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Furthermore (Furthermore, #1)
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This captivating and colorful adventure that reads like a modern day fairy tale, from the...
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Orbital Conflict in Tabletop Games
Sep 10, 2019
Building your space station. Space combat. Space investors. If these ideas interest you and you are intrigued to know how they work in a board game setting, read on. If you don’t care about head-to-head space stations obliterating each other and jockeying for position as the best bet in the cosmos, discontinue reading.
Orbital Conflict is a player versus player (PvP) card game in which the winner is the player showing the most VPs on their cards at game end. It is a game where placement of cards and orientation of cards is paramount in creating a space station that can dole out damage, take a ton of damage, or hybridizes offense and defense using resources granted from off-station investors.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are final components, and the game is available from the publisher and other online retail stores. Also, I do not intend to explicitly cover every rule for the game, but to give an idea of game flow and play. -T
To setup the game (in this case a 1v1 head-to-head bout) shuffle all the cards with the white back together and deal each player a hand of five. Shuffle the smaller investor cards to form a draw pile. Give the starting player the Initiative card and you are ready to start!
The game follows a simple game flow following three phases per round: Draw, Main, Combat. During the Draw phase, the player with the Initiative card (I’ll call them the active player) will draw two cards from the white-backed deck (which I will just call cards). Then the other player will draw two cards as well. The active player then draws two investor cards for themselves and places them in front of their play area as possible investors to claim. The other player does the same. If there are any cards containing discard abilities that a player would like to play during the Draw phase, and the discard text reads they may do so during the Draw phase or any phase, they may play them and follow the discard instructions now.
Once done, the game moves on to the Main phase. During this phase the active player will play any cards they wish that are appropriate for this phase, and then the other player will do the same. During this phase players will be playing cards from hand (and as many as they would like) to add on to their space station, activate modules that were previously deactivated, claim investor cards, and prepare for the next game phase. Space stations can be added to via modules. Modules can be single cards, or multiple splayed cards. As you can see in the photo above cards have icons to the left of the white barrier and some will also have icons to the right. Depending on how a card is added to a module certain icons may be covered and therefore inactive. When adding a card to a module (called an extension) the player decides if they want to add the card to the right of the splay, thus covering up icons to the right of the barrier of the covered card, or under the stack to the left of the splay. Additionally, players may flip any card over to have the back showing, which will provide icons usable in a station module. There are restrictions for playing cards, but I will let you discover those on your own.
The game follows a simple game flow following three phases per round: Draw, Main, Combat. During the Draw phase, the player with the Initiative card (I’ll call them the active player) will draw two cards from the white-backed deck (which I will just call cards). Then the other player will draw two cards as well. The active player then draws two investor cards for themselves and places them in front of their play area as possible investors to claim. The other player does the same. If there are any cards containing discard abilities that a player would like to play during the Draw phase, and the discard text reads they may do so during the Draw phase or any phase, they may play them and follow the discard instructions now.
Once done, the game moves on to the Main phase. During this phase the active player will play any cards they wish that are appropriate for this phase, and then the other player will do the same. During this phase players will be playing cards from hand (and as many as they would like) to add on to their space station, activate modules that were previously deactivated, claim investor cards, and prepare for the next game phase. Space stations can be added to via modules. Modules can be single cards, or multiple splayed cards. As you can see in the photo above cards have icons to the left of the white barrier and some will also have icons to the right. Depending on how a card is added to a module certain icons may be covered and therefore inactive. When adding a card to a module (called an extension) the player decides if they want to add the card to the right of the splay, thus covering up icons to the right of the barrier of the covered card, or under the stack to the left of the splay. Additionally, players may flip any card over to have the back showing, which will provide icons usable in a station module. There are restrictions for playing cards, but I will let you discover those on your own.
Orbital Conflict is a player versus player (PvP) card game in which the winner is the player showing the most VPs on their cards at game end. It is a game where placement of cards and orientation of cards is paramount in creating a space station that can dole out damage, take a ton of damage, or hybridizes offense and defense using resources granted from off-station investors.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are final components, and the game is available from the publisher and other online retail stores. Also, I do not intend to explicitly cover every rule for the game, but to give an idea of game flow and play. -T
To setup the game (in this case a 1v1 head-to-head bout) shuffle all the cards with the white back together and deal each player a hand of five. Shuffle the smaller investor cards to form a draw pile. Give the starting player the Initiative card and you are ready to start!
The game follows a simple game flow following three phases per round: Draw, Main, Combat. During the Draw phase, the player with the Initiative card (I’ll call them the active player) will draw two cards from the white-backed deck (which I will just call cards). Then the other player will draw two cards as well. The active player then draws two investor cards for themselves and places them in front of their play area as possible investors to claim. The other player does the same. If there are any cards containing discard abilities that a player would like to play during the Draw phase, and the discard text reads they may do so during the Draw phase or any phase, they may play them and follow the discard instructions now.
Once done, the game moves on to the Main phase. During this phase the active player will play any cards they wish that are appropriate for this phase, and then the other player will do the same. During this phase players will be playing cards from hand (and as many as they would like) to add on to their space station, activate modules that were previously deactivated, claim investor cards, and prepare for the next game phase. Space stations can be added to via modules. Modules can be single cards, or multiple splayed cards. As you can see in the photo above cards have icons to the left of the white barrier and some will also have icons to the right. Depending on how a card is added to a module certain icons may be covered and therefore inactive. When adding a card to a module (called an extension) the player decides if they want to add the card to the right of the splay, thus covering up icons to the right of the barrier of the covered card, or under the stack to the left of the splay. Additionally, players may flip any card over to have the back showing, which will provide icons usable in a station module. There are restrictions for playing cards, but I will let you discover those on your own.
The game follows a simple game flow following three phases per round: Draw, Main, Combat. During the Draw phase, the player with the Initiative card (I’ll call them the active player) will draw two cards from the white-backed deck (which I will just call cards). Then the other player will draw two cards as well. The active player then draws two investor cards for themselves and places them in front of their play area as possible investors to claim. The other player does the same. If there are any cards containing discard abilities that a player would like to play during the Draw phase, and the discard text reads they may do so during the Draw phase or any phase, they may play them and follow the discard instructions now.
Once done, the game moves on to the Main phase. During this phase the active player will play any cards they wish that are appropriate for this phase, and then the other player will do the same. During this phase players will be playing cards from hand (and as many as they would like) to add on to their space station, activate modules that were previously deactivated, claim investor cards, and prepare for the next game phase. Space stations can be added to via modules. Modules can be single cards, or multiple splayed cards. As you can see in the photo above cards have icons to the left of the white barrier and some will also have icons to the right. Depending on how a card is added to a module certain icons may be covered and therefore inactive. When adding a card to a module (called an extension) the player decides if they want to add the card to the right of the splay, thus covering up icons to the right of the barrier of the covered card, or under the stack to the left of the splay. Additionally, players may flip any card over to have the back showing, which will provide icons usable in a station module. There are restrictions for playing cards, but I will let you discover those on your own.
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated The Coldest Girl in Coldtown in Books
May 16, 2018
Actual rating: 3.5. Rounded to 4.
I don’t really tend to read a lot of vampire books anymore, especially when they’ve been labeled young adult. Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is definitely an exception to that habit. I needed a break from flipping pages and wanted to get in a little bit of time gaming. When I saw The Coldest Girl in Coldtown available for an immediate audio book borrow from OverDrive, I decided to give it a shot. I’d heard of Holly Black, even if I hadn’t read any of her work.
Black’s novel takes vampirism and spreads it in the same manner that most post-apocalyptic novels spread the infectious diseases that create zombies. Vampires are romanticized, as they often are, especially in young adult books, and in this case, they no longer live in the shadows; rather, they have taken up residence in government organized areas known as Coldtowns. Those that have been infected with the vampire virus are also holed up within the walls of this cities, and there’s no shortage of food, because people are dying to get in.
Waking up after passing out at a party, the main character, a young woman named Tana, finds herself amidst a massacre: people she knows have been slaughtered by vampires. The only survivors are her, an ex-boyfriend, and a strange boy. Her ex is infected, and the boy is a vampire. Deciding to turn him in for a bounty, and worried that her ex will become a vampire himself, the trio travel to Coldtown. It isn’t long before Tana finds herself caught up in what could loosely be described as vampire politics. Amongst betrayal, she must persevere in order to guarantee her own survival.
The majority of the story is told from Tana’s perspective, with a few chapters written in Gavriel, the vampire’s, and another one, maybe two, from her younger sister’s, Pearl’s, point-of-view. These changes exist solely to expound on certain events that have led the characters to where they are, such as Gavriel’s past — which is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite parts of the book. Each chapter also begins with an excerpt, usually from a poem that deals with death, the undead, or vampires.
Voices make a huge impact on listening to audio books, especially for me. If I can’t stand the voice, I will not finish the book more than likely. In the case of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the narrator, Christine Lakin, is absolutely amazing. Her voice is pleasant to listen to, and there is a clear difference between the way each of the characters speak.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown isn’t among my favorite reads, perhaps because I prefer the more traditional approaches to vampires, but it is, undoubtedly, an fun journey. If you like your vampires a bit on the softer side of the spectrum, this one is definitely worth picking up.
I don’t really tend to read a lot of vampire books anymore, especially when they’ve been labeled young adult. Holly Black’s The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is definitely an exception to that habit. I needed a break from flipping pages and wanted to get in a little bit of time gaming. When I saw The Coldest Girl in Coldtown available for an immediate audio book borrow from OverDrive, I decided to give it a shot. I’d heard of Holly Black, even if I hadn’t read any of her work.
Black’s novel takes vampirism and spreads it in the same manner that most post-apocalyptic novels spread the infectious diseases that create zombies. Vampires are romanticized, as they often are, especially in young adult books, and in this case, they no longer live in the shadows; rather, they have taken up residence in government organized areas known as Coldtowns. Those that have been infected with the vampire virus are also holed up within the walls of this cities, and there’s no shortage of food, because people are dying to get in.
Waking up after passing out at a party, the main character, a young woman named Tana, finds herself amidst a massacre: people she knows have been slaughtered by vampires. The only survivors are her, an ex-boyfriend, and a strange boy. Her ex is infected, and the boy is a vampire. Deciding to turn him in for a bounty, and worried that her ex will become a vampire himself, the trio travel to Coldtown. It isn’t long before Tana finds herself caught up in what could loosely be described as vampire politics. Amongst betrayal, she must persevere in order to guarantee her own survival.
The majority of the story is told from Tana’s perspective, with a few chapters written in Gavriel, the vampire’s, and another one, maybe two, from her younger sister’s, Pearl’s, point-of-view. These changes exist solely to expound on certain events that have led the characters to where they are, such as Gavriel’s past — which is, undoubtedly, one of my favorite parts of the book. Each chapter also begins with an excerpt, usually from a poem that deals with death, the undead, or vampires.
Voices make a huge impact on listening to audio books, especially for me. If I can’t stand the voice, I will not finish the book more than likely. In the case of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, the narrator, Christine Lakin, is absolutely amazing. Her voice is pleasant to listen to, and there is a clear difference between the way each of the characters speak.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown isn’t among my favorite reads, perhaps because I prefer the more traditional approaches to vampires, but it is, undoubtedly, an fun journey. If you like your vampires a bit on the softer side of the spectrum, this one is definitely worth picking up.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Lost Angel in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This book had almost too much going on, with an extensive glossary in the beginning pages - complete with color photos - that I needed to read beforehand to keep up with the plot. Javier Sierra made a point of mixing fact with fiction in this novel, and the book reads like an extensive 'conspiracy theory.' My husband is much more familiar with many aspects of the plot, and I often asked him if what I was reading about was really true or not. The book opens with a quotation of Genesis 6: 2-3, which states "...the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.'" This is followed by a quote from John Dee, who figures prominently in the plot, though I did not find the quote to be especially inspiring.
The main focus of the book is about a group of people who consider themselves descendants of those angels that joined with "the daughters of man," and want to find a way to get back into heaven. They will use any means necessary to accomplish this -- murder, deceit, even putting the whole planet in jeopardy.
The main character, Julia Alvarez, is a psychic who is completely duped by their antics. I understand that the author means for the reader to feel sympathy for the angelic descendants through Julia's narration, but the way that Julia allows herself to be used and deceived by even her own husband disgusts me. She believes whatever they tell her and does not question anything. In fact, anyone that does question this main family is characterized as foolish and forgettable, such as Ellen Watson and Inspector Figueiras.
There was one main problem I had with the plot, which is that in the Bible, the angels that mate with human women are 'fallen' because they disobeyed God, which is never addressed. What is also never addressed is any scriptural substantiation for what they believed about Noah and the ark. They believed they could force God to take them back into heaven with their thrown-together mish-mash of technology. How is that believable? God kicked the angels out - they certainly can't force their way back in! Not to mention, this family does not back up their belief that they are descendants of angels with actual scientific proof, such as DNA tests, even though they all claim to be men (and woman) of science.
Overall, the book twists a blasphemous tale of Biblical scripture, using factual information to support a fictitious plot. It has suspense, intrigue, and even a bit of romance, but the end is neither believable nor enjoyable. While books of this nature became popular thanks to the works of Dan Brown, (yes, I've read his stuff, too), I found this book to be merely an okay read.
The main focus of the book is about a group of people who consider themselves descendants of those angels that joined with "the daughters of man," and want to find a way to get back into heaven. They will use any means necessary to accomplish this -- murder, deceit, even putting the whole planet in jeopardy.
The main character, Julia Alvarez, is a psychic who is completely duped by their antics. I understand that the author means for the reader to feel sympathy for the angelic descendants through Julia's narration, but the way that Julia allows herself to be used and deceived by even her own husband disgusts me. She believes whatever they tell her and does not question anything. In fact, anyone that does question this main family is characterized as foolish and forgettable, such as Ellen Watson and Inspector Figueiras.
There was one main problem I had with the plot, which is that in the Bible, the angels that mate with human women are 'fallen' because they disobeyed God, which is never addressed. What is also never addressed is any scriptural substantiation for what they believed about Noah and the ark. They believed they could force God to take them back into heaven with their thrown-together mish-mash of technology. How is that believable? God kicked the angels out - they certainly can't force their way back in! Not to mention, this family does not back up their belief that they are descendants of angels with actual scientific proof, such as DNA tests, even though they all claim to be men (and woman) of science.
Overall, the book twists a blasphemous tale of Biblical scripture, using factual information to support a fictitious plot. It has suspense, intrigue, and even a bit of romance, but the end is neither believable nor enjoyable. While books of this nature became popular thanks to the works of Dan Brown, (yes, I've read his stuff, too), I found this book to be merely an okay read.
Pirates and Swearing
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Citadel is a personal account of one man’s war against the pirates of Somalia. Jordan Wylie grew up in Blackpool and joined the King’s Royal Hussars as soon as he left school. Unfortunately, a back injury restricted the tasks he was able to perform meaning he had to leave the army behind him. However, his skills as a non-commissioned officer came in handy in his new position in maritime security. Jordan became a security guard for merchant ships that had to make the dangerous journey through Pirate Alley, i.e. Somalia. In this book, Jordan tries to encapsulate his experience aboard these ships and his encounter with the licentious pirates.
Somali pirates are not the typical figures from pantomimes, dressed in tricorn hats and frock coats, complete with pet parrot on the shoulder yelling “Avast me hearties!” Instead, they are young African men of a bellicose nature, some barely out of their teens, wielding guns with the intention of taking over ships and demanding extortionate ransoms.
Jordan was rather fortunate with his brush with pirates and never experienced being captured or attacked. Nevertheless, the occasions when Somalis attempted to take over were extremely nerve-racking, especially because Jordan and the crew had horror stories of other ships’ fates fresh in their minds. In these instances, Jordan had to remain calm and professional, relying on his army background and personal bravery to keep everyone safe.
The title, Citadel, refers to the name of the safe room the crew were required to lock themselves in should pirate attack become imminent. In some instances, entire ship crews would be locked in these rooms for days or longer, desperately awaiting rescue. Jordan’s brief exposure to the citadel was enough for him to realise how truly awful being locked below decks for a lengthy period of time would be.
Citadel lacks synchronicity and often jumps from Jordan’s own experiences to stories he has heard of other ships. He also talks about his family back home in England, including his wife and young daughter. Being away from home for months at a time is very difficult but the pay cheque of a maritime security guard is too appealing to turn down.
Unfortunately, Jordan’s narrative is ruined through his use of unnecessary expletives. Ironically, Jordan writes about telling off other security guards for swearing because it upsets the native sailors, yet, he does not think about the readers he may be irritating.
Overall, Jordan’s book Citadel brings to attention the dangers sailors face whilst shipping our everyday commodities. Most of us are unaware of the events occurring in the Middle East and the state of the lives of Somali families that force children to grow up to become pirates. Citadel is eye-opening in more ways than one and will interest readers with interest in the armed forces, security management and so forth.
Citadel is a personal account of one man’s war against the pirates of Somalia. Jordan Wylie grew up in Blackpool and joined the King’s Royal Hussars as soon as he left school. Unfortunately, a back injury restricted the tasks he was able to perform meaning he had to leave the army behind him. However, his skills as a non-commissioned officer came in handy in his new position in maritime security. Jordan became a security guard for merchant ships that had to make the dangerous journey through Pirate Alley, i.e. Somalia. In this book, Jordan tries to encapsulate his experience aboard these ships and his encounter with the licentious pirates.
Somali pirates are not the typical figures from pantomimes, dressed in tricorn hats and frock coats, complete with pet parrot on the shoulder yelling “Avast me hearties!” Instead, they are young African men of a bellicose nature, some barely out of their teens, wielding guns with the intention of taking over ships and demanding extortionate ransoms.
Jordan was rather fortunate with his brush with pirates and never experienced being captured or attacked. Nevertheless, the occasions when Somalis attempted to take over were extremely nerve-racking, especially because Jordan and the crew had horror stories of other ships’ fates fresh in their minds. In these instances, Jordan had to remain calm and professional, relying on his army background and personal bravery to keep everyone safe.
The title, Citadel, refers to the name of the safe room the crew were required to lock themselves in should pirate attack become imminent. In some instances, entire ship crews would be locked in these rooms for days or longer, desperately awaiting rescue. Jordan’s brief exposure to the citadel was enough for him to realise how truly awful being locked below decks for a lengthy period of time would be.
Citadel lacks synchronicity and often jumps from Jordan’s own experiences to stories he has heard of other ships. He also talks about his family back home in England, including his wife and young daughter. Being away from home for months at a time is very difficult but the pay cheque of a maritime security guard is too appealing to turn down.
Unfortunately, Jordan’s narrative is ruined through his use of unnecessary expletives. Ironically, Jordan writes about telling off other security guards for swearing because it upsets the native sailors, yet, he does not think about the readers he may be irritating.
Overall, Jordan’s book Citadel brings to attention the dangers sailors face whilst shipping our everyday commodities. Most of us are unaware of the events occurring in the Middle East and the state of the lives of Somali families that force children to grow up to become pirates. Citadel is eye-opening in more ways than one and will interest readers with interest in the armed forces, security management and so forth.
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated The Girl with All the Gifts in Books
Mar 15, 2018
I went to see the film adaptation of this on Saturday, and I have to say I was pretty impressed with it! Obviously the book is a whole lot better, but I think they did a pretty good job of transferring the book to screen. The characters felt a bit different to how they came across in the novel, <spoiler> Caldwell was nowhere near as evil and we didn't get to know Parks enough for his death to be that traumatising like it was in the novel</spoiler>, but I'd say it's one of the better book-to-film movies!
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Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-girl-with-all-the-gifts-m-r-carey
<b>4.5 stars</b>
I don’t really want to say a lot about this book, for 2 reasons. Reason one is to keep potential readers in the dark about what this entire book is. I feel like it’s one of those reads where you want to go in blind, it definitely made it more enjoyable for me going into it that way. The second reason is more selfish… I felt a lot of different emotions going through this book, especially within the last 50 pages! I have no desire to relive the rollercoaster I went through! I feel like the emotions from this book are gonna stay with me for a long time, so don’t expect much from this review other than spoilers (which will be hidden) of me getting emotional.
If you’re looking for a book that gets straight into a story then this will definitely please you. There’s no dilly dallying whatsoever, we get into the meat of the book within the first 50 pages which is such a relief because I hate chunky books that seem to take forever to get into the story. I wouldn’t recommend reading this if you have quite serious trypophobia. I have it quite mildly but there were a lot of times where I was reading and getting very panicky and sick feeling because of the grotesque imagery.
Each character is developed so incredibly well, as there aren’t many throughout the book we’ve got loads of time to get to know them with each chapter flitting about between perspectives. <spoiler>MELANIE WAS CUTE AF AND SO MATURE AND LOVELY AND AWW. HELEN WAS BADASS AND SASSY AND AWESOME. PARKS WAS A GENTLE GIANT AND IM SO HAPPY HE GOT TO FUCK HELEN BEFORE HE DIED CAUSE HIS DEATH MADE ME SUPER DUPER SERIOUSLY SAD. CAROLINE WAS A BITCH FROM START TO FINISH, I FELT NO REMORSE FOR HER DEATH, SHE WAS EVIL.</spoiler>
I don’t know if I’d class this as purely a thriller, it’s is also a horror and a sci-fi, which is definitely a great mix. It was definitely a really enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading more of Carey’s work. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26030697-fellside?ac=1&from_search=true">Fellside</a>; is next on my list to read!
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Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-girl-with-all-the-gifts-m-r-carey
<b>4.5 stars</b>
I don’t really want to say a lot about this book, for 2 reasons. Reason one is to keep potential readers in the dark about what this entire book is. I feel like it’s one of those reads where you want to go in blind, it definitely made it more enjoyable for me going into it that way. The second reason is more selfish… I felt a lot of different emotions going through this book, especially within the last 50 pages! I have no desire to relive the rollercoaster I went through! I feel like the emotions from this book are gonna stay with me for a long time, so don’t expect much from this review other than spoilers (which will be hidden) of me getting emotional.
If you’re looking for a book that gets straight into a story then this will definitely please you. There’s no dilly dallying whatsoever, we get into the meat of the book within the first 50 pages which is such a relief because I hate chunky books that seem to take forever to get into the story. I wouldn’t recommend reading this if you have quite serious trypophobia. I have it quite mildly but there were a lot of times where I was reading and getting very panicky and sick feeling because of the grotesque imagery.
Each character is developed so incredibly well, as there aren’t many throughout the book we’ve got loads of time to get to know them with each chapter flitting about between perspectives. <spoiler>MELANIE WAS CUTE AF AND SO MATURE AND LOVELY AND AWW. HELEN WAS BADASS AND SASSY AND AWESOME. PARKS WAS A GENTLE GIANT AND IM SO HAPPY HE GOT TO FUCK HELEN BEFORE HE DIED CAUSE HIS DEATH MADE ME SUPER DUPER SERIOUSLY SAD. CAROLINE WAS A BITCH FROM START TO FINISH, I FELT NO REMORSE FOR HER DEATH, SHE WAS EVIL.</spoiler>
I don’t know if I’d class this as purely a thriller, it’s is also a horror and a sci-fi, which is definitely a great mix. It was definitely a really enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to reading more of Carey’s work. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26030697-fellside?ac=1&from_search=true">Fellside</a>; is next on my list to read!
Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated Savage Reckoning in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/savage-reckoning-by-c-hoyt-caldwell
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
Firstly Id like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Alibi for the opportunity to read this in an exchange for an honest review.
<b><i>With a badge pinned to her chest, she didnt give a shit what the town or God thought of her. She was the law.</b></i>
I was not expecting to love this as much as I do! Honestly, I started the first few pages and thought <b>oh God, this is going to be bad,</b> but I persevered because I feel Ive given up on a lot of reads lately and Im so glad I continued with it. As soon as we met Step and Kenny talking about anal sex, I knew I was going to love this novel, <i>(that sounds all kinds of wong).</i>
Step and Kenny are closeout kings in other words theyre hitmen. But theyre not all evil and malicious, they got feelins too, <b><i>"Well, now I'm just all kinds of hurt. Neither girls has plied their horny ways on me."</b></i> No but in all seriousness, theyve got some sort of morals, and these morals are what lead us into the rollercoaster ride of a story this is.
Our MC Dani Savage (ridiculously cheesy cool name) is the only deputy that takes her job seriously around Baptist Flats and so when she hears stories of a bunch of missing girls from in and around her area she cant let it go and has to do something to console the many broken and distraught mothers. A bit of a fuckup closeout jobs leads Dani to Step and Kenny where they enlist each other's help to get to the bottom of the mystery of the missing girls.
This is by no means a sophisticated, thought provoking novel, it's just pure grit, humour with a couple of inciteful anecdotes, <b><i>"Each woman's got a different 'forget-shit' trigger, Kenny. A man's whole goddamn purpose in life is to figure out that trigger and pull it",</b></i> mashed together to make an excellent, fun and exciting read. Each character, no matter how small or large their role in the story, was developed brilliantly and although there were some obvious parts of the plot it didnt even matter because youre having too much fun reading it to care about the fact you can guess what happens next.
Genuinely one of the funniest novels Ive read in such a long time even if it does deal with some pretty gruesome stuff. Anyone bored of meaningful, eye-opening type thrillers? Well pick this one up as your next book to help loosen you up a bit. Im definitely going to be on the lookout for more from Kenny and Step!
AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!
Firstly Id like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Alibi for the opportunity to read this in an exchange for an honest review.
<b><i>With a badge pinned to her chest, she didnt give a shit what the town or God thought of her. She was the law.</b></i>
I was not expecting to love this as much as I do! Honestly, I started the first few pages and thought <b>oh God, this is going to be bad,</b> but I persevered because I feel Ive given up on a lot of reads lately and Im so glad I continued with it. As soon as we met Step and Kenny talking about anal sex, I knew I was going to love this novel, <i>(that sounds all kinds of wong).</i>
Step and Kenny are closeout kings in other words theyre hitmen. But theyre not all evil and malicious, they got feelins too, <b><i>"Well, now I'm just all kinds of hurt. Neither girls has plied their horny ways on me."</b></i> No but in all seriousness, theyve got some sort of morals, and these morals are what lead us into the rollercoaster ride of a story this is.
Our MC Dani Savage (ridiculously cheesy cool name) is the only deputy that takes her job seriously around Baptist Flats and so when she hears stories of a bunch of missing girls from in and around her area she cant let it go and has to do something to console the many broken and distraught mothers. A bit of a fuckup closeout jobs leads Dani to Step and Kenny where they enlist each other's help to get to the bottom of the mystery of the missing girls.
This is by no means a sophisticated, thought provoking novel, it's just pure grit, humour with a couple of inciteful anecdotes, <b><i>"Each woman's got a different 'forget-shit' trigger, Kenny. A man's whole goddamn purpose in life is to figure out that trigger and pull it",</b></i> mashed together to make an excellent, fun and exciting read. Each character, no matter how small or large their role in the story, was developed brilliantly and although there were some obvious parts of the plot it didnt even matter because youre having too much fun reading it to care about the fact you can guess what happens next.
Genuinely one of the funniest novels Ive read in such a long time even if it does deal with some pretty gruesome stuff. Anyone bored of meaningful, eye-opening type thrillers? Well pick this one up as your next book to help loosen you up a bit. Im definitely going to be on the lookout for more from Kenny and Step!
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life in Books
Jun 18, 2018
Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas is a middle grade novel where we meet Charlotte Lake. Charlotte and her family are constantly moving to new cities for her mother’s passion of wanting to be a published author. Charlotte’s mom wants to write a book about Laura Ingalls, who was inspirational to her as a child. Charlotte is embarrassed by her mother’s obsession and frustrated with constantly having to start a new school and new life. She never feels like she fits in anywhere. She has a twin brother who has chosen to not talk since he feels his voice is not being heard in the moves, and a younger sister who is perfect. Charlotte struggles to make friends and find her niche among so many moves.
The family recently relocated to Walnut Grove, one of the places Laura Ingalls grew up. It houses a Laura Ingalls museum that hosts an essay contest each year. In a spark of brilliance, Charlotte decides to enter the contests and win the grand prize of $500. She knows this money will change her family’s life and maybe help her mother put down some roots. As the contest deadline nears, Charlotte becomes very ill with the flu and misses over a week of school, and time to create her essay. At the last moment, she furiously scribbles out the line, “Laura Ingalls is ruining my life,” and turns that in as her essay. Her clever teacher reads this and probes Charlotte to write more and dig deeper.
The family rents out the basement of a house owned by Mia and Miguel, who live upstairs with their granddaughter, Julia. Charlotte has moved so many times that she is reluctant to learn the names of her fellow classmates or draw any attention to herself. After she is out sick at the very beginning of school, she starts to notice that her brother has made a lot of friends in her absence. Charlotte, however, is still uncomfortable and even fails a reading test so that she has to spend her lunch time doing remedial work. She hopes to win an essay contest about Wilder because the $500 would be helpful to her family, but Julia wins instead. The two girls start to volunteer at the Wilder museum, and start to become friends. Charlotte’s mother is writing very little, and as the year progresses, starts to slip into a significant depression. Rose’s father remarries, and Rose is devastated that he no longer schedules any of their visits together. When there is vandalism at the museum, Charlotte is blamed, but the real perpetrator is not any of the people who are suspected.
I recommend this book for any fans of pioneer life, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and middle grade readers. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley via Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press.
The family recently relocated to Walnut Grove, one of the places Laura Ingalls grew up. It houses a Laura Ingalls museum that hosts an essay contest each year. In a spark of brilliance, Charlotte decides to enter the contests and win the grand prize of $500. She knows this money will change her family’s life and maybe help her mother put down some roots. As the contest deadline nears, Charlotte becomes very ill with the flu and misses over a week of school, and time to create her essay. At the last moment, she furiously scribbles out the line, “Laura Ingalls is ruining my life,” and turns that in as her essay. Her clever teacher reads this and probes Charlotte to write more and dig deeper.
The family rents out the basement of a house owned by Mia and Miguel, who live upstairs with their granddaughter, Julia. Charlotte has moved so many times that she is reluctant to learn the names of her fellow classmates or draw any attention to herself. After she is out sick at the very beginning of school, she starts to notice that her brother has made a lot of friends in her absence. Charlotte, however, is still uncomfortable and even fails a reading test so that she has to spend her lunch time doing remedial work. She hopes to win an essay contest about Wilder because the $500 would be helpful to her family, but Julia wins instead. The two girls start to volunteer at the Wilder museum, and start to become friends. Charlotte’s mother is writing very little, and as the year progresses, starts to slip into a significant depression. Rose’s father remarries, and Rose is devastated that he no longer schedules any of their visits together. When there is vandalism at the museum, Charlotte is blamed, but the real perpetrator is not any of the people who are suspected.
I recommend this book for any fans of pioneer life, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and middle grade readers. I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley via Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Roaring Brook Press.
The nerdy birdie (67 KP) rated Providence: A Novel in Books
Jun 30, 2018
Brilliant!
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advance copy of "Providence"in exchange for an honest review ❤️??
Let me start off by saying that I was a bit of a "Nervous Nellie" going into this book because "You" by Caroline Kepnes makes my top ten favorite books of all times, and is by far my favorite thriller to date. I am always looking for a thriller novel to compare and while some have come dangerously close, no cigar.
Having said that...I have seen many mixed reviews regarding the topic of this book versus Kepnes's other novels. The subject varies drastically from her other fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, pulse pounding reads! This is a book about so many things, including : love, turning a curse from something bad into good, how fate intervenes no matter what we would choose for ourselves, and how all of our lives can change in a split second.
When beginning this book I immediately started thinking ----this is definitely NOT the type of book I would ever pick up--I typically do not enjoy any type of science fiction and all things having to do with superpowers just are NOT my thing! I like villains like Harley Quinn and Joker. But...because it was written by one of my favorite authors ---I stuck around and I'm so happy that I did!
I flew through this book! The entire time I found myself rooting for this stolen boy, this monster, the underdog! I have taken away So many quotes ( you can find a few on my goodreads page) such as ..." Being alive is nothing without being able to live." My Dad faces this every single time he heads to the hospital to get his weekly chemo treatment. I can sympathize with Eggs and his illness and Lo reminding to eat, to check this, check that--- I can also see how a relationship based solely on messaging can supersede any other form of love if it's the right person.
Highly highly recommend this book, I don't want to spoil too much-- thank you for opening up my eyes to another genre. It's action meets romance meets science fiction meets superhuman?
To Caroline Kepnes: thank you for calling those delectable things you put on ice cream jimmies and NOT sprinkles, thank you for opening my eyes to the world of H.P. Lovecraft, for using my favorite quote ever by E.E. Cummings in this novel & and for leaving me with an undeniable urge to hit the store for strawberries, fluff, and a cookie scented candle.
Kepnes has a way of reaching out to you as if you are her only reader no matter what the topic may be--- please give this book a shot, she has proved she isn't a one hit wonder and can write about anything she puts her mind to!
I am Providence.
Let me start off by saying that I was a bit of a "Nervous Nellie" going into this book because "You" by Caroline Kepnes makes my top ten favorite books of all times, and is by far my favorite thriller to date. I am always looking for a thriller novel to compare and while some have come dangerously close, no cigar.
Having said that...I have seen many mixed reviews regarding the topic of this book versus Kepnes's other novels. The subject varies drastically from her other fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat, pulse pounding reads! This is a book about so many things, including : love, turning a curse from something bad into good, how fate intervenes no matter what we would choose for ourselves, and how all of our lives can change in a split second.
When beginning this book I immediately started thinking ----this is definitely NOT the type of book I would ever pick up--I typically do not enjoy any type of science fiction and all things having to do with superpowers just are NOT my thing! I like villains like Harley Quinn and Joker. But...because it was written by one of my favorite authors ---I stuck around and I'm so happy that I did!
I flew through this book! The entire time I found myself rooting for this stolen boy, this monster, the underdog! I have taken away So many quotes ( you can find a few on my goodreads page) such as ..." Being alive is nothing without being able to live." My Dad faces this every single time he heads to the hospital to get his weekly chemo treatment. I can sympathize with Eggs and his illness and Lo reminding to eat, to check this, check that--- I can also see how a relationship based solely on messaging can supersede any other form of love if it's the right person.
Highly highly recommend this book, I don't want to spoil too much-- thank you for opening up my eyes to another genre. It's action meets romance meets science fiction meets superhuman?
To Caroline Kepnes: thank you for calling those delectable things you put on ice cream jimmies and NOT sprinkles, thank you for opening my eyes to the world of H.P. Lovecraft, for using my favorite quote ever by E.E. Cummings in this novel & and for leaving me with an undeniable urge to hit the store for strawberries, fluff, and a cookie scented candle.
Kepnes has a way of reaching out to you as if you are her only reader no matter what the topic may be--- please give this book a shot, she has proved she isn't a one hit wonder and can write about anything she puts her mind to!
I am Providence.