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Ruth Ware | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Corporate Retreats are Murder
When the key employees of the internet startup Snoop show up at a chalet in the French Alps, they are expecting a week of presentations and skiing. However, there is tension brewing just below the surface thanks to a buyout deal that has split the board. The tension only grows worse when heavy snow and an avalanche cuts everyone off from the rest of the world and one of the members of a group goes missing somewhere out in the snow. As the hours pass, it becomes clear a killer is in the group. Will help arrive before they are all dead?

While the cast of isolated characters trope is not new to the mystery genre, Ruth Ware quickly makes it her own in this page turning thriller. I love how she so successfully isolated the characters. The plot is wonderful with tension rising early before the characters fully realize the danger they are in. The twists kept me engaged the entire way through the nail-biting climax. The characters could have been a little stronger overall. Don’t get me wrong, I cared about them and the outcome, but I felt like many of them stayed two dimensional and those we got to know better bordered on the cliché. Being a thriller, I expected more foul language than in the books I typically read, but it was a bit excessive for my tastes. Still, these are nitpicks in an overall wonderful thriller.
  
Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide
Mrs. Claus and the Halloween Homicide
Liz Ireland | 2021 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Introducing Halloween Has Consequences
April Claus is beginning her second year as the North Pole’s new Mrs. Claus, and she’s decided it would be fun to introduce Halloween to the residents of Santaland. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board, as evidenced by the threatening messages someone is leaving and the attack on the pumpkins one of the elves is growing. However, when things escalate to murder, April takes matters into her own hands to try to figure out what is going on. Can she keep the holiday from being ruined for everyone?

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, so I was anxious to return to the world that author Liz Ireland is creating. This book was fabulous as well. The murder takes place a little later in the story, but there is plenty going on to keep us entertained, and it only gets stronger as it goes along. The climax is wonderful. I did think there was a timeline issue at one point, but I think the fault is just a scene that is written unclearly. The little details of the world are guaranteed to make you smile; I just love them! While not all the characters are human, they are all completely real and we come to care for them quickly, which is key to getting us to believe in this world. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with a dash of fantasy, you’ll love this book.
  
Jackass Forever (2022)
Jackass Forever (2022)
2022 | Comedy
8
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I remember Jackass when it first aired back in 2000. It was dumb, it was shocking, but most importantly, it took no time at all to get on board with the cast. The chemistry and bonds between Johnny Knoxville and co were immediately infectious, and everytime they put out a movie, it feels like a reunion with a bunch of old friends. Jackass Forever is the same in that respect, but it also relates to the only issue I had - I didn't feel overly fussed when it was initially announced that Bam Margera wasn't involved this time around, but now that JF is here, his absence is notable. This, coupled with a whole bunch of new faces, (presumably so the TV series can be relaunched in the near future with a new cast) makes for an unfamiliar Jackass experience. Well, kind of. Everything else is business as usual, and it's pretty glorious.
The opening scene is one of the most absurd skits that they've ever come up with, and the closing scene is a masterpiece of escalating chaos. Everything in between is the usual mix of silliness that we've come to know and love, and it feels like a warm hug, drenched in 15 gallons of pig jizz.

In short, if you're going to see Jackass Forever, chances are that you're already and established viewer, and as such, will most likely love it as I did. Long live Jackass.
  
Talent (Descended From Myth #2)
Talent (Descended From Myth #2)
Erin McFadden | 2015 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Okay, so I'm fickle. Hands up, I admit it. I didn't think that anyone could knock Daniel of his Hottie Spot, but it appears that Porter has just gone and done it!

Claire is a Talent, but she feels that she isn't really worth much as all she can do is "fix brains." Personally, I think that's brilliant, but that's her lesson to learn. Porter is brought on board by Anna and Daniel, and works hard to prove himself. Three Guardians are chosen to 'fight' for the position of Claire's Guardian, but circumstances throw Porter and Claire together.

The best bit about this is I simply couldn't imagine Claire with anyone else. In fact, there is a point when she is with someone else, and I hated it! I needed her to be back with Porter, like right now! I'm sure he's a good guy (even if he is a tad self-obsessed) but I didn't like him, simply because he wasn't Porter.

Once again, fast-paced but not in a rushed way, this story moves along, full of action and mayhem. Well written and with no editorial or grammatical errors that I found, I can highly recommend this series. Loved book one and book two.

So my question is - when can I get my grubby mitts on book three?!?!

* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 21, 2016
  
OA
Of All Things Sacred
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
36 of 220
Book sirens review
Of All Things Sacred
By Moses Yuriyvich Mikheyev
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

A prophet has arrived in the small mountain town of Red Tree, California, bringing with him a revival. Repenting of sins. Healings. Exorcisms. Speaking in tongues. Visions. Prophecies.

Something big is happening in Red Tree, something so transformative the small town can barely contain it. And Iron King's mother is the Prophet's most committed follower, even though Iron's father isn't totally on board.

Any doubts the townspeople have that the Prophet was anointed by God evaporate when a man who questions his integrity is struck by lightning on the church steps. Unreproachable, the Prophet's stature—and his control over the souls in his care —grows along with the size of his church, despite whispered rumors and his increasingly strange prophecies.

Until Iron falls in love with a girl and realizes that between God and Satan, between truth and deception, lies a great contradiction. And a horrific terror.

This was so so good I didn’t want to put it down. An interesting story of faith, life and false prophets. I was completely hooked from start to finish. Definitely be reading more from this author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.