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Debbiereadsbook (1664 KP) rated The Seer (The Secret Tales #3) in Books
Jul 24, 2025
Theo was very much attracted first to Claire's mind but he soon became besotted with her!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 3 in the Secret Tales series, but it can be read as a stand alone. The couple from the first two books do take part here, but you don't need to have read their stories to follow this one. I did, however, LOVE those first two books, so as a personal recommendation, read them.
But this one?? I don't know what it is about this one, but I couldn/t love it, and it did take some reading. I might be able to wiggle it out my book brain as I type, but we shall see.
Claire has a theory about the white on the Greek marbles and statues: they are not meant to be white. But as a woman, no one will listen. Theseus finds Claire's mind attractive but he is well aware of the constraints on women of his time. A trip to Greece is just what they both need: Claire to prove her theory and Theseus to return some Greek marbles to their rightful home. But someone is out to stop him, and it might just get them both killed.
I liked that this faded to black and it was a very slow burn. Theo was very much attracted first to Claire's mind but he soon became besotted with her. Especially after she befriended his sister and managed to shoot some bandits! But apart from some kissing, he waits until they are married to do anything else, and I did like that.
I did like the twist with the bad guy! I did not see that one coming at me.
Theo's sister, Penny plays a part here. She does get a say too, but I think I would have liked Spyros as well as Penny, given as to what happens to them.
There are many descriptions about the Greek statues and the history of them. I found these a bit too much, to be honest and I struggled to follow them all. I think *THIS* might be why I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two.
I did like that we caught up with Lottie and Patrick, and Rosie and Rhys. They are all blissfully happy and their families are growing.
What I did LOVE though, was the epilogue!
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is book 3 in the Secret Tales series, but it can be read as a stand alone. The couple from the first two books do take part here, but you don't need to have read their stories to follow this one. I did, however, LOVE those first two books, so as a personal recommendation, read them.
But this one?? I don't know what it is about this one, but I couldn/t love it, and it did take some reading. I might be able to wiggle it out my book brain as I type, but we shall see.
Claire has a theory about the white on the Greek marbles and statues: they are not meant to be white. But as a woman, no one will listen. Theseus finds Claire's mind attractive but he is well aware of the constraints on women of his time. A trip to Greece is just what they both need: Claire to prove her theory and Theseus to return some Greek marbles to their rightful home. But someone is out to stop him, and it might just get them both killed.
I liked that this faded to black and it was a very slow burn. Theo was very much attracted first to Claire's mind but he soon became besotted with her. Especially after she befriended his sister and managed to shoot some bandits! But apart from some kissing, he waits until they are married to do anything else, and I did like that.
I did like the twist with the bad guy! I did not see that one coming at me.
Theo's sister, Penny plays a part here. She does get a say too, but I think I would have liked Spyros as well as Penny, given as to what happens to them.
There are many descriptions about the Greek statues and the history of them. I found these a bit too much, to be honest and I struggled to follow them all. I think *THIS* might be why I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first two.
I did like that we caught up with Lottie and Patrick, and Rosie and Rhys. They are all blissfully happy and their families are growing.
What I did LOVE though, was the epilogue!
4 very VERY good stars
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Ross (3284 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
Dec 4, 2017
Hulk smash plenty (2 more)
Jeff Goldblum
More cameos than an Edwardian garden party
Having suffered through the first Thor film, given up on the second one, and detested him in the Avengers films I wasn't expecting to enjoy Thor all that much and was really only in it for the Hulk. However I was pleasantly surprised. Chris Hemsworth seems to have learned to act in the last few years, and seems to have developed an awareness of comic timing.
The film sees Thor team up with Loki, Hulk and a former Valkyrie to defeat Thor's sister Hela and avoid Ragnarok as she looks to lead an army of the dead throughout the galaxy.
There is a great deal of comedy throughout the film but also top notch action sequences, most notably Thor vs Hulk and Hela's assault on Asgard.
Having been disappointed with the absence of Thor and Hulk from Captain America: Civil War (Huffy Cry-baby) I had hoped this film would make amends, and it did indeed.
Of particular enjoyment was the theatrical interpretation of Loki's death where Matt Damon and the other Hemsworth act out Loki's apparent death, overseen by Sam Neill's Odin.
The film sees Thor team up with Loki, Hulk and a former Valkyrie to defeat Thor's sister Hela and avoid Ragnarok as she looks to lead an army of the dead throughout the galaxy.
There is a great deal of comedy throughout the film but also top notch action sequences, most notably Thor vs Hulk and Hela's assault on Asgard.
Having been disappointed with the absence of Thor and Hulk from Captain America: Civil War (Huffy Cry-baby) I had hoped this film would make amends, and it did indeed.
Of particular enjoyment was the theatrical interpretation of Loki's death where Matt Damon and the other Hemsworth act out Loki's apparent death, overseen by Sam Neill's Odin.
b.Young (97 KP) rated The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers #1) in Books
May 6, 2018
Unique dystopian world (2 more)
Great character development
Quick read
Amazing first installment of the Dwellers Series!
As an older reader, I somehow find myself being drawn more often than not to the YA Dystopian, Sci-fi, and Fantasy genres thanks to books like The Moon Dwellers.
David Estes has created a unique post-apocalyptic world under the surface of the Earth in which the remaining people live. There are 3 underground realms: Sun, Moon, and Star that fittingly describe the amount of light that each level recieves and thus dictates the class of people that reside on each level.
The story is of 17-year-old Adele who is sentenced to life in the Pen for her parent's treasonous acts, since the abduction of her parents and sister by the Enforcers.
After learning that her family is, in fact, alive, she plots to escape her prison and rescue her family, but not before making a couple of friends in the Pen and developing some very weird feelings for the President of the Sun Realm's son (who apparently has developed the same feelings for her) whom she has never met!
An rollercoaster ride of emotions are what awaits you whilst reading this exciting tale! And I can't wait to read the second installment of The Dwellers Series!
David Estes has created a unique post-apocalyptic world under the surface of the Earth in which the remaining people live. There are 3 underground realms: Sun, Moon, and Star that fittingly describe the amount of light that each level recieves and thus dictates the class of people that reside on each level.
The story is of 17-year-old Adele who is sentenced to life in the Pen for her parent's treasonous acts, since the abduction of her parents and sister by the Enforcers.
After learning that her family is, in fact, alive, she plots to escape her prison and rescue her family, but not before making a couple of friends in the Pen and developing some very weird feelings for the President of the Sun Realm's son (who apparently has developed the same feelings for her) whom she has never met!
An rollercoaster ride of emotions are what awaits you whilst reading this exciting tale! And I can't wait to read the second installment of The Dwellers Series!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Alita: Battle Angel (2019) in Movies
Feb 8, 2019
Another case of 'visionary film-makers' getting together to produce something visually lavish but also very derivative and hobbled by a goosey-goosey-gander plot. Cyber-surgeon and part-time bounty hunter (you can tell it's a comic book movie) finds a brain in a can and installs it in his dead daughter's robotic body; she turns out to be Alita, who looks like Gollum's better groomed little sister but fights like a CGI'd version of Bruce Lee. Alita tries bounty hunting, also has a go at roller-boogie, falls in love (somewhat unconvincingly). Some good actors are saddled with unrewarding parts.
Looks good (as you would expect) and the action sequences are impressive (ditto) but it's not especially involving and the shapeless story in particular is a problem. It all feels a bit cool and mechanical, without much of a sense of humour - the one really funny moment is unintentional. Not an outright bad movie but spending $200 million on an adaptation of a relatively obscure comic book with someone equally little-known in the title role is a mistake, unless you end up with a film that people are really going to get excited about. Alita is not that movie: it's just another good-looking but vacuous comic-book film.
Looks good (as you would expect) and the action sequences are impressive (ditto) but it's not especially involving and the shapeless story in particular is a problem. It all feels a bit cool and mechanical, without much of a sense of humour - the one really funny moment is unintentional. Not an outright bad movie but spending $200 million on an adaptation of a relatively obscure comic book with someone equally little-known in the title role is a mistake, unless you end up with a film that people are really going to get excited about. Alita is not that movie: it's just another good-looking but vacuous comic-book film.
Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated The Nowhere Child in Books
Mar 14, 2019
Kimberley Leamy lives in Melbourne, Australia is shocked when a man approaches her while at the college where she teaches photography. He claims that she is his sister, Sammy who had been abducted when she was two years old from Manson Kentucky USA. Stuart Went gives her irrefutable evidence as to who she really is.
The Nowhere Child is the first novel by award-winning Australian author, Christian White.
This just an amazing and powerful debut novel. Such an amazing twist on the missing child genre. This is a dark, intense and somewhat chilling psychological thriller. The author has managed to weave a dark, intense and somewhat chilling psychological thriller filled with a number of different emotional themes throughout. With all of this combined it makes for an emotional, suspense filled explosive novel.
This wonderful new author cleverly weaves the past and present so clearly and has packed so much emotion into this novel. I love how the pace of the novel flows and how the characters develop throughout.
The ending of the book is just so unexpected and I can only hope we see more to come from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC copy of this book
The Nowhere Child is the first novel by award-winning Australian author, Christian White.
This just an amazing and powerful debut novel. Such an amazing twist on the missing child genre. This is a dark, intense and somewhat chilling psychological thriller. The author has managed to weave a dark, intense and somewhat chilling psychological thriller filled with a number of different emotional themes throughout. With all of this combined it makes for an emotional, suspense filled explosive novel.
This wonderful new author cleverly weaves the past and present so clearly and has packed so much emotion into this novel. I love how the pace of the novel flows and how the characters develop throughout.
The ending of the book is just so unexpected and I can only hope we see more to come from this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC copy of this book
Sam (74 KP) rated It Started With A Tweet in Books
Mar 27, 2019
Phone addict Daisy will do anything for a like on social media. She shares almost everything from her life and exaggerates about all of it too. It’s a good skill to have when your job is to run the social media of a company, not so good when you accidentally send an explicit tweet through your company’s account rather than your own.
Daisy’s life is turned upside-down. She is sacked from her job after her tweet goes viral, and hopeless that she will find another place willing to take her. A digital detox is just what she needs. She goes to stay at a farm her sister Rosie has bought and helps her renovate it, meeting some interesting people along the way.
It Started With A Tweet reminded me of Cecelia Ahern and Sophie Kinsella, so it was right up my street. It’s lighthearted and laugh-out-loud funny and overall a really entertaining read. Daisy’s constant comments made me giggle and she was such a lifelike character.
It was also interesting to read someone going through a digital detox because I know for sure that I wouldn’t be able to just stop using my phone and my laptop. My life is social media, so I have a real understanding of Daisy’s character.
Daisy’s life is turned upside-down. She is sacked from her job after her tweet goes viral, and hopeless that she will find another place willing to take her. A digital detox is just what she needs. She goes to stay at a farm her sister Rosie has bought and helps her renovate it, meeting some interesting people along the way.
It Started With A Tweet reminded me of Cecelia Ahern and Sophie Kinsella, so it was right up my street. It’s lighthearted and laugh-out-loud funny and overall a really entertaining read. Daisy’s constant comments made me giggle and she was such a lifelike character.
It was also interesting to read someone going through a digital detox because I know for sure that I wouldn’t be able to just stop using my phone and my laptop. My life is social media, so I have a real understanding of Daisy’s character.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Losing Princeton Charming in Books
Apr 10, 2019
Charlie and Spencer have been through a lot in their short time together. When Spencer lies to Charlie about his plans for then evening and then subsequently, finds her naked in her best friends apartment(it's a guy by the way), they make the decision that maybe they aren't the best for each other. But somehow they can't stay out of each others lives. Will they be able to either stay away from each other, or find a way to make it work no matter the consequences?
Thank you to C.M. Seabrook and Frankie Love for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is book 3 in the Princeton Charming Series. I think that this one has been my favorite so far. It made me cry. Charlie and Spencer aren't together, but both of them are miserable. When vandalism hit both Charlie's room as well as Ava's, Spencer's sister, it brings them together like never before. Not only Spencer and Charlie, but also their friends. But is it enough for them to stay together and make it last?
There is one last episode in the story of Charlie and Spencer and I can't wait to find out where their relationship is headed to next.
Thank you to C.M. Seabrook and Frankie Love for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is book 3 in the Princeton Charming Series. I think that this one has been my favorite so far. It made me cry. Charlie and Spencer aren't together, but both of them are miserable. When vandalism hit both Charlie's room as well as Ava's, Spencer's sister, it brings them together like never before. Not only Spencer and Charlie, but also their friends. But is it enough for them to stay together and make it last?
There is one last episode in the story of Charlie and Spencer and I can't wait to find out where their relationship is headed to next.
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Land Before Time (1988) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Littlefoot, Petrie, Cera, Ducky and Spike made up the majority of my childhood. When I wasn’t watching ‘real’ dinosaurs in action, I was submersing myself in the animated world of the Great Valley.
The Land Before Time broke my little heart and it was for more reasons than that bas*ard sharp tooth killing Littlefoot’s mother. In 1994, I lost my nana and I remember sitting and watching this film and crying my eyes out.
In some ways though, this animated beauty helped me through an incredibly tough time. My mum tells me I became reclusive and barely spoke, naturally I don’t remember this but looking back at the message this film sent me, I’m sure it made me realise that loved ones never really leave us, they just move to a special place reserved for the very best of us.
The Land Before Time spawned over a dozen sequels that my little sister has enjoyed watching just like me over the years – it has a very special place in Brannon family history and for that reason, it has to be the most influential film in my life.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/08/films-that-influenced-me-adam-brannon-2/
The Land Before Time broke my little heart and it was for more reasons than that bas*ard sharp tooth killing Littlefoot’s mother. In 1994, I lost my nana and I remember sitting and watching this film and crying my eyes out.
In some ways though, this animated beauty helped me through an incredibly tough time. My mum tells me I became reclusive and barely spoke, naturally I don’t remember this but looking back at the message this film sent me, I’m sure it made me realise that loved ones never really leave us, they just move to a special place reserved for the very best of us.
The Land Before Time spawned over a dozen sequels that my little sister has enjoyed watching just like me over the years – it has a very special place in Brannon family history and for that reason, it has to be the most influential film in my life.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/07/08/films-that-influenced-me-adam-brannon-2/
Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated Rock of Ages (2012) in Movies
Jan 26, 2018
From Broadway to big screen
Rock of ages takes us on the story of a small town girl who is living in a lonely world, who comes to the bright light big city of Los Angeles only to get robbed and have to work at one of the most famous bars on the strip. This movie follows her story about life in the big city and living amonungst rock and roll during the 80's. She is up, she is down, and rises to top again but not in the way you think.
On Broadway Dee Snyder from Twisted sister played the lead character of Stacy Jaxx the famed rock and roller, who is drunk but is so popular who cares right. Our switch to Tom Cruise to film was not the right person to sing. He can act but, if we remember top gun lets be real.
Other major actors and singers who grace the silver screen in this movie are
Alec, Baldwin, Russel Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julianne Hough and Mar J Blige.
The music and sound track were worth seeing the movie especially if you saw it on Broadway but this was yet another way to let america get to see a show that was only in NY.
On Broadway Dee Snyder from Twisted sister played the lead character of Stacy Jaxx the famed rock and roller, who is drunk but is so popular who cares right. Our switch to Tom Cruise to film was not the right person to sing. He can act but, if we remember top gun lets be real.
Other major actors and singers who grace the silver screen in this movie are
Alec, Baldwin, Russel Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones, Julianne Hough and Mar J Blige.
The music and sound track were worth seeing the movie especially if you saw it on Broadway but this was yet another way to let america get to see a show that was only in NY.