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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Down Down Deep in Books
May 17, 2024
98 of 220
Booksirens ARC
Down Down Deep
By Christina Delay
⭐️⭐️
Did I kill him?
Jesse David, professional travel writer, can’t shake the past she doesn’t remember. With her blackouts growing worse at the approach of her father’s death anniversary, she’s convinced that this trip is her last chance to find answers. But then Momma tags along and brings her special brand of abuse and a suitcase full of secrets.
Gabriel Gutierrez, cruise ship director, doesn’t perform the job—he is the job. For the past two decades, he has avoided his home and the destruction he brought upon his family, yet he cannot escape the heavy anchor of guilt. When Jesse steps on board, old shame renews and compounds as not one, but two deaths rise from troubled waters.
With a clock ticking and lives at stake, Jesse and Gabriel must decide whether the dangerous truth should rise to the surface or remain drowned in the deep.
I don’t know this started off as though I was going to really like it but then I really struggled with it half way through. The ending was ok but something about the whole book just irritated me a little. I’m quite an emotional reader and somehow just didnt evoke any.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Booksirens ARC
Down Down Deep
By Christina Delay
⭐️⭐️
Did I kill him?
Jesse David, professional travel writer, can’t shake the past she doesn’t remember. With her blackouts growing worse at the approach of her father’s death anniversary, she’s convinced that this trip is her last chance to find answers. But then Momma tags along and brings her special brand of abuse and a suitcase full of secrets.
Gabriel Gutierrez, cruise ship director, doesn’t perform the job—he is the job. For the past two decades, he has avoided his home and the destruction he brought upon his family, yet he cannot escape the heavy anchor of guilt. When Jesse steps on board, old shame renews and compounds as not one, but two deaths rise from troubled waters.
With a clock ticking and lives at stake, Jesse and Gabriel must decide whether the dangerous truth should rise to the surface or remain drowned in the deep.
I don’t know this started off as though I was going to really like it but then I really struggled with it half way through. The ending was ok but something about the whole book just irritated me a little. I’m quite an emotional reader and somehow just didnt evoke any.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2488 KP) rated Burdened Bloodline in Books
Feb 12, 2026
Seeking Shelter but Finding Murder
Jax, her husband Perry, and their closest friends are looking for a way to get home safely before the fallout from the last book really hits. Their best option is to go to Perry’s home duchy, where his father is the duke. But their arrival finds them feeling less than settled. Perry’s father is behaving strangely. And Perry’s oldest brother, the next in line, is less than welcoming to the reforms that Jax wants to institute across the realm. The party can’t help but wonder if they are truly safe. And that’s before they find themselves embroiled in yet another shocking murder.
If you aren’t already a fan of this series and are up to date, don’t pick up this book. It starts just after the last one ended, and as such, it has some major spoilers. That also means it starts a little slowly wrapping up some things that we didn’t really need wrapped up here. But once it gets going, I was fully invested. Political intrigue plays a heavy part of the plot, and I loved it. I saw a couple of things coming early, but others took me completely by surprise. It all works because I love Jax and the rest of the core cast so much. I’m already plotting when I can revisit these characters again to find out what happens next.
If you aren’t already a fan of this series and are up to date, don’t pick up this book. It starts just after the last one ended, and as such, it has some major spoilers. That also means it starts a little slowly wrapping up some things that we didn’t really need wrapped up here. But once it gets going, I was fully invested. Political intrigue plays a heavy part of the plot, and I loved it. I saw a couple of things coming early, but others took me completely by surprise. It all works because I love Jax and the rest of the core cast so much. I’m already plotting when I can revisit these characters again to find out what happens next.
The Beauty and His Beast
10.0
Rate It
Book
Everild, known far and wide as the Beast, is a warrior of unparalleled ferocity, revered by the king...
Fairytale Retelling MM Fantasy Romance
Paul Kellett (118 KP) rated Shadows of Malice in Tabletop Games
May 8, 2019
Great framework for narrating an adventure (2 more)
Good solo game
Interesting mechanisms
A lot of fiddly tokens (1 more)
Slightly heavy rules
A different take on the adventure board game
Shadows of Malice is an interesting take on the adventure game. Aside from the introduction explaining that you are heroes on a quest to find and activate mystical light wells and defeat the demon and his shadows before they can break through from the shadow realm and capture the wells for evil, there is no fancy artwork, immersive flavour text or even the well known fantasy monsters.
Instead, you get plain cards with simple line art and either just an icon/dice modifier or a short line of text explaining the effect. These cards are items of armour, weapons or other loot, potions, skill masteries, fate effects or abilities. A selection of these make up your character. Again, there are no defined heroes, you can be whatever you fancy being.
When you encounter a monster you roll 3d6 against a chart which will define the creature's species and its strength. Creature types are things like "Avian" and "Reptilian" so you can imagine fighting a dinosaur, a giant eagle or whatever fantastic creature you desire.
This makes the game a great framework to roleplay in. You are never stuck encountering the same things again and again. On the minus side, if you don't have a good imagination, it boils down to just rolling dice and beating target numbers. If you want a game to give you a story to follow, SoM is not that game.
The rules are good, if a little heavy but after a game or two it should soon click and it's mostly straight forward. The designer has recently just uploaded a revised rulebook to BGG which streamlines a number of things.
SoM comes with 4 large landscape hex tiles plus a shadow realm tile and you can choose any number of tiles to arrange in any position around the shadow realm tile. Each tile is divided into a number of smaller hexes with varying terrain and locations printed on them. This is the world you will be exploring and, despite being tiny compared to other game boards, each tile adds about an hour to the play time.
Gameplay involves exploring the land fighting creatures, gaining loot, visiting cities to trade goods or mystic seers to buy potions while searching for the special light wells that you must take control of.
In between player turns, the shadows act. They begin confined to the shadow realm but as the rounds progress, barriers fall and the shadows are more likely to find a way out to manifest in the land. Once there they start searching for the light wells and it's game over if they get to them first .
This makes for a tense cat and mouse with your heroes racing to either get to a well or intercept the demons on route.
Instead, you get plain cards with simple line art and either just an icon/dice modifier or a short line of text explaining the effect. These cards are items of armour, weapons or other loot, potions, skill masteries, fate effects or abilities. A selection of these make up your character. Again, there are no defined heroes, you can be whatever you fancy being.
When you encounter a monster you roll 3d6 against a chart which will define the creature's species and its strength. Creature types are things like "Avian" and "Reptilian" so you can imagine fighting a dinosaur, a giant eagle or whatever fantastic creature you desire.
This makes the game a great framework to roleplay in. You are never stuck encountering the same things again and again. On the minus side, if you don't have a good imagination, it boils down to just rolling dice and beating target numbers. If you want a game to give you a story to follow, SoM is not that game.
The rules are good, if a little heavy but after a game or two it should soon click and it's mostly straight forward. The designer has recently just uploaded a revised rulebook to BGG which streamlines a number of things.
SoM comes with 4 large landscape hex tiles plus a shadow realm tile and you can choose any number of tiles to arrange in any position around the shadow realm tile. Each tile is divided into a number of smaller hexes with varying terrain and locations printed on them. This is the world you will be exploring and, despite being tiny compared to other game boards, each tile adds about an hour to the play time.
Gameplay involves exploring the land fighting creatures, gaining loot, visiting cities to trade goods or mystic seers to buy potions while searching for the special light wells that you must take control of.
In between player turns, the shadows act. They begin confined to the shadow realm but as the rounds progress, barriers fall and the shadows are more likely to find a way out to manifest in the land. Once there they start searching for the light wells and it's game over if they get to them first .
This makes for a tense cat and mouse with your heroes racing to either get to a well or intercept the demons on route.
Louise (64 KP) rated A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares in Books
Jul 2, 2018
*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
I read Krystal Sutherland’s debut novel earlier this year for my #beatthebacklist challenge and whilst it wasn’t great I decided to give this writer another chance. I usually give authors a second chance, I like to see how they develop and whether it’s just the story or characters that rubbed me up the wrong way.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book, I definitely think it is an improvement from her debut novel and will read further books of her’s if the blurb intrigues me.
This story follows Esther Solar, she is not your typical 17-year-old, she doesn’t conform to fashion trends and has her very own unique style of dressing up in costumes every day, one day she might be Audrey Hepburn, she might be a cow girl the next. She is not a popular girl and her family would maybe deemed eccentric or different from the norm.
Esther’s grandfather proclaimed that he met death (several times) since this revelation his family has had a bout of bad luck. Esther has a twin who is petrified of the dark and has all the lights and candles going continuously, her father is agoraphobic and hasn’t left the cellar for 6 years and her mother has a fear of bad luck. Esther deems herself as the normal one of the family, however that’s only because she has avoided anything she thinks might induce fear and so she creates a list, these are: Lobsters, small spaces and anything else she thinks of, this is her list of semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.
Esther comes in to contact with Jonah Smallwood, a boy who used to be in her class but then moved away to another school. Jonah seems to take a liking to Esther and keeps turning up at her door or the same part. They develop this friendship,when Jonah discovers Esther’s list he takes it upon himself to help conquer these so-called fears and live life fear free.
There were several things that I enjoyed about the book, one was I thought the characters were good and fleshed out, we got a back story to how they came to their current situation. I liked that there was a magical realism/supernatural element to the book. This book had its quirks and then also some serious topics such a phobia’s,anxiety,depression, gambling,child abuse, dementia, selective mutism and suicide. Whilst you might be thinking that is some heavy stuff, it doesn’t always feel like that through the book. Sutherland has managed to handle these heavy topics with a lot of care.
Sutherland’s writing style is easy to read but the pacing was a bit up and down and sometimes it just didn’t hold my attention. I would definitely recommend reading this book, however there are trigger warnings.
I read Krystal Sutherland’s debut novel earlier this year for my #beatthebacklist challenge and whilst it wasn’t great I decided to give this writer another chance. I usually give authors a second chance, I like to see how they develop and whether it’s just the story or characters that rubbed me up the wrong way.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book, I definitely think it is an improvement from her debut novel and will read further books of her’s if the blurb intrigues me.
This story follows Esther Solar, she is not your typical 17-year-old, she doesn’t conform to fashion trends and has her very own unique style of dressing up in costumes every day, one day she might be Audrey Hepburn, she might be a cow girl the next. She is not a popular girl and her family would maybe deemed eccentric or different from the norm.
Esther’s grandfather proclaimed that he met death (several times) since this revelation his family has had a bout of bad luck. Esther has a twin who is petrified of the dark and has all the lights and candles going continuously, her father is agoraphobic and hasn’t left the cellar for 6 years and her mother has a fear of bad luck. Esther deems herself as the normal one of the family, however that’s only because she has avoided anything she thinks might induce fear and so she creates a list, these are: Lobsters, small spaces and anything else she thinks of, this is her list of semi-definitive list of worst nightmares.
Esther comes in to contact with Jonah Smallwood, a boy who used to be in her class but then moved away to another school. Jonah seems to take a liking to Esther and keeps turning up at her door or the same part. They develop this friendship,when Jonah discovers Esther’s list he takes it upon himself to help conquer these so-called fears and live life fear free.
There were several things that I enjoyed about the book, one was I thought the characters were good and fleshed out, we got a back story to how they came to their current situation. I liked that there was a magical realism/supernatural element to the book. This book had its quirks and then also some serious topics such a phobia’s,anxiety,depression, gambling,child abuse, dementia, selective mutism and suicide. Whilst you might be thinking that is some heavy stuff, it doesn’t always feel like that through the book. Sutherland has managed to handle these heavy topics with a lot of care.
Sutherland’s writing style is easy to read but the pacing was a bit up and down and sometimes it just didn’t hold my attention. I would definitely recommend reading this book, however there are trigger warnings.
mostlyinpyjamas (13 KP) rated The Roanoke Girls in Books
Nov 29, 2017
A well written book with a dark theme.
This book is one of those that's not going to be for everyone. The subject matter is heavy, and for some may well be triggering.
It features child abuse, incest, suicide and murder. It's deeply unsettling and at times made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't think there's a character in this book who isn't very messed up.
However it is very well written, I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word to use but I was completely drawn in, I had to stick with it. I liked the way the author interweaves the flashbacks with the current story. Often, I don't enjoy flashbacks in books, they can make a story feel too disjointed for me, but it worked in The Roanoke girls.
I don't feel like it sensationalises the subjects it deals with, it sets them out as the stomach churning matters that they are.
It's definitely a story that will get you thinking.
I don't usually read the reading group questions at the end of a book, but I did with this book because I was curious, and I feel that there's definitely plenty for discussion, so perhaps it would be a good book club book.
An example of the reading group questions.
"Do you think gran is right when she says mothers are judged more harshly than fathers? Why do you think that might be? Is it a fair standard?"
Overall I enjoyed this book.
It features child abuse, incest, suicide and murder. It's deeply unsettling and at times made me feel really uncomfortable. I don't think there's a character in this book who isn't very messed up.
However it is very well written, I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word to use but I was completely drawn in, I had to stick with it. I liked the way the author interweaves the flashbacks with the current story. Often, I don't enjoy flashbacks in books, they can make a story feel too disjointed for me, but it worked in The Roanoke girls.
I don't feel like it sensationalises the subjects it deals with, it sets them out as the stomach churning matters that they are.
It's definitely a story that will get you thinking.
I don't usually read the reading group questions at the end of a book, but I did with this book because I was curious, and I feel that there's definitely plenty for discussion, so perhaps it would be a good book club book.
An example of the reading group questions.
"Do you think gran is right when she says mothers are judged more harshly than fathers? Why do you think that might be? Is it a fair standard?"
Overall I enjoyed this book.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Autumn Winds (Seasons of the Heart #2) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I've been anxiously awaiting the sequel to Summer of Secrets, and this book was worth the wait. A few matters that were left unfinished in the previous book are accounted for here, such as Rachel and Micah's wedding, and the humbling of Bishop Hiram's brash behavior. The introduction of several new characters, such as Ben's two maidel aunts, served to add color to the community of Willow Ridge and even added a dash of humor to the several romance-heavy sub-plots.
I thoroughly enjoyed following along in the lives of Miriam Lantz and her daughters, especially when reading about all of the mouth-watering food that the Sweet Seasons Bakery and Cafe served up everyday. I plan on trying out of a few of the recipes in the back of the book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a bread recipe that I've tried among those listed.
The background of Amish culture I have also continued to find fascinating, as I learned more of the nuances in speech, behavior, and traditional beliefs. While I find some things too restrictive, such as the clothing and lack of electricity, the adherence to gender roles, the respect they give to one another, their beliefs in the Bible, and their use of wholesome and naturally-grown foods are all things I greatly admire. This book only serves to bring it all to life and make it that much more appealing. I look forward to reading more of this series.
I thoroughly enjoyed following along in the lives of Miriam Lantz and her daughters, especially when reading about all of the mouth-watering food that the Sweet Seasons Bakery and Cafe served up everyday. I plan on trying out of a few of the recipes in the back of the book, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a bread recipe that I've tried among those listed.
The background of Amish culture I have also continued to find fascinating, as I learned more of the nuances in speech, behavior, and traditional beliefs. While I find some things too restrictive, such as the clothing and lack of electricity, the adherence to gender roles, the respect they give to one another, their beliefs in the Bible, and their use of wholesome and naturally-grown foods are all things I greatly admire. This book only serves to bring it all to life and make it that much more appealing. I look forward to reading more of this series.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated In the Shadow of the Sun King (Darkness to Light, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
What a struggle! For over one-hundred pages, I slogged through mediocre writing, awkward and stilted dialogue, and then just as it's starting to get interesting, the author decides to stop and skip almost a year! Then the plot continues where it left off and plods on for the remainder of the book.
The heavy-handed use of religion is the least of it's problems, which should have at least have fit in better and not tossed like an oversight. I could not sympathize with any of the characters, the reader only got a cursory look at them, with Madeleine being worst of the lot (what a twit). The history is superficial and thrown in randomly; it rather reminded me of a children's book or show where they're being taught by an adult. Not to mention two years pass and there is no sense of it, we're just told in ten-twenty pages, not shown. That was an opportunity wasted right there and could have been the most interesting aspect of this novel. IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN KING glossed over way too much and what remained was boring and stale.
Maybe the casual reader or more devout will enjoy it more, but I would have given up after fifty pages if I didn't have to review the sequel, A PRISONER AT VERSAILLES, and thought I <i>should</i> read this first. Hopefully, it will be much better because I'm really dreading it.
The heavy-handed use of religion is the least of it's problems, which should have at least have fit in better and not tossed like an oversight. I could not sympathize with any of the characters, the reader only got a cursory look at them, with Madeleine being worst of the lot (what a twit). The history is superficial and thrown in randomly; it rather reminded me of a children's book or show where they're being taught by an adult. Not to mention two years pass and there is no sense of it, we're just told in ten-twenty pages, not shown. That was an opportunity wasted right there and could have been the most interesting aspect of this novel. IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN KING glossed over way too much and what remained was boring and stale.
Maybe the casual reader or more devout will enjoy it more, but I would have given up after fifty pages if I didn't have to review the sequel, A PRISONER AT VERSAILLES, and thought I <i>should</i> read this first. Hopefully, it will be much better because I'm really dreading it.
Saerie_Faerie (18 KP) rated Annihilation (2018) in Movies
Mar 3, 2018
actors (2 more)
plot
pace
So creepy-cool good! Very conflicted on rating
If you like all female, kickass smart science loving movies then this movie is for you! Unless you aren't a fan of creepy/thriller stuff then maybe steer clear. I also really wish the characters had more in depth backgrounds but for the sake of a movie it has to be somewhat short and this movie was already sitting at 2 hours so I don't think they could have really afforded to make it any longer.
It is based off a book series that I have not read yet but I have heard many a good thing about it that makes me want to read them. So I went in to the movie not really knowing much besides that it was very science heavy and about evolutionary things.
I loved the characters, the diversity of the characters and all that they go through, it is not a traditional thriller or horror movie that has one thing that happens to all of the characters in the movie, nor is it really predictable.
Basically, go see this movie and maybe read the books if you are a book reader. Just putting it out there that I want to be like Anya the most of the characters and also I identify with her the most, which is really cool because side characters being easy to identify with I feel like is super rare.
It is based off a book series that I have not read yet but I have heard many a good thing about it that makes me want to read them. So I went in to the movie not really knowing much besides that it was very science heavy and about evolutionary things.
I loved the characters, the diversity of the characters and all that they go through, it is not a traditional thriller or horror movie that has one thing that happens to all of the characters in the movie, nor is it really predictable.
Basically, go see this movie and maybe read the books if you are a book reader. Just putting it out there that I want to be like Anya the most of the characters and also I identify with her the most, which is really cool because side characters being easy to identify with I feel like is super rare.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Divine Order (2017) in Movies
Mar 10, 2018 (Updated Mar 10, 2018)
It's not that uncommon for a certain kind of feminist film to turn up in art-house cinemas in the UK - these are usually about the struggle for self-determination as experienced by women in traditionalist societies around the world. What is unusual is to see this sort of story taking place in a recognisably modern European setting, as is the case with The Divine Order. The year is 1971, the setting is rural Switzerland, and a vote is looming over whether women should be given the right to vote. Yes, 1971; yes, Switzerland. Young housewife Nora finds herself almost by accident leading the women of her village in a campaign for, if not equality, then at least recognition.
A solidly scripted and involving film; not too heavy or worthy, it finds time for plenty of lighter moments along the way, though the mood is generally as serious as you might expect. Slightly manipulative, but then that's always the case with this type of film - there is a welcome degree of subtlety, compared to some (one of the leading opponents of women's suffrage is female, for instance). Sofia Helin gets a brilliant cameo as a visiting advocate of 'Yoni Power' (google it if you don't know; I'm not going there in a film review). The version we saw was let down by some inept subtitling but this is still an engaging and well-made drama, not just historical agitprop.
A solidly scripted and involving film; not too heavy or worthy, it finds time for plenty of lighter moments along the way, though the mood is generally as serious as you might expect. Slightly manipulative, but then that's always the case with this type of film - there is a welcome degree of subtlety, compared to some (one of the leading opponents of women's suffrage is female, for instance). Sofia Helin gets a brilliant cameo as a visiting advocate of 'Yoni Power' (google it if you don't know; I'm not going there in a film review). The version we saw was let down by some inept subtitling but this is still an engaging and well-made drama, not just historical agitprop.