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Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Silence of the Girls in Books
Apr 17, 2019
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.
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.
A Bibliophagist (113 KP) rated Red Rising in Books
Jan 26, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2020)
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.
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.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jul 2, 2020
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2593 KP) rated Death on the Boardwalk in Books
May 26, 2021 (Updated May 26, 2021)
Body at the Back Door
Clark Thomas runs a bookstore near the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. His days are usually fairly quiet, and he enjoys helping his customers find just the right beach read for their vacation. However, this particular morning, he arrives at work to find a carpet rolled up by his shop’s back door. When he investigates, he discovers that a body is hidden inside the carpet. Worse yet, he recognizes the victim as Paige, one of his regular customers. Clark can’t help but wonder why the body was dumped behind his store. And why would someone want to kill Paige?
I always enjoy getting to visit a tourist destination via a cozy mystery, and this one brought Myrtle Beach to life. Clark’s bookstore was a bonus, and I enjoyed that aspect of the book as well. Since the mystery includes how as well as who and why, there was plenty to keep me engaged as I read, and I especially enjoyed one twist near the end of the book before Clark figured it all out. Once we reached the end, everything made sense. The characters were good, but could be a little more fleshed out. Clark is the strongest of them, mainly because of a tragedy in his past that is talked about some here. The writing was a little rough near the beginning, with some information given to us in a jarring manner. Fortunately, that got better as the book went along. I could see this turning into a fun series. It’s definitely a good beach read whether you can get to the beach this summer or not.
I always enjoy getting to visit a tourist destination via a cozy mystery, and this one brought Myrtle Beach to life. Clark’s bookstore was a bonus, and I enjoyed that aspect of the book as well. Since the mystery includes how as well as who and why, there was plenty to keep me engaged as I read, and I especially enjoyed one twist near the end of the book before Clark figured it all out. Once we reached the end, everything made sense. The characters were good, but could be a little more fleshed out. Clark is the strongest of them, mainly because of a tragedy in his past that is talked about some here. The writing was a little rough near the beginning, with some information given to us in a jarring manner. Fortunately, that got better as the book went along. I could see this turning into a fun series. It’s definitely a good beach read whether you can get to the beach this summer or not.
Void Star: A Novel
Book
A riveting, beautifully written, fugue-like novel of AIs, memory, violence, and mortality Not far...
Science fiction
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated Moon Over Soho: The Second PC Grant Mystery in Books
Dec 4, 2018
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!
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!
Good Boy: WAGS Series
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Romance Comedy
The Time Traveler's Wife
8.2
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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer, #1)
7.5
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Lillian Too's 168 Ways to Declutter Your Home: And Re-Energize Your Life
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