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Toward the end of December, I finally picked up and completed reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. This was a first time read for me and, despite knowing the outcome of the story, I can admit that I was pleasantly surprised. I also love how far it delves into the duality of man.

Dr. Jekyll deals with the same dilemma we all do: there’s a darker nature buried within him. This story follows his pursuit of a cure – a way to return him to a wholesome, innocent, good man. Of course, we all know what happens when we try to play the role of a god, and this story is no different.

Stevenson’s pacing is pretty even, which I’m grateful for. I didn’t find the story to difficult to comprehend and I feel that there are some very good points brought up in it. Considering I did not get the chance to study it in high school, I feel as if I missed out on some valuable literature. I would probably read this again.
  
Everything, Everything
Everything, Everything
Nicola Yoon | 2015 | Children
10
8.3 (49 Ratings)
Book Rating
Everything Everything will have you fixed from the first page. Following the far from ordinary life of Madeline Whittier. Living her life practically in a bubble, separated from the outside world to keep her alive, she subdues her longing for a normal life by filling her life with books. She reads and rereads them and imagines all the lives that she could lead if she weren't sick. She isn't unhappy but she isn't unhappy, either. The life that she knows is all thrown into chaos when a new family moves in next door and she is almost immediately captivated by Olly, the young boy she sees moving and breathing in the outside air that she wishes she could partake in. Steadily becoming the teenager she should have been, she experiences longing, hope, love, heartbreak, and all the confusing emotions brought on by hormones and life experience. How will their fated story change her life and her world? I almost guarantee you won't be able to put this down.
  
While WINTER'S CHILD is an easy, entertaining read, it does suffer from some short-comings. I realize that this book is not only about the Winter Child, but about how many different stories come together to make up one complete story, but there were one or two that were unnecessary to the plot as a whole. At around the three-fourths point, I was taken aback by the story going into a completely different direction than where I had hoped. This is where my main problem lays. Had some of the extra storylines been taken out and replaced with more of the development of the main plot and characters, I believe I would have been happier and completely fine with how everything turned out. Sadly, I ended up feeling somewhat cheated with the end and left unsatisfied. However, the first one-hundred pages are magical and beautifully written, and show everything I love about Cameron Dokey's work. Too bad it had to start high and then end on a low note.
  
The House of the Dead: Overkill
The House of the Dead: Overkill
2009 | Action/Adventure, Horror, Shooter
Great graphics (2 more)
Variety of levels and enemies
Very funny!
A little bit easy (0 more)
A bloody good shooter!
An excellent light gun game for the Wii. One of the best I've played on any console and definitely the most fun. The best House of the Dead game for me, this was the first game that really sold the light gun gaming on the Wii.
The graphics are very good, it's quite a big game compared to other gun games. Some levels could take a good 15-20 minutes to complete. The music is groovy, there are plenty of guns to use. There is plenty of replay value with mini-games, various achievements to go for.
The thing that stands out the most is the humour. The whole feel is a tongue in cheek '70's grindhouse, Horror B Movie vibe. It works, the voice acting is good and it will probably make you laugh.
Overall it is a little easy on the normal levels but it's so enjoyable. If you like Horror films and light gun games you'll love this.
  
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MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Stratagem in Books

Mar 5, 2019  
Stratagem
Stratagem
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Deep in the gritty underbelly of New Orleans, psychologist Grayson Thibodeaux loses everything when his wife leaves him to climb her company’s corporate ladder. He buries himself in his job of creating mind-bending adventure games for businesses as team-building explorations. When his ex-wife’s company hires Grayson’s to create an elaborate game, he doesn’t see how things can get worse. Until she dies during the course of the game he created…makmaking him the prime suspect for murder.


My Thoughts: Everyone loves a good mystery and this is no exception. Fast paced and keeps the reader guessing until the end. With so many twists and turns that keeps the readers' interest.



This is a well-written novel with interesting characters that the reader will easily identify with. This is my first novel from Robin Caroll, and it won't be my last. I truly enjoyed her writing and the plot for this novel was interesting.



Not only a mystery but a story about forgiving as well. A wonderful read for those who love a good mystery and suspense book.
  
A Whole New World
A Whole New World
Liz Braswell | 2015 | Young Adult (YA)
8
7.0 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pros:
▪ Strong storyline
▪ Loveable characters
Cons:
▪ White pages
▪ Some gore
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this from the start, it grasped my interest and held onto it throughout. The story line is brilliant and keeps it's high standards throughout.
Honestly it made me fall in love all over again with Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, the Genie and of course new names.
This has definitely been retold for the interest of adults, reason I say that is because there are quite a few parts that contains violence and grim details so I wouldn't recommend it for young readers, don't be falled by it being Disney!
The only other con I had for this was that the pages are white, when I first opened it, it took my eyes some time to adjust to the black on white contrast, I have vision problems so the general standard of cream pages are much more easy on the eyes. The white pages do look much more brighter and clean though in terms of overall presentation.
  
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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Blindsighted (Grant County, #1) in Books

Jun 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 8, 2019)  
Blindsighted (Grant County, #1)
Blindsighted (Grant County, #1)
Karin Slaughter | 2001 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
9
7.7 (15 Ratings)
Book Rating
Small town Georgia, big time gruesome crime thriller!!!
Hard to believe this was Karin Slaughters first novel, it’s very well rounded for a debut.

When a young college professor is brutally murdered (and I mean BRUTALLY - i.e. not for the squeamish) it falls to Sara Linton as the town coroner to perform the disturbing autopsy. Having found the victim in the local diner, it soon becomes obvious to Sara that there is a seriously sick individual on the loose.

It’s Sara’s ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, who must head up the investigation along with the only female detective Lena Adams, who is also the victims sister (love small town America everyone is all up in each others stuff - did I mention as well as been the towns coroner Sara is also the local paediatrician….) When another victim is found crucified the tension to find the killer builds, as does the tension between characters.

This book was very graphic, but boy was it entertaining in a disturbing way. Fast paced with plenty of suspense, a great beginning to a series.
  
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Kay Bee (1 KP) rated John Wick (2014) in Movies

Jan 28, 2018  
John Wick (2014)
John Wick (2014)
2014 | Action, Thriller
The most convincing character Keanu Reeves has ever portrayed, fantastic soundtrack, and the best gun fight in recent memory (0 more)
Not enough people saw it when it first came out and I had no one to talk to about it except my husband (0 more)
Best Movie Surprise I've Ever Had
I generally like Keanu Reeves even though he can be wooden at times action films have become his Forte. My husband and I both love action movies so we went to see it when it came out in the theater and hadn't really heard any Buzz about it. I was absolutely blown away and it was my favorite movie of the year, so much so that we were in line opening night to see John Wick 2 (and were not disappointed in that one either but that's another review). It really is just an all-around great movie if you like action films, revenge thrillers, or Keanu Reeves; you really can't go wrong. The score is so great I bought and downloaded it immediately after we left the theater. The club scene is perfection.
  
A List of Cages
A List of Cages
Robin Roe | 2017 | Contemporary
10
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read this while at work, and I still finished this book in under 4 hours. It is seriously that good that you just can't put it down. For Robin Roe's first novel, he hit it out of the park. The book is about two teenagers, Adam and Julien, and the viewpoint switches seamlessly between the two throughout the book. There is never any confusion on who is talking or what is going on. Now, the book does revolve around child abuse, so for those sensitive to this type of plot, this story may not be the best for you. While the story of child abuse is devastating (I definitely caught myself trying to hold back tears a few times), the way the story is told will make you feel like you're in the situation that the characters are in. You can feel elation, fear, love, and everything in between with this novel. Everything about this book was great and I would definitely recommend it to others who aren't sensitive to child abuse.
  
IG
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ivy takes on an undercover job at Gold Bug Gulch, where one of the gun fighters has just been shot and killed. As she gets to know the employees at the tourist trap ghost town, she finds plenty of suspects, but was it an accident or murder? Meanwhile, she also trying to land a part in Annie Get Your Gun for a theater company that might really boost her career and keep her relationship with her new boyfriend on track.

Since I’ve loved the first three books in this series, I was expecting to love this one, and I wasn’t disappointed at all. The story moves forward quickly, and the characters are strong. The author finds that perfect balance of comedy without making anything or anyone not feel real. In fact, there’s some real depth to these characters by the end. Throw in the acting, and I completely enjoyed it.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-ivy-get-your-gun-by-cindy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.