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Navigating the Stars (Sentinels of the Galaxy Book 1)

Maria V. Snyder

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“The answer is no, Lyra,” my mother utters her favorite—I swear—phrase. No means I have...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated Island of Thieves in Books

Jun 23, 2022

“A Thrilling Adventures of Thieves and Mysterious Islands and Magic Potions”

Van Shaw has been hired by an eccentric businessman to assess the security of the art gallery on his private island during a several day business meeting being hosted there. Van isn’t sure he believes the story he’s been given, but the money is good, so he agrees to the job. When he arrives, he finds the man’s normal security forces more hostile than expected. Then he finds a dead body on the beach. What has Van stumbled into this time?

I picked up this book expecting another thrilling adventure, and I wasn’t disappointed. The plot was a little slow in the set up, but once it got going, there were plenty of twists and action to keep us engaged. I was surprised to see the book switch to third person point of view, which made it a little harder than I expected to connect with Van again, but the multiple points of view we had for the climax made it clear why this book needed that switch. And the changes from one point of view to another were always easy to follow. I did have a little trouble connecting the characters to which side they were on, but that might be me. We do see some of the other series regulars, and I love how they bring out other sides in Van. Overall, this is another great entry in the series. If you are a fan of thrillers and you haven’t started these books yet, do so today.

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Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated The World Outside in Books

Jan 12, 2018

Growing up in NJ during the 1980's and 90's I recall hearing the news about the incident in Crown Heights. I have some experience with Lubavitch in a community that I worked security in which was a mix with blacks. There was quite some conflict. It was a class of cultures.

[The World Outside] by [Eva Wiseman] was simply written but at times seemed to be like an after school special plot. It seems to be written for a specific community who can not read it. I would have liked to see more about the external conflict mixed with the internal conflict. Given the setting I feel this should have played a bigger role and given those not familiar with the history more background.

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Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated In Her Footsteps in Books

Jun 5, 2019

In this exciting domestic thriller by Ruth Harrow, Harriet tells the story of her abuse and her efforts to go into hiding from her husband Dan.
Having fled from London, she sets up shop in Coventry, rebuilding her life, working and cautiously making new friends again. From the outside all looks well. However, the reader is led into a false sense of security and slowly we watch Harriet’s paranoia get the better of her, and cannot help but wonder if she is just worried because her past, or if there is something deeper going on.
In Her Footsteps was an entertaining debut book, broaching difficult topics surrounding physical abuse and the emotional distress it causes. I’ll be looking out for more from this author in the future.

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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated The Secret of the Caves (Hardy Boys, #7) in Books

Mar 9, 2018

The Hardys are dealing with two cases. While their father works on sabotage at a local security station, Frank and Joe head to a college to try to find a missing professor. But the trail leads them to some caves south of Bayport. What exactly will they find there?

This was actually the first Hardy Boys books I picked up many years ago, and it was fun to revisit. I didn’t remember much about the mystery, so it kept me guessing until the end. I did find the ending very rushed and the characters flat, but I still had fun revisiting them.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/02/book-review-secret-of-caves-by-franklin.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.