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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
  
Moon Over Soho: The Second PC Grant Mystery
Moon Over Soho: The Second PC Grant Mystery
Ben Aaronovitch | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great follow up to the first one
Contains spoilers, click to show
***Spoilers ahead you’ve been warned***

It is advisable to read the first one before you get into Moon Over Soho. You’re pretty much carrying on right after the events in the first book so it’s always better to get the background information before carrying on :)

I was pleased with this one, complete with rather macabre scenes that will stick with me for a while. I still enjoy the way it’s being narrated by Peter Grant. He tells it pretty bluntly and explains well for some of us who don’t live in London which helps understand the setting more. The setting is dark and gritty, just right to complement the mystery that is prevalent to the case. The mix with the supernatural blends quite well with real life London, I believe it’s probably even more enjoyable to read for those that are quite familiar to the city.

Supporting characters and some new ones are featured in the book. It’s nice to see Leslie again despite what happened to her (ahh but the ending though!). Peter takes a lot of beating (both verbal and physical) during the book which is to be expected. He does have a thing with Simone that covers a good latter part of the book which is ok, although I thought it provided a lot of filler and it slowed the pace down considerably. You almost wanted to ask; “Peter, don’t you have a case to work on?”

It proved to be a quick read with a good open cliffhanger ending with the mystery of The ‘Faceless One’ which makes the series even more intriguing at this point. I’ll be definitely be picking up the third one. A great series to read so far!
  
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant, #1)
Shiftless (Wolf Rampant, #1)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Terra is shiftless --- a werewolf uncomfortable in her own animal skin.
A decade after learning to squash her wolf and flee the repressive village where she grew up, the packless ache still gnaws at Terra's insides. But despite her yearnings, she struggles against being reeled back into her old life.
To Terra's dismay, her father and half a dozen of his henchmen finally ambush her and demand her return. Yet they do offer one way out --- hunt down her nephew Keith, teach him to shift, and bring the youngster back into the fold in her place.
Problem upon problem piles up as Terra strives to do her father's bidding. The female shifter has hidden from her wolf for so long that she finds herself unable to change back into canine form, and she also realizes that her nephew is too good-natured to survive for a minute walking in his grandfather's footsteps. Plus, there's an alpha standing in her way who's equal parts enticing and terrifying.
Will Terra be able to relearn her werewolf abilities --- and overcome her morals --- before her father steals away her hard-earned independence? And as that tantalizing alpha reels her in closer and closer, the question becomes --- does she really want to stay away?

This is the story of Terra Wilder who is 27 now; She left her home and wolf pack ten years ago.
Her father who is the Alpha of her old pack has tracked her down and given her an ultimatum.
Terra has made herself shiftless by locking away her wolf side in her mind for the past 10 years and now needs it.
This is definitely different from other shifter novels which I like about it.
Good plot, great characters and can't wait to see how they develop.
Really good story and can't believe it's a first novel.
Recommend reading.
  
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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Glorious in Books

Apr 27, 2018  
G
Glorious
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
It's really hard to say if I liked Glorious or not. I liked it in some ways, in some ways it was good but I could not like it, and in other ways I disliked it.

One of the reasons I did like it, was the writing. McFadden has an interesting writing style: She writes like people think. You get asked a question and you have a million things you want to say, and a million thoughts go through your head at light speed, but all you say is a short quick answer that has no significance to the person who asked, but has monumental significance to you because of your thoughts behind all of it? That's what reading Glorious feels like, and that's how McFadden writes. It's beautiful and insightful.

Glorious is really hard to enjoy, even if you do like it, because of the things that happen. It's a tragic time period, and a lot of horrible things happen to poor Easter. She witnesses families being torn apart by abuse and rape, she sees people die, she commits sins, she gets wrapped up with the wrong people. There are good parts, wonderful parts that make you smile and sigh and say "thank God something good is finally happening to the poor girl." But then there are other parts that say "oh will it ever end for poor Easter?" It's hard to enjoy stuff like rape and murder and lynching. Glorious is a wakeup call, reminding us what life was like for Black Americans (respectively) after they got their freedom, but before they gained equality with Whites.

I got to Chapter 23, about 2/3 of the way through, when I stopped reading. It didn't feel like anything was happening. I mean, lots of things happened to Easter, but nothing was happening in the story. It was just her life written out, and it was too broad. There was no main plot, it was all subplot.

I "enjoyed" (or maybe appreciated is a better word) the part that I read, however I don't think I should read something unless I feel urged to continue.

Content: Adult content. Language, violence, rape, etc. Has some homosexuality

Recommendation: Ages 18+