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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea in Books

Jul 8, 2021

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea

Ashley Herring Blake | 2021 | Children, Fiction & Poetry

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

A beautiful story about love and loss

Hazel Bly lived a great life with her Mum and Mama until a kayaking accident. Then her Mum died, leaving Hazel with a scar on her face and terrible anxiety. She wants nothing more than to keep her little sister Peach safe. The Blys move around a lot now. Two years after the accident, they are in Maine. It turns out that one of their new neighbors is her Mama's old childhood friend, Claire. The introduction of Claire into Hazel's world--along with her chatty daughter Lemon--makes Hazel feel unsettled. Plus Lemon is fixated on a local legend, the Rose Maid, a mermaid often seen in the waters. Hazel notes a resemblance between herself and Rose and soon she finds herself as fascinated by the mermaid as Lemon. Because sometimes everyone needs to believe in a little magic, especially when their world is crumbling around them.

"Now it's two and one, with me as the odd one out."

Oh this book is excellent-- an absolutely stunning read, which captures grief and loss so viscerally. I truly felt traumatized at times on Hazel's behalf. With the death of her Mum, she is so afraid something will happen to Peach, or even her Mama, and this fear comes through the pages so strongly. It's heartbreaking. Her fear of being happy again. You just want to wrap this sweet kid in your arms and hug her until everything is okay. Blake writes Hazel so well, and her grief, passion, and emotions come across so well.

Everything in this book is amazing--the magical and whimsical myth of the Rose Maid; the diversity of the characters; and the total acceptance of Hazel's parents being gay and bi. It's not a big deal in this book for parents to be queer or friends to be nonbinary. How wonderful for a YA story.

This is an exceptional tale about family, love, loss, healing, and magic. It made me cry, but it left me hopeful too. It's touching and heartfelt. Highly recommend. 4.5 stars.

Kudos

Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Stir Until Petrified (Violetta Massoni #1) in Books

Sep 12, 2020

Contains spoilers, click to show

165 of 200
Kindle
Stir until petrified ( A Violetta Massoni book 1)
By Theda Vallee

Welcome to beautiful Palermo Bay, where the witches are fierce

...and the biscotti is to die for.

Violetta "Etta" Massoni is an Italian witch living and working with her overbearing family in the sleepy seaside town of Palermo Bay. Healing from tragedy, she wants nothing to do with the magic she was born with.

Etta soon finds herself forced into the world of magic that she had resisted for so long. The peaceful calm of her community is shattered by a string of attacks that leaves fifteen people trapped in their dreams. An ominous magic task force is sent to investigate, with Etta as their number one suspect.

Her family has never been able to mind their own business, and they aren’t about to start now! Dragging her grandmother from crime scenes will be the least of her worries. Join Etta and the whole Massoni girl gang on a perilous, hilarious adventure filled with magic, myth, and minestrone!

After waiting for so long I finally got round to reading this! Oh my god! I don’t remember the last time I gave a 5* and enjoyed a book so much! I laughed I adore Etta and her family! It was packed with wit and so well written! The last character I loved this much was Charley Davidson from Darynda Jones’s books! I also learnt what a Benandanti was and that in this book I’d be expecting a knock at the door on his 10th birthday. Also my favourite quote which had me laughing out loud!

“Where am I supposed to sit?” I eyed the motorcycle’s seat, trying to calculate how much butt room there was. He handed me a helmet, pointing to the back of the bike. “You sit behind me. It’s called the bitch seat.” “Does that make where you’re sitting the prick perch?” I asked, climbing on behind him. As I’d feared, sitting made my shorts move so far up my nether region, I was positive we’d need a search and rescue team to get them out later.

I really can’t wait to read the next book!

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Patriots Day (2016) in Movies

Jul 12, 2019

Patriots Day (2016)

2016 | Crime, Drama, Thriller

7.9

(28 Ratings)

Movie Rating

There are events in history that are burned into our memories. The attack on Pearl Harbor, JFK assassination, Challenger explosion, Oklahoma City bombing, and 9/11 stand out as moments when their respective generations ask “where were you when?” The same can be said with the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. In Patriot’s Day we bear witness to the various people involved with the events that unfolded during that week. We are reminded of the tension and fear that the nation experienced as law enforcement tried to find those responsible. The film reopens a wound that has just begun to heal so that we are reminded of the vulnerability that everyone, from every walk of life has to terrorism and acts of violence.

Patriot’s Day stars Mark Wahlberg as a police officer and native Bostonian who is placed on duty for the Boston Marathon. The film is not about him or his personal experience. Rather, the film is more about the myriad of individuals who witness or fall victim to the attack that day. Unlike similar films that deal with the topic of terrorism, the film does not focus on the effect the events have on one or two people. The film is complex and demonstrates the circumstances of the attack, the investigation, the apprehension, and the personal experiences through a variety of voices and faces. The film makes the experience personal and does not depend on sensationalism to sell the story.

The film will captivate those that see it in being able to learn more about the individuals involved or who fell victim. It is also remarkable in its ability to weave the storytelling so that each player has a strong development before their portion of the tale is fully realized. It allows for an appreciation of the individuals involved and demonstrates that they are more than just names in a report. Patriot’s Day is a film that will open wounds for those who witnessed and experienced the events first-hand, but allows for those who have little to no memory of that week to delve deeper into the way that the events played out and truly understand the manner in which the city of Boston went from hurting, to healing, to being strong.