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Perfect Lies (Mind Games, #2)
Perfect Lies (Mind Games, #2)
Kiersten White | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

Not having had the opportunity to read the previous book it was sometimes difficult to understand what was going on, thus it is also tricky to give a completely honest review. <i>Perfect Lies</i> is the sequel to Kiersten White’s <i>Sister Assassin</i>(UK version, or <i>Mind Games</i>, US version) about two sisters with extraordinary gifts.

The story is told from the points of view of both sisters but from different time periods. Everything is leading up to a big event, but what that is we are not told. Fia is closer in time to it with her first chapter beginning “five days before”, whereas Annie is “four months before” but jumping through time quickly so that both her and Fia’s narratives meet up at the end.

Those who have already read the first book will know that Annie, although blind, has visions of the future. <i>Perfect Lies</i> begins with Annie pretending to be dead. Fia has “killed” her in order to keep her safe. Now the girls are separated and working with different people, people who seem to be enemies of each other, but whose aim is supposedly the same: destroy Keane Enterprises. Annie is what is known as a Seer and there are many girls with similar abilities as well as Feelers and Readers. Keane Enterprises has been seeking out these girls and educating them in a special school (Annie and Fia attended in the first novel) but then begin to take advantage of their powers – and many end up dead.

As time goes on it becomes less clear who the trustworthy people are and what their true intentions are. Fia thought she was protecting Annie by convincing people she were dead but now Annie believes that it is Fia that needs saving. Will the sisters ever be safe? As days turn to hours it appears that a happy ending is less and less likely…

Obviously not reading the first book meant that it took a while to work out who was who and for a long time felt, to quote Annie, “not up to speed on what’s going on, and I’d really like to be clued in.” The shifts in perspectives, especially time periods, were also confusing. When Annie had a vision involving Fia’s future it was quite often Fia’s present in the way this book was written.

It was interesting to read a narrative from a blind person’s point of view. For understandable reasons there were no visual descriptions (except for the visions) and so White relied on references to sounds, smells and feelings in order to set the seen. Fia’s chapters were also written in a noteworthy way. Presumably past experiences have left Fia slightly unhinged and a lot of her perspective involved her talking to herself in her head. White often used short, snappy sentences giving an impression of Fia’s flighty, unbalanced thoughts.

After getting past the who’s who and what’s what <i>Perfect Lies</i> became really interesting. It is a rather unique concept but anyone thinking about reading these books should definitely begin with <i>Sister Assassin/Mind Games</i> in order to get all the background information to save any confusion at the beginning of the sequel.
  
Love at First Like
Love at First Like
Hannah Orenstein | 2020 | Contemporary, Humor & Comedy, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
First of all, please congratulate me for reading a book on my Netgalley backlist! Go me! Second, congratulate me again for reading a book based on a premise I despise: sitting on a throne of lies! :)

When Eliza discovers via Instagram that her last serious ex-boyfriend, Holden is engaged, she flips out. Despite the fact that she runs a successful business, Brooklyn Jewelers, with her sister, Sophie, Eliza feels as if she's lost the breakup--and life--when Holden gets engaged first. After all, she's still single. To console herself, she takes out some of the jewelry store pieces and snaps some insta-worthy shots of them on her left (ring) finger. This process is accompanied with a little alcohol to soothe the loss. Everything seems fine until she wakes up in the morning and realizes she's posted a shot to the store's page--and it's basically gone viral. From there, Eliza makes the perfectly rational (??!!) decision to pretend she's engaged and line up a free wedding and honeymoon to drum up business for Brooklyn Jewelers. All she needs now is a groom.


"My wedding is exactly six months from tomorrow. All I have to do now is find the groom."


I have no idea why I picked this book, I'm guessing it was a Netgalley widget, because I really really hate books based on lies like this. It truly makes me nervous and on edge. I almost didn't keep reading, but I decided to give it a shot. And I will grudgingly admit that Eliza grew on me, okay? If you aren't as bothered by me by the "throne of lies" concept, you might enjoy this book. And if you are into Instagram and jewelry, you could even love it.

Some pluses... Eliza has a lesbian sister. Sure, it's token lesbian representation, but at least it's there. Eliza pines for a man, but she's also a strong businesswoman and her business is very important to her (so much that she'd go along with this harebrained scheme to keep it). She and her sister are running a fairly successful storefront in New York. They admit part of that is because they received an inheritance, but Eliza also puts a lot of work into it. That's cool.

Some negatives... a lot of the dilemmas and plot points come across as very flat and one dimensional. Oh no, suddenly the rent is being raised, heightening the stakes in Eliza's fake wedding scheme?! Her sister's health insurance no longer covers IVF, so she needs more money to have a baby with her wife? You don't say, etc. At times, the plot feels like a trainwreck, where you know something horrible is going to happen, but you just can't look away. Eliza is determined that she's getting married--no matter the cost to anyone. The book stressed me out a lot. (Just tell people the truth!)

Still, much like a Hallmark movie, I found myself invested. I knew how it would probably all wind up, but I was weirdly captivated by it all. The Instagram heavy scenes, Eliza's dramatics, the looming wedding date. Somehow it worked in the end. It was crazy and ridiculous, but oh well. 3 stars.
  
Saving Ruby King
Saving Ruby King
Catherine Adel West | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ruby King is twenty-four-years-old when her mother, Alice, is found murdered in the home she shared with Ruby and Ruby's father, Lebanon. The police show little interest in--to them--another death in the King's black neighborhood, but Alice's death unhinges Ruby and leaves her alone with her violent, abusive father. Her only confidante is her best friend, Layla, who knows how long Alice and Ruby have suffered under Lebanon's wrath. But Layla is angry that Ruby won't do more to get away from Lebanon and she's even angrier at her father, a pastor, who has been close to Lebanon all these years, and yet never did anything to free Alice or Ruby from his abuse. Layla is determined to save Ruby, but as she works to rescue her friend, she starts to uncover a world of secrets and lies flowing back generations.


"I'm stitched together by the lies I tell myself and the lies people want to believe about me." ~Alice


I found this excellent and timely book to be incredibly well-written, with a power and tenderness to it that goes far behind your typical debut novel (I had to double check that this was actually West's first novel, I was so impressed).

West tells her story from a variety of points of view--Ruby; her late mother, Alice; her father, Lebanon; her best friend, Layla; Layla's father, a pastor; and more. We even hear from a central figure in all of these characters' lives--their church, via its omnipresent voice. The plot spans generations, with West giving a nuanced look at each of her complex characters. She does an amazing job of showing the power of family, for both good and bad. How choices can affect generations: one person's bad decisions can pass poison on, with children reliving dysfunction and sins.


"How can there be a me without her?" ~Ruby


No one is simply good or bad here, though Lebanon is not an easy-to-like man. Abused and neglected by his own parent, Sara, we see how Sara's neglect has turned Lebanon hard. But West is such a good writer that Lebanon is not a one-dimensional bad guy, as much as you want to hate him. I was incredibly impressed at how she could create sympathy for so many of her players, even when they did despicable things.


"Without Sara, who do I blame for...being me? Are children supposed to forgive their parents for the horrible things they've done?" ~Lebanon


This novel does an impressive job at delving into racism, domestic abuse, and sexual assault and trauma. The city of Chicago appears as its own character, springing to life via West's lovely prose. She expertly shows the difficulties black people face on the south side (and in general). I read this book during George Floyd's murder and found myself highlighting passages about police brutality that just hit me right in the gut. It's very powerful.

West's book features a variety of characters--they can be hard to keep track of at first, and I was glad to have the family tree in the beginning of the book. A few times the plot felt repetitious and the middle dragged a bit, but it picked up in the second half. There's a surprising amount of twists and turns. Overall, this is a realistic look at racism and domestic violence, but also friendship. It's quite well-written and layered with a twinge of hope throughout. I can't wait to see what West writes next. 4+ stars.
  
WW
What We Left Behind
8
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

Gretchen and Toni are high school sweethearts who believe they will be together forever, but will they cope being apart at different universities? Toni is off to Harvard and Gretchen to New York where they plan to meet up every weekend however things get in the way, and not just coursework.

The main theme of<i> What We Left Behind</i> is sexual orientation and gender. Both Gretchen and Toni are attracted to girls, however Toni identifies as genderqueer. Throughout school, this never bothered Gretchen, though when Toni begins feeling a connection with a group of transgender students, Gretchen begins to question her position in Toni’s life.

Unlike Talley’s previous novel <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, which deals with ethnic minorities and homosexuality during a time when it was seen as completely unacceptable, <i>What We Left Behind</i> is set in the present day where peoples’ sexual preferences are accepted in society – mostly. What Talley is attempting to prove with this novel is that everyone, regardless of gender, can experience love, and that long distance relationships can be difficult for everyone. Most importantly this story expresses how difficult it is to understand trans sexuality, genderqueer, gender nonconforming etc. There are characters that are horrified by the idea, comfortable with it, or, like Gretchen, confused about how it effects themselves and their relationship. And then there is Toni. Toni is probably the most confused of all: who is s/he really?

Talley tries to make the reader experience the difficulties the main characters face with the use, or lack of pronouns. For someone who identifies as neither he nor she, Toni has a very hard time trying to find a label Toni feels comfortable with.

I did not enjoy <i>What We Left Behind</i> as much as <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i>, not because it was not good – it was – but I am not that into romance novels. After a while the story began to feel boring and repetitive, particularly in terms of Gretchen and Toni’s relationship. It is, however, worth a read. There are not many novels that focus on transgender issues, especially in such a positive way. Therefore I am sure this young adult novel is going to interest a large amount of readers.
  
The Testament of Gideon Mack
The Testament of Gideon Mack
James Robertson | 2007 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Funny, weird, well written, brilliant (0 more)
Nothing (0 more)
Gideon meets the Devil and he's not quite what he expected
This was a really good read. The novel is written in the style of a memoir and is pretty convincing. There are layers and layers of myths and legends throughout the novel and truth and lies become so merged that the reader is left wondering about the clarity of the protagonist and the statements and evidence of the editor and journalist who represent the story. The novel explores the life of Gideon Mack, who, like his father become a minister of the Christian church. Gideon however, has no real faith in god until his accident leads him on a journey of discovery in which he claims he meets the devil.
I thought the description of the devil was excellent and the significance of the shoes has baffled me a little, however, it may be the old, 'What is it like to walk in my shoes', I am undecided. I thought the book was well written and kept me hooked until the end. Good plot, good narrative voice and convincing read.
  
The quest to save the world from the confusion of lies created by the sorcerer continues in [The Orchard of Hope] by [Amy Neftzger]. The tale of Kelsey, Nicholas and Maggie continues as they work together using their unique talents to save hope from being devoured. They learn of new strengths and the power of friendship as they learn how to use their unique skills throughout the quest. With the help of Roland, Megan, Newton and Moss they make another journey through the kingdom finding challenges and surprises along the way.

[Amy Neftzger] has created a world of exploration in which the characters experience the same pitfalls that all young people experience, just with a magical twist. The idea that hope belongs to everyone is an excellent follow up to nurturing miracles in the first book of the series, [The Orphanage of Miracles]. To really get a sense of the journey and characters the books should be read in order. [The Orchard of Hope] comes out in June 2014 so what are you waiting for? These books should be on everyone’s reading list.
  
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Alison Pink (7 KP) rated The Vices in Books

Jan 15, 2018  
TV
The Vices
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I won an ARC of this book from Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
The Vices is a story of the Vice family. A clinically depressed clan who also happen to be pathological liars, art forgers, smugglers, & extortionists. The main character in the book, Oliver Vice, is actually dead when the story is written. It's told from the point of view of his "best friend" a fellow college professor. The friend recounts the mysterious story of Oliver's death & then flashes back to occurances throughout their friendship.
In the end, all is not as it is originally presented. The family is a sham. At first the why of this story seems obvious...in the end there were parts I was right about & portions where I was completly off base. Those portions are what were able to let me rate this a 3. Nothing really happens in this book yet at the same time a family is torn to shreds without there really being a result...unless of course you view Oliver's death as suicide, then you could conceviably argue that the death stems from the lies his family maintained.
  
The Stolen Marriage
The Stolen Marriage
Diane Chamberlain | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book Review: The Stolen Marriage
You know a book is good when you contemplate taking the day off just so you can continue reading. Yup. The Stolen Marriage is the real deal! Chamberlain is an exceptional storyteller, who brings the people and town of Hickory, North Carolina to life. The Stolen Marriage is historical fiction at its best and is full of unforgettable characters, secrets, deceptions, racism, and humanity. It is clear Chamberlain did her research. The story deals with the polio epidemic of the 40's and the endless taboos, which was a part of the time (especially in the South). I have no idea why it took me this long to read Chamberlain's work (shame on me)! Nonetheless, I am absolutely a fan and thankfully there are plenty of books to choose from (I already have Necessary Lies on my to be read pile). The polio epidemic was real and sadly individuals suffered and many died, but I am still in awe of how the people of Hickory came together to build a miracle hospital in 54 hours! I would love to see this book adapted into a movie. :-)
  
A Place of Peace (Kauffman Amish Bakery, #3)
A Place of Peace (Kauffman Amish Bakery, #3)
Amy Clipston | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book starts out with Miriam in Indiana and living with her cousin. She get a phone call from her sister about the mother. She then rushes home to Lancaster. When she arrives there she and her cousin stay with their aunt on the back of her father property.

Miriam is struggling to make amends with her father and also with Timothy. She finds out that her sister made lies for she was jealous of her older sister Miriam. Her father and the rest of the community blame her for the death of a child that died of SIDS.

She arrives home for the funeral of her mother's death. Her father makes it clear she not welcome. She hears that her past boyfriend has moved on and is marrying another girl. Does Miriam find the peace is seeking and get her love of her future? find out by reading. I recommend this book. Though I suggest that your read the earlier books first for this book refer to them a bit. "A Gift of Grace", "A Promise of Hope" are the two book before this book.
  
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MissCagey (2652 KP) rated Trauma in TV

Feb 17, 2018  
Trauma
Trauma
2018 | Thriller
4
6.5 (13 Ratings)
TV Show Rating
So disappointed with this series. It could have been and should have been so much better., the premise was a great one.The two lead actors are well respected but were let down by bad ideas. John Sim's character can apparently "read" people better than "Lie to me's" Tim Roth. He then turns into some kind of psychopath in order to find the truth. I can understand a parent's need to want the truth but to go that far, I don't think so. He manages to firstly access the operating theatre, then get a job at the hospital and then enter a closed meeting all with ease. Then he hoodwinks the daughter and wife of the doctor to gain access to their house. The daughter apparently just stays upstairs whilst the mother is at knife-point downstairs, the mother does not back off even though he is brandishing a knife and then at the end the daughter is more angry with her father, cause of his lies, rather than the knife-wielding maniac that's just threatened them all? Just made me frustrated and annoyed. Grrr