Merissa (11950 KP) rated Hidden (Fire and Iceland #1) in Books
Dec 15, 2018
This is a long book that is a slow burner. The first half of the book I thoroughly enjoyed, as Vanessa learnt more about the Icelandic mythology, and just how pertinent to her situation it may be. Then, I'm afraid, I got a bit bored. There is a lot of repetition, with Vanessa telling the world how unfair life is. And then we have an attraction thrown into the mix, where his ghostly wife may or may not be involved. And then the ending... of which I won't say anything because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else.
There were lots of aspects of this book that I enjoyed, but I was left feeling vaguely unsatisfied. I have given it a 3-star rating though, because it WAS good! It just didn't hold me engrossed like I love to be in a book. There were no editing or grammatical errors that ruined my reading, which is another reason for 3-stars.
If you fancy something a bit different, and like the idea of Iceland, then I would recommend this book.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Thing: Zero Day in Books
Dec 17, 2018
The Thing: Zero Day </i>is a short science fiction, horror story by Lee McGeorge. Inspired by John Carpenter’s film <i>The Thing</i> and the story <i>Who Goes There? </i>by John W. Campbell, McGeorge has created a creepy, fast paced thriller for readers to enjoy.
It is 1982 and a group of twelve Norwegian climatologists witness the crash landing of an unidentified flying object. Curiosity getting the better of them, they try to salvage what they can of the craft and discover an alien in a block of ice. What at first seems like a magnificent discovery turns frightening after all but three of the climate scientists begin behaving strangely, becoming impassive as if something has a psychological hold over them. The story becomes more horrific as it goes on with gruesome descriptions of the things that happen to the men.
The book is short enough to be read in one sitting, however it ends, annoyingly, without a definite conclusion, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next. <i>The Thing: Zero Day</i> is not a novel but a piece of fan fiction for the film <i>The Thing</i>. Although I have not seen the film I am led to believe that this book is a sort of prologue to the main story line.
Being short, the narrative is gripping from start to finish, jumping straight into the story. Readers are sucked into the tale and will most likely read it from beginning to end without putting it down. <i>The Thing: Zero Day</i> is obviously recommended for lovers of the film, however people who have not had the opportunity to view it, yet enjoy horror and science fiction, will also enjoy this book.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Of Fire and Stars (Of Fire and Stars #1) in Books
Dec 25, 2018
That said, I enjoyed this book a lot. I think Inkmistress is better, but that happens often with new authors. I think the sequel, Of Ice and Shadows, due out this summer, will probably be even better, and should bring the events of the previous two books together.
Like Inkmistress, bisexuality seems to be absolutely normal in Denna's country, with Denna not expressing a preference, Mare having had male and female lovers, and one of Denna's ladies having a female lover. (There is a brief mention of a gay couple as well.) I do wish nonbinary people would make an appearance, but it's something, at least.
There are a lot of twists and turns to the plot in this book, so while Inkmistress was fairly straightforward, this one took me by surprise multiple times. It also makes it much harder to talk about the plot without giving anything away!
I wish we'd discovered more about the King's council - several members of it seemed to have ulterior motives but we never got to see what those were. If we knew their motivations, some things might make a lot more sense and be a lot more satisfying.
Read Inkmistress. If you like the world, go ahead and read this book, because the events of this will be necessary to understand the third book, which takes us back to the country featured in Inkmistress. And I want to know more about that country!
You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
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