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The Stolen Twins
The Stolen Twins
Shari J. Ryan | 2023 | History & Politics
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my word ... what a story!! I don't think there are any superlatives that captures adequately how I felt about this book and how good it was ... I was breathless and on pins from the very first to the very last word.

The story is told from the viewpoints of Jewish twins Arina and Nora and from multi timelines from their life with their parents in Hungary, through the horrors of being twins at the hands of the monster that was Mengele in Auschwitz and their road to rebuilding their lives in France and the USA.

It is a powerful story of survival, loss, resilience, hope and the power of love; I was absolutely rivetted and devoured it in quick time and have no problem recommending this to those of you who love getting totally immersed in a wonderful book that will have your emotions in tatters and my thanks must go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Stolen Twins.
  
Norse Mythology
Norse Mythology
Neil Gaiman | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.4 (38 Ratings)
Book Rating
42 of 230
Book
Norse Mythology
By Neil Gaiman
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Neil Gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok.

In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.


Quick read and so good I really enjoyed Gaimans retellings!
  
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Karla Dee (6 KP) rated True, True in Books

May 27, 2023  
True, True
True, True
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is an example of building your own seat at the table. I have seen the lip service to diversity irl life and it should be in our stories as well. Unfortunately we are living in a time where books that point out these inequalities are attacked an banned from getting into the hands of students that need to here these stories.

Gil uses the Sun Tzu's The Art of War to guide him in taking on racism at his school. When he first started going to Augustin Prep the popular kid started a fight over him being black on the first day and the school decided to punish Gil who is there on scholarship for the robotics program. Gil organizes with the other black students who have also been treated unequally. His involvement in school politics gets overwhelming for him and he has to decide what his priorities are...his family, his new relationship with a girl? Very good coming of age story <3<3<3
  
The Silence of the Girls
The Silence of the Girls
Pat Barker | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
7
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good Retelling of The Iliad
This is a retelling of The Iliad - no need to read it however a bit of the basics of it would help you understand this book more, just for background information.

It can be a rather difficult read. Not to say it’s hard to understand, but more of the detailed subject matter. It’s shocking to read when these women are going through an era where war is prevalent, and the best outcome for them is to be a trophy, instead of a slave. (Although, those two terms are pretty much the same thing if you think about it) It’s scary, and eye opening at the same time. These women go through a lot of trauma and Briseis has it slightly better than the other women out there (which says a lot). They’re pretty much treated like cattle and nothing could be done with it. Unfortunately this is the norm during war.

The relationship between Briseis and Achilles was interesting. Despite the conqueror and war trophy titles, it develops and evolves as Achilles goes though life changing events through the novel. You do however, have a heart for Patroclus. He seemed more human and his friendship with Briseis is what might have kept her going through all this time in the book. In a sense too, she also benefited from being with Achilles (albeit, not her choice)

This is definitely word a read through if you’re interested in Greek Mythology and retellings this is worth the read, despite the slow but steady pace. The retelling of the Iliad from Briseis’ point of view is a good one.
  
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A Bibliophagist (113 KP) rated Red Rising in Books

Jan 26, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2020)  
Red Rising
Red Rising
Pierce Brown | 2014 | Dystopia, Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.4 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
Good characters (3 more)
Good development
Well paced
Fun
YA tropes at times (2 more)
Derivative
Gary Stu
Lord of the Flies revisited
Lord of the Flies, meets Battle Royale, in the future to determine the strongest to lead the ruling class.
I will open with, had the main character been a woman, I completely believe this would be considered a YA book. All the bullet points are there, future society, classes, a lowest class person who is chosen to overthrow higher class. This person is perfect, attractive, intelligent, strong. He assumes the role of a higher class, taking over their life Char Aznable style, so they can enter an "institute" where all the smartest and strongest are placed to... kill each other until the strongest survive.

  Every time I tried to describe this book, I got a little embarrassed, I was met with eye-rolls and "wait let me guess...". However, overall I'm a sucker for these violent stories a la Lord of the Flies and a sucker for SciFi so I ate it up and really enjoyed it. Most reviews claim the main character to break the "mary sue" mold, he doesn't, he's super mary sue, likable, but Mary Sue nonetheless. The other characters really drew me in on this one, and his interactions with them, and his feelings toward them even though they were his enemies, I loved every part of that.
    So even though it was incredibly derivative, and very much the fixings of a YA, I devoured it, and immediately bought and read the second, I almost read all three in one week, but took a break on the third to read something else.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Jul 2, 2020  
Love, love, love this great excerpt from the science fiction novel GATES OF MARS by Kathleen McFall and Clark Hays. Come read it on my blog (https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/07/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-gates-of.html) and enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a first edition copy of A Very Unusual Romance or all four books in the Cowboy and the Vampire Collection by McFall and Hays. (Seriously, they are super talented writers, so whomever wins will be in for a treat!)

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
IN THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, HOW CAN A PERSON GO MISSING?

The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her.

In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets. Blending science fiction with the classic, hard-boiled detective story, Gates of Mars is a page-turning, futuristic thrill-ride featuring a gritty, irreverent anti-hero, Crucial Larsen. The first book of the Halo Trilogy, Gates of Mars is the eighth novel by award-winning authors, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall.