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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Look to the East (The Great War, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Out of the east comes a terror that will attempt to destroy the world.
At the dawn of World War I, the village of Briecourt is nestled in relative safety. That all changes when the German Imperial Army marches in and takes over. Life will never be the same for the villagers, who have had a family dispute for generations. Will having a common enemy finally bring them together? Julitte Toussaint, the adoptive daughter of a seaman, has to withstand the scorn of the de Colvilles for the shadows of her past. When she finds an unexpected "visitor" hiding in the cellar of the church, she feels the pull of love for this man she hardly knows. Charles Lassone is a Belgian entrepreneur caught behind enemy lines. He longs for escape so that he can join the Allies cause and win the respect and love of Julitte. With a dispute running so rampant, who can be trusted? The difference between friends and foes could not become more complicated.
This is both the first book that I have read by Maureen Lang and my first book set during World War I. Unfortunately, The Great War is not always as popular of a topic as its "sequel" is. Labor camps were in full effect during this period and the Germans were just as ruthless. The difference in time period wouldn't seem so drastic, but, I learned that they didn't believe it was safe to drop soldiers from planes during 1916. The tactics and methods were much more advanced come time for World War II. I became very emotionally attached to the characters. Their fight for freedom had me cheering them on with every turn of the page. Something that Julitte learns is that God sometimes uses us in ways that we can't explain, to ourselves or to others. He will work everything out, even if it's not how we had it planned. There is still evil in the world because God gave us a free will. But He will not abandon us. We must keep our eyes on Him and our hope in His promises.
I received a free copy of Look to the East from Tyndale House Publishers through their Tyndale Rewards Program. I was not required write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
At the dawn of World War I, the village of Briecourt is nestled in relative safety. That all changes when the German Imperial Army marches in and takes over. Life will never be the same for the villagers, who have had a family dispute for generations. Will having a common enemy finally bring them together? Julitte Toussaint, the adoptive daughter of a seaman, has to withstand the scorn of the de Colvilles for the shadows of her past. When she finds an unexpected "visitor" hiding in the cellar of the church, she feels the pull of love for this man she hardly knows. Charles Lassone is a Belgian entrepreneur caught behind enemy lines. He longs for escape so that he can join the Allies cause and win the respect and love of Julitte. With a dispute running so rampant, who can be trusted? The difference between friends and foes could not become more complicated.
This is both the first book that I have read by Maureen Lang and my first book set during World War I. Unfortunately, The Great War is not always as popular of a topic as its "sequel" is. Labor camps were in full effect during this period and the Germans were just as ruthless. The difference in time period wouldn't seem so drastic, but, I learned that they didn't believe it was safe to drop soldiers from planes during 1916. The tactics and methods were much more advanced come time for World War II. I became very emotionally attached to the characters. Their fight for freedom had me cheering them on with every turn of the page. Something that Julitte learns is that God sometimes uses us in ways that we can't explain, to ourselves or to others. He will work everything out, even if it's not how we had it planned. There is still evil in the world because God gave us a free will. But He will not abandon us. We must keep our eyes on Him and our hope in His promises.
I received a free copy of Look to the East from Tyndale House Publishers through their Tyndale Rewards Program. I was not required write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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K.L. Shandwick (3 KP) created a post
Nov 20, 2017
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Mekkin B. (122 KP) rated The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms in Books
Sep 9, 2017
Worldbuilding (1 more)
Thoughtful and Engaging Characters
Tight, compelling story set in an amazing fantasy world
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has the kind of engaging plot and clear prose that makes it easy to get lost in. Jemisin's debut novel crafts a complex world that fans of traditional fantasy will love, while still being incredibly fresh and thoughtful. The worldbuilding engages in the complexities of colonialism and cultural difference in a way that makes the world feel alive and thrumming with conflict.
Yeine is a compelling protagonist and Nahadoth, her romantic interest, is sexy, dark, and tortured (like all good love interests should be.) It's 410 pages of pure fantasy fun.
The only nitpick I have is that I wish there was more of it. Seriously. The advice to writers is to start as late in the story as possible, but I wish more time had been spent building up Yeine's world and her relationship with her mother (who's death is pivotal to the plot), and with her own Kingdom of Darre. Instead the reader enters the story with Yeine already making her way to the city of Sky. This, for me, lessened the emotional impact of later reveals.
Yeine is a compelling protagonist and Nahadoth, her romantic interest, is sexy, dark, and tortured (like all good love interests should be.) It's 410 pages of pure fantasy fun.
The only nitpick I have is that I wish there was more of it. Seriously. The advice to writers is to start as late in the story as possible, but I wish more time had been spent building up Yeine's world and her relationship with her mother (who's death is pivotal to the plot), and with her own Kingdom of Darre. Instead the reader enters the story with Yeine already making her way to the city of Sky. This, for me, lessened the emotional impact of later reveals.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Sense of an Ending in Books
Apr 12, 2019
A little confused and long winded
This book has a writing style that I'm not 100% keen on. Most of it is fine and easy to write, but then it has this awful habit of the main character going off into rambling musings and monologues that are far too long and pointless. This is a short book as it is, but it's be a short story if all of these ramblings had been removed!
That said, this isn't that bad a read. The plot is simple and straight forward about Tony reminiscing on his past and the death of a friend, and his musings on this in the present day. Tony himself is a strange character. He's actions and interactions with others are highly frustrating, but yet he's still a fairly endearing and intriguing character. I just think the ending was a let down. Mainly because it hasn't quite spelt it out properly, and I had to reread the final paragraphs to get what it was hinting at, and I'm still not absolutely convinced that I've got it right. Theres a big difference between an ambiguous ending and a downright confusing frustrating one, and this is definitely the latter.
That said, this isn't that bad a read. The plot is simple and straight forward about Tony reminiscing on his past and the death of a friend, and his musings on this in the present day. Tony himself is a strange character. He's actions and interactions with others are highly frustrating, but yet he's still a fairly endearing and intriguing character. I just think the ending was a let down. Mainly because it hasn't quite spelt it out properly, and I had to reread the final paragraphs to get what it was hinting at, and I'm still not absolutely convinced that I've got it right. Theres a big difference between an ambiguous ending and a downright confusing frustrating one, and this is definitely the latter.