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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated Sisters in Books
Oct 5, 2020
I am extremely happy and excited to be part of the blog tour for Sisters by Michelle Frances. Thank you to the team at Pan Macmillan - for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. Check out the other book bloggers that are part of the tour as well:
Synopsis:
Is blood really thicker than water?
Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other - Abby for her sister's looks and her status as their mother's favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby's perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba.
When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface. And Ellie suspects that Abby and their mother are keeping a dangerous secret . . .
But after a shocking act, the sisters have only each other to rely on. Vulnerable and scared, trusting each other will be the biggest risk of all . . .
My Thoughts:
Sisters by Michelle Frances was a very enjoyable and exciting ride for me. Not having read her previous books, I started reading without any expectations, hoping to enjoy the story for what it was. Two sisters - trying to improve their relationship, hopefully without their mother interfering.
What I got instead, was so much more! The suspense keeps building up from the very first chapter. The tension between the sisters is really awkward. The relationships between the mother and both daughters is very different and very concerning.
And then everything changes.
We have a surprising plot twists, and from that moment on, we are on a wild adventure. Old secrets will start coming up, things people thought were forgotten in the past. I did not know, and couldn't guess who the real villain is until the very end, and that was quite enjoyable for me! Everyone will tell you stories, everyone will say their own point of view. To you, everyone will seem like a villain and a victim at the same time, and this uncertainty will make you keep turning pages until you find out. Until the end.
I am glad I read Sisters by Michelle Frances. Another amazing suspense now added to my list. I highly recommend it to mystery, thriller and suspense fans, especially the ones that enjoy family drama.
Synopsis:
Is blood really thicker than water?
Abby and Ellie were never close as children. Now in their thirties, they each harbour deep-rooted resentment for the other - Abby for her sister's looks and her status as their mother's favourite. Ellie meanwhile is envious of Abby's perfect husband and picturesque home, a villa on the sun-soaked Italian island of Elba.
When Abby invites Ellie to stay, both sisters see the break as a chance to relax and put aside their differences. But with their mother Susanna there too, all the simmering tensions of the past quickly rise to the surface. And Ellie suspects that Abby and their mother are keeping a dangerous secret . . .
But after a shocking act, the sisters have only each other to rely on. Vulnerable and scared, trusting each other will be the biggest risk of all . . .
My Thoughts:
Sisters by Michelle Frances was a very enjoyable and exciting ride for me. Not having read her previous books, I started reading without any expectations, hoping to enjoy the story for what it was. Two sisters - trying to improve their relationship, hopefully without their mother interfering.
What I got instead, was so much more! The suspense keeps building up from the very first chapter. The tension between the sisters is really awkward. The relationships between the mother and both daughters is very different and very concerning.
And then everything changes.
We have a surprising plot twists, and from that moment on, we are on a wild adventure. Old secrets will start coming up, things people thought were forgotten in the past. I did not know, and couldn't guess who the real villain is until the very end, and that was quite enjoyable for me! Everyone will tell you stories, everyone will say their own point of view. To you, everyone will seem like a villain and a victim at the same time, and this uncertainty will make you keep turning pages until you find out. Until the end.
I am glad I read Sisters by Michelle Frances. Another amazing suspense now added to my list. I highly recommend it to mystery, thriller and suspense fans, especially the ones that enjoy family drama.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Klang in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Klang is a Rhythm/Platformer game and it’s the debut of the developer studio called Tinimations. The environments, visuals, story and gameplay aspects were done by one person named Tom-Ivar Arntzen while the music was done by the EDM composer bLiNd.
The Story:
The premise here is very simple. You assume the role of a tuneblade-wielding elite rave warrior called Klang who wants to free himself from the shackles of a Zeus-like figure named Soundlord Sonus. And so the game begins. There is barely any Story here and it isn’t the focus of the game and it doesn’t contribute to the game whatsoever and if the story is removed entirely, you will barely notice any difference. So if you are the type who plays a game for the story in it or a game that is accompanied by a good premise, then this game isn’t for you. The game focuses mostly on its gameplay aspects.
The Visuals:
The visuals of the game look very beautiful with its Tron-inspired aesthetics. Klang’s design is colorful and stylish. The environment looked gorgeous with all the vibrant neon colors popping out on the screen while you’re playing but on rare occasions, they can be distracting and a bit too much when there are so many things happening at once.
The Sound:
This is one of those games that are worth buying a quality headset or a subwoofer for because the sound design is excellent and the composer bLiNd did a marvelous job with it. Listening to the music with a normal headset or your TV’s sound system doesn’t do it justice. And the way the music and the beat sync with what’s on screen are perfect. The soundtrack is most definitely the best aspect of the game.
The gameplay:
The game mechanics tries to blend rhythm game mechanics and platform game mechanics into one game. That means instead of only pressing buttons that appears on the screen like you normally do in Rhythm games, you also have to traverse the levels by jumping and sliding while pressing the buttons in order to get through the stage.
The controls are fairly simple. Like most 2D games, you use the left thumbstick to move the character left and right and you use the Right thumbstick in one of the eight directions when the icon that looks like a slice of Pizza appears on the screen in one of those eight directions to deflect the incoming attacks. And you use LT to jump and RT to slide throughout the levels.
While blending those game mechanics works very well on most stages, they can also be overwhelming and frustrating at times. For instance, there is a place where you have to dodge lasers by jumping between 5 platforms that falls when the lasers make contact with them (They come back up after a few seconds) so you will have to jump left and right fast and all that combined with rhythm gameplay. It gets very confusing because there are so many things happening at once on the screen and you don’t know whether you should focus on deflecting the attacks or focus on the lasers. One mistake and you are dead so that made it a bit frustrating and annoying instead of challenging. There is a thin line between a game that put your skills to the test and a game that simply frustrates you to cover its flaws.
Unfortunately, I felt like this is the latter because the game itself is very short and if I hadn’t died in the game over 300 times, it would have lasted me an hour. So I felt like the difficulty spike was there just to mask the game’s short length which brings me to the final point in the review.
Difficulty, Length and Replay Value:
The game has three difficulty levels. Easy, Normal and Nightcore Mode. The higher the difficulty, the higher rank you can achieve when you finish a stage. On Easy mode, B Rank is the max possible rank, Normal mode, S Rank is the max possible rank and on Nightcore Mode, SSS Rank is the max possible rank. Also the higher the difficulty, the faster the game music sounds, and the faster the button prompts on screen moves
I started the game on Normal mode it took me 3 hours and 311 deaths to finish. Once you finish the game for the first time, you unlock the hardest mode in the game which is called NightCore mode where everything moves so fast and that includes the music.
In terms of Replay Value, there isn’t much to do after you finish all the stages except for collecting Pirate Tokens which are the in-game collectables that allow you to unlock the game’s Soundtrack in a special level where you can hear them without replaying the other levels just to hear that awesome track.
And you can also replay the game on Nightcore mode if you want to get the highest rank possible in the game. And if you are the Achievement Hunter type then you will find that getting all the achievements will be very time consuming. For instance, there is an achievement that requires you not to die even once throughout the whole game and that is excruciatingly difficult. So, if you are a completionist, then the game will last you for quite a while.
But if you are not, then you won’t find much to do here after you finish its short story mode because it doesn’t have much to offer after that.
Conclusion:
Klang is a great game but its short amount of content and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult levels can put you off. So for that, I give Klang 4/5. Great concept but if the gameplay was more fun and rewarding, and it had more content and unlockables, it would have been a superb game. And I give the developer Tom-Ivar Arntzen SSS for effort and for trying to innovate and do something new with the genre and I am definitely interested to see what he is going to do next.
http://sknr.net/2016/09/23/klang/
The Story:
The premise here is very simple. You assume the role of a tuneblade-wielding elite rave warrior called Klang who wants to free himself from the shackles of a Zeus-like figure named Soundlord Sonus. And so the game begins. There is barely any Story here and it isn’t the focus of the game and it doesn’t contribute to the game whatsoever and if the story is removed entirely, you will barely notice any difference. So if you are the type who plays a game for the story in it or a game that is accompanied by a good premise, then this game isn’t for you. The game focuses mostly on its gameplay aspects.
The Visuals:
The visuals of the game look very beautiful with its Tron-inspired aesthetics. Klang’s design is colorful and stylish. The environment looked gorgeous with all the vibrant neon colors popping out on the screen while you’re playing but on rare occasions, they can be distracting and a bit too much when there are so many things happening at once.
The Sound:
This is one of those games that are worth buying a quality headset or a subwoofer for because the sound design is excellent and the composer bLiNd did a marvelous job with it. Listening to the music with a normal headset or your TV’s sound system doesn’t do it justice. And the way the music and the beat sync with what’s on screen are perfect. The soundtrack is most definitely the best aspect of the game.
The gameplay:
The game mechanics tries to blend rhythm game mechanics and platform game mechanics into one game. That means instead of only pressing buttons that appears on the screen like you normally do in Rhythm games, you also have to traverse the levels by jumping and sliding while pressing the buttons in order to get through the stage.
The controls are fairly simple. Like most 2D games, you use the left thumbstick to move the character left and right and you use the Right thumbstick in one of the eight directions when the icon that looks like a slice of Pizza appears on the screen in one of those eight directions to deflect the incoming attacks. And you use LT to jump and RT to slide throughout the levels.
While blending those game mechanics works very well on most stages, they can also be overwhelming and frustrating at times. For instance, there is a place where you have to dodge lasers by jumping between 5 platforms that falls when the lasers make contact with them (They come back up after a few seconds) so you will have to jump left and right fast and all that combined with rhythm gameplay. It gets very confusing because there are so many things happening at once on the screen and you don’t know whether you should focus on deflecting the attacks or focus on the lasers. One mistake and you are dead so that made it a bit frustrating and annoying instead of challenging. There is a thin line between a game that put your skills to the test and a game that simply frustrates you to cover its flaws.
Unfortunately, I felt like this is the latter because the game itself is very short and if I hadn’t died in the game over 300 times, it would have lasted me an hour. So I felt like the difficulty spike was there just to mask the game’s short length which brings me to the final point in the review.
Difficulty, Length and Replay Value:
The game has three difficulty levels. Easy, Normal and Nightcore Mode. The higher the difficulty, the higher rank you can achieve when you finish a stage. On Easy mode, B Rank is the max possible rank, Normal mode, S Rank is the max possible rank and on Nightcore Mode, SSS Rank is the max possible rank. Also the higher the difficulty, the faster the game music sounds, and the faster the button prompts on screen moves
I started the game on Normal mode it took me 3 hours and 311 deaths to finish. Once you finish the game for the first time, you unlock the hardest mode in the game which is called NightCore mode where everything moves so fast and that includes the music.
In terms of Replay Value, there isn’t much to do after you finish all the stages except for collecting Pirate Tokens which are the in-game collectables that allow you to unlock the game’s Soundtrack in a special level where you can hear them without replaying the other levels just to hear that awesome track.
And you can also replay the game on Nightcore mode if you want to get the highest rank possible in the game. And if you are the Achievement Hunter type then you will find that getting all the achievements will be very time consuming. For instance, there is an achievement that requires you not to die even once throughout the whole game and that is excruciatingly difficult. So, if you are a completionist, then the game will last you for quite a while.
But if you are not, then you won’t find much to do here after you finish its short story mode because it doesn’t have much to offer after that.
Conclusion:
Klang is a great game but its short amount of content and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult levels can put you off. So for that, I give Klang 4/5. Great concept but if the gameplay was more fun and rewarding, and it had more content and unlockables, it would have been a superb game. And I give the developer Tom-Ivar Arntzen SSS for effort and for trying to innovate and do something new with the genre and I am definitely interested to see what he is going to do next.
http://sknr.net/2016/09/23/klang/
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Promise in Books
Feb 28, 2019 (Updated Mar 1, 2019)
More of a slow building suspense novel then a psychological thriller.
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
I was intrigued as soon as I read the opening of The Promise by Teresa Driscoll. The story has a few twists and turns but, based on the book's description and opening, I expected it to be much darker than it is. However, although I enjoyed the novel, I would not consider it to be dark. It is more of a slow building suspense novel then a psychological thriller.
Three girls, Beth, Sally, and Carol, were best friends at a boarding school and as close as sisters. Something happens and they make a promise to never tell the secret of what happened.
Years later, all of them have been affected by the secret in different ways. Beth and Sally are still close friends but Carol has become estranged. When they find out the boarding school is to be sold and demolished, fearing their secret will be revealed, Beth and Sally attempt to find Carol..
Driscoll wanted to establish a intense connection between the girls but did not want to make them sisters. The setting helps you to understand why the girls would keep the secret.
I have added Teresa Driscoll's I Am Watching You to my want to read list.
Published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/28/19.
I was intrigued as soon as I read the opening of The Promise by Teresa Driscoll. The story has a few twists and turns but, based on the book's description and opening, I expected it to be much darker than it is. However, although I enjoyed the novel, I would not consider it to be dark. It is more of a slow building suspense novel then a psychological thriller.
Three girls, Beth, Sally, and Carol, were best friends at a boarding school and as close as sisters. Something happens and they make a promise to never tell the secret of what happened.
Years later, all of them have been affected by the secret in different ways. Beth and Sally are still close friends but Carol has become estranged. When they find out the boarding school is to be sold and demolished, fearing their secret will be revealed, Beth and Sally attempt to find Carol..
Driscoll wanted to establish a intense connection between the girls but did not want to make them sisters. The setting helps you to understand why the girls would keep the secret.
I have added Teresa Driscoll's I Am Watching You to my want to read list.
Published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 2/28/19.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Cold Calling in Books
Mar 15, 2018
<b><i>People will put up with all manner of perversion, all manner of fucked-up-ness, theyll positively revel in it, but what people wont tolerate is boredom.</b></i>
To a certain extent, I did enjoy this, but I don't feel comfortable saying that due to the depravity and obscenity of it. This certainly has some <i>American Psycho</i> vibes to it, a book which I thoroughly enjoyed, but <i>Cold Calling</i> somehow seems to excel Bateman's darkness with Rhys' spur-of-the-moment crime. I suppose because in <i>American Psycho</i>, there is a clear underlying cultural message and in <i>Cold Calling</i>, that same message doesn't get across so easily, if it's even there at all.
Wilks' writing is good, there's no doubt about that, he keeps you reading and wanting more no matter how disturbed you feel. There's a card game scene in the middle of the novel that I got a bit tired with, but it was to develop the growing anger, boredom and hatred inside of Rhys.
This is definitely <b>NOT</b> one for the squeamish. I'm not surprised this has several low ratings, it's certainly a difficult novel to handle and is only going to be enjoyed by a very niche market.
One thing I <i>really</i> love about this book is the gruesome cover art!
Thanks to Haydn Wilks for sending me a copy in exchange for a review!
To a certain extent, I did enjoy this, but I don't feel comfortable saying that due to the depravity and obscenity of it. This certainly has some <i>American Psycho</i> vibes to it, a book which I thoroughly enjoyed, but <i>Cold Calling</i> somehow seems to excel Bateman's darkness with Rhys' spur-of-the-moment crime. I suppose because in <i>American Psycho</i>, there is a clear underlying cultural message and in <i>Cold Calling</i>, that same message doesn't get across so easily, if it's even there at all.
Wilks' writing is good, there's no doubt about that, he keeps you reading and wanting more no matter how disturbed you feel. There's a card game scene in the middle of the novel that I got a bit tired with, but it was to develop the growing anger, boredom and hatred inside of Rhys.
This is definitely <b>NOT</b> one for the squeamish. I'm not surprised this has several low ratings, it's certainly a difficult novel to handle and is only going to be enjoyed by a very niche market.
One thing I <i>really</i> love about this book is the gruesome cover art!
Thanks to Haydn Wilks for sending me a copy in exchange for a review!
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Hidden Child (Patrik Hedström, #5) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Had I realized when I picked it up that this was the 4th book in a series, I would have looked for the first book to start at the beginning. I didnt feel like I was missing anything starting at this point in the story, however. The relationships between characters were either evident or explained well enough that you can easily read or listen to this book without having read the previous books, and not feel lost.
A lot of Swedish crime fiction has a particular melancholy feel to it, and The Hidden Child is no exception. The author did injected occasional brief moments of humor into the story that helped lighten the mood, however, and they kept it from feeling too dark.
The story is told in both in the present, and through flashbacks, in the time around WW2. It follows the police investigation into the murder of a local historian, as well as the family drama unfolding as Erica Faulk digs into her mothers past. The two series of events turn out to be more intertwined than anyone could have imagined, and even though I could see where it was going, the story didnt give everything away at once and I didnt really know what had happened until the end.
If you are a fan of police procedural and / or historical mysteries, give this one a try!
A lot of Swedish crime fiction has a particular melancholy feel to it, and The Hidden Child is no exception. The author did injected occasional brief moments of humor into the story that helped lighten the mood, however, and they kept it from feeling too dark.
The story is told in both in the present, and through flashbacks, in the time around WW2. It follows the police investigation into the murder of a local historian, as well as the family drama unfolding as Erica Faulk digs into her mothers past. The two series of events turn out to be more intertwined than anyone could have imagined, and even though I could see where it was going, the story didnt give everything away at once and I didnt really know what had happened until the end.
If you are a fan of police procedural and / or historical mysteries, give this one a try!
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters, #2) in Books
Jul 12, 2018
Well... This book took me quite a long time to finish. Aka, I didn't have as much of a commute for the past 2 weeks.
This book is beautiful. Juliet Marillier is truly a master at weaving a story. This book was recommended to me by my sister and I cannot believe that it took me this long to finally read it. A couple years ago, I did a reading challenge where I asked my family and close friends what book they would want me to read. Naturally, my sister chose the first in this series with the knowledge that I would relate better to the second. I'm glad that I took the time to listen to the audiobook of this novel. The narrator was wonderful and truly made the series come alive. For the past two days, I have actually gone out of my way to listen to the book when normally I would just listen to it on my drive into work.
The characters in this book are spectacular. I loved how Juliet Marillier captured the anguish, joy, and all the emotions in between. I fell in love with the relationships that were written in this series. The characters were realistic and had great depth to them.
If you're looking for a beautiful fantasy with some romance, this is the book for you. Seriously, you need to read this book.
This book is beautiful. Juliet Marillier is truly a master at weaving a story. This book was recommended to me by my sister and I cannot believe that it took me this long to finally read it. A couple years ago, I did a reading challenge where I asked my family and close friends what book they would want me to read. Naturally, my sister chose the first in this series with the knowledge that I would relate better to the second. I'm glad that I took the time to listen to the audiobook of this novel. The narrator was wonderful and truly made the series come alive. For the past two days, I have actually gone out of my way to listen to the book when normally I would just listen to it on my drive into work.
The characters in this book are spectacular. I loved how Juliet Marillier captured the anguish, joy, and all the emotions in between. I fell in love with the relationships that were written in this series. The characters were realistic and had great depth to them.
If you're looking for a beautiful fantasy with some romance, this is the book for you. Seriously, you need to read this book.
Code Red: How to Protect Your Savings from the Coming Crisis
John Mauldin and Jonathan Tepper
Book
Wall Street Journal Bestseller Valuable insights on monetary policies, their impact on your...
A Song for Issy Bradley
9.5
Rate It
Book
This is the story of what happens when Issy Bradley dies. It is the story of Ian - husband, father,...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Murder in Chelsea in Books
Mar 3, 2021 (Updated Mar 3, 2021)
The Mystery of Catherine
Sarah Brandt is devastated to learn someone is trying to locate Catherine, the little girl she’s taken in. When Sarah goes to meet this woman, her story seems genuine, but it could mean that Catherine is in danger, so Sarah asks Frank Malloy to help her figure out what is truly going on. However, Frank goes to meet the woman who is asking after Catherine only to find her dead. Is Catherine in danger, too?
The mystery of Catherine’s past has been brewing for several books now, and I was thrilled to see it finally fully explored. While you could jump in here, you’ll enjoy it more if you are already familiar with the characters. That includes some humor coming from how the regular characters interact with each other – I am loving how these relationships are developing. The plot is compelling and drew me in. These books always transport me to the world of New York City in the 1890’s, and I love visiting. I did have to question the series’ timeline as I read this book since it suddenly seemed to be compressed, but maybe that’s just me. I’m also very happy with some of the events that happened in the main character’s lives in this book. The series gets better with each book, and I can’t wait to get to the next entry in the series.
The mystery of Catherine’s past has been brewing for several books now, and I was thrilled to see it finally fully explored. While you could jump in here, you’ll enjoy it more if you are already familiar with the characters. That includes some humor coming from how the regular characters interact with each other – I am loving how these relationships are developing. The plot is compelling and drew me in. These books always transport me to the world of New York City in the 1890’s, and I love visiting. I did have to question the series’ timeline as I read this book since it suddenly seemed to be compressed, but maybe that’s just me. I’m also very happy with some of the events that happened in the main character’s lives in this book. The series gets better with each book, and I can’t wait to get to the next entry in the series.
