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Shadow & Crown (Royal & Piper #1)
Shadow & Crown (Royal & Piper #1)
E.L. Tenenbaum | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
SHADOW & CROWN is the first book in the Royal & Piper series. We meet Quirin and Cal, two people in the Southlands of the kingdom; a place neither of them actually belong.

Told from three different perspectives, you get a completely rounded story and yet still full of intrigue. I don't know what the full story of Quirin yet (although I can guess the reasons) but he has been paying for his actions for a long time. Cal has so many doubts about her ability to be queen, especially when people's first comments are about her looks. I loved seeing her grow and become more confident in who she is. As for Evalena, well, the less said about her the better!

This story was gripping, keeping me in my seat until I had finished it. And that ending definitely left me wanting to continue their stories. Absolutely wonderful and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 24, 2024
  
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/his-guilt-shelley-shepard-gray"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://bit.ly/2uuHGUa"; alt="Shelley1" width="235" height="319" /></a>
<span style="color: #993300;"><strong>My Thoughts</strong></span>
<span style="color: #993300;"><strong> Ms. Gray is back with another hit in the Amish Of Hart County series! She never fails to grip me wholly and keep me in the center of the story. This book, just like <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/pict-review-her-secret-by-shelley-shepard-gray/">Her Secret</a>, was an instant gripper for me.</strong></span>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong>Once again, the characters were captivating for me. I loved Mark and Waneta both. Mark's character really tugged at me the most. I can't imagine the pain that he endured through life. The things he dealt with in life, you don't imagine being a part of an Amish novel, but it was and it really made it that much more gripping. Oh to be there! I would go in mama mode on him and hug him big! Waneta's character, well, she was a little too judgy at times, but seeing God work on her, really made me love her that much more.</strong></span>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong>This book is intriguing, emotional, and gripping. It is not a sweet Amish romance, but it is a wonderful Amish novel in a series that will steal your heart, just the same. You will go through the roller coaster ride of ups and downs as you fall in love with each character, as you feel each characters emotions,as they seek forgiveness,and the pain that they go through of letting go of the past. Anything less than a 4.5 star review will not do this book justice.</strong></span>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #993300;"><strong>I definitely recommend this book to all Amish fiction lovers, but be warned. It is not a light hearted read. And, I recommend reading book 1 first as it will make the experience of this series more fulfulling. I can't wait to read the next book Ms. Gray has for us!</strong></span>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/his-guilt-shelley-shepard-gray"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://bit.ly/2tlxNcS"; alt="Shelley2" width="235" height="320" /></a><a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/litfuse-blog-tour-review-his-guilt-by-shelley-shepard-gray/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
  
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated My Sister in Books

Sep 24, 2020  
My Sister
My Sister
Michelle Adams | 2020 | Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book drew me in from the first chapter. It was extremely mysterious and I could feel the suspense building up already. It was very hard to put this novel down.

The main character in this novel is Irini (love, love the name), a successful doctor with hip problems, which left her slightly limping. All her life she was running from her sister – Elle. Why? Because Elle is dangerous and unpredictable. I really loved the characters which were chosen for this book. I think they were very original, charismatic and supported each other very nicely. I really liked Irini and her life story, but it is very hard not to admire Elle, in some sort of weird way. Her character has charm, her personality is very strong, her actions, masterful manipulations because she is a psychopath. It was very interesting to read about this connection which Irini and Elle shared, they can’t be together but they need each other. You know it will destroy your life, but you still need it… All this was told while sharing Irini’s experiences from the past, which I found absolutely amusing and very intriguing to read.

The narrative of this novel is very gripping. Page after page, the author brought in a twist or unexpected turn, leaving me more and more interested in what will happen next. The whole plot was told from Irini’s perspective, and even though it was enough to make it an interesting read, I would have loved to read Elle’s perspective as well. I think it would have made this book even more interesting and would’ve answered more questions, and at least for me, it is always interesting to read what psychopaths think. Sometimes I got tired of this constant “Why did they give me away?” question. For me, in some places, it was quite repetitive and not always necessary.

The writing style of this novel is very creative and smartly thought through, leaving some cliffhangers, which are still bothering me a little. The chapters are a very decent length and it didn’t drag for me because the plot has sucked me in. I do not recommend it for young readers, as it contains some mild violence, drugs and alcohol. I am not fully satisfied with the ending of this book, even though it answered the main questions of this novel, it still has unresolved mysteries, which were left with hypothetical explanations.

So, to conclude, I would strongly recommend this dark and gripping thriller, filled with strange sisterly love, very strong and charismatic characters and very well thought through and intriguing plot, uncovering new secrets with every chapter. Enjoy
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Blackfish (2013) in Movies

Nov 6, 2017 (Updated Nov 6, 2017)  
Blackfish (2013)
Blackfish (2013)
2013 | Documentary
Harrowing and thought provoking
For anyone who's grown up watching films like Free Willy, or visited any of the Seaworld parks, this documentary is going to be a cruel but necessary eye opener.

For me, I've been to Seaworld in Florida numerous times when I was younger and have seen Tilikum in the flesh, and although this documentary pretty much ruins my childhood memories, I'm actually glad in a way that I'm no longer in the dark. It's a tough watch, but very informative with gripping video footage and interviews with ex Seaworld employees. It also really illustrates the whales temperaments and intellectual and emotional capacity, which just further pushes the point the documentary is trying to make. Yes as with most documentaries, its fairly one-sided. But that doesn't mean it's wrong.


Seaworld have called this documentary propaganda, but having visited Seaworld again just over a month ago (after having seen this), it's the nonsense they're showing at the parks that's the propaganda, not this. It can't have done any damage to the parks, as they were still full of people who were obviously ignorant to this documentary. I just wish they'd all watch this before being taken in by the propaganda pushed by the company.
  
Show all 5 comments.
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) Nov 6, 2017

It's about dolphin and whale fishing in Japan but they touch upon keeping sea life enclosed as well. Really quite horrible.

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Che (148 KP) Apr 16, 2019

I'm curious. Why did you go to SeaWorld after seeing this film?