This book tells the story of Queenie from her life as a young girl during World War II right up to the early 60's and what a life she leads! She is one heck of a character; one minute you absolutely adore her, the next she disappoints you, then she'll surprise you and then shock ... I felt like I was on a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish and I still don't know how I feel about her even now!
Queenie is not the only character however, this book is absolutely brimmed to the rim with fantastic personalities from the bit players to the main stars; some you'll love and some ... not so much. The setting in the east end of London felt perfect but it could equally have worked in any inner-city borough. For those of us who weren't around during the time span of this book, I felt it captured them well and it felt authentic and believable to me.
"Queenie" is a gritty, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read and one I would definitely recommend even if you haven't read any of the other books in the "Butler" series; this can easily be read as a standalone as it is the prequel to the first book in the series "The Trap."
Thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) in Movies
Apr 12, 2020
I see it labeled fairly regularly as weak entry into the ever expanding saga and I just don't think that's the case.
It's got a solid narrative for a start as we watch Steve Rogers go from frail Regular Joe to bonafide hero who truly believes in fighting for the good of humanity over the course of two hours.
The WWII setting provides a touch of historical reality, collided with the fantasy of the Tesseract, our first glimpse of the now infamous Infinity Stones, and in this narrative, providing Red Skull with cosmically charged weapons the gain the edge in the war with Allied Forces.
The First Avenger has a fantastic cast. Chris Evans is pretty much perfect in the titular role and has played the character solidly for the last 10 years.
Hugo Weaving as Red Skull is an undeniable highlight. He plays the villain with evil glee, and looks so comic book accurate that it hurts. It's a real shame that he has never returned to the role.
The supporting cast is strong as well. Hayley Atwell, Toby Jones, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, and Stanley Tucci are all great, and relish in a tight screenplay.
I do think that the film feels over long at times, although the story being told is undeniably important in the run up to The Avengers.
The effects are mostly decent and still hold up, with an exception here and there, primarily before Steve Rogers goes all buff, but these are small gripes with an otherwise solid origin film.
Margaret Thatcher: Power and Personality
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As Britain's first woman Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher brought about the biggest social and...
My Uncle Charlie
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If you lived on the notorious Canterbury Estate in the '40s and '50s, then you knew there was one...
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Bringing alive the dramatic poems of Old Norse heroic legend, this new collection offers accessible,...
Atlas Shrugged
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A towering philosophical novel that is the summation of her Objectivist philosophy, Ayn Rand's Atlas...
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Harrowing of Doom in Books
Jan 7, 2021
The book starts on Walpurgis night, as Doom looks towards the coming midsummer and his annual battle with Mephisto's forces of Hell as he tries to reclaim his mother's soul. Beaten once more, Doom hits on a plan to take the fight to Hell on his own terms.
Meanwhile, Doom's mother's previously defeated foe, a prince, seeks to take back control of the country, using terror attacks while Doom is distracted with his Hellish fight.
The story has some good characters, in the few people trusted with helping Doom to accomplish his plan (his mother's former ally and now recluse, a priest with heretical powers and his security chief) which help to tell the story. However, throughout the book we are treated to the same sense of mystery of the insides of Doom's mind that we see in the comics.
The book is good, an interesting one where an over-powered character is undone by refusing to delegate or being too egotistical, and it is something of a page-turner. But as a Doom-focused book, it left me wanting more.
I received an advance eARC of this book from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Merissa (11938 KP) rated Changed (The Made Ones Saga #2) in Books
Sep 23, 2020
Initially, Bree is slightly annoyed 😉 that all her armour has disappeared. Instead, she is stuck with her natural hair colour, no tattoos, no piercings. Luckily for her, she is around people who help her to realise her armour was actually camouflage. And as for Gato, well, he loves her red hair.
This was a fantastic second book. The world is now more familiar which helped but, for me, the best part was Bree's attitude. She is attacked how many times, by people she thought were friends, and she still manages to come out of it with a smile on her face. Audi and Fortis are just sublime and I really hope to see more of them in the last book. I wasn't too sure about Arina to begin with but she is also someone I am hoping will get their HEA.
The interweaving between Kit's book and Bree's is wonderfully done. Once again, as with Kit and Rafe, Bree and Gato are supported by an amazing cast. I loved seeing Kit and Rafe again in this one.
A fantastic addition to the series and now I will (im)patiently wait for Awakened. Absolutely recommended by me!
* 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!
Monkey Island Tales 2 HD
Games and Entertainment
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**NOTE: Not compatible with iPhone 7 devices and iPad Pro devices.** Start your adventure! ...
City of Dreams: The 400-Year Epic History of Immigrant New York
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A defining American story of millions of immigrants, hundreds of languages, and one great city ...
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