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Roxanne (13 KP) rated Sworn To Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2018
I don't usually pick up thrillers but I spotted this whilst having a browse through my online library account and it sounded interesting. When I reserve books at the library to pick up it gives me a push to pull my socks up and get those books read before the deadline, if I own the book it's too easy to slack. With a deadline looming I am pushed to read books that I wouldn't usually read, which I think is brilliant as I get to experience some different genres.
Long story short I thought this book was fantastic! It was brutal, it was gory and it kept me guessing until the end. Once I had finished the book I went and reserved the second in the series.
I thought the story was very well written and I liked all of the characters. Maybe there were a few plot holes but it didn't distract me or make much difference to the storyline.
This is definitely one of those books that just gets into your head and will not let you sleep, when I had to go out and leave the book at home I heard a little voice calling me...calling me back home 'read me...read me...', what a hold it had.
Enjoyed it very much!
Long story short I thought this book was fantastic! It was brutal, it was gory and it kept me guessing until the end. Once I had finished the book I went and reserved the second in the series.
I thought the story was very well written and I liked all of the characters. Maybe there were a few plot holes but it didn't distract me or make much difference to the storyline.
This is definitely one of those books that just gets into your head and will not let you sleep, when I had to go out and leave the book at home I heard a little voice calling me...calling me back home 'read me...read me...', what a hold it had.
Enjoyed it very much!
David McK (3649 KP) rated Brothers in Blood (Eagles of the Empire 13) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
13. Unlucky for some?
The reason I bring that up is because this is the 13th entry in the Cato and Macro series that began way back in 2001 with [b: Under the Eagle|578428|Under the Eagle (Eagle, #1)|Simon Scarrow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1315349321s/578428.jpg|565359] and, by now, you pretty much know what to expect!
Taking place not long after [b: The Blood Crows|18484220|The Blood Crows (Eagle, #12)|Simon Scarrow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380275584s/18484220.jpg|25144364], this is also set back in Brittania, with the culmination (?) of the campaign against Caratacus.
Somehow, however, I found this to be 'flatter' than the previous novels; just not as engaging as before. I don't know whether this is to do with the change in the circumstances between Cato and Macro or in the fact that I've been reading quite a few historical fiction novels recently or what, but this (I felt) was just not as good as the earlier entries in the series.
(Oh, and as an aside: my version came with a short story 'The Red Sail' included, with that story having two endings. All in all, I think I actually preferred the alternative ending - every hero, after all, needs his nemesis. Batman has the Joker, Superman has Lex Luthor, Sherlock Holmes had Moriarity .. )
The reason I bring that up is because this is the 13th entry in the Cato and Macro series that began way back in 2001 with [b: Under the Eagle|578428|Under the Eagle (Eagle, #1)|Simon Scarrow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1315349321s/578428.jpg|565359] and, by now, you pretty much know what to expect!
Taking place not long after [b: The Blood Crows|18484220|The Blood Crows (Eagle, #12)|Simon Scarrow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380275584s/18484220.jpg|25144364], this is also set back in Brittania, with the culmination (?) of the campaign against Caratacus.
Somehow, however, I found this to be 'flatter' than the previous novels; just not as engaging as before. I don't know whether this is to do with the change in the circumstances between Cato and Macro or in the fact that I've been reading quite a few historical fiction novels recently or what, but this (I felt) was just not as good as the earlier entries in the series.
(Oh, and as an aside: my version came with a short story 'The Red Sail' included, with that story having two endings. All in all, I think I actually preferred the alternative ending - every hero, after all, needs his nemesis. Batman has the Joker, Superman has Lex Luthor, Sherlock Holmes had Moriarity .. )
Deborah (162 KP) rated The Day Parliament Burned Down in Books
Dec 21, 2018
Now somewhere in the back of my mind I did know that the current Houses of Parliament weren't quite the same thing as the ancient Palace of Westminster, I just really didn't know what happened and when. Caroline Shenton's first book gives us a blow by blow account of that October day in 1834 when fire managed to take hold of the building and reduce much of it to ashes.
I admit that I actually found it more interesting than I had expected. It's quite unusual have have a whole book on a single, short event (the sinking of the Titanic would be one example I have seen) where events are laid out hour by hour. The quote on the cover from Mary Beard says that it is "Micro-history at its absolute best" and I have to agree. I'm only surprised that such a major event - the burning of both houses of Parliament and the destruction of many public records - isn't more well known!
Shenton has obviously done her homework and uncovered a wealth of detail about the events and the people involved. It's a story of what happened to a majorly important building, but it's also the story of the people involved, some of them very ordinary - right down to Chance, the mascot dog of the London firemen!
I admit that I actually found it more interesting than I had expected. It's quite unusual have have a whole book on a single, short event (the sinking of the Titanic would be one example I have seen) where events are laid out hour by hour. The quote on the cover from Mary Beard says that it is "Micro-history at its absolute best" and I have to agree. I'm only surprised that such a major event - the burning of both houses of Parliament and the destruction of many public records - isn't more well known!
Shenton has obviously done her homework and uncovered a wealth of detail about the events and the people involved. It's a story of what happened to a majorly important building, but it's also the story of the people involved, some of them very ordinary - right down to Chance, the mascot dog of the London firemen!
Doesn't tax the brain too much
This book is a pretty successful debut and follows the struggles for both Allison, who miraculously survived a plane crash, and her mum Maggie, who, along with everyone else, thinks she didn't. Told from both the perspectives of Allison and Maggie, covering the past and the present, the story is not only of survival but one of the sometimes difficult relationship between a mother and her daughter.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Written at good pace, I raced through this book helped by short chapters. I admit it wasn't the most unpredictable of endings however, the drip-drip of suspense and gradual revealing of secrets makes this a compelling read.
The two main characters of Allison and Maggie are very well developed with Maggie being a particular favourite of mine. The story captures both of their strengths and weaknesses extremely well together with their determination and resilience.
There are a few flaws with the plot that have been mentioned in other reviews but although these were a little annoying, they didn't detract too much from my overall enjoyment of this book.
Overall, I would recommend this to people who enjoy an easy and quick mystery that doesn't tax the brain too much.
Thank you to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Perfection (2019) in Movies
Apr 30, 2020
Better than expected
I feel like this film has been on my To Watch list since forever, and it's only taken a lockdown for me to finally get around to watching it. And it turned out much better than I expected.
This is a rather unusual film, it starts off feeling rather sinister and arty and then seems to rush through a variety of genres including romance, horror and suspenseful thriller. I'm a little undecided at how good an idea this was, but I was decently entertained for the most part. The plot starts off well, and whilst it may have been a tad predictable it was still enjoyable until the final few scenes. Sadly I feel like the final scenes and how the story got wrapped up went a little too bizarre and ridiculous. The very final scene almost had me in hysterics at how downright stupid it was. There was also a story telling mechanism used in this a couple of times that I think was trying to be retro but instead seemed a little silly and outdated, and entirely unnecessary.
Despite the negatives, this surprisingly kept my attention and wasn't as bad as I'd thought. There was a decent amount of gore that made me cringe in delighted horror and the short run time helps to make it a lot more enjoyable.
This is a rather unusual film, it starts off feeling rather sinister and arty and then seems to rush through a variety of genres including romance, horror and suspenseful thriller. I'm a little undecided at how good an idea this was, but I was decently entertained for the most part. The plot starts off well, and whilst it may have been a tad predictable it was still enjoyable until the final few scenes. Sadly I feel like the final scenes and how the story got wrapped up went a little too bizarre and ridiculous. The very final scene almost had me in hysterics at how downright stupid it was. There was also a story telling mechanism used in this a couple of times that I think was trying to be retro but instead seemed a little silly and outdated, and entirely unnecessary.
Despite the negatives, this surprisingly kept my attention and wasn't as bad as I'd thought. There was a decent amount of gore that made me cringe in delighted horror and the short run time helps to make it a lot more enjoyable.
The Rules Do Not Apply
6.0
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This book is not for the faint hearted and made me cry for the nine women and the others who they met along their way so many times.
We follow nine women as they escape from a death march and their journey to try and get to safety. Throughout the recount of the escape, their own stories of who they were before and how they came to be at the concentration camp were told.
The resilience of these nine women throughout everything they enjoyed was inspiring and that they retained their hope and kindness after the disgusting treatment that they endured is nothing short of a miracle.
The story is harrowing, but also one that I feel everyone must know. I thought I knew enough about what happened in those concentration camps in World War II but after reading this I have found that I only knew the tiniest amount of what they endured.
Although I know this is a true story, sometimes I had to remind myself that it was not fiction as some of the passages were so horrific in their descriptions that it is almost unbelievable that a human being can treat another human being like that.
This book will stay with me for a long time, which I am glad of. Thank you to Gwen Strauss and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this incredible book.
We follow nine women as they escape from a death march and their journey to try and get to safety. Throughout the recount of the escape, their own stories of who they were before and how they came to be at the concentration camp were told.
The resilience of these nine women throughout everything they enjoyed was inspiring and that they retained their hope and kindness after the disgusting treatment that they endured is nothing short of a miracle.
The story is harrowing, but also one that I feel everyone must know. I thought I knew enough about what happened in those concentration camps in World War II but after reading this I have found that I only knew the tiniest amount of what they endured.
Although I know this is a true story, sometimes I had to remind myself that it was not fiction as some of the passages were so horrific in their descriptions that it is almost unbelievable that a human being can treat another human being like that.
This book will stay with me for a long time, which I am glad of. Thank you to Gwen Strauss and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this incredible book.