David McK (3773 KP) rated Catching Fire in Books
Jan 28, 2019
At the start of the novel, and having survived <i>The Hunger Games</i>, Katniss is back in District 12 in the company of her mother, sister, and Peeta. Things aren't entirely all rosy, however, as her stunt with the berries has enraged President Snow (and the Capitol), who is now looking for ways to further punish her, leading to her heading back into the arena ...
I have to say, the parallels between the Capitol and ancient Rome are even more pronounced this time round than previously, especially in an early(ish) scene where Katniss and Peeta attend a banquet in the Capitol: a banquet that provides it's guests with the means to be sick so they can eat more more, while those in the districts starve (the myth of the Roman Vomitorium, anyone?). Once again, this is told in the immediate first-person sense, with the novel also ending in a definite cliff-hanger for the final part of the trilogy.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Toy Story 4 (2019) in Movies
Jul 16, 2019
Don’t get me wrong, this is still a Pixar film so as an animation goes it’s still pretty good and is a million times better than the other half boiled animations they release nowadays. I mean the animation itself is truly superb, but I suppose you’d expect nothing less from Pixar. The problem is with the story itself. Toy Story 3 left off on such a nice, sad emotional ending, and I feel like this film has spoilt it a little. The plot feels a little weaker, the new characters introduced are much weaker than previous films and even the humour isn’t quite as on point. There are a few funny moments, but nowhere near as much as I was expecting.
Overall this is nice sweet and well made animation, but I just feel like it’s lacking the usual Toy Story and Pixar magic. I really hope this is the last Toy Story film we’ll ever see.
Fifty Shades of Black 'n' Blue - Further Revelations of an Ingrained Police Culture of Cover-ups and Dishonesty
Book
A sensational second book in The Biggest Gang trilogy from detective turned author Stephen Hayes....
Authority (Southern Reach #2)
6.0
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The second volume of the extraordinary Southern Reach trilogy. 'Creepy and fascinating' Stephen...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Summer Heat in Books
Sep 3, 2019
So this is my fifteenth book by the author, I think, and I've enjoyed all of them. This one was on the shorter side in length and a quick easy ready, but that didn't mean it didn't make me want the characters to get together and have their HAE.
Of course, though, it's a trilogy and I'll have to go and buy book 2 and 3 to see how Marlo and Ray get over that little revelation that's just been spilled in that shower stall.
One thing I will say, Rachel knows how to write male characters POV's. Most of the books I read tend to be in female POV's but Rachel always seems to write both and sometimes it's really great to see how the male characters are feeling in romances and I always tend to fall for them, too.
So, as mentioned before, I will definitely be off to Amazon in a little while to see about purchasing the rest of the Cruel Summer trilogy so I can finish this series after that intriguing start.
UPDATE: I can't find the rest of the series on Amazon! What am I going to do?!
The Summer Girls
6.0
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From New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe, the heartwarming first installment in the...
Meds
7.0
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"Welcome to the Overflow. And remember, all roads lead back to Lakehurst." At the edge of a...
Amy Cross The Asylum Trilogy Meds Asylum The Madness of Annie Bradford
Courage (The Dreughan #1)
10.0
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It probably started with the dragon. I am Vilda, the wild girl with the flaming red hair and...
Historical Fantasy Romance
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Lady of Valour ( Warrior book 3) in Books
Dec 4, 2021
Kindle
Lady of Valor ( Warrior Trilogy book 3)
By Lara Adrian
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
In Lady of Valor, Tina St. John spins a dazzling tale of romantic adventure in magnificent medieval England, where battles of love and war are fought with equal passion. . . .
Left a widow by her cruel husband's death, Lady Emmalyn of Fallonmour is determined to control her own destiny, until her hard-won vows of independence are threatened by the mysterious warrior sent by the king to protect her castle. Emmalyn is now at the mercy of Sir Cabal, a feared knight known as Blackheart.
Skilled at war and hiding a tormented past, Cabal swears allegiance to no one but himself and his country. But once he meets Emmalyn, he finds his strength tested by this proud beauty who stirs his blood with desire, tempting him to defy his king and surrender his heart. . .
This was my favourite of the three books in the warrior trilogy. Emmalyn was a kick ass heroine and I love Cabal it’s good sometime to settle in with a good historical romance. Everyone deserves to be loved. I’m looking forward to reading more by Lara I really enjoy her style of writing.
David McK (3773 KP) rated Lord of the Silver Bow (Troy #1) in Books
Nov 13, 2022
Still as good as ever. I've yet to find someone to match Gemmell for this style of work.
<<2011 review>>
While perhaps more famous for his Drenai series of books (that began with 'Legend'), throughout his life David Gemmell wrote many other books as well.
At the time of his death in 2006, he was working on a novel called "Fall of Kings": the final part of a trilogy that began with with this novel. The trilogy, as a whole, was a re-working of the story of Troy: set during the early bronze age and with some famous (as well as some not-so-famous) characters from that legend all making an appearance. This first novel introduces us to some of those characters and sets the scene for what is to come ...
As it's a Gemmell book, it's a pretty safe bet what to expect: the man was famous for writing heroic fantasy, with his characters as (nearly always) flawed in some respect: the main characters in this book (particularly Helikaon) are no exception to that rule. While it could be argued that the novel could do with a bit of trimming in some of the slower sections, this is still an impressive piece of work.