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Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Jekyll Revelation in Books

May 15, 2018

The Jekyll Revelation

Robert Masello | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror

4.5

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

When I first laid eyes upon Robert Masello’s The Jekyll Revelation, I felt excitement. What could be better than combining Jekyll and Hyde with Jack the Ripper? In theory, nothing. Unless it’s this book. With an agonizingly slow advancement of plot and painfully dull characters, The Jekyll Revelation felt like a waste of my time. Thank god there was an audiobook accompaniment, or I wouldn’t have finished it.

The Jekyll Revelation goes back and forth in time, alternating between present day California where Rafe and Heidi (who vanishes halfway through the story, along with the repercussions for Rafe’s actions) patrol the desert and the past, where Robert Louis Stevenson, only just now writing his famed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, is slowly dying from consumption. The latter portions are told in first person, as it is the recounting of Stevenson’s fictional life by journal. Many of these chapters could be removed and the book would be the same.

I guess it could be said that my biggest quarrel with this book is its slow progression. It isn’t until the final quarter of the novel that anything picks up, and by then the present is damn near irrelevant. Sure, there’s some loose ends that get tied up in the present, but it just feels hollow and empty.

Overall, I didn’t like this book. Fellow members of the #spookyfriendsbookclub seem to also have given it up, with only one member still reading it. I likely won’t be including Masello in future votes.

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MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Hagar: Rediscovering the God Who Sees Me in Books

Mar 5, 2019

What do you think of when you hear the name Hagar? Who was Hagar? When I was invited to do a book launch on the Bible study of Hagar, I was intrigued. This is one that I really wanted to do.
We all know that Hagar was a servant given to Sarah, the famous one that gave birth to Abraham’s first son Ishmael.
This study aptly named “The God Who Sees You”, is exactly what the study is about, God sees who we are and what we need. As you go through this study you will feel that God loves you for who you are, exactly where you are at this moment. You will see that He is with you, just as He was with Hagar during her flight into the desert.
This is a study that truly gets you into the word, one that makes you think.

Shadia Hrichi really gets into the scriptures and helps us as readers get into the scripture with her. After reading this, you will see Hagar from a deeper, different viewpoint, and discover that our God is the God Who Sees You, as well.

I did this study alone, but it would make a great study for a women’s group, one that I highly recommend.

received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Killalot in Books

Nov 18, 2018

Killalot

Cindy Brown | 2018 | Mystery

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Will There be a Renaissance in Crime?

Part-time PI and actress Ivy Meadows is enjoying a rare day off with her boyfriend, her brother, and her brother's girlfriend at the Renaissance faire thanks to free tickets from her friend, fellow actor Riley. They are going to watch Riley's debut in the jousting event when a terrible accident ends with one jouster seriously injured and the other riding Riley's horse off into the desert. Riley claims to have been knocked out, but was he? Ivy finds herself undercover at the home of a Broadway writer and at the faire. Will she be able to keep her undercover assignments straight? Will she find out what happened? Could this job land her a ticket to Broadway?

As you can tell, there is a lot happening in this book. Unfortunately, it overshadows the mystery at times. While things came to a satisfactory climax, I felt we could have gotten more development on the mystery earlier. However, I was never bored. So much was happening I was always reluctant to put the book down because I was having fun. Part of that fun came from the characters; as usual for the series, we meet a wide variety of very fun people. While the book has a comedic tone overall, things do get serious in the last quarter without getting dark. This allows for some wonderful character growth in Ivy. Fans of the series will be thrilled to see how she progresses here. I can't wait to see where this leads in the next book.