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Sammeh Lowry (15 KP) rated Girl Online in Books

Jul 13, 2019  
Girl Online
Girl Online
Zoe Sugg | 2016 | Children
8
8.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a happy,breezy read! I flew through this book in less than a day absolutely flew through it. I found it happy,thought provoking and just one of those feel good books! One down side is I know the author was writing about experiences in her life (anxiety and panic attacks) and at times it felt like it was a book about her, like throughout the book I had her voice in my head as the main character. Which wasn't entirely a bad thing I just like to make up a persons face in my head rather than have it planted there. I am 25 years of age and I can't help but feel this book has been given such poor reviews because people either don't like her or the rumors they hear. I took this book for what it is, it's aimed at young teenagers so of course it shall be written like one as it is through the eyes of a young girl.
          This book did fantastically at what it set out to do, and I won't judge it on something it didn't.
It was an intriguing plot line, I liked the main characters relationship especially between her and her best friend, I loved how close she was with her family and I loved the support she received when the events unfolded. As someone who suffers from anxiety I believe it was a very true telling of what can really happen and how someone can feel when dealing with such things. All in all I think this book is beautifully written for the age group it was intended for.
  
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SR
Savage Reckoning
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Also read my review here: http://bookbum.weebly.com/book-reviews/savage-reckoning-by-c-hoyt-caldwell

AVAILABLE NOW IN THE UK!

Firstly I’d like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Alibi for the opportunity to read this in an exchange for an honest review.

<b><i>With a badge pinned to her chest, she didn’t give a shit what the town or God thought of her. She was the law.</b></i>

I was not expecting to love this as much as I do! Honestly, I started the first few pages and thought <b>”oh God, this is going to be bad,”</b> but I persevered because I feel I’ve given up on a lot of reads lately and I’m so glad I continued with it. As soon as we met Step and Kenny talking about anal sex, I knew I was going to love this novel, <i>(that sounds all kinds of wong).</i>

Step and Kenny are closeout kings… in other words they’re hitmen. But they’re not all evil and malicious, they got feelin’s too, <b><i>"Well, now I'm just all kinds of hurt. Neither girls has plied their horny ways on me."</b></i> No but in all seriousness, they’ve got some sort of morals, and these morals are what lead us into the rollercoaster ride of a story this is.

Our MC Dani Savage (ridiculously cheesy cool name) is the only deputy that takes her job seriously around Baptist Flats and so when she hears stories of a bunch of missing girls from in and around her area she can’t let it go and has to do something to console the many broken and distraught mothers. A bit of a fuckup closeout jobs leads Dani to Step and Kenny where they enlist each other's help to get to the bottom of the mystery of the missing girls.

This is by no means a sophisticated, thought provoking novel, it's just pure grit, humour with a couple of inciteful anecdotes, <b><i>"Each woman's got a different 'forget-shit' trigger, Kenny. A man's whole goddamn purpose in life is to figure out that trigger and pull it",</b></i> mashed together to make an excellent, fun and exciting read. Each character, no matter how small or large their role in the story, was developed brilliantly and although there were some obvious parts of the plot it didn’t even matter because you’re having too much fun reading it to care about the fact you can guess what happens next.

Genuinely one of the funniest novels I’ve read in such a long time even if it does deal with some pretty gruesome stuff. Anyone bored of meaningful, eye-opening type thrillers? Well pick this one up as your next book to help loosen you up a bit. I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for more from Kenny and Step!
  
Unwind (Unwind, #1)
Unwind (Unwind, #1)
Neal Shusterman | 2007 | Dystopia, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.8 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
societal commentary, creep factor, pacing, interesting premise (0 more)
seems all too possible (0 more)
Render Unto Cesar
Shusterman takes dystopian futures a step above the ordinary in this dark coming of age tale. In the not too distant future a war was fought in the U.S. over abortion, the 2nd Civil War. To appease all sides an unthinkable accord was reached. Instead of abortion, between the ages of 13 and 18 you can choose to send your child to a Harvest camp to be unwound, taken apart and all their body parts donated to others. We are given three characters with differing perspectives through which we see the workings of this world.

One angry young man always in fights whose parents have given up reaching him. One orphan, a Stork, left on someone's doorstep years ago who doesn't make the necessary grades to keep her off the Harvest camp bus. And Lev, who was conceived and raised by his devoutly religious parents as a Tithe, someone specifically born to be unwound in the church's name. This unlikely trio meet on their way to be unwound and all three are at a loss as to what to do when a resistance movement effort frees them from the bus.

What about Lev's glorious destiny to be unwound for God; is he still chosen, still a willing sacrifice? Where do you go when society says you no longer have the right to live? Who will help you survive in secret until you are too old to be unwound? How can you avoid the bounty hunters who live to capture escapees? What happens to the soul of an Unwound? Do they live on, a second conscience, a wisp of memories, within the body of their new host? Does anyone have the right to decide who in society has the right to live and who would be more useful unwound?

The writer immerses us completely in this bizarre yet oh so familiar society giving us plenty of perspectives from every level. He even included tv and radio commercials to help us understand how normal it has become to consider unwinding another human being. The creep factor is high and sustains itself through all three books in this set. Unwind introduces us to the world of the unwound in a well told thought provoking tale that may have you questioning everything you thought you ever knew about yourself.
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Moonrise in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
Moonrise
Moonrise
Sarah Crossan | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
6
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest opinion*

I have read the majority of Sarah Crossan’s work so picking this up was a ‘no brainer’.

Edward Moon was forced to sign a confession to a crime he never committed. Moonrise is told from Joseph Moon’s perspective some 10 years later as his brother has had his date set for his execution.

Edward, Angela and Joseph didn’t have the best upbringing when they were kids, their mother was an alcoholic and neglected them. It was down to their aunt Karen to take the up the role of the parent but as a christian had very strict rules. When Edward was seventeen he left home, unable to tolerate the his aunts strict demands. His moment of freedom was short-lived as he gets incarcerated for the murder of a local policeman. 10 years on and Joseph is to make the journey to Texas to find out what really happened and to say his goodbyes as Edwards execution has been scheduled. Joseph moves in to a decrepit motel room and gets by doing chores for the local diner. His month-long stay in Texas is to get to know his brother again only to say goodbye.

This book was just OK, it deals with a topic that is not widely written about in YA books but I did prefer ‘One’ and ‘The weight of water’. In true Sarah Crossan fashion this book is written entirely in verse, it can be read as individual poems or as a story whatever your preference. This book was not as thought-provoking as her other books and whilst the topic is something that intrigues me, I felt it could have been more emotional and had more character development, the emotional side of things just wasn’t captured well in the writing and I think that’s what let it down for me. It’s probably my own fault, as I tend to go into these book with high expectations. I feel like capital punishment could have been addressed more and given the audience more awareness of executions.

Even though I thought this was only OK, I would still recommend trying it for several reasons, 1. the topic, 2. it’s written in verse. 3. Everyone else seemed to love it.

I rated this 3 out of 5 stars.
  
The Assassin&#039;s Mark
The Assassin's Mark
David Ebsworth | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Firstly I must thank Ebsworth not only for providing a complimentary copy of this book in return for an honest review, but also for having immense patience in waiting for me to provide him with that review. I must also point out how much I have enjoyed reading this book, even if I did struggle to get into the book at first.

There are several aspects which I feel to be major strengths in this book, particularly the characterisation. The assembled cast of characters are all extravagantly wonderful in their own ways, working well together and being entirely believable in the context of the text. In addition, it is worth commenting that they work as well individually as they do collectively, a great testament to Ebsworth's writing style. Jack Telford, as the main character, is a wonderful example of manhood and his cynicism in the tour breathes a breath of fresh air, prompting much thought by the reader on the matters discussed.

A further strength of this book is it's intricate and well developed plot. It is brilliantly put together, with mystery and thought provoking elements all combined with some humour and great history. I can't compliment enough the many well written twists and turns in this novel, whether it's sudden and unexpected deaths or mysterious figures appearing at odd intervals, there's always something that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats and thinking of what could be happening behind closed doors. It's a fantastic read for making you think about what you are reading, however, this is an occasional downside as it makes it a difficult book to read when you only have a few minutes spare.

Perhaps, for me, the best aspect of this book is the detailed research that shines through on every page. It is evident, even to someone with a limited knowledge of the Spanish Civil War, that there is much to learn in this book and that it has been incredibly well researched. Clearly, Ebsworth put much time into his research, and to his credit, as it adds an extra dimension to this story.

Finally, there is little else for me to say other than to recommend this book to all who enjoy history, a good mystery and a strong leading character.