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Under Lock and Skeleton Key
8.0
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Known for her wonderfully addictive characters, multiple award-winning author Gigi Pandian...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Nov 3, 2022
David McK (3649 KP) rated Fatherland in Books
Dec 20, 2022
Robert Harris's best-selling alt-history novel, basically asking what the world would be like if the Nazis had won WW2, and following the investigation by a police officer in the 1960s when a naked body is found floating in a lake on the outskirts of Berlin just ahead of Hitler's 75th birthday, leading to the uncovering of a vast conspiracy...
A conspiracy covering up events, in the 'real' world, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of WW2 history would know about. And rightfully so.
That, I felt, was my biggest problem with the novel - there was just no sense of mystery or intrigue, no real 'what-will-happen-to-the-characters-next?' that made me really want to read on - indeed, there were times that I had to force myself to continue rather than starting another book.
From a personal POV, I think I would have preferred more emphasis on the the alt-history portions of the story (how did Germany win the war? What happened in the UK? To name but two ...) than on the central mystery: to me, at least, the balance is out of whack, favouring the mystery over the little nuggets of such information carefully doled out throughout the course of the novel.
I'm also not that much a fan of cliff-hanger endings, personally ...
A conspiracy covering up events, in the 'real' world, anyone with even the slightest knowledge of WW2 history would know about. And rightfully so.
That, I felt, was my biggest problem with the novel - there was just no sense of mystery or intrigue, no real 'what-will-happen-to-the-characters-next?' that made me really want to read on - indeed, there were times that I had to force myself to continue rather than starting another book.
From a personal POV, I think I would have preferred more emphasis on the the alt-history portions of the story (how did Germany win the war? What happened in the UK? To name but two ...) than on the central mystery: to me, at least, the balance is out of whack, favouring the mystery over the little nuggets of such information carefully doled out throughout the course of the novel.
I'm also not that much a fan of cliff-hanger endings, personally ...
ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Atlas Six in Books
Aug 15, 2022
I liked The Atlas Six. I listened to it on BorrowBox audiobook through my library, and I think that helped a lot - I liked the narrators voice!
The competition between the initiates is brutal - there’s an assumption that only one would survive by the end, and to them this is completely reasonable. It doesn’t put them off at all. This perfectly illustrates the kind of people they are I felt. Pretty ruthless.
There was an awful lot of dialogue that wasn’t really balanced with action. This is a fantasy book, they have magical gifts, and there just wasn’t enough magical action for me, and what there was I didn’t think showed the potential of some characters. Maybe they will be explored more in the second book. I was left not quite understanding what some of their gifts entailed. Some were obvious, others not so much. This first book, in what I assume will be a trilogy, has more of a scene-setting feel about it.
Now their recruiter, Atlas Blakely, really did intrigue me. I wish there had been more about him - perhaps there will be in the next book.
I will read the next book when it comes out. Sometimes a trilogy can be a little slow to start, and there’s enough in this book to make me want to read the next one.
The competition between the initiates is brutal - there’s an assumption that only one would survive by the end, and to them this is completely reasonable. It doesn’t put them off at all. This perfectly illustrates the kind of people they are I felt. Pretty ruthless.
There was an awful lot of dialogue that wasn’t really balanced with action. This is a fantasy book, they have magical gifts, and there just wasn’t enough magical action for me, and what there was I didn’t think showed the potential of some characters. Maybe they will be explored more in the second book. I was left not quite understanding what some of their gifts entailed. Some were obvious, others not so much. This first book, in what I assume will be a trilogy, has more of a scene-setting feel about it.
Now their recruiter, Atlas Blakely, really did intrigue me. I wish there had been more about him - perhaps there will be in the next book.
I will read the next book when it comes out. Sometimes a trilogy can be a little slow to start, and there’s enough in this book to make me want to read the next one.
King of Beasts (Curse of the Dark Kingdom #4)
8.0
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At the moment tyrannical King Aegron the Cruel was assassinated, each of his children was struck by...
Young Adult Fantasy Romance
Merissa (13524 KP) rated Scorched by Darkness (Eternal Mates #18) in Books
Apr 19, 2021 (Updated Jul 27, 2023)
SCORCHED BY DARKNESSEternal Mates series and what a joy it was to get back into this series, having missed the last couple of stories.
Hartt and Mackenzie are both assassins, both charged with killing the same mark, the King of Death himself. They start off as just two rival assassins, but things quickly change when they realise they are fated mates. Neither of them wants to be with someone just because Fate said so though, so Hartt goes above and beyond to prove he loves her. Plus, he does have some grovelling to do because of Iolanthe!
This was a brilliantly paced story, with plenty of intrigue to move the story along, plus steamy times. I loved seeing couples I have met before, and how their personalities change and yet remain the same. Read it, you'll understand what I mean!
I also loved the hints about Syn. I really can't wait to learn her story. I am wondering if she'll be the next story, but either way, I can't wait for this to continue. A brilliant addition to the series, and definitely 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 19, 2021
Hartt and Mackenzie are both assassins, both charged with killing the same mark, the King of Death himself. They start off as just two rival assassins, but things quickly change when they realise they are fated mates. Neither of them wants to be with someone just because Fate said so though, so Hartt goes above and beyond to prove he loves her. Plus, he does have some grovelling to do because of Iolanthe!
This was a brilliantly paced story, with plenty of intrigue to move the story along, plus steamy times. I loved seeing couples I have met before, and how their personalities change and yet remain the same. Read it, you'll understand what I mean!
I also loved the hints about Syn. I really can't wait to learn her story. I am wondering if she'll be the next story, but either way, I can't wait for this to continue. A brilliant addition to the series, and definitely 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, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 19, 2021
The Night Blade (Indulgence #2) by Erin Kellison
10.0
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Luck isn’t going Terah Crane's way. She's stuck with the prince of Fury, the arrogant scion of...
Fantasy Series Myth and Legend
Merissa (13524 KP) rated Hydromancist (7 Forbidden Arts #4) in Books
May 20, 2023
Maya, as we know from previous books, is one tough cookie. She doesn't have many friends, but those she does have, she holds close and gives her all. So when she finds herself alone on a mission, she isn't bothered because she knows how to take care of herself, and there are very good reasons why her teammates aren't there with her. So you can imagine the shock to her system when she finds herself falling for the very guy that she's there to investigate. Tim has many layers to him (why do I always think of Shrek when I say that!) and you don't find them all out at once. I have to say, that even by the end of the book, I don't think we know all there is to know about Ambassador Fardel!
This book does not pull any punches - it is hot, heartbreaking, poignant, and tender. With intrigue and mystery aplenty, it will keep you gripped from page to page. Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, and with a brilliant supporting cast, this makes an excellent addition to the 7 Forbidden Arts series. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Jan 30, 2016
This book does not pull any punches - it is hot, heartbreaking, poignant, and tender. With intrigue and mystery aplenty, it will keep you gripped from page to page. Well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that I found, and with a brilliant supporting cast, this makes an excellent addition to the 7 Forbidden Arts series. Definitely recommended.
* 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!
Jan 30, 2016
Black & White (Parker City Mysteries #4)
Book
Parker City, 1985 . . . A picturesque spring morning takes a disturbing turn when the frozen body...
Police Procedural Mystery Crime