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Kyera (8 KP) rated Queen of Shadows in Books
Feb 1, 2018
In the fourth book of the Throne of Glass series, Queen of Shadows is the most epic in scope and storyline of Sarah J Maas' ToG books yet. We finally get to experience life outside of Rifthold on a grand scale. She continues switching perspectives in her chapters, bringing us more from the Prince, Aelin, Manon, etc. with the addition of Elide who is located in Morath.
World building is one of my favourite parts of novels, so the inclusion of many new places was wonderful. We got to see places that we had only heard of before, even if they were just brief glimpses. There still was not enough Abraxos in this novel for my liking, where is my favourite character?
I love seeing character development in novels and being the fourth book, the author has had a lot of storylines to play with and allow her characters to grow. While Aelin and Chaol seemed to have experienced personality changes between the first two and second two novels in the series, the other characters walked the line between interesting character development and outright personality changes. I enjoyed getting more of a glimpse into Rowan, Manon and Lysandra's heads.
That being said, I do feel that at times the characterization felt forced so that she could get to a plot point more quickly. I would have loved to experience a more authentic building of relationships, change of emotions because overall it felt too abrupt. There was a sense of insta-love, insta-friendship, insta-everything. The book is quite long, so I understand not being able to dedicate the pages to that development, but it is disappointing not to see it.
Overall, these abrupt personality changes and character interactions made the book feel like the author had decided halfway through writing Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows that she wanted the series to go in a different direction. It's not entirely cohesive, but I still highly enjoyed the read because it is engaging and fun. I don't want it to seem like I didn't enjoy the read, I just want to be clear about the pitfalls of the book.
One major concern I had with the series is Sarah J Maas' portrayal of relationships. Sometimes you might feel warm and fuzzy about how cute they are together or how protective one is, but sometimes it goes too far. When the relationships become territorial or obsessive or commanding, essentially dictating what one party can do - that's when it slips into an unhealthy territory. As long as younger readers are aware that this is a fictional relationship and not to idealize it, I think that it is fine. I just worry that teens might internalize it as the right way (like Twilight, which is also unhealthy), so I wanted my concerns with the portrayal to be known.
Overall, this is a long but enjoyable read. I know a lot of people had struggled with Heir of Fire being so different from her first two books in the series. She did seem to change her mind about what she wanted to be and where the plot was going. Although this book continues that plotline, it is definitely better than its predecessor so it might be worth taking a chance on again. There is also a lot of action in Empire of Storms, the fifth book in the series. It has some great fight sequences and Abraxos, which is important, so you really need to read this book to get to that point.
World building is one of my favourite parts of novels, so the inclusion of many new places was wonderful. We got to see places that we had only heard of before, even if they were just brief glimpses. There still was not enough Abraxos in this novel for my liking, where is my favourite character?
I love seeing character development in novels and being the fourth book, the author has had a lot of storylines to play with and allow her characters to grow. While Aelin and Chaol seemed to have experienced personality changes between the first two and second two novels in the series, the other characters walked the line between interesting character development and outright personality changes. I enjoyed getting more of a glimpse into Rowan, Manon and Lysandra's heads.
That being said, I do feel that at times the characterization felt forced so that she could get to a plot point more quickly. I would have loved to experience a more authentic building of relationships, change of emotions because overall it felt too abrupt. There was a sense of insta-love, insta-friendship, insta-everything. The book is quite long, so I understand not being able to dedicate the pages to that development, but it is disappointing not to see it.
Overall, these abrupt personality changes and character interactions made the book feel like the author had decided halfway through writing Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows that she wanted the series to go in a different direction. It's not entirely cohesive, but I still highly enjoyed the read because it is engaging and fun. I don't want it to seem like I didn't enjoy the read, I just want to be clear about the pitfalls of the book.
One major concern I had with the series is Sarah J Maas' portrayal of relationships. Sometimes you might feel warm and fuzzy about how cute they are together or how protective one is, but sometimes it goes too far. When the relationships become territorial or obsessive or commanding, essentially dictating what one party can do - that's when it slips into an unhealthy territory. As long as younger readers are aware that this is a fictional relationship and not to idealize it, I think that it is fine. I just worry that teens might internalize it as the right way (like Twilight, which is also unhealthy), so I wanted my concerns with the portrayal to be known.
Overall, this is a long but enjoyable read. I know a lot of people had struggled with Heir of Fire being so different from her first two books in the series. She did seem to change her mind about what she wanted to be and where the plot was going. Although this book continues that plotline, it is definitely better than its predecessor so it might be worth taking a chance on again. There is also a lot of action in Empire of Storms, the fifth book in the series. It has some great fight sequences and Abraxos, which is important, so you really need to read this book to get to that point.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Small Admissions in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Kate Pearson is going through a rough time. She's been dumped by Robert, her incredibly handsome French boyfriend, and she turned down a spot in her grad school program, so instead of living a dream life in Paris, she's living on the couch, barely able to wash her own hair. Her friend Chloe feels responsible (Robert is her cousin, after all), her friend Vicki is just annoyed (Vicki has no patience for wallowing), and Kate's older sister Angela just wants to fix everything. She connects Kate to a lead for an interview at the admissions department at the Hudson Day School. Surprising everyone, Kate gets the job, and suddenly has to get her life together. There's no time for self-pity during admissions season, after all. Indeed, Kate finds herself drawn to her job, her new colleagues, and the various children she meets while at work. And while Kate's working non-stop, her friends are busy falling in love, feeling guilty about their role in Kate's earlier breakdown regarding Robert, and generally making a mess of things. Will Kate make her own mess at the new admissions gig as well, or is this the fresh chance she needed?
I am torn somewhat on my thoughts for this book. It starts off quite witty and drew me in immediately. It's told from a multitude of perspectives, including Kate's friends (Chloe and Vicki), her sister (Angela) and Kate, and Kate's new boss, Henry. It's also interspersed with tales of several children trying to get into private school, along with the perspectives of their parents. There's definitely some nuance and depth there, but sometimes it's A LOT. A lot of characters, a lot of jumping of back and forth. I won't lie: Kate's friends certainly annoyed me at times. The side show with them can be humorous, but often just irritating. I found myself wanting more Kate.
The problem with all the jumping around is that I didn't really get to know the characters as much as I wanted, which was a shame, because they were fascinating. Kate, Chloe, Angela, Henry -- they were intriguing and, when featured, seemed real, even if Angela was driving us crazy meddling into Kate's life, as was Chloe with her never-ending guilt over her supposed role in Kate's breakdown. Poeppel has done an excellent job of creating real, flawed characters, and I just wish they all received a little more face-time. The snippets from the kids (and parents) applying for school are great, too, but it's hard not to see them sometimes as a detraction from our main characters, especially a side plot with two fervent (and delusional) parents.
Still, don't think I didn't enjoy the book, because I did. There are some wise and wonderful moments and some instances where I found myself laughing out loud. Kate is endearing, and you cannot help but rooting for her character. This book is redeemed by her and her journey. She is an inspiration. Because of her and my various feelings for this novel, my final rating falls at 3.75 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 12/27/2016.
I am torn somewhat on my thoughts for this book. It starts off quite witty and drew me in immediately. It's told from a multitude of perspectives, including Kate's friends (Chloe and Vicki), her sister (Angela) and Kate, and Kate's new boss, Henry. It's also interspersed with tales of several children trying to get into private school, along with the perspectives of their parents. There's definitely some nuance and depth there, but sometimes it's A LOT. A lot of characters, a lot of jumping of back and forth. I won't lie: Kate's friends certainly annoyed me at times. The side show with them can be humorous, but often just irritating. I found myself wanting more Kate.
The problem with all the jumping around is that I didn't really get to know the characters as much as I wanted, which was a shame, because they were fascinating. Kate, Chloe, Angela, Henry -- they were intriguing and, when featured, seemed real, even if Angela was driving us crazy meddling into Kate's life, as was Chloe with her never-ending guilt over her supposed role in Kate's breakdown. Poeppel has done an excellent job of creating real, flawed characters, and I just wish they all received a little more face-time. The snippets from the kids (and parents) applying for school are great, too, but it's hard not to see them sometimes as a detraction from our main characters, especially a side plot with two fervent (and delusional) parents.
Still, don't think I didn't enjoy the book, because I did. There are some wise and wonderful moments and some instances where I found myself laughing out loud. Kate is endearing, and you cannot help but rooting for her character. This book is redeemed by her and her journey. She is an inspiration. Because of her and my various feelings for this novel, my final rating falls at 3.75 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss (thank you) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 12/27/2016.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Thaw (Seasons of Love, #2) in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Abby is an introverted librarian happily living a regular life in Brooklyn. But things change when she attends a charity gala with a friend and meets Gabrielle, a famous actress and model. The two connect on the dance floor, and Abby is immediately taken by this lovely woman known in modeling circles as the Ice Queen. And while she can see how Gabrielle has earned this nickname, she also senses a softer side to her. Gabrielle asks Abby on a date, and the two begin to get to know each other, discovering they have a lot of similar interests. But even though Gabrielle seems to let her guard down around Abby, she also has problems opening up about her past. Meanwhile, while Abby finds Gabrielle fascinating, she's worried what will happen to their relationship when she admits she's asexual. She's also dealing with issues in her own personal life related to her library position. Can these two women overcome a variety of obstacles to find love?
This novel definitely follows the trope of a regular gal falling for the rich, remote, often angry lesbian: you have to surrender yourself to that and you'll enjoy the book more (much like watching a romantic comedy). There is a little too much focus at times on the fact that Gabrielle runs hot and cold, and her personal dynamics can be slightly weird at points. Still, even while occasionally annoyed, I found myself intrigued and interested at her reticence and wondering at its cause.
However, the real star of this show isn't Gabrielle, but Abby. Abby is just a real sweetheart. She's truly the force of the book. I personally identified with her and adored her love of books, avoidance of makeup, and general introverted self. She was a well-written character, and I found myself wanting to protect her. The fact she's asexual is interesting, and it really cast a light on a sexual orientation that I knew very little about. It was a good learning experience, honestly.
Much like said romantic comedies I mentioned earlier, a lot of this plot is predictable, but the book was written well-enough that I didn't mind: it's what I had signed up for, after all, and I was happy to be along for the ride. I still was really excited for the outcome and read the entire thing in about 24 hours. Besides, the novel has a hidden depth to it, giving us an interesting commentary on society's expectations about sex and relationships. Plus, Springer inserts some hidden inside jokes about books, literary series, and such. A lot of the novel just made me smile, between Abby, the asides, and the overall resolution. It was surprising and for the most part, very enjoyable. Probably a 3.75 stars, but bumped up to 4 stars due to the way it made me feel. I will definitely seek out the other novels in Springer's Season of Love series (this was actually #2, but it seemed to stand-alone just fine).
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 04/24/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a></center>;
This novel definitely follows the trope of a regular gal falling for the rich, remote, often angry lesbian: you have to surrender yourself to that and you'll enjoy the book more (much like watching a romantic comedy). There is a little too much focus at times on the fact that Gabrielle runs hot and cold, and her personal dynamics can be slightly weird at points. Still, even while occasionally annoyed, I found myself intrigued and interested at her reticence and wondering at its cause.
However, the real star of this show isn't Gabrielle, but Abby. Abby is just a real sweetheart. She's truly the force of the book. I personally identified with her and adored her love of books, avoidance of makeup, and general introverted self. She was a well-written character, and I found myself wanting to protect her. The fact she's asexual is interesting, and it really cast a light on a sexual orientation that I knew very little about. It was a good learning experience, honestly.
Much like said romantic comedies I mentioned earlier, a lot of this plot is predictable, but the book was written well-enough that I didn't mind: it's what I had signed up for, after all, and I was happy to be along for the ride. I still was really excited for the outcome and read the entire thing in about 24 hours. Besides, the novel has a hidden depth to it, giving us an interesting commentary on society's expectations about sex and relationships. Plus, Springer inserts some hidden inside jokes about books, literary series, and such. A lot of the novel just made me smile, between Abby, the asides, and the overall resolution. It was surprising and for the most part, very enjoyable. Probably a 3.75 stars, but bumped up to 4 stars due to the way it made me feel. I will definitely seek out the other novels in Springer's Season of Love series (this was actually #2, but it seemed to stand-alone just fine).
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 04/24/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a></center>;
Jen Dixon is back in kindergarten. She thought her days as "Class Mom" were behind her: Jen's two daughters are in college after all. But Jen, at age forty-six, is back on the Mom circuit, with her first husband, Ron, and five-year-old son, Max. This is Jen's chance to do things over again, with a husband and the security she lacked the first time around. So when her best friend Nina (also PTA President) asks Jen to be Class Mom, she agrees. The duties of Class Mom seem fairly simple--coordinate field trips, set up class parties, and send out emails to the other parents. Jen does this with aplomb and a fairly decent level of sarcasm, which isn't always appreciated by all the parents. At the same time, she's training for a mud run and attempting to keep the flame going in her marriage with Ron. It doesn't help when she discovers that her high school crush is another parent in Max's class. Jen has a lot going on--can she juggle it all?
This book appealed to me on LibraryThing as I have two daughters in kindergarten and am suddenly in the midst of the whole school dynamic. Luckily, things aren't quite as dramatic as the school portrayed in Gelman's novel! The book came along at a pretty good time, as I've read a string of fairly serious thrillers recent. <i>It's certainly a funny and fast read. </i>
I couldn't help but like Jen. She's an engaging protagonist. Her struggles as a parent, wife, and friend are realistic and yet humorous. Her surrounding cast of characters, while not quite as fleshed out, are also funny, though not perhaps always as realistic (more on that later). I enjoyed that her husband, best friend, and kids weren't the typical stereotypes or cardboard cutouts you often see in novels, but real people, with issues of their own.
Also enjoyable was the way the novel interspersed Jen's emails to the class at the beginnings of many chapters (along with a variety of replies). They were usually funny and lightened up the book and surprisingly moved the plot along fairly well. They also made me grateful for some of the lack of politics at my kids' school--so far. It's still early though, sigh!
The only problem for me was that a lot of the good in this book--great characters, humor--was marred a bit by just a lot going on--not all of it completely believable. There are some silly plotlines thrown in that almost don't seem necessary and once resolved, are a bit disappointing. There's one last "shocker" tossed in at the very end of the novel that did surprise me somewhat, but I'm not really sure it was needed.
<i>Still, this is a very engaging and fun novel for a first-time novelist.</i> It's not a pretentious literary piece, but it's not aiming to be. Instead, it's certainly a witty and fascinating look at the craziness that happens in your children's classrooms. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and LibraryThing (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 08/01/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justacatandabook/">Instagram</a>; </center>
This book appealed to me on LibraryThing as I have two daughters in kindergarten and am suddenly in the midst of the whole school dynamic. Luckily, things aren't quite as dramatic as the school portrayed in Gelman's novel! The book came along at a pretty good time, as I've read a string of fairly serious thrillers recent. <i>It's certainly a funny and fast read. </i>
I couldn't help but like Jen. She's an engaging protagonist. Her struggles as a parent, wife, and friend are realistic and yet humorous. Her surrounding cast of characters, while not quite as fleshed out, are also funny, though not perhaps always as realistic (more on that later). I enjoyed that her husband, best friend, and kids weren't the typical stereotypes or cardboard cutouts you often see in novels, but real people, with issues of their own.
Also enjoyable was the way the novel interspersed Jen's emails to the class at the beginnings of many chapters (along with a variety of replies). They were usually funny and lightened up the book and surprisingly moved the plot along fairly well. They also made me grateful for some of the lack of politics at my kids' school--so far. It's still early though, sigh!
The only problem for me was that a lot of the good in this book--great characters, humor--was marred a bit by just a lot going on--not all of it completely believable. There are some silly plotlines thrown in that almost don't seem necessary and once resolved, are a bit disappointing. There's one last "shocker" tossed in at the very end of the novel that did surprise me somewhat, but I'm not really sure it was needed.
<i>Still, this is a very engaging and fun novel for a first-time novelist.</i> It's not a pretentious literary piece, but it's not aiming to be. Instead, it's certainly a witty and fascinating look at the craziness that happens in your children's classrooms. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and LibraryThing (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 08/01/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justacatandabook/">Instagram</a>; </center>
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Keeper (DCI Antonia Hawkins, #3) in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read it here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-keeper-by-alastair-gunn
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
<i>No interesting quote for this book I'm afraid...</i>
This started badly, for me. Theres nothing like starting a new detective book and being planted in the middle of a therapy session. Who would have thought a senior police officer who has enough baggage to need therapy? Well I never! Thats something Ive only seen done 1 million times before <i>sigh.</i> Thank God it picked up with the excitement afterwards because I wasnt interested in Hawkins anxiety or love life.
This was by no means unique to other detective novels out there. They all have the same sort of plot and characters and themes, but this one did keep me more interested than some of the others Ive read, purely because there was a humorous side to it as well as the serious side too.
This had some really exciting moments and it had some really drawn out, drab moments where we were repeatedly updated on how the case was going, even though we already knew cause we were reading the book so I think a lot of this novel could have been cut down to make a shorter novel. 400 pages is quite a lot for a detective series novel, especially one where theres not a lot of evidence or leads to the case. This really was up and down, up and down, the whole way through. I lost interest so much in some places that I was completely distracted while reading it but then when we got onto a big reveal or breakthrough part, I rushed through it to know what happened next! There were some really great edge of the seat, nail biting moments! It was quite the hit and miss story.
As far as characters go, there werent any that I really connected with very well, but none of them were dislikable people. It could get a bit confusing to remember who was who because theyd go from their first name to their last name, back to their first name and then their last name again etc etc. It would have been nice to have some consistency with what the author called them.
This was by far a 3 star read until the twist at the end. I mean, really, I should have seen it coming, Ive read a million crime thrillers before, but I just hadnt suspected this one! Really, there were two twists at the end of this, the first one shocked me and then the second one I was expecting because of the first. The ending of this novel was really thrilling and nerve-wracking, it was a great way to finish it off.
Also, considering this is the third novel in a series (something Netgalley hadnt made me aware of when I requested it!) this did really well as a standalone novel. I didnt feel like I was missing any part of the characters stories, even when it came to the subject of Hawkins therapy sessions.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
<i>No interesting quote for this book I'm afraid...</i>
This started badly, for me. Theres nothing like starting a new detective book and being planted in the middle of a therapy session. Who would have thought a senior police officer who has enough baggage to need therapy? Well I never! Thats something Ive only seen done 1 million times before <i>sigh.</i> Thank God it picked up with the excitement afterwards because I wasnt interested in Hawkins anxiety or love life.
This was by no means unique to other detective novels out there. They all have the same sort of plot and characters and themes, but this one did keep me more interested than some of the others Ive read, purely because there was a humorous side to it as well as the serious side too.
This had some really exciting moments and it had some really drawn out, drab moments where we were repeatedly updated on how the case was going, even though we already knew cause we were reading the book so I think a lot of this novel could have been cut down to make a shorter novel. 400 pages is quite a lot for a detective series novel, especially one where theres not a lot of evidence or leads to the case. This really was up and down, up and down, the whole way through. I lost interest so much in some places that I was completely distracted while reading it but then when we got onto a big reveal or breakthrough part, I rushed through it to know what happened next! There were some really great edge of the seat, nail biting moments! It was quite the hit and miss story.
As far as characters go, there werent any that I really connected with very well, but none of them were dislikable people. It could get a bit confusing to remember who was who because theyd go from their first name to their last name, back to their first name and then their last name again etc etc. It would have been nice to have some consistency with what the author called them.
This was by far a 3 star read until the twist at the end. I mean, really, I should have seen it coming, Ive read a million crime thrillers before, but I just hadnt suspected this one! Really, there were two twists at the end of this, the first one shocked me and then the second one I was expecting because of the first. The ending of this novel was really thrilling and nerve-wracking, it was a great way to finish it off.
Also, considering this is the third novel in a series (something Netgalley hadnt made me aware of when I requested it!) this did really well as a standalone novel. I didnt feel like I was missing any part of the characters stories, even when it came to the subject of Hawkins therapy sessions.
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Girl You Left Behind in Books
Jun 6, 2018
This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>.
I won this book through the first reads Goodreads program. It's not normally the type of book that would catch my attention attention based on the synopsis, but I'm always willing to read something out of my comfort zone. I'm more than glad that I read this book as I loved it!!
Sophie is a French woman in German occupied France during World War I. She and the Kommandent become close only because Sophie will do whatever it takes to see her husband who has been sent to a German work camp. Fast forward almost a century later...Liv is a woman that has a portrait that was painted by Sophie's husband years ago. The relatives of Sophie's husband want that painting back simply because they know how much it's worth. However, for Liv, the painting means so much more. This is the story of a painting and how two women from different centuries are so much alike.
I loved the character of Sophie. She was definitely a strong and brave character. I felt what she was feeling a majority of the time. She went through so much to get what she loved. I also loved Liv, who, like Sophie was willing to lose it all to get what she loved. Mo was another one of my favourite characters. She brought in the comic timing. Her humour was fantastic, and it wasn't over the top. It was just right for the mood of the story. I loved Paul. He was such a sweetheart! I wish my husband was as kind and romantic as Paul! It was lovely to see him grow as a character.
The title definitely suits the book as The Girl You Left Behind is what they painting is called, and much of the story centres around this painting. I don't think there could've been a better title for this book.
The cover is very beautiful, and while it does relate to the story somewhat, I just wish the cover could've been the painting of Sophie that was talked about so much throughout the book. I would've loved to see what the painting actually looked like.
The setting and world building were fab as well! I loved how a lot of this book was set in a little hotel in a French city. The author made the hotel sound so warm and welcoming. It was obvious that the author did a lot of research about World War I when it came to the Germans occupy French cities. The descriptions of every place mentioned in the book were well written.
The pacing was absolutely fantastic! Each page kept me enthralled. I did not want to put down this book for anything!
I also loved the ending of the book. It was well written and didn't feel rushed like a lot of books do when they end. I thought it was a fantastic ending to a well written book.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone 16 and over. It's a little gem of a book, and it really took me by surprise.
I won this book through the first reads Goodreads program. It's not normally the type of book that would catch my attention attention based on the synopsis, but I'm always willing to read something out of my comfort zone. I'm more than glad that I read this book as I loved it!!
Sophie is a French woman in German occupied France during World War I. She and the Kommandent become close only because Sophie will do whatever it takes to see her husband who has been sent to a German work camp. Fast forward almost a century later...Liv is a woman that has a portrait that was painted by Sophie's husband years ago. The relatives of Sophie's husband want that painting back simply because they know how much it's worth. However, for Liv, the painting means so much more. This is the story of a painting and how two women from different centuries are so much alike.
I loved the character of Sophie. She was definitely a strong and brave character. I felt what she was feeling a majority of the time. She went through so much to get what she loved. I also loved Liv, who, like Sophie was willing to lose it all to get what she loved. Mo was another one of my favourite characters. She brought in the comic timing. Her humour was fantastic, and it wasn't over the top. It was just right for the mood of the story. I loved Paul. He was such a sweetheart! I wish my husband was as kind and romantic as Paul! It was lovely to see him grow as a character.
The title definitely suits the book as The Girl You Left Behind is what they painting is called, and much of the story centres around this painting. I don't think there could've been a better title for this book.
The cover is very beautiful, and while it does relate to the story somewhat, I just wish the cover could've been the painting of Sophie that was talked about so much throughout the book. I would've loved to see what the painting actually looked like.
The setting and world building were fab as well! I loved how a lot of this book was set in a little hotel in a French city. The author made the hotel sound so warm and welcoming. It was obvious that the author did a lot of research about World War I when it came to the Germans occupy French cities. The descriptions of every place mentioned in the book were well written.
The pacing was absolutely fantastic! Each page kept me enthralled. I did not want to put down this book for anything!
I also loved the ending of the book. It was well written and didn't feel rushed like a lot of books do when they end. I thought it was a fantastic ending to a well written book.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone 16 and over. It's a little gem of a book, and it really took me by surprise.
Debbiereadsbook (1113 KP) rated Dragonslayer (Twitterlight #1) in Books
Sep 25, 2018
creeps up on ya, but so bloody good!
Independent reviewer for Divine Magazine, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Adam, a student, is pulled into a world, a fight, he knows nothing about. A fight involving a sword and a dragon and hero that it seems he is! Faced with four armed beasts, flying lizards, magic and sorcery, fur sprouting lovers, and many more challenging things, Adam must kill the dragon, and return home, or die trying.
I don't know about you, but I read a lot, a LOT, a lot. And much of that reading is within the same genres and I'm happy to be doing all that reading, don't get me wrong. It's just much of the same. And I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I'm fairly certain I saw the word dragon in the blurb and that did it for me.
This book, right here?? Totally way out of my comfort zone, and it is high fantasy at its very best! I freaking LOVED this book, bar one teeny tiny thing, but I'll come back to that. So bloody good!
Adam is pulled into the twitterlight world, where there is no sun, nor moon, and the world is bathed in this half light. A princess, a warrior, and a child cast out from his people find Adam, and immediately bring him into their quest. And Adam is like " oh, ok, lets get to it then!" He literally just jumps straight in and I loved that he did not question much in the beginning; more so, once he realised that HE was the one meant to kill the dragon, but still, he was mostly " yeah ok!"
Duin, the child cast out from his people but a child no more, creeps into Adam heart, much as he does his bed, and I loved that, while fully aware that such things are not the norm in this twitterlight world, Duin can't keep away from Adam.
I LOVED the twist at the end, I really did not see that one coming!
Which brings me to why I knocked a whole star off, even though I loved this book.
Single
Person
Point
Of
View.
Only Adam gets a voice! And I wanted, no I desperately NEEDED to hear from Duin, I really did! There were to many to mention points along the way that Duin needed to be heard and he wasn't. And that really pissed me off, even though I did LOVE this book! Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a bloody great book, even without Duin's voice, but I WANTED his voice, you know?? It would really have made this a stand out of the year book, for me!
It's billed as Twitterlight book one, but I can't see anything pertaining to future books. I don't know if they will be about Adam and Duin future adventures, or if they will be about other people we have met here. I don't care, I want to read them. This is the first I've read of Matthew Lang, and he is firmly in my crosshairs.
So, ONLY because Duin doesn't get a say
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Adam, a student, is pulled into a world, a fight, he knows nothing about. A fight involving a sword and a dragon and hero that it seems he is! Faced with four armed beasts, flying lizards, magic and sorcery, fur sprouting lovers, and many more challenging things, Adam must kill the dragon, and return home, or die trying.
I don't know about you, but I read a lot, a LOT, a lot. And much of that reading is within the same genres and I'm happy to be doing all that reading, don't get me wrong. It's just much of the same. And I don't know what I was expecting from this book, but I'm fairly certain I saw the word dragon in the blurb and that did it for me.
This book, right here?? Totally way out of my comfort zone, and it is high fantasy at its very best! I freaking LOVED this book, bar one teeny tiny thing, but I'll come back to that. So bloody good!
Adam is pulled into the twitterlight world, where there is no sun, nor moon, and the world is bathed in this half light. A princess, a warrior, and a child cast out from his people find Adam, and immediately bring him into their quest. And Adam is like " oh, ok, lets get to it then!" He literally just jumps straight in and I loved that he did not question much in the beginning; more so, once he realised that HE was the one meant to kill the dragon, but still, he was mostly " yeah ok!"
Duin, the child cast out from his people but a child no more, creeps into Adam heart, much as he does his bed, and I loved that, while fully aware that such things are not the norm in this twitterlight world, Duin can't keep away from Adam.
I LOVED the twist at the end, I really did not see that one coming!
Which brings me to why I knocked a whole star off, even though I loved this book.
Single
Person
Point
Of
View.
Only Adam gets a voice! And I wanted, no I desperately NEEDED to hear from Duin, I really did! There were to many to mention points along the way that Duin needed to be heard and he wasn't. And that really pissed me off, even though I did LOVE this book! Oh, don't get me wrong, it's a bloody great book, even without Duin's voice, but I WANTED his voice, you know?? It would really have made this a stand out of the year book, for me!
It's billed as Twitterlight book one, but I can't see anything pertaining to future books. I don't know if they will be about Adam and Duin future adventures, or if they will be about other people we have met here. I don't care, I want to read them. This is the first I've read of Matthew Lang, and he is firmly in my crosshairs.
So, ONLY because Duin doesn't get a say
4 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Salt to the Sea in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
“We survivors are not the true witnesses. The true witnesses, those in possession of the unspeakable truth, are the drowned, the dead, the disappeared.” </i>– Primo Levi
World War Two has got to be the most well known and talked about period of history. Despite it not even being a century ago, it is already taught in schools around the globe. However a lot of events are omitted from our history books. A lot of people, including those alive at the time, have no idea of some of the situations Europeans found themselves in. Ruta Sepetys, despite having only previously written two novels, has become known for her stories about the lesser-known aspects of the Second World War. Her third book, <i>Salt to the Sea</i>, is no different.
In 1945 things were not looking great for the people living in Germany. Their greatest concern was the invading Russian army, resulting in thousands of Germans evacuating their hometowns. Four characters in their late teens/early twenties narrate <i>Salt to the Sea</i>: Joana, Florian, Emilia and Alfred. Their varied nationalities – Lithuanian, Prussian, Polish and German – help provide a range of opinions about the war, but regardless of who they believe to be the enemy, whether it be German or Russian or both, they are all figuratively in the same boat.
Joana, Emilia and Florian meet each other amongst a group of refugees trekking to freedom. A lot of trust is involved especially as no one is willing to reveal his or her true story. It is clear that each character is hiding something personal, something to do with the war, yet they all rely on and help each other to continue on their journey.
Naturally, being a war story there is masses of death and destruction. Set in January, the weather conditions are just as dangerous as the Russian soldiers. It is the end of the novel that contains the most shocking of events: a sinking of a ship that kills 9000 passengers. The most severe maritime disaster ever, yet it is doubtful that readers already know about it.
Despite being a work of fiction, Sepetys sticks to the facts in her heavily researched novel. She shocks the reader with the severity of the situation, and may even bring some to tears with the outcome. She has not sugar coated anything. Some storytellers save the innocents from harm, but this was not the case in <i>Salt to the Sea</i>. In war, no one can choose who lives and who dies. Millions of innocent people perish.
The short chapters keep the story flowing quickly. It is shocking, gripping and engaging. There is a brief notion of romance but this is not focused on and thus does not detract from the factual storyline. There was a hinted connection between characters in this novel and those in <i>Between Shades of Grey </i>– one of Sepetys’ earlier novels, however this is not a sequel or part of a series.
With the help of maps showing the difference between Europe now and Europe in 1945,<i> Salt to the Sea</i> is highly educational. Although aimed at young adults it is suitable for older generations as well. Whilst containing shocking content, you are certain to fall in love with Sepetys’ writing.
“We survivors are not the true witnesses. The true witnesses, those in possession of the unspeakable truth, are the drowned, the dead, the disappeared.” </i>– Primo Levi
World War Two has got to be the most well known and talked about period of history. Despite it not even being a century ago, it is already taught in schools around the globe. However a lot of events are omitted from our history books. A lot of people, including those alive at the time, have no idea of some of the situations Europeans found themselves in. Ruta Sepetys, despite having only previously written two novels, has become known for her stories about the lesser-known aspects of the Second World War. Her third book, <i>Salt to the Sea</i>, is no different.
In 1945 things were not looking great for the people living in Germany. Their greatest concern was the invading Russian army, resulting in thousands of Germans evacuating their hometowns. Four characters in their late teens/early twenties narrate <i>Salt to the Sea</i>: Joana, Florian, Emilia and Alfred. Their varied nationalities – Lithuanian, Prussian, Polish and German – help provide a range of opinions about the war, but regardless of who they believe to be the enemy, whether it be German or Russian or both, they are all figuratively in the same boat.
Joana, Emilia and Florian meet each other amongst a group of refugees trekking to freedom. A lot of trust is involved especially as no one is willing to reveal his or her true story. It is clear that each character is hiding something personal, something to do with the war, yet they all rely on and help each other to continue on their journey.
Naturally, being a war story there is masses of death and destruction. Set in January, the weather conditions are just as dangerous as the Russian soldiers. It is the end of the novel that contains the most shocking of events: a sinking of a ship that kills 9000 passengers. The most severe maritime disaster ever, yet it is doubtful that readers already know about it.
Despite being a work of fiction, Sepetys sticks to the facts in her heavily researched novel. She shocks the reader with the severity of the situation, and may even bring some to tears with the outcome. She has not sugar coated anything. Some storytellers save the innocents from harm, but this was not the case in <i>Salt to the Sea</i>. In war, no one can choose who lives and who dies. Millions of innocent people perish.
The short chapters keep the story flowing quickly. It is shocking, gripping and engaging. There is a brief notion of romance but this is not focused on and thus does not detract from the factual storyline. There was a hinted connection between characters in this novel and those in <i>Between Shades of Grey </i>– one of Sepetys’ earlier novels, however this is not a sequel or part of a series.
With the help of maps showing the difference between Europe now and Europe in 1945,<i> Salt to the Sea</i> is highly educational. Although aimed at young adults it is suitable for older generations as well. Whilst containing shocking content, you are certain to fall in love with Sepetys’ writing.
Debbiereadsbook (1113 KP) rated Imagine (Black Raven #4) in Books
Dec 27, 2018
too much action but still good.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
After THAT kiss on Halloween, Leo and Ace have been avoiding the issue.Or rather, Leo has, and it's all Ace has on his mind. Sent together with a team of Black Raven agents undercover on a gambling cruise liner's maiden voyage, they are thrown into the thick of things, with so much left unsaid.
This is book 4 in the Black Raven series, but you don't need to have read the other three for this to make sense, they can all be read as stand alone novels. Books one and three are five star reads from me, though.
But this one?? Not so much and I've no idea why! And ya'll know how much that pains me so! maybe it will come as I write this up.
Leo is emotionally stunted after the death of her father on 9/11. She doesn't wanna talk to Ace about what happened on Halloween but she has been thinking about it. Ace is her best friend, has been since they started working together. That kiss, though, changes everything for them both. Ace wants to move the relationship on, but they have a job to do first. Feelings for your partner cannot get in the way of a job. But they have a way of worming in, and Leo can see those feelings in Ace's eyes, even if he doesn't want her to see.
Told mostly from Leo and Ace's point of view, we also get some of the bad guy in a couple of places, and in the other two books I've read in this series, I loved that. Those bad guys are deeply twisted, and were difficult to read, but it's more of less why I gave those two books 5 stars: the connection I had to the minds of those bad guys. But something didn't quite work here, for me. While clearly insanely greedy (cos it's all about the money) and a lot screwed in the head (cos a LOT of people will die) I didn't feel any connection to the bad guy at all. That makes ME sound a lot twisted in my head, but I think you know what I mean. There seemed to be no background as to WHY (other than the money) the bad guy was doing this, what made them want to blow up a brand spanking new ship, and kill all those people? I needed some background and I didn't get it.
This book is HEAVY on the agents work. A little bit too much for me, I think. I got lost when they were running around the ship cos I have no idea what half of those ship terms meant!
AND!! It's only the first part of Leo and Ace's story. They are Happy For Now, and I do hope they get their Happy Ever After in the next book. Ain't gonna be plain sailing for them I know that much!
So, because on the lack of connection to the bad guy, and because of the heavy action (which gives me the WHY I didn't enjoy this one quite so much) . . .
4 stars, still a really good read, just not on a par with books one and three.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
After THAT kiss on Halloween, Leo and Ace have been avoiding the issue.Or rather, Leo has, and it's all Ace has on his mind. Sent together with a team of Black Raven agents undercover on a gambling cruise liner's maiden voyage, they are thrown into the thick of things, with so much left unsaid.
This is book 4 in the Black Raven series, but you don't need to have read the other three for this to make sense, they can all be read as stand alone novels. Books one and three are five star reads from me, though.
But this one?? Not so much and I've no idea why! And ya'll know how much that pains me so! maybe it will come as I write this up.
Leo is emotionally stunted after the death of her father on 9/11. She doesn't wanna talk to Ace about what happened on Halloween but she has been thinking about it. Ace is her best friend, has been since they started working together. That kiss, though, changes everything for them both. Ace wants to move the relationship on, but they have a job to do first. Feelings for your partner cannot get in the way of a job. But they have a way of worming in, and Leo can see those feelings in Ace's eyes, even if he doesn't want her to see.
Told mostly from Leo and Ace's point of view, we also get some of the bad guy in a couple of places, and in the other two books I've read in this series, I loved that. Those bad guys are deeply twisted, and were difficult to read, but it's more of less why I gave those two books 5 stars: the connection I had to the minds of those bad guys. But something didn't quite work here, for me. While clearly insanely greedy (cos it's all about the money) and a lot screwed in the head (cos a LOT of people will die) I didn't feel any connection to the bad guy at all. That makes ME sound a lot twisted in my head, but I think you know what I mean. There seemed to be no background as to WHY (other than the money) the bad guy was doing this, what made them want to blow up a brand spanking new ship, and kill all those people? I needed some background and I didn't get it.
This book is HEAVY on the agents work. A little bit too much for me, I think. I got lost when they were running around the ship cos I have no idea what half of those ship terms meant!
AND!! It's only the first part of Leo and Ace's story. They are Happy For Now, and I do hope they get their Happy Ever After in the next book. Ain't gonna be plain sailing for them I know that much!
So, because on the lack of connection to the bad guy, and because of the heavy action (which gives me the WHY I didn't enjoy this one quite so much) . . .
4 stars, still a really good read, just not on a par with books one and three.
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Josh Burns (166 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Vampyr in Video Games
Jun 21, 2019
Great story (2 more)
Great Atmosphere
Adaptive gameplay
Protect or Prey on the people of London in Vampyr
Vampyr is a mixed bag that may not be for everyone. It really depends on the types of games you like on this one (as with Until Dawn).
The game draws inspiration from a real epedemic called the Spanish Flu, which for whatever reason, gets way less attention than the Black Plague. You play as an esteemed doctor who gets turned into a vampire after returning to London from being in World War 1. The game just drips in atmosphere as you travel the nearly abandoned streets and docks. It channels gothic horror but with a tasteful dose of modern genre updates. It has a very good story that reminds of a bit of Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein in the fact that you do not like what you are, or what it has caused you to do.
Now, this game is largely what you make it to be. The people of London all have fleshed out backstories, personalities, and many offer side quests, trade options, or useful info on certain things. You can either bond with then and work to keep them healthy, or you can feed on them and grow stronger. Your choice on how you handle this can dramatically effect the game. You gain a large amount of experience from feeding on them, even more if you gain their trust first. If you take that route it can take the game from challanging to being easy. There is are a lot of options when leveling up, without feeding you will not be able to max everything out. Another thing that depends on play style, is that there is a ton of talking if you choose to help tje people and gain their trust. This isn't a requirement, however. So the game can be very deep and story driven with a lot of dialogue, or it can be more of an action game, depending on what you do.
On that note, as a pure action game, I'm not sure if it would hold up for most. The combat mechanics are quite basic, attack, dodge, and a few specials, and ranged attack with gun. It's fun enough when not taking the feeding route because you still have to be strategic but if you feed a lot and are extremely powerful, I don't see it being very fun.
The game also features light crafting in the form of upgrading weapons, making blood, stanima, and health injections (same as potions in most games) and medicine for the people. It's semi open and semi linear. You have a map that you can go anywhere on, but only in certain buildings and some streets are blocked off. In fact, navigation can be infuriating at times because of dead ends, doors that need to be unlocked from the other side, and objective markers sometimes being in the wrong spot on the map. I spent a half hour trying to get into a mansion before looking it up and finding out the marker was wrong and I was at the wrong building.
So in conclusion: if you like games like the 1st Mass Effect where story, characters and dialogue are the focus of the game with a healthy dose of combat that isn't amazing but gets the job done, then you'll love it. If you want to just run arpund and hack shit up, it might not be for you.
The game draws inspiration from a real epedemic called the Spanish Flu, which for whatever reason, gets way less attention than the Black Plague. You play as an esteemed doctor who gets turned into a vampire after returning to London from being in World War 1. The game just drips in atmosphere as you travel the nearly abandoned streets and docks. It channels gothic horror but with a tasteful dose of modern genre updates. It has a very good story that reminds of a bit of Mary Shelley's book Frankenstein in the fact that you do not like what you are, or what it has caused you to do.
Now, this game is largely what you make it to be. The people of London all have fleshed out backstories, personalities, and many offer side quests, trade options, or useful info on certain things. You can either bond with then and work to keep them healthy, or you can feed on them and grow stronger. Your choice on how you handle this can dramatically effect the game. You gain a large amount of experience from feeding on them, even more if you gain their trust first. If you take that route it can take the game from challanging to being easy. There is are a lot of options when leveling up, without feeding you will not be able to max everything out. Another thing that depends on play style, is that there is a ton of talking if you choose to help tje people and gain their trust. This isn't a requirement, however. So the game can be very deep and story driven with a lot of dialogue, or it can be more of an action game, depending on what you do.
On that note, as a pure action game, I'm not sure if it would hold up for most. The combat mechanics are quite basic, attack, dodge, and a few specials, and ranged attack with gun. It's fun enough when not taking the feeding route because you still have to be strategic but if you feed a lot and are extremely powerful, I don't see it being very fun.
The game also features light crafting in the form of upgrading weapons, making blood, stanima, and health injections (same as potions in most games) and medicine for the people. It's semi open and semi linear. You have a map that you can go anywhere on, but only in certain buildings and some streets are blocked off. In fact, navigation can be infuriating at times because of dead ends, doors that need to be unlocked from the other side, and objective markers sometimes being in the wrong spot on the map. I spent a half hour trying to get into a mansion before looking it up and finding out the marker was wrong and I was at the wrong building.
So in conclusion: if you like games like the 1st Mass Effect where story, characters and dialogue are the focus of the game with a healthy dose of combat that isn't amazing but gets the job done, then you'll love it. If you want to just run arpund and hack shit up, it might not be for you.