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David McK (3562 KP) rated The Golem's Eye (Bartimaeus, #2) in Books

Jun 1, 2025

Second entry in Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy, set roughly two years after the previous 'The Amulet of Samarkand', and following roughly the same outline as before in that it frequently switches point of view between that of the young magician (who, here, are the ruling - and tyrannical - class) Nathaniel, the Djinni he summons (Bartimaeus) who also happens to know his summoners real name (and thus has blackmail material over said summoner) and now also the ringleader of the Resistance Kathleen 'Kitty' Jones.

Here, Nathaniel - who goes by the name of John Mandrake - is charged with uncovering the origin of disturbances in his modern-day-ish London, which he initially blames on the Resistance before it comes to light otherwise.

Not that his fellow members of government initially believe him, or that it is being caused by a Golem being controlled by a mysterious animator ...

Almost worth reading for the footnotes/comments by Bartimaeus alone!

Kudos

Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Fire in Frost (Crystal Frost, #1) in Books

Mar 20, 2020 (Updated Mar 20, 2020)

Fire in Frost (Crystal Frost, #1)

Alicia Rades | 2015 | Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)

9.3

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

"There's a fire growing inside of me. It's not the harmful kind that can kill a girl like Olivia. It's the kind that can save her."

CRYSTAL FROST tells herself she isn't crazy, but sane people don't see ghosts. As her psychic abilities manifest, Crystal discovers she can see into the future, witness the past, and speak with the dead. Add blackmail to the list of things she never thought would happen to her, and you basically have her sophomore year covered. After spotting her first ghost, secrets from her family, friends, and classmates begin to surface. Uncovering secrets can be dangerous, but giving up means someone will get hurt. Again.

What was refreshing with this YA was there was no teenage sexual tension drama!! It was a really well written story about a young girl discovering her special gift. It also raised awareness for domestic violence and that it's not acceptable at any age, Alicia Rades did this without coming across as preachy like some authors can. I was impressed with her style and looking forward to reading more by her.

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dorrington Deed Box in Books

Jul 30, 2019 (Updated Jul 30, 2019)

A handful of stories rather reminiscent in some ways of the Sherlock Holmes shorts, though with a rather different protagonist. Horace Dorrington is a very effective investigator when he chooses to be, and a charming fellow, but he is also totally corrupt and self-serving, with a repertoire that extends to blackmail, fraud, and murder, even of his own supposed clients.

He is, obviously, an anti-hero, and Morrison makes him work as the lead of a series of stories through a few different tricks - firstly, he is outrageously charming, and you generally are waiting for the moment when Dorrington is going to revert to type and pull a fast one on his latest victim. Secondly, he is generally pitted against people even worse than he is.

Still, you can start to detect Morrison struggling to find new things to do with the character after only a few stories, which may be why he only appears in the half-dozen or so collected here. They remain highly entertaining if Victorian crime fiction is your cup of tea.