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Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Song of Achilles in Books
Jul 19, 2018
I thought I would enjoy it more
Review can also be found on my blog - www.diaryofdifference.com
The Song Of Achilles became a part of my TBR list right after I finished reading Circe. I loved Circe and it is one of my favorite books of 2018. I also enjoyed The Song of Achilles, but not nearly as much.
For the ones out there who love greek mythology, this is a book that covers Achilles’s life told from Patroclus’s point of view. It is more or less accurate, and covers a lot of details from the early lives of these two princes. This is a story about one great friendship that turns into something more, a lot of challenges, a lot of doubts, and a lot of choices to be made during a time of war.
The story is very fast paced, and I was skipping through the pages as fast as Achilles was killing Trojan warriors. From their childhood, to their growing up, to their adventures and the war, this book will never keep you calm, because every chapter something unexpected happens. Well, sometimes not too much, as I know the story, but even still, I was surprised a lot.
A thing that bothered me a lot throughout the whole book was the inaccuracy at some points, and hiding information.
Now, we all know that Achilles was immortal. And we all know the story that his mother Thetis, a goddess of water dipped his body into the water in the river Styx. However, she was holding him by the heel, so his heel was the only place where he was vulnerable. This will be the reason of his death, when Apollo would direct Paris’s spear into Achilles’ heel.
Now - if this is such a common fact, and everybody who heard about Achilles knows it - why wouldn’t the author include it in the book. It wasn’t mentioned once.. Not once… I found this really upsetting.
Moving forward to the characters, we have Patroclus presented as the weaker one, the coward, the person that is mocked by everyone, not loved even by his parents and unworthy. ( Another point that bothered me is that this is not entirely true - according to Homer, Patroclus was apparently wiser than Achilles)
On the other hand, we have the opposite - a wise, brave, strong and handsome man, loved by everyone, immortal and a son of a goddess. We have a perfect example for a leader.
While fate connect these two to meet from their very early years, they also build a love relationship which they try to hide it at first. This relationship will cause them hatred from Thetis (Achilles’ mom) and will prompt them to make choices that might not be necessarily good ones. Now, Homer never mentioned a pederasty in his works between these two, but Miller does. And I am not sure how I feel about it. Not about the fact that they are gay, but the fact that this is Achilles.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It is a great retelling of the story and a great time capture of the past. It wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t feel heartbroken in the end, but it was definitely worth reading it. I give it three stars - ★★★.
3 likes
The Song Of Achilles became a part of my TBR list right after I finished reading Circe. I loved Circe and it is one of my favorite books of 2018. I also enjoyed The Song of Achilles, but not nearly as much.
For the ones out there who love greek mythology, this is a book that covers Achilles’s life told from Patroclus’s point of view. It is more or less accurate, and covers a lot of details from the early lives of these two princes. This is a story about one great friendship that turns into something more, a lot of challenges, a lot of doubts, and a lot of choices to be made during a time of war.
The story is very fast paced, and I was skipping through the pages as fast as Achilles was killing Trojan warriors. From their childhood, to their growing up, to their adventures and the war, this book will never keep you calm, because every chapter something unexpected happens. Well, sometimes not too much, as I know the story, but even still, I was surprised a lot.
A thing that bothered me a lot throughout the whole book was the inaccuracy at some points, and hiding information.
Now, we all know that Achilles was immortal. And we all know the story that his mother Thetis, a goddess of water dipped his body into the water in the river Styx. However, she was holding him by the heel, so his heel was the only place where he was vulnerable. This will be the reason of his death, when Apollo would direct Paris’s spear into Achilles’ heel.
Now - if this is such a common fact, and everybody who heard about Achilles knows it - why wouldn’t the author include it in the book. It wasn’t mentioned once.. Not once… I found this really upsetting.
Moving forward to the characters, we have Patroclus presented as the weaker one, the coward, the person that is mocked by everyone, not loved even by his parents and unworthy. ( Another point that bothered me is that this is not entirely true - according to Homer, Patroclus was apparently wiser than Achilles)
On the other hand, we have the opposite - a wise, brave, strong and handsome man, loved by everyone, immortal and a son of a goddess. We have a perfect example for a leader.
While fate connect these two to meet from their very early years, they also build a love relationship which they try to hide it at first. This relationship will cause them hatred from Thetis (Achilles’ mom) and will prompt them to make choices that might not be necessarily good ones. Now, Homer never mentioned a pederasty in his works between these two, but Miller does. And I am not sure how I feel about it. Not about the fact that they are gay, but the fact that this is Achilles.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It is a great retelling of the story and a great time capture of the past. It wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t feel heartbroken in the end, but it was definitely worth reading it. I give it three stars - ★★★.
3 likes
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated The Song of Achilles in Books
Aug 21, 2018
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<img src="https://gipostcards.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/book-review1.png"/>;
The Song Of Achilles became a part of my TBR list right after I finished reading Circe. I loved Circe and it is one of my favorite books of 2018. I also enjoyed The Song of Achilles, but not nearly as much.
For the ones out there who love greek mythology, this is a book that covers Achilles’s life told from Patroclus’s point of view. It is more or less accurate, and covers a lot of details from the early lives of these two princes. This is a story about one great friendship that turns into something more, a lot of challenges, a lot of doubts, and a lot of choices to be made during a time of war.
The story is very fast paced, and I was skipping through the pages as fast as Achilles was killing Trojan warriors. From their childhood, to their growing up, to their adventures and the war, this book will never keep you calm, because every chapter something unexpected happens. Well, sometimes not too much, as I know the story, but even still, I was surprised a lot.
<img src="https://gipostcards.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/book-cover.png"/>;
<b><i>A thing that bothered me a lot throughout the whole book was the inaccuracy at some points, and hiding information. </i></B>
Now, we all know that Achilles was immortal. And we all know the story that his mother Thetis, a goddess of water dipped his body into the water in the river Styx. However, she was holding him by the heel, so his heel was the only place where he was vulnerable. This will be the reason of his death, when Apollo would direct Paris’s spear into Achilles’ heel.
Now - if this is such a common fact, and everybody who heard about Achilles knows it - why wouldn’t the author include it in the book. <b>It wasn’t mentioned once.. Not once… I found this really upsetting. </b>
Moving forward to the characters, we have Patroclus presented as the weaker one, the coward, the person that is mocked by everyone, not loved even by his parents and unworthy. ( Another point that bothered me is that this is not entirely true - according to Homer, Patroclus was apparently wiser than Achilles)
On the other hand, we have the opposite - a wise, brave, strong and handsome man, loved by everyone, immortal and a son of a goddess. We have a perfect example for a leader.
While fate connect these two to meet from their very early years, they also build a love relationship which they try to hide it at first. This relationship will cause them hatred from Thetis (Achilles’ mom) and will prompt them to make choices that might not be necessarily good ones. Now, Homer never mentioned a pederasty in his works between these two, but Miller does. And I am not sure how I feel about it. Not about the fact that they are gay, but the fact that this is Achilles.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It is a great retelling of the story and a great time capture of the past. It wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t feel heartbroken in the end, but it was definitely worth reading it. I give it three stars - ★★★.
<img src="https://gipostcards.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/book-review1.png"/>;
The Song Of Achilles became a part of my TBR list right after I finished reading Circe. I loved Circe and it is one of my favorite books of 2018. I also enjoyed The Song of Achilles, but not nearly as much.
For the ones out there who love greek mythology, this is a book that covers Achilles’s life told from Patroclus’s point of view. It is more or less accurate, and covers a lot of details from the early lives of these two princes. This is a story about one great friendship that turns into something more, a lot of challenges, a lot of doubts, and a lot of choices to be made during a time of war.
The story is very fast paced, and I was skipping through the pages as fast as Achilles was killing Trojan warriors. From their childhood, to their growing up, to their adventures and the war, this book will never keep you calm, because every chapter something unexpected happens. Well, sometimes not too much, as I know the story, but even still, I was surprised a lot.
<img src="https://gipostcards.files.wordpress.com/2018/07/book-cover.png"/>;
<b><i>A thing that bothered me a lot throughout the whole book was the inaccuracy at some points, and hiding information. </i></B>
Now, we all know that Achilles was immortal. And we all know the story that his mother Thetis, a goddess of water dipped his body into the water in the river Styx. However, she was holding him by the heel, so his heel was the only place where he was vulnerable. This will be the reason of his death, when Apollo would direct Paris’s spear into Achilles’ heel.
Now - if this is such a common fact, and everybody who heard about Achilles knows it - why wouldn’t the author include it in the book. <b>It wasn’t mentioned once.. Not once… I found this really upsetting. </b>
Moving forward to the characters, we have Patroclus presented as the weaker one, the coward, the person that is mocked by everyone, not loved even by his parents and unworthy. ( Another point that bothered me is that this is not entirely true - according to Homer, Patroclus was apparently wiser than Achilles)
On the other hand, we have the opposite - a wise, brave, strong and handsome man, loved by everyone, immortal and a son of a goddess. We have a perfect example for a leader.
While fate connect these two to meet from their very early years, they also build a love relationship which they try to hide it at first. This relationship will cause them hatred from Thetis (Achilles’ mom) and will prompt them to make choices that might not be necessarily good ones. Now, Homer never mentioned a pederasty in his works between these two, but Miller does. And I am not sure how I feel about it. Not about the fact that they are gay, but the fact that this is Achilles.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. It is a great retelling of the story and a great time capture of the past. It wasn’t anything special, and I didn’t feel heartbroken in the end, but it was definitely worth reading it. I give it three stars - ★★★.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Wrong Girl (Return to Fear Street #2) in Books
Oct 19, 2018
One Dimensional Characters (2 more)
Unbelievable Plot
Slow Pacing
Skip this One
I've always been a huge fan of R.L. Stine. I grew up with all of his books especially the original Fear Street series, so when I heard Stine had released a Return to Fear Street series, I knew I had to read it. I loved You May Now Kill the Bride, the first book in the series. However, The Wrong Girl was not very good.
The pacing for The Wrong Girl was incredibly slow save for a few chapters where it actually sped up to a decent pace. I found myself wondering how much longer I'd have to read before the action started. This book just drones on and on, and I found myself becoming very bored quickly. In fact, I only really finished The Wrong Girl because I felt like I had to since I wanted to read the next book in the series even though these are stand alone novels.
The plot for The Wrong Girl sounds like it has the potential to be really interesting judging by the book synopsis. However, it was a major yawn fest. I really found it hard to believe most of the plot. Poppy, the main character, and her circle of friends decide to form a prank club and put their pranks online. The pranks get more wild each time. Eventually, her friends are attacked and some are killed. Really, the pranks and the harming of her friends are not related. I have trouble believing that Poppy and her friends would not be in any trouble after the pranks they committed especially as the pranks were uploaded live for all to see. The police in Shadyside must be very relaxed and not mind crime very much. There is a plot twist that I didn't see coming, I will admit that. Oh, and the person murdering/causing harm to Poppy's friends, well, that was pretty obvious. I know this is a teen read, but I'm pretty sure even a young teen could figure it out. Another thing that bothered me was although this is part of the Return to Fear Street series, The Wrong Girl mentions Fear Street in one chapter only a couple of times, and it's only mentioned because one of the characters lives on that street. It's like Stine added the whole Fear Street element in as a quick afterthought.
The characters weren't very great. They all felt very shallow, petty, immature, and one dimensional. Poppy was extremely spoiled and annoying as were most of the characters in this story with the exception of Manny and Mr. Harlowe (both of whom I actually liked). I didn't really understand why the character of Lucas was in the book. There was really no need for him. I felt like none of the characters in The Wrong Girl were real representations of teenagers. I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. There was no back story on the characters either which made the characters even less relatable.
Trigger warnings include underage drinking, murder, violence (although not graphic), self harm (cutting), and breaking the law.
Overall, The Wrong Girl left me feeling disappointed. Nothing about the book held my attention, and it just felt like it was written by an eleven year old in a rush to get his/her English homework done, not a great author like R.L. Stine. Sadly, I would not recommend The Wrong Girl by R.L. Stine to anyone. I really hope the next book in the series is much better.
The pacing for The Wrong Girl was incredibly slow save for a few chapters where it actually sped up to a decent pace. I found myself wondering how much longer I'd have to read before the action started. This book just drones on and on, and I found myself becoming very bored quickly. In fact, I only really finished The Wrong Girl because I felt like I had to since I wanted to read the next book in the series even though these are stand alone novels.
The plot for The Wrong Girl sounds like it has the potential to be really interesting judging by the book synopsis. However, it was a major yawn fest. I really found it hard to believe most of the plot. Poppy, the main character, and her circle of friends decide to form a prank club and put their pranks online. The pranks get more wild each time. Eventually, her friends are attacked and some are killed. Really, the pranks and the harming of her friends are not related. I have trouble believing that Poppy and her friends would not be in any trouble after the pranks they committed especially as the pranks were uploaded live for all to see. The police in Shadyside must be very relaxed and not mind crime very much. There is a plot twist that I didn't see coming, I will admit that. Oh, and the person murdering/causing harm to Poppy's friends, well, that was pretty obvious. I know this is a teen read, but I'm pretty sure even a young teen could figure it out. Another thing that bothered me was although this is part of the Return to Fear Street series, The Wrong Girl mentions Fear Street in one chapter only a couple of times, and it's only mentioned because one of the characters lives on that street. It's like Stine added the whole Fear Street element in as a quick afterthought.
The characters weren't very great. They all felt very shallow, petty, immature, and one dimensional. Poppy was extremely spoiled and annoying as were most of the characters in this story with the exception of Manny and Mr. Harlowe (both of whom I actually liked). I didn't really understand why the character of Lucas was in the book. There was really no need for him. I felt like none of the characters in The Wrong Girl were real representations of teenagers. I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. There was no back story on the characters either which made the characters even less relatable.
Trigger warnings include underage drinking, murder, violence (although not graphic), self harm (cutting), and breaking the law.
Overall, The Wrong Girl left me feeling disappointed. Nothing about the book held my attention, and it just felt like it was written by an eleven year old in a rush to get his/her English homework done, not a great author like R.L. Stine. Sadly, I would not recommend The Wrong Girl by R.L. Stine to anyone. I really hope the next book in the series is much better.
Debbiereadsbook (1769 KP) rated Enough in Books
Aug 14, 2019
Jesse was HARD work!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Jesse loves Ezra, he just can't say the words while he's waiting for Ezra to realise that Jesse isn't good enough for him. It takes an accident to make him see what Ezra does: that Jesses really is more than enough for him!
For the most part, I did enjoy this. Besides one glaring reason, which I will tell you shortly, the other reason is a little less glaring and might just be the reason other people love this book.
And it's Jesse himself!
You know the saying, if you hear it often enough, you'll start to believe it?? Well Jesse does not believe Ezra when he tells him he loves him. Jesse does not believe Ezra when he tells him he does NOT want his ex. He does not believe Ezra when Ezra tells Jesse that his family are homophobic and will hate Jesse on sight but that's only because Jesse is a MAN and not for Jesse himself.
And I found this bit hard to deal with! I mean Ezra tells him often enough, enough to get a little bored hearing Ezra repeat himself time and time again. Jesse talks himself down so much, I started to get negative feelings for him, and wanted to slap him upside the head and MAKE HIM SEE, but it's not until he realises he might actually LOSE Ezra, that Jesse takes stock, and finally, halle-flipping-luiah, prasie the God he doesn't belive in, Jesse FINALLY can see, that he really is what Ezra wants, WHO Ezra wants! It just took him far too long for my liking!
And the glaring thing?? Only Jesse has a say. Yes yes I know I say it often enough to be as annoying as Jesse is here, but come on! Ezra NEEDED a say, to balance out how negative Jesse was for most of this book. Ez is quite a chirpy soul, and I think this may well have been a 5 star read, had Ez been given a voice, and we got into HIS head, when he was telling Jesse over and over how much he loved him and wanted him.
It's heavy on steam and passion, but at one point I thought it might come out almost clean. It wasn't til it was clear it was NOT going to be clean, that I noticed it had been up to that point, and,to be honest, this book would have been great (previous points aside) had it been totally clean. I didn't dislike that it came out not clean, but I would have liked it just as much if it had, does that make sense? Does to me, so hope it does to you!
The after effects of the accident is described in great detail, graphically so, and that really IS needed, to get the full picture. Not easy reading, but you do need it.
This is the first I've read of this author, but another of his books is sitting on my "languishing on kindle" shelf. I might pull it forward!
So, because Jesse was a little grating on the nerves, adn because ez doesn't get a say. . . .
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Jesse loves Ezra, he just can't say the words while he's waiting for Ezra to realise that Jesse isn't good enough for him. It takes an accident to make him see what Ezra does: that Jesses really is more than enough for him!
For the most part, I did enjoy this. Besides one glaring reason, which I will tell you shortly, the other reason is a little less glaring and might just be the reason other people love this book.
And it's Jesse himself!
You know the saying, if you hear it often enough, you'll start to believe it?? Well Jesse does not believe Ezra when he tells him he loves him. Jesse does not believe Ezra when he tells him he does NOT want his ex. He does not believe Ezra when Ezra tells Jesse that his family are homophobic and will hate Jesse on sight but that's only because Jesse is a MAN and not for Jesse himself.
And I found this bit hard to deal with! I mean Ezra tells him often enough, enough to get a little bored hearing Ezra repeat himself time and time again. Jesse talks himself down so much, I started to get negative feelings for him, and wanted to slap him upside the head and MAKE HIM SEE, but it's not until he realises he might actually LOSE Ezra, that Jesse takes stock, and finally, halle-flipping-luiah, prasie the God he doesn't belive in, Jesse FINALLY can see, that he really is what Ezra wants, WHO Ezra wants! It just took him far too long for my liking!
And the glaring thing?? Only Jesse has a say. Yes yes I know I say it often enough to be as annoying as Jesse is here, but come on! Ezra NEEDED a say, to balance out how negative Jesse was for most of this book. Ez is quite a chirpy soul, and I think this may well have been a 5 star read, had Ez been given a voice, and we got into HIS head, when he was telling Jesse over and over how much he loved him and wanted him.
It's heavy on steam and passion, but at one point I thought it might come out almost clean. It wasn't til it was clear it was NOT going to be clean, that I noticed it had been up to that point, and,to be honest, this book would have been great (previous points aside) had it been totally clean. I didn't dislike that it came out not clean, but I would have liked it just as much if it had, does that make sense? Does to me, so hope it does to you!
The after effects of the accident is described in great detail, graphically so, and that really IS needed, to get the full picture. Not easy reading, but you do need it.
This is the first I've read of this author, but another of his books is sitting on my "languishing on kindle" shelf. I might pull it forward!
So, because Jesse was a little grating on the nerves, adn because ez doesn't get a say. . . .
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Photo Traveler in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Originally posted on <a title="'The Photo Traveler by Arthur J. Gonzalez"' href="http://bookwyrming-thoughts.blogspot.com/2013/05/blog-tour-the-photo-traveler-by-arthur-j-gonzalez-review-and-giveaway.html">Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste (includes picture lost as well)
<i><b>Disclaimer:</b> I received this book from the author for free to review for the blog tour. My review is not influenced in any way.</i>
Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone has been in foster care with an abusive father since his parents died in a fire at a young age. The only thing that lets him escape the torturous life is taking photos. Just when he thinks that he's going to be miserable for the rest of his life, he finds out that his dad's parents are still alive and enters the dangerous world of a small group of people called Photo Travelers.
I honest to goodness hate his adoptive family, except for maybe Dina and Leyla. What a nasty temper his adoptive father has. I'm so glad Gavin found his grandparents, because if I could, I would probably say good riddance to Jet (of course, if I actually said it... it would probably get pretty... ugly). Then there's Gavin's adoptive sister. Mel. I was thinking she at least changed a bit when she went after him after he left. I mean, I can see why she would act like that, but still... I'm sad to say I'm disappointed in her. :(
I guess that shows manipulative the villain is. 2 simple words with very simple (and good, if you look in the dictionary...) meanings... yet totally against what the other Photo Travelers are thinking of. It's kind of ironic what they mean to do for the good of mankind in the future, yet they can still break rules of all kinds.
Gavin is a pretty likable character in broad terms. He's loyal and protective when his family and friends are threatened by others. Though when it comes to some of his actions, I sometimes just want to give him a facepalm and ask, Why, Gavin, whyyy?
I love how The Photo Traveler started. My very first thought after reading the prologue was, Oh boy, this is going to a great 'ride!' I also love how Gonzalez was very accurate (at least in historical facts) when it came to Gavin's trips to places such as the Salem Witch Trials and the Great Depression. What's a bit aggravating about the book, however, is the dialogue. The characters, including Gavin himself, just seem so... happy, excited or yelling all the time. There just seems to be a bit of overuse in exclamation marks. :/
Then there's the ending. There's always that dreadful last few sentences at the end of the book where you hit the end and it seems to say right back, The End. With a lovely little cliffhanger. Somehow, you just want to say, But... but... it was just beginning to get really interesting! Despite the little mini protests, no one's going to hear me, so I'll hide in a cozy little corner, sip something nice and cold, and read on (after all, it's summer and time to... chillax). *unhappy face* I'm so glad cliffhangers don't have the ability to laugh at me... otherwise I'll be laughed at often. >_<
Original Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Note: Formatting is lost due to copy and paste (includes picture lost as well)
<i><b>Disclaimer:</b> I received this book from the author for free to review for the blog tour. My review is not influenced in any way.</i>
Seventeen-year-old Gavin Hillstone has been in foster care with an abusive father since his parents died in a fire at a young age. The only thing that lets him escape the torturous life is taking photos. Just when he thinks that he's going to be miserable for the rest of his life, he finds out that his dad's parents are still alive and enters the dangerous world of a small group of people called Photo Travelers.
I honest to goodness hate his adoptive family, except for maybe Dina and Leyla. What a nasty temper his adoptive father has. I'm so glad Gavin found his grandparents, because if I could, I would probably say good riddance to Jet (of course, if I actually said it... it would probably get pretty... ugly). Then there's Gavin's adoptive sister. Mel. I was thinking she at least changed a bit when she went after him after he left. I mean, I can see why she would act like that, but still... I'm sad to say I'm disappointed in her. :(
I guess that shows manipulative the villain is. 2 simple words with very simple (and good, if you look in the dictionary...) meanings... yet totally against what the other Photo Travelers are thinking of. It's kind of ironic what they mean to do for the good of mankind in the future, yet they can still break rules of all kinds.
Gavin is a pretty likable character in broad terms. He's loyal and protective when his family and friends are threatened by others. Though when it comes to some of his actions, I sometimes just want to give him a facepalm and ask, Why, Gavin, whyyy?
I love how The Photo Traveler started. My very first thought after reading the prologue was, Oh boy, this is going to a great 'ride!' I also love how Gonzalez was very accurate (at least in historical facts) when it came to Gavin's trips to places such as the Salem Witch Trials and the Great Depression. What's a bit aggravating about the book, however, is the dialogue. The characters, including Gavin himself, just seem so... happy, excited or yelling all the time. There just seems to be a bit of overuse in exclamation marks. :/
Then there's the ending. There's always that dreadful last few sentences at the end of the book where you hit the end and it seems to say right back, The End. With a lovely little cliffhanger. Somehow, you just want to say, But... but... it was just beginning to get really interesting! Despite the little mini protests, no one's going to hear me, so I'll hide in a cozy little corner, sip something nice and cold, and read on (after all, it's summer and time to... chillax). *unhappy face* I'm so glad cliffhangers don't have the ability to laugh at me... otherwise I'll be laughed at often. >_<
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Spellhacker in Books
Jan 23, 2020
Review going live on the blog at midnight EST because UBB doesn't want to get along with block editor.
<b><i>The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.</i></b>
I love heists in books. We've got a group of people (each who are talented AF), something goes wrong (oop--) and then they're scrambling to fix things. Sometimes there's a character or two (or more) pining for another character and we just want to smush/protect them.
And it's definitely the case with <em>Spellhacker</em> by M.K. England, which follows Diz and her friends (Ania, Jaesin and Remi) as they take on one last job that ends up backfiring horribly in their faces. It's never happened in the two years they've been running their side business. There's magic (known as maz) and seriously cool technology involved, and that's usually a good recipe for me to enjoy the book. <s>Provided that something explodes, of course, but don't tell anyone.</s>
Which I did... for the most part. <em>Spellhacker</em> is a bit difficult for me to rate since a couple of issues throughout ruined some of my enjoyment.
<h2><strong>Two Things in <em>Spellhacker</em> I have issues with:</strong></h2>
(There were more, but they're minor.)
<h3><strong>The magic system</strong></h3>
I probably wouldn't have noticed it if Kal from Reader Voracious never mentioned it, but the moment she asked, I kept noticing... and not just the name. I keep thinking formaz is pronounced like "form ass." (Maybe that's just my sense of humor trying to get through the parts of the book I struggled with.)
But what I got really confused about were the differences between techwitch and spellweaver (kind of got an idea, still confused) and just how it worked... which I kept thinking of <a href="https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Dust">how dust works in RWBY</a>. It's most likely a very inaccurate depiction, though.
<h3><strong>The miscommunication</strong></h3>
I noticed this faintly at the beginning few chapters and didn't let it bother me <em>too</em> much. In fact, it pretty much slipped my mind until Kal brought it up. At times, it did get pretty damn irritating and I just wanted to shove Diz in front of a certain character like the many chances she had throughout the book. <em>And there are a lot of chances</em>.
<h2>Two <strong>Things I definitely didn't have an issue in <em>Spellhacker</em>:</strong></h2>
Or maybe just minor issues and they turned out to be good things in the end (after I thought about it).
<h3><strong>Diz's narration</strong></h3>
Diz is one of those characters I found absolutely annoying at first but slowly grew on me over the book. She's bitter and salty and full of sass; she's pretty much 95% angst teenager who wants things to go her way. She also sucks at communication big time; every time she <em>wants</em> to say something, she chooses not to. Even if she's called out by her friends, it takes a while before she actually comes out with it.
I hardcore relate.
<b><i>The author/publisher provided a free copy of the book for review purposes - thank you! Receiving a review copy does not guarantee a positive review and therefore do not affect the opinion or content of the review.</i></b>
I love heists in books. We've got a group of people (each who are talented AF), something goes wrong (oop--) and then they're scrambling to fix things. Sometimes there's a character or two (or more) pining for another character and we just want to smush/protect them.
And it's definitely the case with <em>Spellhacker</em> by M.K. England, which follows Diz and her friends (Ania, Jaesin and Remi) as they take on one last job that ends up backfiring horribly in their faces. It's never happened in the two years they've been running their side business. There's magic (known as maz) and seriously cool technology involved, and that's usually a good recipe for me to enjoy the book. <s>Provided that something explodes, of course, but don't tell anyone.</s>
Which I did... for the most part. <em>Spellhacker</em> is a bit difficult for me to rate since a couple of issues throughout ruined some of my enjoyment.
<h2><strong>Two Things in <em>Spellhacker</em> I have issues with:</strong></h2>
(There were more, but they're minor.)
<h3><strong>The magic system</strong></h3>
I probably wouldn't have noticed it if Kal from Reader Voracious never mentioned it, but the moment she asked, I kept noticing... and not just the name. I keep thinking formaz is pronounced like "form ass." (Maybe that's just my sense of humor trying to get through the parts of the book I struggled with.)
But what I got really confused about were the differences between techwitch and spellweaver (kind of got an idea, still confused) and just how it worked... which I kept thinking of <a href="https://rwby.fandom.com/wiki/Dust">how dust works in RWBY</a>. It's most likely a very inaccurate depiction, though.
<h3><strong>The miscommunication</strong></h3>
I noticed this faintly at the beginning few chapters and didn't let it bother me <em>too</em> much. In fact, it pretty much slipped my mind until Kal brought it up. At times, it did get pretty damn irritating and I just wanted to shove Diz in front of a certain character like the many chances she had throughout the book. <em>And there are a lot of chances</em>.
<h2>Two <strong>Things I definitely didn't have an issue in <em>Spellhacker</em>:</strong></h2>
Or maybe just minor issues and they turned out to be good things in the end (after I thought about it).
<h3><strong>Diz's narration</strong></h3>
Diz is one of those characters I found absolutely annoying at first but slowly grew on me over the book. She's bitter and salty and full of sass; she's pretty much 95% angst teenager who wants things to go her way. She also sucks at communication big time; every time she <em>wants</em> to say something, she chooses not to. Even if she's called out by her friends, it takes a while before she actually comes out with it.
I hardcore relate.
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<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IllBeHome_BTB.jpg"/>;
<i><b>I'll Be Home for Christmas is a fast-paced adventure that will keep you on your toes right until Christmas!
I am so thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Mills & Boon for I'll Be Home for Christmas. Check out the other amazing people that are participating in the blog tour as well:</b></i>
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Book-Review-Banner-11.png"/>;
I'll Be Home for Christmas is the first Christmas book I have read this year, before the holidays begin. It is an amazing story about a popular UK singer, Jessika Malone, who receives an offer from a famous US singer to record a duet and go on a US Tour for a while. This is a dream come true, but this offer comes right after Jessica's boyfriend proposes. Wanting to spend all the time in her world with him, she is hesitant to go, but at the same time, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.
We see our heroine Jessika travel to the US and embark her adventure. I loved the fact that we get to feel what she feels, and live through her dream. We get to see her cope with new things and learn along the way, and it is amazing being on this journey with her. She is a character that knows what she wants and is not afraid to go and get it.
<i><b>Be ready for some drama, and also be ready to choose sides.</b></i>
The author makes it hard to know what is the right choice, and all choices seem to have their pros and cons, which makes the book even more realistic. I wish I knew what was right or wrong in life straightaway - that would be too easy. Instead, I keep coming across tough choices that sound amazing, and I have to really look though everything and choose what is right. You get to see this reality in the book, and it is refreshing.
Despite it being a Christmas book, I didn't really feel the Christmassy vibes too much, but I think that is due to the fact that the focus on this book wasn't entirely Christmas. We only got a glimpse of the holiday spirit around the end of the book - but it wasn't in a Home Alone sort of style. It was simple.
Despite that, I still enjoyed this book a lot, and it was the perfect book for me to get me through my days when I felt poorly and lying in bed. I recommend it to all of you out there that love romance, Christmas, a bit of an adventure and searching for our true selves.
<i><b>Thank you to the team at Mills & Boon, for letting me be a part of this Christmas adventure!</b></i>
<a href="https://amzn.to/2Wi7amb">Wishlist</a>; | <a
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/IllBeHome_BTB.jpg"/>;
<i><b>I'll Be Home for Christmas is a fast-paced adventure that will keep you on your toes right until Christmas!
I am so thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Mills & Boon for I'll Be Home for Christmas. Check out the other amazing people that are participating in the blog tour as well:</b></i>
<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Book-Review-Banner-11.png"/>;
I'll Be Home for Christmas is the first Christmas book I have read this year, before the holidays begin. It is an amazing story about a popular UK singer, Jessika Malone, who receives an offer from a famous US singer to record a duet and go on a US Tour for a while. This is a dream come true, but this offer comes right after Jessica's boyfriend proposes. Wanting to spend all the time in her world with him, she is hesitant to go, but at the same time, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.
We see our heroine Jessika travel to the US and embark her adventure. I loved the fact that we get to feel what she feels, and live through her dream. We get to see her cope with new things and learn along the way, and it is amazing being on this journey with her. She is a character that knows what she wants and is not afraid to go and get it.
<i><b>Be ready for some drama, and also be ready to choose sides.</b></i>
The author makes it hard to know what is the right choice, and all choices seem to have their pros and cons, which makes the book even more realistic. I wish I knew what was right or wrong in life straightaway - that would be too easy. Instead, I keep coming across tough choices that sound amazing, and I have to really look though everything and choose what is right. You get to see this reality in the book, and it is refreshing.
Despite it being a Christmas book, I didn't really feel the Christmassy vibes too much, but I think that is due to the fact that the focus on this book wasn't entirely Christmas. We only got a glimpse of the holiday spirit around the end of the book - but it wasn't in a Home Alone sort of style. It was simple.
Despite that, I still enjoyed this book a lot, and it was the perfect book for me to get me through my days when I felt poorly and lying in bed. I recommend it to all of you out there that love romance, Christmas, a bit of an adventure and searching for our true selves.
<i><b>Thank you to the team at Mills & Boon, for letting me be a part of this Christmas adventure!</b></i>
<a href="https://amzn.to/2Wi7amb">Wishlist</a>; | <a
<a href="https://diaryofdifference.com/">Blog</a>; | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/diaryofdifference/">Facebook</a>; | <a href="https://twitter.com/DiaryDifference">Twitter</a>; | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diaryofdifference/">Instagram</a>; | <a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/diaryofdifference/pins/">Pinterest</a>;
Scarp
Book
es it's difficult to define exactly what this book is: it mixes autobiography, local history,...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Nocturne House (Legacy of Darkness #3) in Books
Jun 2, 2020
I've been a huge fan of London Clarke's since I read her first book Wildfell over two years ago. I loved the other two books in the Legacy of Darkness series (The Meadows and Whickering Place). However, the last and final installment of the series, Nocturne House, absolutely blew me away. It has become my favorite book that Clarke has written so far!
(While Nocturne House is the final installment in the Legacy of Darkness series, it can be read as a standalone. However, you do get a little more backstory on the majority of the characters if you've read the previous two books. Also, if you start at Nocturne House, you'll end up with spoilers for the first two books.)
Laura has been missing for awhile. When she turns up in the hospital after a car accident, her husband, Hunter, is over the moon. However, Laura is devastated. She wants to return to her life she had while she was missing where she lived in a house called Nocturne House, where she was free of all her medications, and she belonged to another man. She was a sanguinarian in that life, and she seemed to enjoy it. However, Hunter knows that the cult Laura was in was involved in some highly shady and illegal dealings. Will Hunter be able to win back Laura's heart and convince her that her time in Nocturne House wasn't all it was cracked up to be?
I don't know how London Clarke does it. Perhaps she has magical author superpowers, but she makes each book in the Legacy of Darkness series even better than its predecessor. I didn't think that was possible since I always feel like each book was amazing! Nocturne House had such an intriguing plot. I found myself fully immersed in the story from the very first page. The story is extremely addictive, and I found that every time I had to put the book down for whatever reason, I was constantly craving more of the story. I had to find out what would happen next! Although there are chapters from Laura's point of view as well as Hunter's and Pearse's, Clarke does an amazing job at connecting all the narratives together. The story runs together so smoothly, and each chapter seems to just flow into the next. I liked how we got to know more about The Colony (the major vampire cult) and its offshoot named SOAL (Success of a Lifetime) which prides itself on being better than The Colony and not as dark. SOAL reminded me a lot of Scientology and The Manson Family in which the way things were ran. It was obvious that London Clarke had done her homework on cults and how they operate. There were quite a few plot twists peppered throughout Nocturne House. While I was able to foresee some of the twists, many of them I never saw coming. Major points for that because unpredictable plot twists are the best! I also loved how Clarke made the ending for Nocturne House come together nicely. It never felt rushed or too perfect. It just felt natural. While there are no cliffhangers, there is some room for speculation or perhaps another book in the series (wishful thinking on my part!). The only minor thing that confused me was when Laura's story would switch from past to present and back again. Laura's chapters started off with if they were in the past or present, but there were a few chapters that weren't labeled as such. Luckily, it was fairly easy to figure out which timeline I was in.
Every character in Nocturne House felt like a real life person. Each character felt very fleshed out instead of a make believe person. I was happy to revisit the lives of characters from the second book in the series and even more elated to see mentions of characters from the very first book! While this book has chapters from three different character's points of view, Laura stood out as the main character. I found her chapters to be the most exciting (though each chapter brought excitement of its own). I kept wanting Laura to come to her senses, but I could see the appeal of SOAL as well as Alex, the man Laura claimed to be her husband at Nocturne House. I enjoyed reading about Laura's thought process throughout the book especially when it came to SOAL's activities. I also enjoyed Hunter's perspective on everything, and his loyalty to Laura was very admirable. I think a lot of people would have just walked away after being treated the way Laura treated him. Alex was also a brilliant character, and even I was sucked in by his charismatic personality. I was elated to see that Pearse and Avery were back in Nocturne House. I loved them both in Whickering Place. I won't go into much detail about them in case you want to read the previous book in the series, but let's just say that Pearse was the same old Pearse with how he felt about everything.
Trigger warnings for Nocturne House include profanity, violence (though not gory), mental health issues, sexual situations (not graphic), rape (mentioned in name only), brainwashing, kidnapping, murder, demons, the occult, and alcohol use.
Overall, Nocturne House is a fantastic novel with a solid story and fantastic characters. London Clarke managed to make a spooky story really come to life in each and every page. I would definitely recommend Nocturne House by London Clarke to those aged 16+. I believe fans of most genres will enjoy this one!
(While Nocturne House is the final installment in the Legacy of Darkness series, it can be read as a standalone. However, you do get a little more backstory on the majority of the characters if you've read the previous two books. Also, if you start at Nocturne House, you'll end up with spoilers for the first two books.)
Laura has been missing for awhile. When she turns up in the hospital after a car accident, her husband, Hunter, is over the moon. However, Laura is devastated. She wants to return to her life she had while she was missing where she lived in a house called Nocturne House, where she was free of all her medications, and she belonged to another man. She was a sanguinarian in that life, and she seemed to enjoy it. However, Hunter knows that the cult Laura was in was involved in some highly shady and illegal dealings. Will Hunter be able to win back Laura's heart and convince her that her time in Nocturne House wasn't all it was cracked up to be?
I don't know how London Clarke does it. Perhaps she has magical author superpowers, but she makes each book in the Legacy of Darkness series even better than its predecessor. I didn't think that was possible since I always feel like each book was amazing! Nocturne House had such an intriguing plot. I found myself fully immersed in the story from the very first page. The story is extremely addictive, and I found that every time I had to put the book down for whatever reason, I was constantly craving more of the story. I had to find out what would happen next! Although there are chapters from Laura's point of view as well as Hunter's and Pearse's, Clarke does an amazing job at connecting all the narratives together. The story runs together so smoothly, and each chapter seems to just flow into the next. I liked how we got to know more about The Colony (the major vampire cult) and its offshoot named SOAL (Success of a Lifetime) which prides itself on being better than The Colony and not as dark. SOAL reminded me a lot of Scientology and The Manson Family in which the way things were ran. It was obvious that London Clarke had done her homework on cults and how they operate. There were quite a few plot twists peppered throughout Nocturne House. While I was able to foresee some of the twists, many of them I never saw coming. Major points for that because unpredictable plot twists are the best! I also loved how Clarke made the ending for Nocturne House come together nicely. It never felt rushed or too perfect. It just felt natural. While there are no cliffhangers, there is some room for speculation or perhaps another book in the series (wishful thinking on my part!). The only minor thing that confused me was when Laura's story would switch from past to present and back again. Laura's chapters started off with if they were in the past or present, but there were a few chapters that weren't labeled as such. Luckily, it was fairly easy to figure out which timeline I was in.
Every character in Nocturne House felt like a real life person. Each character felt very fleshed out instead of a make believe person. I was happy to revisit the lives of characters from the second book in the series and even more elated to see mentions of characters from the very first book! While this book has chapters from three different character's points of view, Laura stood out as the main character. I found her chapters to be the most exciting (though each chapter brought excitement of its own). I kept wanting Laura to come to her senses, but I could see the appeal of SOAL as well as Alex, the man Laura claimed to be her husband at Nocturne House. I enjoyed reading about Laura's thought process throughout the book especially when it came to SOAL's activities. I also enjoyed Hunter's perspective on everything, and his loyalty to Laura was very admirable. I think a lot of people would have just walked away after being treated the way Laura treated him. Alex was also a brilliant character, and even I was sucked in by his charismatic personality. I was elated to see that Pearse and Avery were back in Nocturne House. I loved them both in Whickering Place. I won't go into much detail about them in case you want to read the previous book in the series, but let's just say that Pearse was the same old Pearse with how he felt about everything.
Trigger warnings for Nocturne House include profanity, violence (though not gory), mental health issues, sexual situations (not graphic), rape (mentioned in name only), brainwashing, kidnapping, murder, demons, the occult, and alcohol use.
Overall, Nocturne House is a fantastic novel with a solid story and fantastic characters. London Clarke managed to make a spooky story really come to life in each and every page. I would definitely recommend Nocturne House by London Clarke to those aged 16+. I believe fans of most genres will enjoy this one!