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Seraph ( Society book 9)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
176 of 230
Kindle
Seraph ( Society book 9)
By Mason Sabre
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Every angel knows that when guarding demons, never, ever leave them alone. Not even for a second …. Amongst the highest ranking in the angelic hierarchy and most revered of all angels, Nina is lucky to be able to call herself one of the Seraphim. She is indeed blessed. Or so she should have been …. Having been tasked with the job of guarding stones in which rogue demons are incarcerated, Nina is decidedly bored. She finds herself wishing for a more exciting life, a more challenging position. She longs to prove herself as a Seraph and earn more respect and veneration. So, when a chaos demon unexpectedly escapes his captivity, Nina takes it upon herself to hunt him down and bring him in on her own. Being subjected to rebuke from the senior ranking Seraphim, or worse, being seen as incompetent, is not an appealing notion. However, as she crosses over into the worldly realm and begins her quest, she discovers things are not as simple as she believed …. If you like fast-paced urban fantasy filled with terrifying demons, powerful angels and dark supernatural forces, then you’ll love the latest novella in Mason Sabre’s Society Series. Immerse yourself in this unusual paranormal world today.

I absolutely love this series! These side stories are so so good! Nina is brilliant I love that we are getting to know the angels now! Definitely a series I’d highly recommend!
  
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
Ellen Datlow | 2009 | Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
56 of 250
Book
The Best Horror of the Year Volume 1
Edited by Ellen Datlow

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments!

I will post in comments a short comment on each story!

An Air Force Loadmaster is menaced by strange sounds within his cargo; a man is asked to track down a childhood friend... who died years earlier; doomed pioneers forge a path westward as a young mother discovers her true nature; an alcoholic strikes a dangerous bargain with a gregarious stranger; urban explorers delve into a ruined book depository, finding more than they anticipated; residents of a rural Wisconsin town defend against a legendary monster; a woman wracked by survivor's guilt is haunted by the ghosts of a tragic crash; a detective strives to solve the mystery of a dismembered girl; an orphan returns to a wicked witch's candy house; a group of smugglers find themselves buried to the necks in sand; an unanticipated guest brings doom to a high-class party; a teacher attempts to lead his students to safety as the world comes to an end around them...

What frightens us, what unnerves us? What causes that delicious shiver of fear to travel the lengths of our spines? It seems the answer changes every year. Every year the bar is raised; the screw is tightened. Ellen Datlow knows what scares us; the twenty-one stories and poems included in this anthology were chosen from magazines, webzines, anthologies, literary journals, and single author collections to represent the best horror of the year.

Legendary editor Ellen Datlow (Poe: New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe), winner of multiple Hugo, Bram Stoker, and World Fantasy awards, joins Night Shade Books in presenting The Best Horror of the Year, Volume One.

1. Cargo by E.Michael Lewis
So chilling and so sad! This is short I dedication to the families of those children in Jonestown and the men and women who brought the bodies home.

2. If Angels Fight by Richard Bowes
This is about a man searching for his friend who was possessed by an Angel. On this journey you see and find out that this Angel left his friend and left a trail behind him to follow. His family never gave up he managed to find his friend and Angel Michael and return him to his home one last time. Only question was did he bring him home to find his sister to posses or to say goodbye to his mother?.

3. The Clay Party by Steve Duffy
A group of settlers embark on a journey for a new life in California in 1846, the journey does not go as expected. I was a bit bored at the beginning but certainly had a twist at the end.

4. Penguins of the Apocalypse by William Browning Spencer
This is brilliant! A man fighting his personal battles with alcohol! Now is the pulka and penguin freedom movement real or a fragment of his imagination while under the influence? Either way it was entertaining!

5. Esmeralda by Glen Hirshberg
This is a very strange little story involving the end of all books,pens and paper! Very odd!

6. The Hodog by Trent Hergenrader
A good old fashioned urban legend!

7. Very Low Flying Aircraft by Nicholas Royle
Not one for me didnt really grip me.

8. When the Gentlemen Go By. By Margaret Ronald
This was a bit chilling and I would love to have read more about these “Gentlemen” who come at night to make bargains!

9. The Lagerstatte by Laird Barron
Grief does strange things to our minds and body! This was quite chilling.

10. Harry and the Monkey by Euan Harvey

This really plays on every fear a parent has when their kids go missing especially in a place and time where children are vanishing!

11 Dress Circle by Miranda Siemeinowicz

12. The Rising River. By Daniel Kaysen
This was strange and after reading it I’m still not sure what’s happening 😂😂

13 Loup-Garou by R.B. Russell
I enjoyed this strange litte story set in my hometown of Birmingham. A little french film causes a little drama in this mans life.

14. Girl in pieces by Graham Edwards
This was my favourite! So far fetched into a world of monsters a detective helps a Golum save a girl cut to pieces! So much fun

15 It washed up by Joe R. Lonsdale
Wow how to pack a punch in 2 pages! Loved it!

16 The Man from the Peak by Adam Golaski
Brilliant short full of mystery blood and gore! Very well written.

17. The Narrows by Simon Bestwick
This actually chilled me I’d hate sending my child to school and have something like this happen which of course is totally possible.

I loved this book of small tales and discovering those writers I wouldn’t normally be exposed too!
  
If You Dare (The Lightkeepers, #2)
If You Dare (The Lightkeepers, #2)
Erica Spindler | 2017 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
🌟🌟🌟🌟 Fabulous Stars.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/one-way-or-an-author-review_zpsphyl14uy.png.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/one-way-or-an-author-review_zpsphyl14uy.png~original"; border="0" alt=" photo one-way-or-an-author-review_zpsphyl14uy.png"/></a>

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com

I didn't realise If You Dare (The Lightkeepers #2) By Erica Splinder was the second book in this series.
It probably would have been better to read book one first despite this "If You Dare" was very easy to interpret and told the back-story of this series splendidly.
Now You could technically read this as a standalone, but my recommendation would be start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start usually ha ha.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/images%203_zps3qrbdz7u.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/images%203_zps3qrbdz7u.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo images 3_zps3qrbdz7u.jpg"/></a>
Now after playing some catch up I quickly fell into the story of dark and light bearers and the age old battle of good versus evil.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/Starved-Rock_zpse4w1zaf3.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/Starved-Rock_zpse4w1zaf3.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo Starved-Rock_zpse4w1zaf3.jpg"/></a>
Erica Spindler has really managed to create a vivid world that was so easy to get absorbed into, immersing myself fully into this other domain.
The book picks up where the previous one leaves us.
we have Our two detectives, Mikki, who has recovered from her injuries but is feeling that a lot is being kept from her, she feels on the outside partially, out in the cold, but not understanding exactly why.
Then there's her partner Zach who is half/ half lighter but is much more in the picture regarding information sharing and has been ordered to keep stum. keeping his partner in the dark is something he struggles with as well as certain feelings towards Mikki he so shouldn't be entertaining.
There's also Angel eighteen and struggling with her independence and Mikki's set boundaries, A Rebellious teenager in love for the first time with the mysterious Seth who comes with a very creepy but rich uncle.
This whole story is a puzzle with the pieces just waiting to be slotted together and everybody has a part to play in the bigger picture.
There are so many interesting and diverse secondary character's in this tale as well as the three main players Mikki, Zach and Angel. I love that we get to crawl inside this trios heads seeing different interpretations of events as they unfolded.
All the characters here were fleshed out well and the story just flowed for me effortlessly, keeping my attention throughout.
I found reading If You Dare an enjoyable experience and I would be happy to recommend it to others, my only advice would be Start at book one first before proceeding to the Finish line makes things a whole lot easier overall.
<a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/rosella1974/media/start-and-finish_zpsnsodo1jc.jpg.html"; target="_blank"><img src="http://i1376.photobucket.com/albums/ah5/rosella1974/start-and-finish_zpsnsodo1jc.jpg~original"; border="0" alt=" photo start-and-finish_zpsnsodo1jc.jpg"/></a>
Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of If You Dare, this is my own honest and unbiased opinion.

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.beckiebookworm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
  
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

May 14, 2019 (Updated Dec 15, 2019)  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
A refreshing, and often humourous entry into the otherwise troubled DCEU
Contains spoilers, click to show
I went into Shazam! with low expectations, after not being particularly taken with the majority of past DCEU films.

I left feeling pretty positive about the whole goofy experience.

As with most DC material, the film starts on a fairly dark note, introducing us to a young Dr Sivana (a truly old school super villain, dating all the way back to the late 30s).
After a bit of back story as to why he gets all villainy, the movie wastes no time introducing us to Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and the rest of his foster family, and the movie succeeds in making all of the younger characters likable.

After a bit of comic book magic, we're eventually acquainted with the true power of Shazam!
Zachary Levi absolutely shines as he clearly relishes in playing this goofy, excitable teenager trapped in the body of a God. He bounces back and forth with Jack Dylan Grazer pretty well, and for the most part the relentless stream of jokes land nicely.

The film starts to waiver slightly towards the end, as the story hurtles towards a standard comic book movie CGI showdown, with a by the numbers comic book movie performance from Mark Strong, and some sketchy CGI cloud monsters, but it's hard not to grin with the surprise introduction of the Shazam! family (something I would surely expect from a sequel).

Shazam! also struggles at times to balance it's humour with it's more serious beats, but for the most part is an enjoyable origin story that the whole family can enjoy.
  
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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Aaliyah in Books

Nov 8, 2019  
Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Katrina Cope | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When her mother was healed by angels shortly before she was born, Aaliyah has been able to heal others, both physically and mentally. In particular she helps out her friend Duan, a unique child born of both demon and angel.

Her sheltered existence is a great concern to her mother, and so she takes her young family away from their monastery home - and Duan - in order the live a 'normal' life. But Aaliyah can't help using her power, and draws unwanted attention to the family.

This book is the start of a new series, albeit one firmly rooted in Cope's Afterlife series. However it is not necessary to have read that series, nor the Witch's Legacy book which provides some additional background.

As usual with Cope's books it is the characters that shine out, everyone from Aaliyah and Duan to the villagers who are just desperate for Aaliyah's healing touch are realised perfectly. As the stakes are raised, not least by a dreadful prophesy and dark forces who want to use her gift for their own ends, both Aaliyah and Duan must decide where they belong and who they need the most.

As the story unfolds the stakes are skillfully raised, drawing the reader along, genuinely fearing for the fates of the main characters at each step. Sometimes it was hard to turn the page, knowing that the characters you have been getting to know so well will almost definitely end up coming to harm.

In this book Cope has managed to take the elements of angels, witches and shapeshifters and combined them into an engrossing and thrilling read that will appeal to young adults of all ages.
  
My wife was the assistant manager of the little community shop in All Cannings (a small village in Wiltshire) and the author was a regular customer. When he couldn't get any interest in his story set around the village from a publisher he decided to publish it himself - and so we are the proud owners of a copy of this work. It doesn't feature any cover art - the book is simply white with the title writtien in black writing, something that is more effective and chilling than any picture could be.

Written for young adults, this tells the story of a group of friends who investigate the appearance of an 'angel' - a white mark on the hillside near their home, which intriguingly they are warned away from by some officials. The area is famous for its crop circles and soon it becomes clear there is a link between crop circles and secret military testing. Despite the danger the children pursue the truth.

The plot works well with the children (and the reader) wanting to find out more as each part of the conspiracy is uncovered and it is immensely readable. The children are likeable and the adults they encounter are by turns helpful and friendly or threatening and scary.

There are faults - the children sometimes act older than their ages and there is an event late in the book which is morally questionable. But overall this is a very sound and credible novel. It is such a shame that it was written a few years before eBooks took off, when it might have seen a much wider audience.
  
Devil&#039;s Paw (Imp, #4)
Devil's Paw (Imp, #4)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review and more can be found at my blog https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com

A Romance Reader's Reviews

3.5 stars.

This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited library.

Once again, this is a book that has been on my wish list on Amazon for several years. 2017, I think, when I read an anthology containing books 1-3 and really enjoyed them.

This one starts with Sam preparing for Wyatt's birthday. She's got him a special gift - his sister that was stolen at birth and switched with a changeling. Wyatt is over the moon at having his real sister back and is determined to help her get used to life in the human world.

On another note, Sam is now the Iblis and has to write reports for every human she kills - both accidentally and on purpose - and go before the board of Angels to explain herself. One of these times is after she is attacked by an angel, a mage and two human thugs working together. Yet no one believes her claims.

On yet another note is that someone or something is killing demons and devouring their souls, leaving behind their husk all over the Americas and Sam is the prime suspect. Gregory eventually believes her and tries to clear her name.

I've been wanting something to happen between Sam and Gregory for a while in this series, so I was very happy indeed when things progressed in this one.

I'm not going to go into any more detail but that ending has me wanting to read the next one. I need to know what happens next with Sam and co.
  
Harder They Come Soundtrack by Jimmy Cliff
Harder They Come Soundtrack by Jimmy Cliff
1972 | Rock
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"The film was shown at an all-nighter at the Screen On The Green at the Angel, and for teenage boys the film was great, a bit of James Dean-like rebellion… but the soundtrack, fucking hell, it’s just relentless! ‘Pressure Drop’, ‘Many Rivers To Cross’, ‘The Harder They Come’, ‘Johnny Too Bad’, on and on, every single track’s a winner. And that’s still an album I can put on, absolutely no problem, day or night. At one of our Madstocks we got Desmond Dekker and Toots (Hibbert) to come on and do ‘54-46 (Was My Number)’, and they were loving it, to the point that it’s a very hard song to end, cos it’s just a riff, so by the time we’d played it the fourteenth time, an hour and a half had gone by and they were still happily skipping around… Also, at the first Madstock, we were on the tour bus and our manager said “There’s a feller here who says he’s Prince Buster“. So we were like “Fucking hell, who knows, it might be him, let him on“, and it was! We’d got the name of our band from him, our first single was about him, we’d recorded his songs, but we’d never met him… and suddenly, at our revival in 1992, there he was! So we got him onstage to sing ‘Madness’ with us, and he was a charming man. I think for those chaps it’s a double-edged sword, because they were happy that we gave their music the oxygen of publicity, but at the same time we were making all the flippin’ dough out of it."

Source
  
Sundays at Tiffany&#039;s
Sundays at Tiffany's
James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.2 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
James Patterson never ceases to amaze me. I read this book in a matter of hours.

when Jane's imaginary friend, Michael, leaves and promises that she'll forget him, Jane is heartbroken. She goes through her life, seemingly in mediocrety, until one day after a terrible break-up with her crappy-boyfriend (dude, you so had it coming.), she visits her favorite childhood restaurant and is bombarded by memories of Michael.

then she looks across the room and sees him.

and then it takes off. Jane changes her life, no longer afraid to be who she really is. Michael calls into question who he is, and struggles through his own identity crisis--is he human, or angel, or something else? and why didn't Jane's "imaginary" experience go the way it was supposed to?

but then Michael realizes his mission in New York--and his whole world comes crashing down. how is he supposed to do this, and how is he supposed to live with it?

the whole time reading this book, i kept thinking questions. for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won't tell you what they were. one of them was "will he forget, like he did with all his other past experiences?" I couldn't see a way out of the climax... but the ending was all too sweet. i squealed (don't believe me? my sister was in the room at the time. ask her. it's true).

all in all, this book is a treasure to me. it's staying on my bookshelf where it belongs, i won't ever sell it or give it away (yeah, you can borrow it if you really want to. be careful of the pages.). maybe i loved it more than anyone else ever has, because of a strange connection I share with Jane Margaux. my imaginary friend's name was Michael, too.
  
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
2019 | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Amazing world building (1 more)
Jaw dropping special effects
The love story kind of let it down (0 more)
A master class in science fiction
So I saw this movie Friday and I loved it ,this is the kind of movie you have to see on the biggest screen possible ,and beautiful to look at ,I completely forgot that the character of ALITA is completely rendered in I computer there are times where you swear that ALITA is a real human being ,the action is top notch it has some of the most exciting action set pieces I've seen in a movie period especially the motor ball scene ,it was a joy to watch that entire scene play out and my mouth was on the floor the entire time ,that scene alone is worth the ticket admission,the acting is great across the board you could tell that everyone involved was passionate about this project and they wanted to make the best movie possible ,there is however an aspect of this movie I thought didn't work and that was the love story it felt it was unnecessary but it did pay off in the end ,I'm not going to go into spoilers because I believe the best way to see this spectacular movie is to go in knowing next to nothing and just experience it ,I will say this Alita battle angel is a fast paced ,epic ,science fiction adventure and I came out of the screening wanting more ,this movie is a passion project for James Cameron and you can really tell ,after seeing this I can't wait to see what he brings to the table with his avatar sequels..I loved this movie !!!!