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Stonewall Honor Book! "A love letter to queerness, self-expression, and individuality (also...
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My lady, Fiammetta Bianchini, was plucking her eyebrows and biting color into her lips when the...
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A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of...
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Merissa (11731 KP) rated Pretend... (Oxley College #2) in Books
May 30, 2023
Once I sorted it out in my head what was going on, I settled in to enjoy the ride. You see, I don't usually do contemporary, but somehow Stacey Nash manages to grab and hold my attention every time. This seriously impresses me and I love the easy flow of her work. Nothing seems forced about it, the characters, the situations, none of it.
The characters themselves - Dane and Savvy - they are old friends who have drifted (or been pushed) apart. Savvy is hiding a whole lot of stuff away, and doesn't like anyone getting too close. She has her persona that she is happy with people knowing. Therefore, she doesn't like getting too close to Dane. He knows her too well, has affected her for too long and can see her too clearly. Although he is a player, I loved how he was with Savvy. And once he set his sights on her, he stopped being a player (which is always good).
With heartache and sorrow, lies and deception, Pretend... is a wonderfully gripping story that will take you back to Oxley College and yet still leave you wanting more. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Mar 18, 2016
Rogues & Patriots (Nick Crane #2)
Book
In the Depths of Corruption… In the Face of Tyranny… One Man's Quest Begins… Get ready...
PI Thriller
Merissa (11731 KP) rated The Mage King (The Ice Queen #2) in Books
Jul 21, 2017
So much happens in this book, and yet it is easy to follow and is not unnecessarily complicated. Aria and Cas continue to go from strength to strength, no matter what is thrown at them. Their love and trust in each other is a strength that others just don't understand, and yet I adore it! They are not saccharine sweet, one of the things I love about Aria is her razor-sharp tongue, but are unfailing honest and loyal although they both play the deception/political game with style and finesse.
I refuse to give out any spoilers about this book. Trust me, you will want to immerse yourself in the Ice Realm, along with the other places, just like you did with The Ice Queen. I will say that there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. Once again, this is an exceptional adult fantasy that I highly recommend.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated The Prestige (2006) in Movies
Mar 7, 2019
"The Prestige" was produced between projects, those being numbers three and four in my all time top ten, "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". He claimed that he was making a small movie to tide him over but ended up with an all start blockbuster, and whist touching of a subject which had been dealt with before, I don't recall it ever having being done quite like this.
And that is the magic of a top director; That is to give the audience what they want but not on their terms, not quite what they are expecting. This film follows the obsession of two 19th century magicians, one of whom, Christian Bale, arrives at the conclusion that it takes total commitment to achieve the perfect trick, whilst Hugh Jackman takes a little longer to see that obsession will lead him down the same path.
This is a dark, Gothic thriller, lifting the lid of the magic of the day, whilst in true Nolan fashion delving deeper into the psyche of the protagonists, and the destructive nature of their respective obsessive battles, and those it hurts and destroys along the way.
But more than this, the film its self is effectively a mirror of the plot, told and presented as one long trick, with deception, red herrings and ultimately, eponymous the prestige. The only real problem I have with this film is that it thinks that it has everything so well wrapped up, that we, the audience, can't see the twists coming, which I felt a little insulted by as they were almost telegraphed.
But, this was a methodically well presented film, with a clear time and excellent performances throughout. Highly recommended.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Winner's Crime (The Winner's Trilogy, #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
You remind me of <i>Revenge.</i> Just... more fun.
Lady Kestrel is like Emily and the emperor is like Victoria or Veronica or whats-her-face, and her words are so carefully plotted, her moves so masterfully calculated - I've pretty much decided to not make an attempt to predict you. I find that not predicting sometimes is more fun and more enjoyable.
You are like any other movie or TV show consisting of royalty - espionage, drama, tension, gossip, the like. But I like you, and I enjoyed reading you. Kestrel is clever, but so is the prince and Arin and almost all the other characters in this novel. Yet, I still enjoy it. I enjoy the lies and deception, the drama and tension in the palace as Kestrel's wedding day gets closer and closer.
Thus, I find you more a guilty pleasure read. I find you such a guilty pleasure, I don't want to rate you, because if I do, it'll be a high one for sure. I can't high-five you - you're on a hold shelf already and that's just a fatal flaw of libraries, but it's a great feeling because someone else can enjoy the fabulousness of what you are. Then you'll be placed on a shelf somewhere else, or on a hold shelf again, traveling to another reader and then another, and your older sibling will repeat the same process.
And when your younger sibling comes around, s/he will be doing the same thing. In fact, it'll be your fault - you left everyone at a cliffhanger and all of us are demanding to know how this story will unfold.
<div style="text-align: right;">Sincerely,</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">Sophia</div>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-winners-crime-by-marie-rutkoski/" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>