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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated The Shadows in Books

Jul 29, 2020  
The Shadows
The Shadows
Alex North | 2020 | Thriller
8
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
A thriller with some real chills. Returning to his home town for the first time in 25 years Paul is still haunted by the murder that occurred there in his childhood and with a copycat about he's not the only one finding it hard to forget the town's horrific past.

This is not a tale for the weak-stomached with some truly gory and creepy imagery. It's both well written by Alex North and the audiobook was a great listen (narrated by Hannah Arterton and John Heffernan.)

I did find the ending slightly anti-climatic but I think part of it was the build-up was just so good.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, the author, and NetGalley for the copy.
  
Nine Elms (Kate Marshall #1)
Nine Elms (Kate Marshall #1)
Robert Bryndza | 2019 | Crime, Thriller
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my goodness ... you have GOT to read this book!!

It is amongst one of my all time top reads!!

Just brilliant from start to finish!!

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book from the very first to the very last page. I loved everything about it; the characters (all of them ... which is unusual for me), the plot, the story, the tension, the pace, the writing style ... everything and I absolutely devoured it and can't wait for the next instalment in this series.

Read it ... you won't be disappointed.

Thank you to the Secret Readers Project for giving me the opportunity to read this book and for introducing me to a new author that I will definitely read more of.
  
Magic Always Sings (Magic Series #2)
Magic Always Sings (Magic Series #2)
Erin M. Leaf | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved what the magic did!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

I wrote in a review for the first book I read of this author: First I've read of this author, I'd like to read a longer book, with more to get my teeth into. And this book delivers, big time!

This is the second book in the Magic Sings series, and I have not read book one, Magic Never Lies. I didn't feel I was missing anything, and I will go back, at some point, and read that book. Not because I need to, but because I want to.

Rowan is a rock star who cannot write songs, hasn't for some time. He NEEDS to, or he will be in trouble. Having someone else's songs shoved at him, and his magic goes haywire. Rowan loves these songs. Meeting Jesse sends him into a tailspin: he knows Jesse but can't recall from when. Once the penny drops, Rowan goes all out to settle his magic. But Rowan isn't out, and doesn't want to come out, not yet. Can they make this work?

What this is, right, is a wonderful tale of being true to yourself. Jesse has loved Rowan for a long time, and he will take him anyway he can get him, but Jesse knows Rowan is not being true to himself, regardless of what he said all those years ago. It's quite difficult reading, when Rowan tells Jesse why he won't come out, but the magic inside Rowan will not be denied.

I loved the magic thing, I really did. It just is, you know? You don't need a long winded explanation about it. Some people have it, and some don't, and I loved what the magic did to them both. Makes them kinda face their feelings, really!

I didn't think it overly explicit, but I liked that here, for these two. It's more about admitting your feelings, and letting them all out. Fairly low on the angst scale too.

A thoroughly enjoyable longer book by this author, and my to-read list is somewhat longer now too!

4 very VERY good stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
The Cuckoo's Calling
The Cuckoo's Calling
Robert Galbraith | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (21 Ratings)
Book Rating
I read (listened to) The Cuckoo’s Calling before I knew who the real author was. Here I was so excited about finding a new author for my author watch page, and it turns out it’s J.K. Rowling! I mean, I guess I can’t complain, as long as she keeps writing books like this one.

I really liked The Cuckoo’s Calling. There were so many little details and hints that brought the whole thing together in the end (typical of Rowling, and I see that now) and it made for a wonderful detective novel. It wasn’t very “gripping,” though. It was “put-down-able.” At any given time I could stop and move on to something else. It kept me interested while I was reading, but when I needed to stop, it didn’t drag me back to my chair for another chapter. I feel like that gripping aspect is needed in a detective novel, and that’s the only thing that was missing. That being said, I still really loved the book. I loved Strike, the main character, and the supporting character he hires as his P.A. (unwillingly at first, but then he realizes how totally awesome she is). I really hope “Galbraith” continues with another book with these characters!

Content/Recommendation: Little language, no sex. Ages 15-adult
  
The purpose of this book is quickly understood to motivate and aid the reader to prepare for a "man-made disaster" of the magnitude that is illustrated through a fictional story that the author, Karen McHale, apparently believes is impending for the U.S.A. I won't address whether or not I believe such a disaster is imminent or not. The story takes up the first 132 pages of the book, and the remaining pages is a quick guide to self-sufficiency, with a step-by-step guide and divided by Pantry and Utilities.
What I will address is the text of the book itself, which, frankly, could use some work. I can be a stickler for grammar, and it is obvious to me that the author used the spelling and grammar check function that is found in your typical text-formatting program, such as Word. Simply having someone read over the book before publication could catch these errors. For example, starting on page 50, the word "panty" has replaced what should have been "pantry," not every time, but often enough to be obvious. Other things showed up in the text to show the author's weakness in writing fiction, such as this: "...the unspoken thought hung unspoken in the air..." (pg. 11).
The story itself is a thinly veiled attempt at teaching the reader what is already listed in the section at the end of the book. Much more of the book is devoted to detailed descriptions of these preparations than to the development of the different characters. Towards the end of the book, time speeds up as the author skips ahead several times to fast forward the plot to 2012, with snapshots of plot to show the progress of the fictional family in its preparations for the economic disaster.
Honestly, this book would have been much better written had the author spent more time developing the different characters and made them unique and interesting to the reader, as well as gotten a few extra people to read the text before publication. McHale does not even bother with last names for this "typical American household." Sadly, except for the eight page guide at the end, it is all very forgettable.