A COPY OF THIS BOOK IMEDIATELY. Audio, print, e-book, whatever. You will not be sorry.
Content/recommendation: some language, some sex, some violence. Most of the violence is mental torture the main character endures. Some witch-craft. Ages 16+.
This book is filled with mystery, magic, and incomprehensable events that never fully resolve themselves but still leave you feeling resolved at the end. It plays with concepts I don’t see often in YA, and doesn’t shy away from hard questions. There is some questionable content, so I wouldn’t recommend it to all ages. But I am totally adding Dawn Kurtagich to my Author Watch list and hope you will too!
I don’t want to say too much about the story itself because I don’t want to spoil it. I requested the book, forgot about it, and then picked it at random having absolutely no idea what it was about. Suffice to say I was completely enthralled and enjoyed every moment of it. I can’t stress this enough: GO GET A COPY OF THIS BOOK IMEDIATELY. Audio, print, e-book, whatever. You will not be sorry.
Content/recommendation: some language, some sex, some violence. Most of the violence is mental torture the main character endures. Some witch-craft. Ages 16+.
Deborah (162 KP) rated Stormbird (Wars of the Roses, #1) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I have a great interest in late medieval and early modern history, so this one was bought for me as a present, thinking it would be right up my street.
Overall, it wasn't badly written, but I was less than halfway through and couldn't wait for it to be over (I'm far to stubborn to give up part way through!). We lurch from one battle, to a nice bit of torture and a bit of violence and some more blood and another battle..... you get my drift! And no, I don't think I have an unrealistic view of the past and it was bloody and those in power would have been what we might call self serving but they would probably though of as pragmatic, but this seemed to concentrate on the violence to the exclusion of just about everything else.
I'm not sure if Iggulden anticipated the reader feeling sympathy with any of the characters, but I found this difficult as there wasn't a great deal of character development, as it tended to get in the way of the blood letting. Everyone seemed to be self serving and the expression 'smug' was used on a number of occasions - not exactly endearing!
I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series and just go back to my non-fiction books on the period.
Overall, it wasn't badly written, but I was less than halfway through and couldn't wait for it to be over (I'm far to stubborn to give up part way through!). We lurch from one battle, to a nice bit of torture and a bit of violence and some more blood and another battle..... you get my drift! And no, I don't think I have an unrealistic view of the past and it was bloody and those in power would have been what we might call self serving but they would probably though of as pragmatic, but this seemed to concentrate on the violence to the exclusion of just about everything else.
I'm not sure if Iggulden anticipated the reader feeling sympathy with any of the characters, but I found this difficult as there wasn't a great deal of character development, as it tended to get in the way of the blood letting. Everyone seemed to be self serving and the expression 'smug' was used on a number of occasions - not exactly endearing!
I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series and just go back to my non-fiction books on the period.
Hate: My Life in the British Far Right
Book
What do you do when everything you know and believe in crashes around you in a hail of fists and...
Provisional Authority: Police, Order, and Security in India
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Policing as a global form is often fraught with excessive violence, corruption, and even...
Algerian Chronicles
Albert Camus, Alice Kaplan and Arthur Goldhammer
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More than fifty years after Algerian independence, Albert Camus' Algerian Chronicles appears here in...
In the Shadow of Mount Sinai
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In this short book Peter Sloterdijk clarifies his views on religion and its role in pre-modern and...