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West really puts your emotions through the wringer!
Independent reviewer for BookSirens, I was gifted my copy of this book.
There are 2 things I love most about reviewing: finding new to me authors with extensive back lists, and finding brand NEW authors, who smash it out the park. THIS book falls in the latter category.
I fell into this book, and did not come up for air for better part of 3 hours! I didn't move, eat or drink, I was that engrossed in this.
Finn is a soldier, modified to be the perfect assassin. A chance meeting with Kathleen, an undercover cop who tries to save his intended target, and Finn begins to question everything. When Kathleen then becomes a target, Finn disobeys a direct order for the first time.
What I loved about this, was Finn really can't see what has been done to him, until Kathleen points it out. Oh he KNOWS he's been modified, and can be 'reset' at any time, but he doesn't really SEE, you know? Kathleen makes him SEE, makes him wonder about who he was before, about FINN, rather than The Hound, his handle.
There are multi layers to this, and I loved that. I was kept on my toes right from the start and right through the book, that didn't let up.
It's dark, yes. On page assassinations, and violence, but it was needed for the bigger picture to be clear. Although, I'm sure there is a MUCH bigger picture that fully isn't clear yet!
Once Finn started to remember, I loved that he let himself go with Kathleen. He fully gave himself to Kathleen and took what she offered him and I cheered for them at that point.
THEN!! West does what she does and I cried, cos I wasn't sure that Finn could come back from that. He does, and I cheered again. But West puts your emotions through a wringer!!
I only really have a niggle, and it is a niggle cos I'm greedy like that! I would have liked a bit more information about what was done to Finn. We get that he is put through some vigarous mind washing, and genetic modifications, and we get all that but I wanted it in more detail. I wanted to go through that with Finn. Maybe I'm kinda twisted but I wanted to feel his pain, to fully appreciate what he's been through.
Apollo is another soldier who pops up here. I am assuming he will be next and I really hope I get to read it!
4 very VERY good stars, but very well done Ms West!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
There are 2 things I love most about reviewing: finding new to me authors with extensive back lists, and finding brand NEW authors, who smash it out the park. THIS book falls in the latter category.
I fell into this book, and did not come up for air for better part of 3 hours! I didn't move, eat or drink, I was that engrossed in this.
Finn is a soldier, modified to be the perfect assassin. A chance meeting with Kathleen, an undercover cop who tries to save his intended target, and Finn begins to question everything. When Kathleen then becomes a target, Finn disobeys a direct order for the first time.
What I loved about this, was Finn really can't see what has been done to him, until Kathleen points it out. Oh he KNOWS he's been modified, and can be 'reset' at any time, but he doesn't really SEE, you know? Kathleen makes him SEE, makes him wonder about who he was before, about FINN, rather than The Hound, his handle.
There are multi layers to this, and I loved that. I was kept on my toes right from the start and right through the book, that didn't let up.
It's dark, yes. On page assassinations, and violence, but it was needed for the bigger picture to be clear. Although, I'm sure there is a MUCH bigger picture that fully isn't clear yet!
Once Finn started to remember, I loved that he let himself go with Kathleen. He fully gave himself to Kathleen and took what she offered him and I cheered for them at that point.
THEN!! West does what she does and I cried, cos I wasn't sure that Finn could come back from that. He does, and I cheered again. But West puts your emotions through a wringer!!
I only really have a niggle, and it is a niggle cos I'm greedy like that! I would have liked a bit more information about what was done to Finn. We get that he is put through some vigarous mind washing, and genetic modifications, and we get all that but I wanted it in more detail. I wanted to go through that with Finn. Maybe I'm kinda twisted but I wanted to feel his pain, to fully appreciate what he's been through.
Apollo is another soldier who pops up here. I am assuming he will be next and I really hope I get to read it!
4 very VERY good stars, but very well done Ms West!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated A Clockwork Orange in Books
Nov 11, 2019
Grab a moloko or hot chai and peet it with your rot while you viddy my malenky review with your glazzies, real horrorshow.
Welcome to the world of Alex, a 15 year old boy living in some unspecified country in an unspecified future time. What Alex enjoys is classical music and ultraviolence. Every night he and his gang terrorise the streets looking for any kind of criminal activity, the more violent the better. They steal, burgle, assault and rape, all for fun.
When Alex is caught he is put in prison and then rehabilitated using an experimental procedure. But what effect will this have on Alex? And will it produce the desired results of preventing the youth turning every night into a time of danger for all.
The first thing any reader notices about the book is that, told from Alex's point of view, he uses street slang throughout. This makes it clear that the young have their own culture and are quite separate from the adults in terms of outlook and thinking. It also makes the reading quite immersive, like learning a foreign language particularly as only a very few of the words are ever explained and must be learned from context. This makes for a steep learning curve at the start of the book but it is worth the effort. The use of slang terms for the violent acts also helps to soften them a little - clearly what Alex does is horrendous but as it is described using these terms it is perhaps not so graphic as it would be otherwise.
Like critics of the film, it would be unfair to focus purely on the violence. The book is divided neatly into three parts. In the first we follow Alex as he perpetrates a number of terrible crimes. The second part describes his experiences in prison and is rehabilitation. The third what happens when he returns to society.
Burgess is clearly trying to make a number of points about individuality and state control of its citizens, and a fairly heavy handed job he makes of it too. But this is a slight volume - the paperback I read ran to a mere 140 pages - so there is little time for subtlety.
I would say the first two sections of the book were the best. The third section suffers a little from being rushed - it would have been better to have more insight into the world of the 'new' Alex - and also of the story being driven by coincidence after coincidence. This really did make the book seem like a sort of dream sequence where previous characters appeared and suddenly took on new meanings. In fact what it reminded me most of was the interrogation sequence in Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. This did detract from the story for me but not enough to do much damage to the tale. The ending is particularly strong and positive, in a book full of desperation it strikes the perfect counternote.
For anyone interested in the social side of 'science fiction' this is definitely worth reading. A morality tale for the future.
Rated: Frequent and extreme violence
Welcome to the world of Alex, a 15 year old boy living in some unspecified country in an unspecified future time. What Alex enjoys is classical music and ultraviolence. Every night he and his gang terrorise the streets looking for any kind of criminal activity, the more violent the better. They steal, burgle, assault and rape, all for fun.
When Alex is caught he is put in prison and then rehabilitated using an experimental procedure. But what effect will this have on Alex? And will it produce the desired results of preventing the youth turning every night into a time of danger for all.
The first thing any reader notices about the book is that, told from Alex's point of view, he uses street slang throughout. This makes it clear that the young have their own culture and are quite separate from the adults in terms of outlook and thinking. It also makes the reading quite immersive, like learning a foreign language particularly as only a very few of the words are ever explained and must be learned from context. This makes for a steep learning curve at the start of the book but it is worth the effort. The use of slang terms for the violent acts also helps to soften them a little - clearly what Alex does is horrendous but as it is described using these terms it is perhaps not so graphic as it would be otherwise.
Like critics of the film, it would be unfair to focus purely on the violence. The book is divided neatly into three parts. In the first we follow Alex as he perpetrates a number of terrible crimes. The second part describes his experiences in prison and is rehabilitation. The third what happens when he returns to society.
Burgess is clearly trying to make a number of points about individuality and state control of its citizens, and a fairly heavy handed job he makes of it too. But this is a slight volume - the paperback I read ran to a mere 140 pages - so there is little time for subtlety.
I would say the first two sections of the book were the best. The third section suffers a little from being rushed - it would have been better to have more insight into the world of the 'new' Alex - and also of the story being driven by coincidence after coincidence. This really did make the book seem like a sort of dream sequence where previous characters appeared and suddenly took on new meanings. In fact what it reminded me most of was the interrogation sequence in Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. This did detract from the story for me but not enough to do much damage to the tale. The ending is particularly strong and positive, in a book full of desperation it strikes the perfect counternote.
For anyone interested in the social side of 'science fiction' this is definitely worth reading. A morality tale for the future.
Rated: Frequent and extreme violence
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Local Woman Missing in Books
Jul 28, 2021
I had been after a good thriller for awhile, when I read about Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, my interest was piqued very much. I will say that this book certainly filled that thriller sized hole for sure!
As soon as I started reading Local Woman Missing, I was instantly transported inside the book. I kept trying to piece together what happened to Shelby, Delilah, and Meredith just to find out I was totally wrong each time. That's one of the beautiful things about this book, there are so many twists and turns! I loved all the plot twists which there were plenty. Just when it looked like one mystery was solved, the author would through in a twist. I loved how Mary Kubica had us going back and forth between present time to eleven years earlier when Meredith, Shelby, and Delilah all went missing. The world building is done fantastically, and the pacing is spot on. I found myself frantically reading each page to try to guess what would happen. I did like the way all the loose endings were tied up by the ending. There's nothing left to speculate which was a big plus in my book as I hate guessing what happened to each character. I like being told exactly what happens, and Kubica did just so.
I absolutely adored how each character was written. I could imagine each and every character in my mind. It was like I was right in the midst of the action with them. It was easy to imagine Meredith's husband Josh's panic when his wife and 6 year old daughter went missing. As a mother of a 6 year old myself, I think I would just go crazy! I could also feel Meredith's pain when things started to really go wrong for her. I really just wanted to be a friend to her because she seemed really sweet and down to Earth. Bea and Kate were two of my favorite characters. I thought they had such a great relationship, and I thought they were really great people for being so helping and warm towards everyone when things when Meredith and Delilah went missing. I enjoyed reading things from Kate's point of view to piece together everything that was going on after Meredith and Delilah went missing. Reading Leo's point of view was the most interesting for me. It was eye opening to see how having his sister and mom missing affected him. I really wanted to adopt little Leo as my own because reading what he endured really broke my heart at times.
Trigger warnings for Local Woman Missing include profanity, cheating on spouses, child abuse, kidnapping, violence, death, mentions of suicide, and drunk driving.
All in all, Local Woman Missing checks all the boxes to be a successful thriller such as a fascinating plot with a plethora of twists at turns throughout. I would definitely recommend Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica to those aged 18+ who love to expect the unexpected. This book will not leave you disappointed one bit.
As soon as I started reading Local Woman Missing, I was instantly transported inside the book. I kept trying to piece together what happened to Shelby, Delilah, and Meredith just to find out I was totally wrong each time. That's one of the beautiful things about this book, there are so many twists and turns! I loved all the plot twists which there were plenty. Just when it looked like one mystery was solved, the author would through in a twist. I loved how Mary Kubica had us going back and forth between present time to eleven years earlier when Meredith, Shelby, and Delilah all went missing. The world building is done fantastically, and the pacing is spot on. I found myself frantically reading each page to try to guess what would happen. I did like the way all the loose endings were tied up by the ending. There's nothing left to speculate which was a big plus in my book as I hate guessing what happened to each character. I like being told exactly what happens, and Kubica did just so.
I absolutely adored how each character was written. I could imagine each and every character in my mind. It was like I was right in the midst of the action with them. It was easy to imagine Meredith's husband Josh's panic when his wife and 6 year old daughter went missing. As a mother of a 6 year old myself, I think I would just go crazy! I could also feel Meredith's pain when things started to really go wrong for her. I really just wanted to be a friend to her because she seemed really sweet and down to Earth. Bea and Kate were two of my favorite characters. I thought they had such a great relationship, and I thought they were really great people for being so helping and warm towards everyone when things when Meredith and Delilah went missing. I enjoyed reading things from Kate's point of view to piece together everything that was going on after Meredith and Delilah went missing. Reading Leo's point of view was the most interesting for me. It was eye opening to see how having his sister and mom missing affected him. I really wanted to adopt little Leo as my own because reading what he endured really broke my heart at times.
Trigger warnings for Local Woman Missing include profanity, cheating on spouses, child abuse, kidnapping, violence, death, mentions of suicide, and drunk driving.
All in all, Local Woman Missing checks all the boxes to be a successful thriller such as a fascinating plot with a plethora of twists at turns throughout. I would definitely recommend Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica to those aged 18+ who love to expect the unexpected. This book will not leave you disappointed one bit.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Tolkien (2019) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019 (Updated Sep 25, 2019)
Tolkien shows us a snapshot of the author's younger years from orphan to student, from soldier to scholar. I don't know much about his history but I'm familiar with the estate and I was surprised that this went through without their blessing. Not knowing the background I can't say how much is true and how much is artistic license, and sadly in this instance, I'm really not too bothered about finding out. Other biopics have left me with a desire to find out more about the subject matter but this left me rather indifferent about it.
It's not a wildly exciting life story that's captured in the film, what I found more compelling was the way that the creative process was depicted. The way they used visuals to connect everything in his life to his stories was beautifully done. The war scenes are stunning in their simplicity, seeing the colours against the stark backgrounds was incredible and I love how they managed to weave his visions into them. The mist effect was particularly well done.
I love the idea that Tolkien saw all these ideas in what most people would dismiss as life or a trick of the light. At the beginning of the film we see his mother telling the brother a story with the use of a zoetrope. (I'm not sure it's technically a zoetrope, do let me know what it is if I'm wrong.) The way they managed to create the feeling of life in those projections was mesmerising.
I'm quite aware that I haven't mentioned a single member of the cast yet. To be honest, I think I was so engrossed in the visuals that the rest of it was just kind of... there.
I found it difficult to keep track of who was who in his fellowship. I couldn't have told you their names or their individual niches. In fact, near the end I realised I'd got one of their names wrong the entire way through my notes.
Nicholas Hoult isn't an actor I'm particularly excited for in films, he is a consistent performer but I don't think I've seen anything that's wowed me. As Tolkien thought he did bring some surprisingly emotional elements... I definitely hadn't expected to cry at this screening. If I'd have been Edith in the moment where she asks him to tell her a story I'd have fallen in love with him on the spot, it had me leaning in intrigued to see him working everything out.
Visually, the movie is stunning and the feeling it creates is perfect, but everything else in the film felt very non-descript, and a lot of it seemed like it just had a place to make you link it to his writings. Tolkien is more of a nostalgic trip down memory lane than a biopic.
What you should do
The visuals on the big screen were amazing, but I don't think there's enough going on in the rest of the film to warrant a trip to the cinema for it. Try and catch it when it's available on home release though.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The ability to create a wall of ideas without getting annoyed that nothing was lined up straight.
It's not a wildly exciting life story that's captured in the film, what I found more compelling was the way that the creative process was depicted. The way they used visuals to connect everything in his life to his stories was beautifully done. The war scenes are stunning in their simplicity, seeing the colours against the stark backgrounds was incredible and I love how they managed to weave his visions into them. The mist effect was particularly well done.
I love the idea that Tolkien saw all these ideas in what most people would dismiss as life or a trick of the light. At the beginning of the film we see his mother telling the brother a story with the use of a zoetrope. (I'm not sure it's technically a zoetrope, do let me know what it is if I'm wrong.) The way they managed to create the feeling of life in those projections was mesmerising.
I'm quite aware that I haven't mentioned a single member of the cast yet. To be honest, I think I was so engrossed in the visuals that the rest of it was just kind of... there.
I found it difficult to keep track of who was who in his fellowship. I couldn't have told you their names or their individual niches. In fact, near the end I realised I'd got one of their names wrong the entire way through my notes.
Nicholas Hoult isn't an actor I'm particularly excited for in films, he is a consistent performer but I don't think I've seen anything that's wowed me. As Tolkien thought he did bring some surprisingly emotional elements... I definitely hadn't expected to cry at this screening. If I'd have been Edith in the moment where she asks him to tell her a story I'd have fallen in love with him on the spot, it had me leaning in intrigued to see him working everything out.
Visually, the movie is stunning and the feeling it creates is perfect, but everything else in the film felt very non-descript, and a lot of it seemed like it just had a place to make you link it to his writings. Tolkien is more of a nostalgic trip down memory lane than a biopic.
What you should do
The visuals on the big screen were amazing, but I don't think there's enough going on in the rest of the film to warrant a trip to the cinema for it. Try and catch it when it's available on home release though.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The ability to create a wall of ideas without getting annoyed that nothing was lined up straight.
Debbiereadsbook (1441 KP) rated Blood King (Heart Stones #1) in Books
May 4, 2022
Left with so many questions but so bloody good!!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarain, I was gifted my copy of this book.
I'm not gonna write a bit about this book. I'm not gonna rehash any sort of plot line, but what I am gonna say is this:
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!
Sayle has a particular way of messing with my head, she leaves me with question after question. Mostly, questions I cannot voice, but my head knows it has questions and Sayle drives me freaking nuts about it!
So, once I got over my spit-your-dummy-out, throw-your-toys-out-the-pram and I'll-scream-and-scream-and-scream-until-I'm-sick kind of tantrum, here's what I thought about this book.
So good, this first book in a new series, a very different book than of late for Sayle and I read this and flung my kindle at the wall and my partner looked at me like I grew a third head!
Why, you ask? Because questions, people, I have a lot, A LOT of freaking questions about this book and it's taken me 3 days to manage to write something about this book that actually makes sense!
I am, however, fairly certain that I will not be the only one why has questions, hell, I'm not even sure if Sayle has all the questions, let alone the answers to everything that was NOT said here.
Because while you get everything you need about Aion and Shiesha NOW, there is much, so (I really wanna use the Fword here but some sites don't like that, but I need to stress the point!) freaking MUCH, that is not said. About who Aion and Shiesha are running from, about what happened to Aion's family, about who Shiesha really is, about WHAT he is! And those bloody monks? Cryptic or what! But those monks, I understood. They are bound by a higher power and sworn to secrecy. Aion and Shiesha have all the answers, they just need to listen to their hearts to find them.
And then we get to the ending! A cliff hanger, people, of massive proportions! I knew this was coming, the blurb says so, but still. I had 10 minutes left in the book and then it was finished and sheesh, I was not happy! There is a teeny tiny bit that happens next, a bit of an epilogue slash sneak peak but I would rather have not had that, to be honest! I think it would have had a bigger reaction from people to not have that sneak peak, and I am left a little . . .annoyed . . .maybe. . . by it! I don't know WHY, but book feelings, people, I'm sharing my book feelings!
Anyway!
Because I have questions;
because I read it in one sitting;
because I threw my kindle at the wall (and it's been a long ass time since I did that!)
because of that freaking cliff hanger;
because, even, of that sneak peek;
because it's my review and I can. . .
5 freaking amazing stars!
But write quicker, Ms Sayle.
Write.
Quicker.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
I'm not gonna write a bit about this book. I'm not gonna rehash any sort of plot line, but what I am gonna say is this:
ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!
Sayle has a particular way of messing with my head, she leaves me with question after question. Mostly, questions I cannot voice, but my head knows it has questions and Sayle drives me freaking nuts about it!
So, once I got over my spit-your-dummy-out, throw-your-toys-out-the-pram and I'll-scream-and-scream-and-scream-until-I'm-sick kind of tantrum, here's what I thought about this book.
So good, this first book in a new series, a very different book than of late for Sayle and I read this and flung my kindle at the wall and my partner looked at me like I grew a third head!
Why, you ask? Because questions, people, I have a lot, A LOT of freaking questions about this book and it's taken me 3 days to manage to write something about this book that actually makes sense!
I am, however, fairly certain that I will not be the only one why has questions, hell, I'm not even sure if Sayle has all the questions, let alone the answers to everything that was NOT said here.
Because while you get everything you need about Aion and Shiesha NOW, there is much, so (I really wanna use the Fword here but some sites don't like that, but I need to stress the point!) freaking MUCH, that is not said. About who Aion and Shiesha are running from, about what happened to Aion's family, about who Shiesha really is, about WHAT he is! And those bloody monks? Cryptic or what! But those monks, I understood. They are bound by a higher power and sworn to secrecy. Aion and Shiesha have all the answers, they just need to listen to their hearts to find them.
And then we get to the ending! A cliff hanger, people, of massive proportions! I knew this was coming, the blurb says so, but still. I had 10 minutes left in the book and then it was finished and sheesh, I was not happy! There is a teeny tiny bit that happens next, a bit of an epilogue slash sneak peak but I would rather have not had that, to be honest! I think it would have had a bigger reaction from people to not have that sneak peak, and I am left a little . . .annoyed . . .maybe. . . by it! I don't know WHY, but book feelings, people, I'm sharing my book feelings!
Anyway!
Because I have questions;
because I read it in one sitting;
because I threw my kindle at the wall (and it's been a long ass time since I did that!)
because of that freaking cliff hanger;
because, even, of that sneak peek;
because it's my review and I can. . .
5 freaking amazing stars!
But write quicker, Ms Sayle.
Write.
Quicker.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Debbiereadsbook (1441 KP) rated Reveal (Hidden Cove Season4, #4) in Books
Sep 29, 2019
bloody LOVED this book!
I was gifted the audio file of this book, that I write a review was not required, but I gotta, oh yeah, I GOTTA!!
I have not READ this book, just listened, so if my review lines blur, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I can split the narration from the story itself, and I ususally at least TRY to.
Jason is a geek, a rocket scientist for God’s sake. Channing, a firefighter. They really don’t have much in common, other than a childhood of living next door to each other. So when Channing rescues Jason from the taunting that is a constant in his life from the guys at work, Jason does the only thing he thinks of, and asks Channing to be his *fake* boyfriend for a weekend work retreat. And Channing, the darling that he is, of course, says yes!
Oh! I LOVED these guys! I really did!
Jason is out and mostly proud. The guys at work make it hard for him though. Channing has only ever been with girls. But he thinks nothing of touching Jason, kissing him! Channing is, quite possibly, my favourite Ms Welch character! I loved how, while things creep up on Channing, when he questions them, to his best friend, Remi is, like *duh* well of course you are bisexual, you silly man!
When it all hits the fan, and their *fake* relationship is discovered, I loved how both men, separately and independently of each other, decided that they would wait for the other to make their own minds up, whether they wanted *this* to be real. Even if it meant they broke their hearts and had to walk away from the other. They did, of course they did, but it was painful but beautiful listening, as Jason dug deep into himself and found his TRUE self, not the one he THOUGHT he should be.
Nick J Russo narrates this book. And he does a cracking job!
His voices for Jason and Channing are different and distinctive, showing the marked differences in the lives so far. His reading voice is clear and even, and its part of why I love this narrator so much: his deep clear reading voice. You know the one, the one is telling the story. It makes for such easy listening, to a deaf head like me.
The voices for ALL the characters are clear, and I had no trouble keeping up with multi person conversations. I am intrigued by several of the supporting cast now, simply because of the voices that Russo gives them here! Remi and Kris especially! Harrison too.
Russo gets over all of Jason wish that they can work this out, that it be real. He gets over all of Channing’s dawning realisation of his true feelings for Jason, and we get all that love pouring out.
A narrator can only read the words they have been given, though and Ms Welch smashes this one out the park! Well, that was what I *THOUGHT* when I finished listening to this, I thought this was my favourite of this author so far. But before writing THIS review, I read Homeward Bound (Pine Cove #3) and now?? I can’t split them!
So, thank you, Ms Welch, for making the start of my work day a little more pleasant and thank you to Mr Russo for bringing these men to my ear (singular, like, cos one don’t work!)
5 full and oh so very cute stars for the book and the narration.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
I have not READ this book, just listened, so if my review lines blur, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I can split the narration from the story itself, and I ususally at least TRY to.
Jason is a geek, a rocket scientist for God’s sake. Channing, a firefighter. They really don’t have much in common, other than a childhood of living next door to each other. So when Channing rescues Jason from the taunting that is a constant in his life from the guys at work, Jason does the only thing he thinks of, and asks Channing to be his *fake* boyfriend for a weekend work retreat. And Channing, the darling that he is, of course, says yes!
Oh! I LOVED these guys! I really did!
Jason is out and mostly proud. The guys at work make it hard for him though. Channing has only ever been with girls. But he thinks nothing of touching Jason, kissing him! Channing is, quite possibly, my favourite Ms Welch character! I loved how, while things creep up on Channing, when he questions them, to his best friend, Remi is, like *duh* well of course you are bisexual, you silly man!
When it all hits the fan, and their *fake* relationship is discovered, I loved how both men, separately and independently of each other, decided that they would wait for the other to make their own minds up, whether they wanted *this* to be real. Even if it meant they broke their hearts and had to walk away from the other. They did, of course they did, but it was painful but beautiful listening, as Jason dug deep into himself and found his TRUE self, not the one he THOUGHT he should be.
Nick J Russo narrates this book. And he does a cracking job!
His voices for Jason and Channing are different and distinctive, showing the marked differences in the lives so far. His reading voice is clear and even, and its part of why I love this narrator so much: his deep clear reading voice. You know the one, the one is telling the story. It makes for such easy listening, to a deaf head like me.
The voices for ALL the characters are clear, and I had no trouble keeping up with multi person conversations. I am intrigued by several of the supporting cast now, simply because of the voices that Russo gives them here! Remi and Kris especially! Harrison too.
Russo gets over all of Jason wish that they can work this out, that it be real. He gets over all of Channing’s dawning realisation of his true feelings for Jason, and we get all that love pouring out.
A narrator can only read the words they have been given, though and Ms Welch smashes this one out the park! Well, that was what I *THOUGHT* when I finished listening to this, I thought this was my favourite of this author so far. But before writing THIS review, I read Homeward Bound (Pine Cove #3) and now?? I can’t split them!
So, thank you, Ms Welch, for making the start of my work day a little more pleasant and thank you to Mr Russo for bringing these men to my ear (singular, like, cos one don’t work!)
5 full and oh so very cute stars for the book and the narration.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated An Anonymous Girl in Books
Jan 25, 2019
An Anonymous Girl
Review can also be found on www.diaryofdifference.com
If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?
The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.
But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.
”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”
I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.
Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.
We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.
It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.
I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.
The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.
And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.
”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”
I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.
At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
If someone offered you $500 to answer a few personal questions and stay anonymous, would you do it?
The makeup artist, Jessica Farris goes into a client’s house to do her job. Just the usual. And then she hears her teenage client mentioning the survey that gives you huge amounts of money for a few anonymous questions. When the teenager says she won’t be able to attend, and she is too lazy to let them know, Jessica decided to use this chance and go instead.
But what happens when after a few simple questions a woman starts telling her deepest secrets? And the money will increase, but so will the difficulty of the tasks she needs to do.
”It’s easy to judge other people’s choices.”
I was hyped about this book before I even started to read it. I read the synopsis, and it intrigued me from the very first moment. Of all the mysteries and thrillers, I have enjoyed the psychological the most. Something about how a twisted mind works triggers my pleasure senses. It’s creepy, but I wish you all get that feeling for a genre.
Right after the first chapter of the book I was satisfied, and happy. This book was all I needed right then, and it just kept getting better and better.
We get to meet Jessica and see how she thinks, follow her as she answers question after question, revealing secret after a secret. With each question, and each task, and each secret being revealed, the book kept becoming darker and darker, better and better.
It reminded me of the Harry Potter series, with the content getting darker after time. If you remember the first Harry Potter book, it is Children’s fiction, but the significantly darker compared to the first. Same happens with the movies as well.
I loved the questions that were asked on the survey – they are really meant to make you think through and try and give your answers.
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?
Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?
The relationship between the people in this book is twisted. It’s all about playing games. It’s all about the cat and mouse chase. As much as I loved it, it also annoyed me at times, as I wanted it to stop.
The twists, cliff hangers and unexpected moments were brilliant. Pure skill, I tell you that. I haven’t been so surprised, excited, thrilled at the same time by any book I’ve recently read.
And with such twisted moments, and thrills throughout the book, and chapters ending leaving you breathless, you would expect the most thrilling ending.
I did. I expected it.
And I was very disappointed. It ended… rather bland. Like a Sunday Roast without gravy.
”We all have reasons for our actions. Even if we hide the reason from those who think they know us best. Even if the reasons are so deeply buried we can’t recognise them ourselves.”
I have a hard time judging this book now, as it was all hype and thrill, until it stopped dead. Maybe the authors wanted to ensure that we experiences exactly this feeling – I am not sure. Maybe for such a twisted book, calmness is all it needs to end with. I’ll leave this judgement up to you, as you experience the book and its ending on your own.
At this time, I feel like giving it 4 stars, as the ending was the only things that bothered me. This book is still a gem, and deserves to be read by people that enjoy psychological thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for giving me a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review
BookInspector (124 KP) rated An Engineered Injustice (Philadelphia Legal, #2) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More reviews at https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
Wow, it felt like watching one of those court TV series, which sucks you in, and you want to binge watch all the seasons at once. 😀
The protagonist in this novel was Vaughn, most probably not a very likable person by the society, because he is a defense lawyer. I really liked him in this book though, he sounded like a hero to me 😀 There were a wide variety of characters to choose from, and all of them were quite diverse and very intriguing personalities. Even though there were so many characters, I didn’t get lost in who was who, the author described them all pretty well, I think. I really enjoyed, that author used multiple perspectives to tell the story, it allowed me, as a reader, to understand the characters way better.
I really like trains and somehow this story felt close to my heart. I loved the narrative of this book, and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns, which author had to offer. The villains were given away throughout the book, and there was no surprise effect there, but the whole finding out process and proving Eddy’s innocence was what kept me glued to this book. It was very amusing to read a book, where author’s confidence and experience just shines through. There is plenty of legal terms in this novel, but for me it was a plus, just showed that author knows what he was talking about.
I personally think that Mr. Myers is a very gifted writer, and I loved his writing style in this book, it seems difficult, but for me, it was pretty understandable and easy to read. I really enjoyed the structure of the chapters, it didn’t drag to me, wasn’t too long and was divided into smaller parts. I really liked the setting of this book as well, it has this American spirit about it, and I really loved that. The ending of this novel rounded the whole story very nicely and I loved the outcome. So to conclude, if you like to watch court dramas, do give this book a try, it has very amusing and interesting characters and quite twisty and unexpected narrative. I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 😀
Wow, it felt like watching one of those court TV series, which sucks you in, and you want to binge watch all the seasons at once. 😀
The protagonist in this novel was Vaughn, most probably not a very likable person by the society, because he is a defense lawyer. I really liked him in this book though, he sounded like a hero to me 😀 There were a wide variety of characters to choose from, and all of them were quite diverse and very intriguing personalities. Even though there were so many characters, I didn’t get lost in who was who, the author described them all pretty well, I think. I really enjoyed, that author used multiple perspectives to tell the story, it allowed me, as a reader, to understand the characters way better.
I really like trains and somehow this story felt close to my heart. I loved the narrative of this book, and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns, which author had to offer. The villains were given away throughout the book, and there was no surprise effect there, but the whole finding out process and proving Eddy’s innocence was what kept me glued to this book. It was very amusing to read a book, where author’s confidence and experience just shines through. There is plenty of legal terms in this novel, but for me it was a plus, just showed that author knows what he was talking about.
I personally think that Mr. Myers is a very gifted writer, and I loved his writing style in this book, it seems difficult, but for me, it was pretty understandable and easy to read. I really enjoyed the structure of the chapters, it didn’t drag to me, wasn’t too long and was divided into smaller parts. I really liked the setting of this book as well, it has this American spirit about it, and I really loved that. The ending of this novel rounded the whole story very nicely and I loved the outcome. So to conclude, if you like to watch court dramas, do give this book a try, it has very amusing and interesting characters and quite twisty and unexpected narrative. I do hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 😀
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Meg (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Further down the page you'll see that I've seen it again... of course I did... but that time I saw it in 2D. After trying both versions I'd say you should see it in 3D because the underwater scenes really do benefit from the extra wow factor.
This is the story of a poor shark living down under the bottom of the bottom of the ocean. Happily swimming around in the dark until some nosy old divers come down and set off his migraine with their bright lights. As he attempts to turn out all the lights and go back to his quiet life things just get worse. A rupture in the ocean floor sends him out into the ocean above he finds himself stuck up there surrounded by even more things that aren't going to help his migraine.
First he encounters the observatory with all of their bright lights, but he soon discovers that biting it is going to do nothing to help. He then encounters two whales who are jibber jabbering so loudly that it's setting his several hundred teeth on edge.
Clearly this isn't the section of ocean for him so he heads off for more open water... but of course he bumps into some rather vicious killers who are slicing up his little sharky pals... and he's having none of that and decides to dispense some bitey justice.
Finally, thinking he's got away from all these horrible fishermen and boats he finds himself swimming into some clearer waters. But what's this? Litter everywhere along the ocean floor?! Big plastic floaty things covering the surface?! This isn't the way the ocean should be treated. Some more, swift, bitey justice leads to the problem being cleared with very little effort.
This is the story of The Equalizer of the shark world.
This is also why we should start telling stories from the "baddies" point of view.
Regardless of how serious the film was designed to be it was very entertaining. Action, some great visuals, sharks chomping things, a dog, a bit of romance, Jason Statham looking buff. There wasn't anything I didn't love about this. It's exactly as predictable as you expect it to be and that's why it's good, you've got the anticipation of what you know is going to come, you just don't know in what order it'll be.
This is the story of a poor shark living down under the bottom of the bottom of the ocean. Happily swimming around in the dark until some nosy old divers come down and set off his migraine with their bright lights. As he attempts to turn out all the lights and go back to his quiet life things just get worse. A rupture in the ocean floor sends him out into the ocean above he finds himself stuck up there surrounded by even more things that aren't going to help his migraine.
First he encounters the observatory with all of their bright lights, but he soon discovers that biting it is going to do nothing to help. He then encounters two whales who are jibber jabbering so loudly that it's setting his several hundred teeth on edge.
Clearly this isn't the section of ocean for him so he heads off for more open water... but of course he bumps into some rather vicious killers who are slicing up his little sharky pals... and he's having none of that and decides to dispense some bitey justice.
Finally, thinking he's got away from all these horrible fishermen and boats he finds himself swimming into some clearer waters. But what's this? Litter everywhere along the ocean floor?! Big plastic floaty things covering the surface?! This isn't the way the ocean should be treated. Some more, swift, bitey justice leads to the problem being cleared with very little effort.
This is the story of The Equalizer of the shark world.
This is also why we should start telling stories from the "baddies" point of view.
Regardless of how serious the film was designed to be it was very entertaining. Action, some great visuals, sharks chomping things, a dog, a bit of romance, Jason Statham looking buff. There wasn't anything I didn't love about this. It's exactly as predictable as you expect it to be and that's why it's good, you've got the anticipation of what you know is going to come, you just don't know in what order it'll be.
Debbiereadsbook (1441 KP) rated Her Healing (Healing Duet #2) in Books
May 19, 2025
some on page violence to Harlow that you need to be aware of!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is the second book in the Healing Duet and you really MUST read book 1, Healing Her, before this one. It follows on and you need that book's story to follow what happens next.
Keiron will be Calvin's Beta, once he takes over the pack. Leaving for Aberdeen didn't quite turn out to be the week he expected. Finding his mate in the hands of a sex trafficking ring, was not on his to-do list! Harlow has been caught by an enemy unknown. Being rescued at the point she was, meant she could go home. But why was her wolf so hell bent on staying near the beta wolf who rescued the girls?
Now, I wasn't too impressed with book 1 in this duet, but book 2 was far FAR better.
There is some on page violence to Harlow, and you need to be aware of it. I do think it's necessary for the plot though, as much as I hated reading it. And the bad guy does get his comeuppance!
I loved that Keiron, while not happy, nor was his wolf, let Harlow decide whether she wanted to come to him, or not, after her recovery at home. her wolf wasn't happy to leave Keiron, but she knew they had to try to heal, at home. Once Harlow goes to Keiron, they both instantly start to feel better.
I didn't like what Paisleigh gets Harlow to do, but then again, as she says, she is a big girl and can make her own choices about her actions.
Again, first person, present tense and multi point of view. I didn't notice it quite so much here, maybe because I enjoyed this book more.
I did think I could see some other pairings between the supporting cast, and I wonder if there will be any more of this pack, I would enjoy catching up with them!
Oh one thing: it says that THIS book is some 70 pages shorter than book 1. I didn't find that, I thought this was a lot longer!
Still, a much better read than book 1, so. . .
4 solid stars
* same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is the second book in the Healing Duet and you really MUST read book 1, Healing Her, before this one. It follows on and you need that book's story to follow what happens next.
Keiron will be Calvin's Beta, once he takes over the pack. Leaving for Aberdeen didn't quite turn out to be the week he expected. Finding his mate in the hands of a sex trafficking ring, was not on his to-do list! Harlow has been caught by an enemy unknown. Being rescued at the point she was, meant she could go home. But why was her wolf so hell bent on staying near the beta wolf who rescued the girls?
Now, I wasn't too impressed with book 1 in this duet, but book 2 was far FAR better.
There is some on page violence to Harlow, and you need to be aware of it. I do think it's necessary for the plot though, as much as I hated reading it. And the bad guy does get his comeuppance!
I loved that Keiron, while not happy, nor was his wolf, let Harlow decide whether she wanted to come to him, or not, after her recovery at home. her wolf wasn't happy to leave Keiron, but she knew they had to try to heal, at home. Once Harlow goes to Keiron, they both instantly start to feel better.
I didn't like what Paisleigh gets Harlow to do, but then again, as she says, she is a big girl and can make her own choices about her actions.
Again, first person, present tense and multi point of view. I didn't notice it quite so much here, maybe because I enjoyed this book more.
I did think I could see some other pairings between the supporting cast, and I wonder if there will be any more of this pack, I would enjoy catching up with them!
Oh one thing: it says that THIS book is some 70 pages shorter than book 1. I didn't find that, I thought this was a lot longer!
Still, a much better read than book 1, so. . .
4 solid stars
* same worded review will appear elsewhere