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The Bell Witches
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YOU’LL WANT TO BE ONE. UNTIL YOU KNOW THEIR SECRETS. After sixteen-year-old Emily’s father...
Witches
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Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Life Beyond Her Wildest Dreams
Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
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God had a talent for creating exceptional women--Helen of Troy and Cleopatra come to mind. So does...
postapocalypticplayground (27 KP) rated Everless in Books
Jan 9, 2018
The estate of Everless is formidible in Sempera. For Jules it is a symbol of what life was. Both she and her father had been cast out several years before and now live in squalor in the village of Compton, struggling to survive. In Sempera however there is a way to make money, it is terrible and dangerous and has brought her father close to death - blood iron. Time distilled through bloodletting. An hour, day or even a year can be taken but clearly with a toll for those who rely on it to as a means to survive on only the most basic of means. When an opportunity arises to gain work on the Everless estate, Jules sees an opportunity to lift her and her father out of debt, as long as she can remain unnoticed by the Gerling children, her childhood playmates. However, the work being offered is preparing the estate for the upcoming wedding of her childhood beau Roan and the Queen of Sempera's Ward, Ina; will Jules be able to stay away from her past?
As Jules becomes more embroiled in the wedding preparations she finds herself forging an unlikely friendship with Ina and stumbling down a path that reveals more about her past than she ever could have imagined and also a danger which shakes her to the very core.
Everless for me was a really enjoyable read. When I read the first chapter, I had to eye roll massively as we start out with Jules, the young female protagonist out as a huntress in the forest, searching for food for survival, this was thankfully one of only a few tropes and it quickly found it's own feet. Despite the shaky start for me, Jules is an immensely likeable character. She feels horribly wronged by the Gerlings and with good reason, she saved Roan's life, but in one of Everless's best kept secrets she was simply blamed for the burning down of her fathers forge on the estate and they had to flee. Her father, once highly skilled, has now suffered so greatly by the giving of time through blood iron that he hangs on by barely a thread. She shows immense bravery by wanting to attend the blood letters herself to pay the rent debt, but like so many things in the story her best intentions are always taken out of her hands. Only just 17 and having been treated so badly in the past, she is incredibly trusting, despite outwardly projecting otherwise. I was surprised how easily she was able to forge friendships, however there is much to be said for solidarity.
Her inquisitiveness far outweighs her common sense though and despite many warnings she continues to follow a path of investigating her heritage born out by a strange ability to slow the passing of time when she is emotionally heightened. The twists and revelations in relation to this are fantastic, there was so much I didn't see coming and I really enjoyed the excursions out of the Everless Estate (perhaps a lovely map wouldn't go amiss in book 2) which really helped prevent the story becoming stagnant in a single setting.
Everless was a huge page turner for me, I really love this kind of traditional fantasy and although there were a few points that didn't really work for me (like why would she throw away a year blood iron into the lake a breath after saying she would search through the mud if she has lost one) for the majority I found the story to be utterly engaging with a huge amount of originality. I am looking forward to hopefully having some aspects of the story explored further in book 2 as the true story of Jules's heritage for me was captivating
As Jules becomes more embroiled in the wedding preparations she finds herself forging an unlikely friendship with Ina and stumbling down a path that reveals more about her past than she ever could have imagined and also a danger which shakes her to the very core.
Everless for me was a really enjoyable read. When I read the first chapter, I had to eye roll massively as we start out with Jules, the young female protagonist out as a huntress in the forest, searching for food for survival, this was thankfully one of only a few tropes and it quickly found it's own feet. Despite the shaky start for me, Jules is an immensely likeable character. She feels horribly wronged by the Gerlings and with good reason, she saved Roan's life, but in one of Everless's best kept secrets she was simply blamed for the burning down of her fathers forge on the estate and they had to flee. Her father, once highly skilled, has now suffered so greatly by the giving of time through blood iron that he hangs on by barely a thread. She shows immense bravery by wanting to attend the blood letters herself to pay the rent debt, but like so many things in the story her best intentions are always taken out of her hands. Only just 17 and having been treated so badly in the past, she is incredibly trusting, despite outwardly projecting otherwise. I was surprised how easily she was able to forge friendships, however there is much to be said for solidarity.
Her inquisitiveness far outweighs her common sense though and despite many warnings she continues to follow a path of investigating her heritage born out by a strange ability to slow the passing of time when she is emotionally heightened. The twists and revelations in relation to this are fantastic, there was so much I didn't see coming and I really enjoyed the excursions out of the Everless Estate (perhaps a lovely map wouldn't go amiss in book 2) which really helped prevent the story becoming stagnant in a single setting.
Everless was a huge page turner for me, I really love this kind of traditional fantasy and although there were a few points that didn't really work for me (like why would she throw away a year blood iron into the lake a breath after saying she would search through the mud if she has lost one) for the majority I found the story to be utterly engaging with a huge amount of originality. I am looking forward to hopefully having some aspects of the story explored further in book 2 as the true story of Jules's heritage for me was captivating
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Blood Red Road (Dust Lands, #1) in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.
Blood Red Road completely took over my life for the few hours I was reading it. I found myself physically excited from reading. It was one of those books where you forget how long you've been reading and you look up to discover it's four hours later than it was five minutes ago, and the book is almost over. Dang. Then someone calls you to do chores and you get upset because you can't stop reading now!
Blood Red Road has everything a book should have: Immediately developed characters, tension the whole time, a multi-layered plot, and conflict around ever turn.
It seemed that one thing just naturally led to another—and that's the way it should be. Things don't always go as planned, people don't always do as you tell them to, and we're not always honest with ourselves about our feelings and motives. There were so many different layers, so many different things that influenced the book, that it felt real.
The writing was interesting. It was written the way the characters spoke. "Aks" instead of "Ask," "Thinkin" instead of "Thinking," "Fer" instead of "for," and a lot of slang like "kinda" and "ain't." At first it was really annoying, but then I got used to it and it didn't bother me. It slowed down my reading a little, but it didn't interfere with the pacing of the book (just my reading speed). It greatly added to the characters.
People betray us. People change. People fall in love. They argue with each other, they hate and they love at the same time, they put up with crap and they pitch fits. And that's what happens, so that's the way the characters were. I loved the change in Saba and Emmi's relationship (Emmi is her little sister) and I loved the growth, tearing down, tension, and forgiveness in the relationship between Saba and Jack.
Of course it wouldn't have been complete without a love story. Saba is so totally against outside help, so against Jack's attention (or maybe just terrified of it), that it causes an annoying and infuriating love story that gave me flashbacks to Mortal Instruments. (Only much better, because Jack is much more of a man than Jace. They both flirt about as often, though...)
I liked everything about this book except that it's only 512 pages. I didn't want it to end. I even like the cover. I saw it and thought "Oh I'm going to like that book." Saba looked like a kick-ass heroine. She is. I like her a lot (when she's not being a smart-aleck to Jack, and a jerk to her little sister).
And now I wait. This happened to me when I read The Hunger Games, Birthmarked, and Magic Under Glass, too. I read it first (either the day it was released, or I read the ARC), then had to wait longer than everyone else to get the sequel because I read it before they did. It stinks. Luckily, Blood Red Road doesn't have the horrible cliff hanger endings that Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Claire, and Jaclyn Dolamore have in their books. However, you can bet I will be holding my breath for the next one. Moria Young is going on my "auto-buy" list.
Content: Some violence, but not gore. I don't remember if there was any minor language, but there was so strong language. No sex. Ages 14+
Blood Red Road completely took over my life for the few hours I was reading it. I found myself physically excited from reading. It was one of those books where you forget how long you've been reading and you look up to discover it's four hours later than it was five minutes ago, and the book is almost over. Dang. Then someone calls you to do chores and you get upset because you can't stop reading now!
Blood Red Road has everything a book should have: Immediately developed characters, tension the whole time, a multi-layered plot, and conflict around ever turn.
It seemed that one thing just naturally led to another—and that's the way it should be. Things don't always go as planned, people don't always do as you tell them to, and we're not always honest with ourselves about our feelings and motives. There were so many different layers, so many different things that influenced the book, that it felt real.
The writing was interesting. It was written the way the characters spoke. "Aks" instead of "Ask," "Thinkin" instead of "Thinking," "Fer" instead of "for," and a lot of slang like "kinda" and "ain't." At first it was really annoying, but then I got used to it and it didn't bother me. It slowed down my reading a little, but it didn't interfere with the pacing of the book (just my reading speed). It greatly added to the characters.
People betray us. People change. People fall in love. They argue with each other, they hate and they love at the same time, they put up with crap and they pitch fits. And that's what happens, so that's the way the characters were. I loved the change in Saba and Emmi's relationship (Emmi is her little sister) and I loved the growth, tearing down, tension, and forgiveness in the relationship between Saba and Jack.
Of course it wouldn't have been complete without a love story. Saba is so totally against outside help, so against Jack's attention (or maybe just terrified of it), that it causes an annoying and infuriating love story that gave me flashbacks to Mortal Instruments. (Only much better, because Jack is much more of a man than Jace. They both flirt about as often, though...)
I liked everything about this book except that it's only 512 pages. I didn't want it to end. I even like the cover. I saw it and thought "Oh I'm going to like that book." Saba looked like a kick-ass heroine. She is. I like her a lot (when she's not being a smart-aleck to Jack, and a jerk to her little sister).
And now I wait. This happened to me when I read The Hunger Games, Birthmarked, and Magic Under Glass, too. I read it first (either the day it was released, or I read the ARC), then had to wait longer than everyone else to get the sequel because I read it before they did. It stinks. Luckily, Blood Red Road doesn't have the horrible cliff hanger endings that Suzanne Collins, Cassandra Claire, and Jaclyn Dolamore have in their books. However, you can bet I will be holding my breath for the next one. Moria Young is going on my "auto-buy" list.
Content: Some violence, but not gore. I don't remember if there was any minor language, but there was so strong language. No sex. Ages 14+
Typhoons by Royal Blood
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After two UK #1 albums, 2 million album sales and an array of international acclaim, you might’ve...
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Oh my gosh...I LOVED this book!
I wasn't crazy about The Lost Hero. It was good, but just not what I was expecting. The sequel on the other hand was amazing! I could have easily stayed up all night reading it, if I didn't have to go to school & teach 20 4th graders the next day.
There was so much going on. Percy is back! I was thrilled about that. He is tossed into a very interesting situation by stumbling upon a Roman version of Camp Half-Blood. To make it worse, he can't remember much about his life before then, except for Annabeth of course!
I can not wait for the next installment. I'm keeping my figres crossed that it is just as good as this one! You've got a lot of work ahead of you Mr. Riordan, if you are going to accomplish that task!
I wasn't crazy about The Lost Hero. It was good, but just not what I was expecting. The sequel on the other hand was amazing! I could have easily stayed up all night reading it, if I didn't have to go to school & teach 20 4th graders the next day.
There was so much going on. Percy is back! I was thrilled about that. He is tossed into a very interesting situation by stumbling upon a Roman version of Camp Half-Blood. To make it worse, he can't remember much about his life before then, except for Annabeth of course!
I can not wait for the next installment. I'm keeping my figres crossed that it is just as good as this one! You've got a lot of work ahead of you Mr. Riordan, if you are going to accomplish that task!
Auburn (57 KP) rated Lichgates (The Grimoire Saga, #1) in Books
Apr 10, 2019
In this land there are different races, each race blood bound to their king/queen. This means they must obey commands made by their rulers, no matter what. The vagabond is not bound to a leader and therefore a threat. Kara is therefore a threat to the leaders, able to go from place to place without consequences.
In the beginning she meets a boy, who doesn't like her much, named Braeden. Braeden wanted to become the vagabond but Kara stumbled upon it first. Now he must keep her close in order to get the grimoire from her. His key to becoming a vagabond.
If you are looking for a new series to start and enjoy a free book, this is for you. You will read the first book and then the next and the next. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys YA fantasy.
In the beginning she meets a boy, who doesn't like her much, named Braeden. Braeden wanted to become the vagabond but Kara stumbled upon it first. Now he must keep her close in order to get the grimoire from her. His key to becoming a vagabond.
If you are looking for a new series to start and enjoy a free book, this is for you. You will read the first book and then the next and the next. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys YA fantasy.
Becka (82 KP) rated Vampire Academy Blood Sisters (2014) in Movies
Jul 6, 2018
Vampire Academy Blood Sisters
Contains spoilers, click to show
The movie was fantastic. The actors chosen for the characters that I already loved from reading the book, were perfect. Danila Kozlovsky was great as Dimitri and Zoey was exactly as I imagined Rose Hathaway. The action could have been a little better and there were some things I felt we're important that weren't included. But, I know that just because I felt the things left out were important, doesn't mean that they actually we're important. I loved the ending very much, it definitely felt like a Rose thing to do and I appreciate that the movie stayed true to the characterization of each character. The script seemed natural, and the graphics were great as well. And despite hating them in books, the cliff hanger at the end was great!
Andrew Kennedy (199 KP) rated The Girl With All the Gifts (2017) in Movies
Dec 10, 2019
In this modern age the market is saturated with zombie films and TV shows. With all of this choice a good one needs something different to stand out from the pack.
The Girl with all the gifts is one such film that stands out even with a limited budget. However, all the leads give solid performances and the story refreshingly doesn't rely on the same old tired zombie tropes that bog down other genre fare.
There is some prime story telling and the acting of young Sennia Nanua is by far the best thing, going from sweet young child to blood crazied killer in a heartbeat.
The film also looks superb wether it's tight claustrophobic interiors or zombie infested streets the cinematography is a joy.
This may be as good or better then fellow Brit zombie flick 28 days later even if it does lend from Danny Boyle's film in places.
The Girl with all the gifts is one such film that stands out even with a limited budget. However, all the leads give solid performances and the story refreshingly doesn't rely on the same old tired zombie tropes that bog down other genre fare.
There is some prime story telling and the acting of young Sennia Nanua is by far the best thing, going from sweet young child to blood crazied killer in a heartbeat.
The film also looks superb wether it's tight claustrophobic interiors or zombie infested streets the cinematography is a joy.
This may be as good or better then fellow Brit zombie flick 28 days later even if it does lend from Danny Boyle's film in places.
saheffernan (157 KP) rated I Am Alfonso Jones in Books
Apr 18, 2020
Would you pay more attention to police brutality, racism, and the #blacklivesmatter movement if everywhere you walked was the blood stains and plaque telling you another life that didn't have to be lost?
I loved this graphic novel, I believe it to be an incredible important read. Those comparing it to The Hate U Give is doing this novel injustice. This is just as impactful without the 400+ pages. The message gets across to the reader in the same way I know a lot of teens that would not sit and read that but may pick up a graphic novel.
The art style I really enjoyed though sometimes it did make a scene hard to understand. I also enjoyed the changing of timeline. We followed a lot of characters but the important one's stand out and don't seem to get lost in all the movement of the story.
I loved this graphic novel, I believe it to be an incredible important read. Those comparing it to The Hate U Give is doing this novel injustice. This is just as impactful without the 400+ pages. The message gets across to the reader in the same way I know a lot of teens that would not sit and read that but may pick up a graphic novel.
The art style I really enjoyed though sometimes it did make a scene hard to understand. I also enjoyed the changing of timeline. We followed a lot of characters but the important one's stand out and don't seem to get lost in all the movement of the story.