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Thucydides: The War of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians
Book
Thucydides' classic work is a foundational text in the history of Western political thought. His...
Fury of the Seventh Son (The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles #13)
7.0
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Book
The thirteenth—and final—book in the internationally best-selling fantasy adventure series that...
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Dagger Hill in Books
Sep 10, 2021
Silent hill for teenagers....Creepy and pretty terrifying.
The potential to be made into a film is definitely lurking there.
The four main characters, teenagers on the threshold of their senior year, are interesting and quirky. Each has a different personality that gels well with the others but doesn't then blend into one boring entity.
Set in 1989, a time before the internet and mobile phones (as we know them now and the actual ability to carry one) Dagger Hill has a small town charm. A charm that contrasts against the awful things that happen there.
This is at least a young adult read with themes of horror and violence. It could easily sit on a shelf with books written by such greats as King and Laymon. It's the kind of book that crawls into your thoughts when you least expect it and creates vivid scenes in your mind.
@Merissa
The potential to be made into a film is definitely lurking there.
The four main characters, teenagers on the threshold of their senior year, are interesting and quirky. Each has a different personality that gels well with the others but doesn't then blend into one boring entity.
Set in 1989, a time before the internet and mobile phones (as we know them now and the actual ability to carry one) Dagger Hill has a small town charm. A charm that contrasts against the awful things that happen there.
This is at least a young adult read with themes of horror and violence. It could easily sit on a shelf with books written by such greats as King and Laymon. It's the kind of book that crawls into your thoughts when you least expect it and creates vivid scenes in your mind.
@Merissa
Merissa (13358 KP) rated Banewolf (Dark Siren, #2) in Books
Apr 19, 2023
Banewolf is the second book in the Dark Siren series and it is a belter! The story continues where Book 1 left off, although Kali has learned a new skill with regard to staying underwater. Rhane and Kali come back together again and life continues. It is hard for Kali to adjust, especially with all the changes and challenges she has faced and continues to face.
There is action aplenty, and the story becomes more intricate as politics now plays a part. Kali is remembering more of her memories of when she was with Rhane in a previous life, and answers become clear on why certain things happened.
An absolutely fantastic continuation that will leave you wanting more... immediately! Brilliant book and series. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 5, 2015
There is action aplenty, and the story becomes more intricate as politics now plays a part. Kali is remembering more of her memories of when she was with Rhane in a previous life, and answers become clear on why certain things happened.
An absolutely fantastic continuation that will leave you wanting more... immediately! Brilliant book and series. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 5, 2015
David McK (3623 KP) rated The Witcher - Season 2 in TV
Apr 10, 2022
Not having played any of the games (although I have read some of the earlier books) one of the key problem's with Netflix first season of 'The Witcher', I found, was the way it jumped around timelines with no real clear 'this is set in <period>' shown.
That aspect, thankfully, is almost entirely done away with in the second season which, as a result, means it is far easier to follow just what is going on!
Set in the aftermath of the Battle of Floden field, with Geralt and Ciri now reunited and with Geralt also believing Yennefer to be dead, this season also introduces more members of the group to which he belongs; that is to say, more Witchers.
I found the season overall to be a bit hit and miss: when the episodes were good, they were very good, but when they were bad ... they were bad.
None the less, still interestied to see where this goes!
That aspect, thankfully, is almost entirely done away with in the second season which, as a result, means it is far easier to follow just what is going on!
Set in the aftermath of the Battle of Floden field, with Geralt and Ciri now reunited and with Geralt also believing Yennefer to be dead, this season also introduces more members of the group to which he belongs; that is to say, more Witchers.
I found the season overall to be a bit hit and miss: when the episodes were good, they were very good, but when they were bad ... they were bad.
None the less, still interestied to see where this goes!
Debbiereadsbook (1546 KP) rated The Vampire's Curse (Beyond The Mist #1) in Books
Apr 13, 2022
good enough for me to want to continue with the series.
Independent reviewer for Book Sirens, I was gofted my copy of this book.
This is the first book in the Beyond The Mist series, and as such lays down the ground work, the background into these vampires and how they came to be.
I enjoyed it, I did. It didn't blow me away, but it's left me intrigued enough to want to continue on with the series.
Not least because there are a whole host of characters we meet here who now need their stories. Korinna, especially and Roman, I think, needs a happy ever after. Andrei's brothers too.
Some smexy times, some violence, some darker themes. Vampires who shift! I liked that, it's different.
All in all, a good read, for me, but not a great one.
so, 3 stars, but I will continue with the series.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is the first book in the Beyond The Mist series, and as such lays down the ground work, the background into these vampires and how they came to be.
I enjoyed it, I did. It didn't blow me away, but it's left me intrigued enough to want to continue on with the series.
Not least because there are a whole host of characters we meet here who now need their stories. Korinna, especially and Roman, I think, needs a happy ever after. Andrei's brothers too.
Some smexy times, some violence, some darker themes. Vampires who shift! I liked that, it's different.
All in all, a good read, for me, but not a great one.
so, 3 stars, but I will continue with the series.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Blood Tide (DS Max Craigie #2) in Books
Feb 27, 2022
Neil Lancaster has done it again! I thought he would be hard pressed coming up with a book that could better the first in this series, Dead Man's Grave, and although he hasn't, he has matched it and I have become completely consumed and engaged with Max Craigie and his team.
This is a cracker of a book; with excellent characters (both 'goodies' and 'baddies', new ones and old ones) and an engaging and riveting plot told at a fast pace with great twists and turns. What more could you ask for? A cute dog? Yep, got that too 😁
Now whilst this works well as a standalone, I would highly recommend you read the first, you will not be disappointed and you, like me, will be hooked and itching for the next instalment to come out.
Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
This is a cracker of a book; with excellent characters (both 'goodies' and 'baddies', new ones and old ones) and an engaging and riveting plot told at a fast pace with great twists and turns. What more could you ask for? A cute dog? Yep, got that too 😁
Now whilst this works well as a standalone, I would highly recommend you read the first, you will not be disappointed and you, like me, will be hooked and itching for the next instalment to come out.
Thank you to HQ and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
Kyera (8 KP) rated I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl in Books
Feb 1, 2018
I'm Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl follows Beas attempts to translate her status in high school into a scholarship winning mathematical formula. Simple right? Beatrice, Spencer, and Gabe are not the most popular kids at school to be honest theyre practically invisible. Most people call Bea Math Girl and she wants that to change. She convinces her friends to embrace and exploit a personality trait that fills a void in their school so that they can become popular.
Gabe agrees because he is a writer for the school paper and hopes to be chosen for an internship as a result. He becomes the schools flamboyant, gay best friend and almost immediately is absorbed into the popular inner-circle. Through his acceptance, Spencer and Bea, now known as Trixie, become known around the school. She must embrace her new personality but doesnt always make the right decisions.
I personally did not relate to her, despite her love of math and didnt create a connection. I completely agreed with the opinions of her friends about her behavior. I didnt find myself being sympathetic to her plight and was frustrated more than anything by her repeated mistakes. She meddles in other peoples business, doesnt take the high road and even though she accepts her mistakes at the end it doesnt feel, to me at least, that she has grown over the course of the novel.
Despite the book being formulaic, it was an enjoyable read I just wish it wasnt so predictable. It doesnt take long to figure out who is going to be the romantic endgame, what friendships will be formed and enemy status established. At the end of it all, you wonder will they realize that it is more important to be true to themselves than to be popular? I think you know what the answer will be.
The book has a fair amount of diversity and representation in it, which is good. I wish each of those various representations was given more detail and thought than being an intermittent descriptive word. It felt more like adding the token LGBTQ+ or ethnically diverse character. We dont often enough see diversity in books, so it was a little disappointing to me that it so little was done with it.
Overall, I think that it was a quick, contemporary read that young adult/teen readers will enjoy. It is cute, if predictable but the unique aspect of the story of using math to solve lifes problems was quirky and endearing.
Gabe agrees because he is a writer for the school paper and hopes to be chosen for an internship as a result. He becomes the schools flamboyant, gay best friend and almost immediately is absorbed into the popular inner-circle. Through his acceptance, Spencer and Bea, now known as Trixie, become known around the school. She must embrace her new personality but doesnt always make the right decisions.
I personally did not relate to her, despite her love of math and didnt create a connection. I completely agreed with the opinions of her friends about her behavior. I didnt find myself being sympathetic to her plight and was frustrated more than anything by her repeated mistakes. She meddles in other peoples business, doesnt take the high road and even though she accepts her mistakes at the end it doesnt feel, to me at least, that she has grown over the course of the novel.
Despite the book being formulaic, it was an enjoyable read I just wish it wasnt so predictable. It doesnt take long to figure out who is going to be the romantic endgame, what friendships will be formed and enemy status established. At the end of it all, you wonder will they realize that it is more important to be true to themselves than to be popular? I think you know what the answer will be.
The book has a fair amount of diversity and representation in it, which is good. I wish each of those various representations was given more detail and thought than being an intermittent descriptive word. It felt more like adding the token LGBTQ+ or ethnically diverse character. We dont often enough see diversity in books, so it was a little disappointing to me that it so little was done with it.
Overall, I think that it was a quick, contemporary read that young adult/teen readers will enjoy. It is cute, if predictable but the unique aspect of the story of using math to solve lifes problems was quirky and endearing.
Leah Lopez (7 KP) rated Gone Girl in Books
Nov 6, 2019
This book had many key elements to keep the reader constantly entertained.
1) The characters had their own voice; their own emotions and thoughts which was clearly recognised through per chapter dedicated to them. My mind alternated between which character I liked/hated understood/or not worth understanding. At the beginning of the book I was on Nick's side. It seemed Amy was some "nagging wife" and it would be easy to become annoyed by all her "stupid traditions" but then, I read Amy's side and then I was like..."Okay, now I understand why the traditions are important and how much she loves Nick..." When he come home to find his wife had disappeared and his house looked "ransacked" I began questioning the possible theories to her disappearance. I thought:
S.P.O.I.L.E.R. A.L.E.R.T
She hasn't been taken. She isn't dead. It is all but a set up: to get Nick to realise how much he loves Amy and he be lost without her. I thought she has just gone away for a few days.
My first shock? Nick cheating on Amy
but then; had it been a shock/ plot twist shock, or did I just not want to believe that of him?
It was easy from this point to hate Nick. He had been having an affair, he was violent, he was a liar.
I began siding with Amy.
Still...it became clear through Nick's request on finding out the truth that she too was a liar; but a more-well trained liar and not spontaneous? She was evil; she played people to her needs. She used them to better herself.
Towards the end of the book; when she came back home and reported her "kidnap and rape" from Desi it was here I thought this is going to end pretty shit now...but once again I was surprised. I began to hate Amy and like Nick. Still Nick demonstrated his violence towards Amy by strangling her and detailing his enjoyment of her pulsating struggle for breath. When Amy came back and explained the truth, and furthermore...I wanted her to be arrested; to find that tiny bit of evidence she didn't think of...something none of us would have thought of but maybe read and thought nothing of it at the time. Still, she still had things up her sleeve and still ten steps in front of Nick-the semen and her way of permanently keeping him in her life. I knew it had to end, but I think it would have been more entertaining on something she left out, rather than her once again winning.
Overall:
a great suspense-filled book that makes you yo-yo between liking/hating the characters!
Will be looking for more books written by her!
1) The characters had their own voice; their own emotions and thoughts which was clearly recognised through per chapter dedicated to them. My mind alternated between which character I liked/hated understood/or not worth understanding. At the beginning of the book I was on Nick's side. It seemed Amy was some "nagging wife" and it would be easy to become annoyed by all her "stupid traditions" but then, I read Amy's side and then I was like..."Okay, now I understand why the traditions are important and how much she loves Nick..." When he come home to find his wife had disappeared and his house looked "ransacked" I began questioning the possible theories to her disappearance. I thought:
S.P.O.I.L.E.R. A.L.E.R.T
She hasn't been taken. She isn't dead. It is all but a set up: to get Nick to realise how much he loves Amy and he be lost without her. I thought she has just gone away for a few days.
My first shock? Nick cheating on Amy
but then; had it been a shock/ plot twist shock, or did I just not want to believe that of him?
It was easy from this point to hate Nick. He had been having an affair, he was violent, he was a liar.
I began siding with Amy.
Still...it became clear through Nick's request on finding out the truth that she too was a liar; but a more-well trained liar and not spontaneous? She was evil; she played people to her needs. She used them to better herself.
Towards the end of the book; when she came back home and reported her "kidnap and rape" from Desi it was here I thought this is going to end pretty shit now...but once again I was surprised. I began to hate Amy and like Nick. Still Nick demonstrated his violence towards Amy by strangling her and detailing his enjoyment of her pulsating struggle for breath. When Amy came back and explained the truth, and furthermore...I wanted her to be arrested; to find that tiny bit of evidence she didn't think of...something none of us would have thought of but maybe read and thought nothing of it at the time. Still, she still had things up her sleeve and still ten steps in front of Nick-the semen and her way of permanently keeping him in her life. I knew it had to end, but I think it would have been more entertaining on something she left out, rather than her once again winning.
Overall:
a great suspense-filled book that makes you yo-yo between liking/hating the characters!
Will be looking for more books written by her!
Merissa (13358 KP) rated Knights of Stone: Calum in Books
Sep 27, 2017
Knights of Stone: Calum (Highland Gargoyles #5) by Lisa Carlisle
Calum is the youngest of the Gargoyle brothers, and along with Gavin, has vowed never to be tied down like his brothers. However, he has been restless of late, and feels the need to fly more often. It is on one of these flights that he encounters a Pegasus and Dragon - neither of which he thought were real. His protective instincts kick in, and he fights the dragon, helping the Pegasus to escape. Once they are both on land, they speak, and Calum finds out that this Pegasus is called Arielle, and she is from a different realm. Now, apart from Bryce, all the brothers have inter-species relationships, but I never thought of an inter-realm one. And poor Calum and Arielle don't think that a long distance relationship like that (where you will never see the other one again) will work. Calum is torn because he wants to help Arielle, but he doesn't want her to leave him.
With good guys, and bad guys, and overprotective mothers, Lisa Carlisle has managed to weave another great story in this series. There is only Gavin left, and I can't wait to read his story, being as no one can see him settling down! With no editing or grammatical errors, there was nothing about this book that caught my attention in a bad way. It was a lovely story, with a smooth pace, and some angst in it for those that don't like a smooth road. All-in-all, a great read and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
With good guys, and bad guys, and overprotective mothers, Lisa Carlisle has managed to weave another great story in this series. There is only Gavin left, and I can't wait to read his story, being as no one can see him settling down! With no editing or grammatical errors, there was nothing about this book that caught my attention in a bad way. It was a lovely story, with a smooth pace, and some angst in it for those that don't like a smooth road. All-in-all, a great read and definitely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!