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The Gatekeeper (Afterlife #0.5)
The Gatekeeper (Afterlife #0.5)
Katrina Cope | 2017 | Thriller, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If you've read the author's rather excellent young adult Afterlife series about angels battling demons for control of mortal souls you will know The Gatekeeper as the cackling, taunting old man. If you have not read the series this novella may be a good introduction.

Aker might seem like a normal boy but there is something different about him. He is a little more cruel, a little more keen to cause trouble and misery than his peers. His downward path soon brings him to the attention of the demon world, a world he adapts to with ease. But demons survive either on their strength or their wits. Aker may not be strong but he is very cunning and very eager to prove himself.

One of the major achievements of this story is that the main protagonist is (hopefully) in no way relateable to the reader; he is sly, selfish and cruel, caring nothing at all for anybody but himself. Yet the writing means that although we might not agree with any of his choices, it is clear why he makes them. So although the reader has no sympathy for Aker, there is some understanding of him.

The story moves quickly as Aker progresses through the demon world and there is little to time to catch one's breath between scenes. This makes it an easy read, and one that manages to provide a lot of background on the wider series without ever deviating from telling the central story.
  
Sleeping with the Fishes
Sleeping with the Fishes
Diane Vallere | 2019 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ava is the oldest daughter of Mother, and as such has been groomed to take over the leadership of Sirenia, their merfolk territory under the sea, someday. Most view Ava as aloof and bossy, but Ava will be the first to tell you she is really afraid – afraid her past will come out and afraid she will fail when the time comes. The time comes sooner than she expected when Mother is kidnapped and Ava must take over leadership immediately. Then comes word that sharks are encroaching on mermaid territory. Can Ava deal with this crisis?

This is the third novella about three mermaid sisters, and it is another fantastic tale. Ava finally gets her chance to step into the spotlight, and she fully comes alive for us. As the story unfolds, we get to see her grapple with what she has been handed and rise to the occasion. Yes, this is another fantastic coming of age story with a strong mystery to keep you turning pages. These novellas are best read in order, but there is enough background to follow Ava’s story. It’s been wonderful getting to spend some time under the sea with all three of these sisters.

NOTE: NOTE: This story, along with the stories of Ava’s sisters, are included in the Mermaid Mysteries anthology. Buy them individually or as a set, but there is no need to buy both.
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Hillside in Books

Mar 17, 2020  
Hillside
Hillside
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Based on a real place and a real period of history, Jordan Elizabeth imagines fictional characters living in the settlement of Hillside, New York in the 1890s. The main character, Viola, is a young school teacher at a one-roomed school where nothing out of the ordinary happens. That is until she learns her dying Aunt Helen is harbouring a huge secret.

Aunt Helen revealed she abandoned a daughter and Viola decides to surprise her by finding her long lost daughter, Bessie. But in finding Bessie, Viola discovers the reason Aunt Helen ran away from home, putting everyone who lives in Hillside in grave danger.

Although short, Jordan Elizabeth packs in romance, family, murder and historical fiction into her novella Hillside, the second instalment of theEchoes of New York series. The story does not follow on from the previous book, however, it is set in the same area. The amount of research the author has done to create an accurate setting is clear from the authenticity of the story.

A tiny element of the supernatural appears inHillside, although not as much as in the previous book in the series. This is by no means a bad thing, however, since it does not detract from the storyline and historical accuracy.

Personally, I did not think Hillside was one of Jordan Elizabeth's best books but it is a good story to read when you need something to pass a short time.
  
Revulsion: Thomas Bernhard in San Salvador
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"The Salvadoran novelist Horacio Castellanos Moya (who was born in Honduras, grew up in El Salvador, and now lives in Iowa City) should be much better known in the United States. Every book of his I have read in English has been differently original, differently demanding. He is an intense writer, whose short novels take fierce satiric hold of a fictional concept and squeeze and squeeze. His work is political but intimate, and no more so than in this early book, a work of homage to the Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard. Edgardo Vega, a Salvadoran professor living in Canada, returns to El Salvador to attend his mother’s funeral. In a bar, he sits and rants, for hours on end, to an interlocutor who has the author’s own name, about everything he finds detestable in Salvadoran life, from the country’s beer to its writers, from its food to its politics. It’s not the book I would recommend to a reader who had never encountered this unusual writer—that would be his great novella “Senselessness”—but it’s an interesting exercise in both imitation and self-exorcism (Castellanos Moya has said that he wrote it, in part, to rid himself of the influence of Bernhard); and if, like me, you are drawn to novelists who are bloody good ranters (Philip Roth being our great American example), you will be likewise drawn to this peculiarly compulsive novel."

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The Stolen Goblin Bride (Stolen Brides of the Fae #1)
The Stolen Goblin Bride (Stolen Brides of the Fae #1)
Emma Hamm | 2021 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
112 of 250
Kindle
The Stolen Goblin Bride ( Brides of the Fae book 1)
By Emma Hamm

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

When a mortal girl steals a necklace from a Goblin, there will be a price to pay...

Esther knows the rules. Don't talk to the goblins. Don't look at the goblins. Above all else, don't buy or trade with the goblins.

Then, one day before market, she sees a young rat faced boy selling a necklace that looks eerily like her mother's, what's a young girl to do? Of course she tries to buy it, but he won't sell it to her. So she steals it because it's her mother's necklace.

Lux knows the rules. He's a jeweler and he can sell his wares to those who want to faithfully buy them. Something doesn't feel right about selling this particular piece to the beautiful young woman who immediately steals his heart. So he doesn't.

But when he realizes the mortal girl stole from him, he's forced to enact magic that can't be unwritten. Stealing from a goblin always has a price.

I like it! A strange little novella of a mortal being unwittingly kidnapped by a goblin and finding herself his bride! Of course she falls in love with a rat goblin and chooses to change into a goblin! It was straight to the point and a fun little read!
  
Above the Fold (Midnight Rodeo #7)
Above the Fold (Midnight Rodeo #7)
BA Tortuga | 2017 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Above the Fold (Midnight Rodeo #7) by B.A. Tortuga
Above the Fold is the seventh book in the Midnight Rodeo series, and as such, I really do think you need to read at least some of them to get the full impact of this one.

Jon is the reporter who loses his job because he is losing his memories. The only thing he can - and wants to - remember is the Midnight Rodeo. He follows them from town to town, never knowing why, but unable to resist the call. Kelly tried to do a mindswipe on Jon, before he realised Jon was psychic. This is what has led to the memory loss. Kelly takes Jon under his wing as they try to find a solution.

This is a fast-paced novella with plenty of detail, and a great cast of characters. The story moves along at a steady pace, focusing on this story alone. That is why I feel I have missed out on some details, because some of the other characters obviously have their own abilities and stories, and I wanted to know more.

A sweet and warm story though, that I thoroughly enjoyed, and have no hesitation in recommending.

* 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!
  
In the Tall Grass (2019)
In the Tall Grass (2019)
2019 | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Contains spoilers, click to show
When Becky and her brother Cal hear a cry for help coming from a field of tall grass they go in to help. It soon becomes apparent that things are not what they seem in the tall grass.
In The Tall Grass is a Netflix film based on a novella written by Stephen King & Joe Hill. The film is a horror/suspense/thriller with a main cast only six people and only seven actors credited. The six main characters all become trapped in the grass and, like any good thriller it soon becomes apparent that at least one of them cannot be trusted as they get picked off one by one. However, Stephen King had a hand it writing this so you know it’s not going to be a normal film, there are no monsters in this, no killer Clowns and, surprisingly, no scarecrows although I guess that would have been too obvious for anything written by Mr King. There is a dog. The strangeness comes from the way the film plays with time, it soon becomes apparent that something is playing with time and space which leads to some interesting time loops.
In the Tall Grass is an interesting film which does a lot with a very small cast and a field and isn’t a mega long film like some of the other King films. If you can get your head around time loops, then I think it’s well worth a watch.