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A Court of Frost and Starlight: Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Frost and Starlight: Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas | 2018 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
A Court of Frost and Starlight ✨
A Court of Frost and Starlight is a book that is the in-between of what happened after a Court of Mist and Fury and what’s going to happen in the next books.

It talks about the gap in between of how the inner circle, Feyre and her sisters and also Lucien are coping with the aftermath of the war. We even see how Tamlin is getting along and I might add it’s not very well.

This book discovers the emotions that the characters are facing and how they are recovering. Some of the characters are not quite over what’s happened, where is the others keep quiet about it or are just getting on with.

We have Nester who is pretty much exactly the same, whereas Elaine is slowly embracing what is around her – although she still doesn’t seem too keen on Lucien. Azriel is still the silent type, Cassian is still boyish but with feelings, Amren is still Amren. Mor is still hurt from the decisions that were made in the war. Tamlin like I said is not coping, Feyre and Rhys are trying.

Although Feyre and Rhys have got close to being over the aftermath of the war, they’re still trying to make sure that their friends and families are coping. Along with their people… As they have lost a lot as well.

This book is very different to the previous three, not just because it’s short but because of what’s in it. This is the first time that Feyre really is apart of the Night Court.

Although she was the High Lady in the previous books and played a big role, this is the first time that she can walk around and actually have duties that she needs to fulfill. She sees the effect of the war on her people and what has happened and how they are brave and they continue to live their lives. She realises the Winter Solstice is not just a festive time with presents, it’s something that is normal for their people, a tradition, a way to be with their loved ones and their families and have a day or so where they can forget all they have been through and be normal.

I really enjoyed this book because I was so desperate to get back into the world of a Court of Thorns and Roses and not having to worry about any enemies, about what characters are going to appear next. Just being able to be apart of that family again it was truly lovely to get back into it.

There was spoilers for the next books, there was a few questions that were answered from the previous ones. But there was still a lot that needs to be explained, which I hope will be explained in the next books that Sarah J Mass will hopefully released soon.

5 ☕ – AMAZING / ? – LOVED IT

Love, Christina ?
  
Batman: The Court of Owls
Batman: The Court of Owls
Greg Cox | 2018 | Film & TV
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm going to be upfront here. When I saw this available as an ebook for my Kindle, I was like "Hmmmm..", but then I was thinking "Greg Cox is quite good, but did I really want to read a prose adaptation of Snyder's <i>Court of Owls</i> story from BATMAN?". Reading users' reviews on here told me that it was not an adaptation, but an original tale involving Bats and yet another confrontation involving the Court of Owls. So, yup, I was sold on that point alone!

****

Cox does a brilliant job with Batman! Seriously, I wish <u>he</u> had been writing BATMAN instead of Tom King! The characterization is one that shows us the "I'm Batman!" version, as well as allowing us to see a side of him not always presented well in the comics of late: he has a human side, but he also has a dedication to see cases/mysteries through to the end, as it is what he feels he has to do for the city of Gotham, as well as her citizens. The great thing with the way Cox presented both sides was balanced, neither too much of one or the other.

I also quite liked how Cox returned to the Court of Owl's previous "lair", the one with that marbleized labyrinth and that huge marble owl statue in its center. Reading throughout, it really seemed as if Cox had spent more than enough time reading the source material, taking all of it in, and then presenting his addition to Batman's dealings with the Court of Owls. So, so brilliant!

And, while she was not in it as much as Bats, the little bit that Batgirl/Barbara Gordon appeared was spot on. Her dialogue interactions with Bats are tense, in relation to the case, as well as fun and playful, when the situation called for it. Again, just as his treatment of Batman's character, Cox presents us with a balanced Barbara Gordon, making her inclusion a welcome treat!

As much as I loved seeing both Bats and Barbara, I was equally invested in the supporting characters. No one felt like cardboard or trope-ish. Everyone had roles to play within the story, and the roles were played well and memorable, even after the book was finished! Definitely well appreciated of all the effort invested in both the main characters, as well as the not-so-main folks!

I don't know that this would be considered canonical as far as Batman and the Court of Owls, but it should be! The story flows well, offering an edgy, exciting adventure that succeeds in being memorable as well as being taken as canonical! Good stuff, folks, and one not to be missed! Unless, of course, you don't like Batman, and then, well, it would just be a lot of suck! Just sayin'..
  
The House in the Woods (Atticus Priest #1)
The House in the Woods (Atticus Priest #1)
Mark Dawson | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A very good start to a new series and one I am very much looking forward to getting my teeth into.

A gruesome murder has occurred in an isolated farmhouse and DCI Mackenzie 'Mack' Jones and her team are sent in to investigate. Their initial thought is that it's a tragic murder-suicide however, fingers soon point to the person who discovered the bodies of his family, Ralph Mallender and he is quickly arrested, charged and brought to court.

Ralph's wife is convinced of her husband's innocence and employs the services of disgraced ex-police officer and now private detective, Atticus Priest to try and find any evidence missed by the police which will help her husband's case.

Not being tied by the constraints of the police, i.e., the law! Atticus sets about the task at hand and quickly discovers things are not quite what they seem much to the annoyance of 'Mack' who just happens to be his former boss and with whom he has had a previous relationship.

The book is told from both Mack and Atticus' points of view and takes place during the court case which mixes police procedural, Atticus' unconventional methods of investigation and court room thriller. The pace is initially a slow burner as there is a wealth of detail that, at times, seems a little unnecessary but once you get past that, it soon ramps up into a thrilling read with plenty of twists and turns.

Overall, a really enjoyable start to a new series and one I am very much looking forward to following and I must give a thank you to Welbeck Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House in the Woods.
  
Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmar
Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmar
Patricia Hruby Powell | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nine years. That's how long Richard and Mildred Loving had to fight just to live together as husband and wife in the state of Virginia, their case traveling all the way to the Supreme Court. Ms. Powell recounts their travails in alternating pages, in spare but beautiful verse that makes you feel as if this couple, who were really quite ordinary but lived in a time when what we see as such today would have been extraordinary . . . or illegal, are right in the room with you, telling you their story.
  
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt  - Season 1
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Season 1
2015 | Comedy
Titus Andromedon - literally my favourite character (1 more)
John Hamm is such a good villain
Slightly trivializing quite a horrific subject (0 more)
Slightly ridiculous, over the top comedy
While this series is rather funny and watchable, there are times it's utterly cringe-worthy and I really did not like how the court scenes were handled. It's an incredibly dark topic, which writer Tina Fey does an almost excellent job of hilarity, but it falls short because it should never have been done given the horrible spate of male violence against women, and women being held against their will.
  
The girl who disappeared twice
The girl who disappeared twice
Andrea Kane | 2018 | Thriller
2
4.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Its in english (1 more)
Its hilarious to read out loud
Predictable characters (2 more)
Stilted dialogue
An AI named yoda
Poorly edited and trite
If family court judge Hope Willis had turned her head, she would have seen the car containing her daughter, struggling to get out. Now frantically grasping at any hope for Krissy's rescue, she calls Casey Woods and her team of renegade investigators, Forensic Instincts. With time running out and the authorities bound by the legal system, it's up to Forensic Instincts to solve this case
(Synopsis from google books)
  
40x40

Kevjones (49 KP) rated Sleepers in Books

Sep 14, 2018  
S
Sleepers
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Whole Story (0 more)
Hard Hitting
I read this story when I was a teenager and the story has stayed with me even now in my 30's.

It was hard hitting and the last half has to be the best part of the book. It is the revenge that the friends get and the court case after that I enjoyed. Just goes to show how four friends can still be close after everything they went through. The film was good and had an all star cast but for me the book was remarkable.
  
Right Ho, Jeeves (Jeeves, #6)
Right Ho, Jeeves (Jeeves, #6)
P.G. Wodehouse | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Typically convoluted Jeeves and Wooster story, set in Brinkley Court and featuring Bertie's Aunt Dahlia (Travers), the newt-loving Gussie Fink-Nottle, Madeline Bassett, Tuppy Glossop and Angela Travers.

This is the also the one that has Wooster unintentionally getting Gussie Fink-Nottle roaringly drunk before the latter has to distribute prizes at a school assembly, alongside Wooster managing to get himself engaged (again) while trying to sort out romantic difficulties between some of his childhood friends.

Leave it to Jeeves to sort everything out by the end!
  
Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls
Batman, Volume 1: The Court of Owls
Scott Snyder | 2020 | Comics & Graphic Novels
4
8.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
Unlike some of the more famous Batman stories ([b:the Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159], say, or {book: The Killing Joke], The Court of Owls is not one that I was previously familiar with - or, for that matter, had even heard of - prior to this graphic novel.

Unlike those previously two mentioned, this is a more contemporary tale, with Batman at the height of his crime-fighting powers, unlike the aging Batman of [b:The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns|Frank Miller|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159], or the still-relatively-green of the majority of [b:The Killing Joke|96358|Batman The Killing Joke|Alan Moore|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346331835s/96358.jpg|551787], and also has the wider Bat-family (that sounds awful, doesn't it?) of Nightwing, Robin and Red Robin all in it.

The Court of Owls itself is an urban legend from Gotham of a secret society that lives in the shadows and watches/judges all: like Batman, an urban legend that soon proves not to be such after all.

While I may read volume 2 in the future, it's also not one that I'd be hunting out for.
  
Dishonour and Obey
Dishonour and Obey
Graham Brack | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thank goodness Master Mercurius is back! He might not like the idea (he’d rather be with his books at the University of Leiden), but I most certainly do!

This time, it’s 1676 and Stadhouder William of Orange wants Mercurius to join the delegation going to England to interview his possible future wife. This future wife is the 14 year old niece of King Charles II, and William wants to make sure that she’s a good Protestant - and not a Catholic like her father. Of course, nothing seems to ever run smoothly for Mercurius, and this trip is no exception. It’s not long before Mercurius is required to use his powers of deduction when one of the Dutch party is found dead. And he has clearly been murdered.

It’s no secret that I love these books. Mercurius’ reluctant humour really appeals to me, and this observational humour is used when we look at King Charles and his court. Mercurius’ observations of the royal court and their loose morals is, at times, laugh out loud funny (well, I certainly snorted in a very unladylike fashion, anyway!). I think I actually genuinely love Mercurius, and I can’t wait to read more.

Many thanks to Sapere Books for providing me with a copy for an honest review.