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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Castaways in Books

Oct 3, 2021  
The Castaways
The Castaways
Lucy Clarke | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
An intriguing and enjoyable mystery about one sister's quest for survival and the other's hunt for answers.

Lori and Erin are close having lost their parents at an early age. Things are not going too well for either of them but Lori in particular, so she books a holiday of a lifetime for them both to a Fijian island. Unfortunately, things don't go to plan and Lori finds herself on the plane without her sister. Disaster then ensues when the plan goes missing. Two years later, the pilot turns up - he has been working under an alias in Fiji.

What the heck happened? Why wasn't Erin on the plane? Where are the rest of the passengers? Did anyone else survive and why did the pilot go into hiding? So many questions!

Written in two distinct voices and time lines - Lori in the then and Erin in the now - the story follows Erin's search for the truth about what happened to her sister and the rest of the passengers and Lori's experience from the moment she realised something was going terribly wrong with the plane.

Lucy Clarke's writing is captivating and puts you right at the heart of the story; the two main characters are really well developed and you absolutely get a sense of the strong bond between the two sisters. The pacing is pretty good - the beginning is riveting, it dips a bit in the middle but then ramps up again towards the end. The plot is expertly weaved throughout with twists jumping from nowhere, just when you think you've worked it out, and with an ending that is quite satisfactory.

Overall, I enjoyed this book from an author I've never read anything from before and I would recommend to those who enjoy a bit of escapism albeit one with a few twists and hair-raising moments.

Thank you to HarperCollinsUK / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
  
Changed (The Made Ones Saga #2)
Changed (The Made Ones Saga #2)
Vicki Stiefel | 2020 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
loving this series!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book 2 in The Made Ones Saga, and you really should read book one, Altered, before this one. It does overlap/intertwine some with this one, and you need to hear from Kit at points along the way where it does.

Bree is Kit's sister. She has awakened on Eleutia, and finds herself at Catamount. Gato is Alpha Cat. These two butt heads a lot here, especially in the beginning but Gato soon becomes wise to Bree and her antics.

We catch up with Kit and Rafe, and what their scientists have discovered, and some more information about why Eleutia is dying, and more importantly, HOW comes to light. Still can't quite see where THAT's all going though!

Gato and Bree are perfect for each other, they really are, especially as Bree bonds with the cubs, which is unheard of for a non-cat. I loved that it took time for them to come together, to fully form their friendship, before they jump into bed with each other.

Gato does something here, which wasn't ideal, but all parties were in agreement and I'm intrigued as to how Kes manages to get free, hoping we find in the next book!

We discover what has happened to the third sister, Sybi, and how she comes to be in the land of the CastOuts. And her story begins right at the end of this one.

It's been a while since I read the first book (Aug 2019) so it took me a little bit of time to catch up with who all the major players were, and what was going on, but not long, and I thoroughly enjoyed Bree and Gato's story.

Wonderful series so far, I can't wait for Sybi's book!

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
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Ali A (82 KP) rated Unseelie in Books

Jan 19, 2023  
Unseelie
Unseelie
Ivelisse Housman | 2023 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A few years ago, there was an accident in Seelie and Isolde’s home village and ever since, they’ve been on the run. Seelie is an autistic changeling trying to understand and control her unpredictable magic - it doesn’t help that she finds it almost as difficult to fit in with the humans around her. Her sister Isolde, is an amazing pickpocketer and uses her skills to keep them alive. When a heist goes wrong, the twins find themselves in a larger mystery than they expected and discover secrets of the history of both faeries and humans. With new companions on their adventure can Seelie get control of her magic in time to protect her sister.

“The perfect start to any morning. Who needs coffee when you have the icy shock of mortal terror?”

I was pretty excited to read this book portraying an autistic main character written by someone who is on the spectrum themselves. It is a wonderful portrayal for children and young adults to see themselves represented, especially in a fantasy, magic filled world like we see in Unseelie. Seelie’s character is honest and true, and you see this world through her eyes - with and without overstimulating events.

Each of the four main characters were fun to meet and learn about - though I am hoping we get to see more flushed out history of both Raze and Olani in the next book.

The pacing of this novel was a bit slow in places, especially in the middle and then the ending kind of hit you fiercely. I didn’t realize this would be a duology until the last few pages, especially since nothing really wrapped up and you were kind of left with unexplained events and a cliffhanger. That being said though, I am super excited for the next book in the series and will for sure be waiting for that to hit the shelves.

*Thank you Inkyard Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review
  
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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 2 in TV

Oct 28, 2017 (Updated Oct 28, 2017)  
Stranger Things  - Season 2
Stranger Things - Season 2
2017 | Sci-Fi
Still love the characters (4 more)
El's goth look
Lucas' mouthy little sister Erica!
Sean Astin is adorable as Bob
Dustin's cat call
Max's older brother (1 more)
Sad that it's already over
Waiting for season 3 already!
I binge-watched this over 24 hours and was still completely hooked. And of course, knowing what the Upside Down is, is a bit of a spoiler but there's so much more to add in this one.

For one we get more of a back story on Eleven, and get to know the wider circle of each family. And there are more characters to explore in this series. The kids have both matured and are dealing with their own issues and traumas, giving a little more depth to their roles. And Will is not as well as he seems.

And just two words: not Bob!

The worst part is that it's over and not knowing when the next one's out. A great comeback to this show.
  
The Tea Planter's Wife
The Tea Planter's Wife
Dinah Jefferies | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Tea Planter's wife is a mysterious sweet, loving story. It starts out with Gwen coming to Ceylon to be with her husband.

You go allow with Gwen with her struggles and learning curves of being a mother and wife to her twins and what is going on with Ceylon culture.

 When one of her children is colored she does not know if it was her husband or someone else's child. She fights with herself when she gives her daughter to a village. That is when she gives birth to her twins. She has a household servant named Naveena.

Gwen had to deal with not only decision to what she made but also her sister in law. She dealt with that and her raising her son. You are lean so much history and culture of Ceylon at that time as well. You meet Tamil and Sinhalese worker that were part of Tea Plantation.