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Perfect Finish to a Trilogy
Contains spoilers, click to show
Wow what a brilliant piece of work! This was an incredible end for this brilliant series. Just a warning though if you are reading this series don't read the blurb for this book huge spoilers which kind of wrecked the suspense for me. Overall it was amazing and blew my freaking mind. *Spoiler Alert* I cried several times and when Stalker was killed I almost put it down I couldn't stand it I wanted so desperately for him to find a happy ending. Fade becomes a little less like a wet rag in this one which improved my opinion of him. I became attached to many characters that didn't survive the final battle but in the end it's war and I respect the fact that some of them died because it would've been completely unrealistic if they had all survived and that would have lowered my opinion of the book. I loved how the freaks evolved and came into play at the end it shows real research into realisitic war situations. finally I was shocked and amazed that Stone and Thimble survived and were on the island, great plot twist I was like "get the f**k out!" so that was a fun moment because many books are very predictable and that threw me for six. Amazing amazing work! Read it it'll change the way you see the world. :-)
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Doctor Margaret's Sea Chest in Books
Feb 11, 2019
EDIT: This author has repeatedly harassed, belittled, and criticized me for the contents of my review in email, despite my insistence that this is my opinion. Be warned.
The synopsis on the back of the book confused me before I began reading, as it seemed to tell me the plot for the entire trilogy, instead of just this first book. I also struggled with staying interested in the book, as every page is saturated with foreign words and expressions that I needed to look up in the Glossary at the end of the book if I wanted to understand anything. It was quickly apparent that the history of India also played a major role in the plot of this book, as the author spends large chunks of time teaching the reader about India through the thoughts and conversations of the characters.
I felt like the plot really dragged its heels in progressing, and I often got lost in the details, unsure of what I was supposed to be focusing on the most.
In short, I simply could not progress with the book. I stalled on page 72, and I never picked it back up. Maybe I was not in the right frame of mind to read it, maybe it was too intimidating, I don't know, but if I feel like I am forcing myself to read the book when I struggle to stay focused after only a page, then the book is not for me.
The synopsis on the back of the book confused me before I began reading, as it seemed to tell me the plot for the entire trilogy, instead of just this first book. I also struggled with staying interested in the book, as every page is saturated with foreign words and expressions that I needed to look up in the Glossary at the end of the book if I wanted to understand anything. It was quickly apparent that the history of India also played a major role in the plot of this book, as the author spends large chunks of time teaching the reader about India through the thoughts and conversations of the characters.
I felt like the plot really dragged its heels in progressing, and I often got lost in the details, unsure of what I was supposed to be focusing on the most.
In short, I simply could not progress with the book. I stalled on page 72, and I never picked it back up. Maybe I was not in the right frame of mind to read it, maybe it was too intimidating, I don't know, but if I feel like I am forcing myself to read the book when I struggle to stay focused after only a page, then the book is not for me.
David Gemmell is/was one of my favourite authors.
However, he passed away in 2006 while finishing the final novel in his <i>Troy</i> trilogy (<i>Fall of Kings</i>), which was then finished by his second wife Stella.
<i>The City</i> is her first fully solo outing. Following recent trends, this definitely weighs in on the 'epic' side of the fantasy scales: think 'A Game of Thrones', where one novel is the size of three what I would term 'normal' reads. Indeed, the novel itself is split into various sections: personally I feel that it could have been split into two or maybe three separate books rather than under the one cover.
<i>The City</i> of the title (which is never actually named) is ancient and bloated, locked in an endless war with its enemies. Built over centuries, it reminded me somewhat of a passage in one of Pratchett's Discworld books (I forget which, and referring to Ankh-Morpork), something along the lines of:
'the main thing Ankh-Morpork is built on is Ankh-Morpork'.
That could be a pretty fair description of The City as well!
I also found some sections to be slow-moving, and while I never lost interest in the story, it also never really grabbed me, seeming to lack that certain something to turns a good story into a great story.
Would I read more by Stella Gemmell? At the moment, I'm undecided.
However, he passed away in 2006 while finishing the final novel in his <i>Troy</i> trilogy (<i>Fall of Kings</i>), which was then finished by his second wife Stella.
<i>The City</i> is her first fully solo outing. Following recent trends, this definitely weighs in on the 'epic' side of the fantasy scales: think 'A Game of Thrones', where one novel is the size of three what I would term 'normal' reads. Indeed, the novel itself is split into various sections: personally I feel that it could have been split into two or maybe three separate books rather than under the one cover.
<i>The City</i> of the title (which is never actually named) is ancient and bloated, locked in an endless war with its enemies. Built over centuries, it reminded me somewhat of a passage in one of Pratchett's Discworld books (I forget which, and referring to Ankh-Morpork), something along the lines of:
'the main thing Ankh-Morpork is built on is Ankh-Morpork'.
That could be a pretty fair description of The City as well!
I also found some sections to be slow-moving, and while I never lost interest in the story, it also never really grabbed me, seeming to lack that certain something to turns a good story into a great story.
Would I read more by Stella Gemmell? At the moment, I'm undecided.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated To All the Boys I've Loved Before in Books
Dec 20, 2018
I picked this up mostly because the trailer for the Netflix adaptation looked AMAZING. It's the first book in a trilogy, and I really want to read the other two now! Lara Jean is the middle daughter in a house of three daughters, being raised by their widower father. The relationships between the four of them play a large part in the book, as they are all adjusting to the eldest daughter being away at college. Everyone's roles are changing, and in the middle of that, Lara Jean's private love letters get mailed to the boys she wrote them to, throwing her love life into chaos as well.
I loved almost every character in this book - even Lara's troublemaking best friend has a good heart. I definitely need to watch the Netflix show now, because I really want to see how Chris - aforementioned best friend - is represented!
The family scenes around Christmas really tugged at my heart - Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and the author absolutely NAILED the nostalgic, slightly dreamy, loving holiday atmosphere.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before was a cute, sweet read, and really my only negative thing to say about it is the ending left me hanging! Which is part of why I really need to read the other two books, so I suppose it was a good strategy. But man I hate cliffhangers!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
I loved almost every character in this book - even Lara's troublemaking best friend has a good heart. I definitely need to watch the Netflix show now, because I really want to see how Chris - aforementioned best friend - is represented!
The family scenes around Christmas really tugged at my heart - Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and the author absolutely NAILED the nostalgic, slightly dreamy, loving holiday atmosphere.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before was a cute, sweet read, and really my only negative thing to say about it is the ending left me hanging! Which is part of why I really need to read the other two books, so I suppose it was a good strategy. But man I hate cliffhangers!
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Reclaimed in Books
Jul 5, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
Hell is not a place, but an experience, one that Kisa just can't seem to escape.
Fate is fickle, after all...
You can't fight fate
With the prophecy barreling towards them, Kisa and Dolor must fight against heaven itself for their survival. But can she trust him enough to work by his side? The more she learns about Dolor, the less certain she becomes about her feelings and her future, but time isn't a luxury they can afford.
As they track down the lost Fates, pieces of the puzzle begin to line up. Love and deception. Secrets and truth. Lust and acceptance.
One thing is certain, though--Kisa and Dolor will do everything in their power to stop the destruction that seems inevitable.
New friends and old will come together, and tragedy and hope will collide in the epic conclusion of the Slivered Souls Trilogy.
Tried so hard not to devour this book in hours. I had a few wtf moments and lots of laugh out loud moments actually woke my hubby a few times! It was a hot and heavy in lots of places and written so well! After spending time in Kandis Facebook group I really felt her all through the book and one phrase stood out and made me laugh “Oh my Hagrid on a hippogriff.” Just brilliant!
Thank you Kandi so looking forward to reading your next project.
Fate is fickle, after all...
You can't fight fate
With the prophecy barreling towards them, Kisa and Dolor must fight against heaven itself for their survival. But can she trust him enough to work by his side? The more she learns about Dolor, the less certain she becomes about her feelings and her future, but time isn't a luxury they can afford.
As they track down the lost Fates, pieces of the puzzle begin to line up. Love and deception. Secrets and truth. Lust and acceptance.
One thing is certain, though--Kisa and Dolor will do everything in their power to stop the destruction that seems inevitable.
New friends and old will come together, and tragedy and hope will collide in the epic conclusion of the Slivered Souls Trilogy.
Tried so hard not to devour this book in hours. I had a few wtf moments and lots of laugh out loud moments actually woke my hubby a few times! It was a hot and heavy in lots of places and written so well! After spending time in Kandis Facebook group I really felt her all through the book and one phrase stood out and made me laugh “Oh my Hagrid on a hippogriff.” Just brilliant!
Thank you Kandi so looking forward to reading your next project.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Lord of the Things Book I: The Mellow Hip of the Thing in Books
Nov 20, 2019
This is by no means the first parody of Professor Tolkien's enduring (and weighty) fantasy tale, nor will it be the last. This is a broad retelling of the first book of the classic trilogy, and as such it's really only for people who are familiar with the source book.
This started as an online creation of a discussion group, later edited and extended by the author to the published version. The history shows in the writing, the first half being distinctly uneven in tone and with plenty of things that were no doubt funny to the group, but don't work so well without the background.
However once past Rivendell, things get a lot better (if no less silly), although the story does feel a little rushed. There are some good chuckles to be had throughout as fun is thoroughly poked at some of the rather po-faced pontification of the source text. Yes the jokes use the scattergun approach but enough hit the mark - certainly more later in the story - to make this an entertaining read.
This won't be to everyone's tastes - it is very very silly and the start can be a bit hard going - but this book is there purely to entertain, not to win any literature prizes. The thing is, for all of it's disposable puns, references and silly jokes just occasionally there's a glimpse of some real wit underneath it all.
This started as an online creation of a discussion group, later edited and extended by the author to the published version. The history shows in the writing, the first half being distinctly uneven in tone and with plenty of things that were no doubt funny to the group, but don't work so well without the background.
However once past Rivendell, things get a lot better (if no less silly), although the story does feel a little rushed. There are some good chuckles to be had throughout as fun is thoroughly poked at some of the rather po-faced pontification of the source text. Yes the jokes use the scattergun approach but enough hit the mark - certainly more later in the story - to make this an entertaining read.
This won't be to everyone's tastes - it is very very silly and the start can be a bit hard going - but this book is there purely to entertain, not to win any literature prizes. The thing is, for all of it's disposable puns, references and silly jokes just occasionally there's a glimpse of some real wit underneath it all.
Otway93 (567 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
Dec 19, 2019
Acting (4 more)
CGI
Script
Predictable
Characters
A rushed ending to something special.
Well, this film has felt like a long time coming, but the disappointment took far less time.
Poor acting and poor CGI work make this film bad enough, but with a predictable plot and an awful script, it makes it in my opinion the worst Star Wars film ever made (so far), and made me wish I'd stayed at home and watched Attack of the Clones.
Daisy Ridley's acting was pretty poor in the more dramatic moments, and the CGI, particularly bad during large explosions, detracted from the feeling a Star Wars film usually brings. I'm talking Sharknado level CGI at some points, but at least that was supposed to be bad...
The characters, some of them turning out to be a completely pointless addition to the trilogy, learn absolutely nothing about themselves, with a couple of exceptions of course, but all of them with poorly written characteristics.
The ending is of course predictable, as it was always going to be realistically, but as for that, I'll let you guys judge for yourself!
The only redeeming feature is a nice little twist or two, but I'm obviously not going to tell you that!
Of course, some things are better the second time around, so maybe I'll watch again when the DVD is released and update my review...or not update it if that be the case.
Poor acting and poor CGI work make this film bad enough, but with a predictable plot and an awful script, it makes it in my opinion the worst Star Wars film ever made (so far), and made me wish I'd stayed at home and watched Attack of the Clones.
Daisy Ridley's acting was pretty poor in the more dramatic moments, and the CGI, particularly bad during large explosions, detracted from the feeling a Star Wars film usually brings. I'm talking Sharknado level CGI at some points, but at least that was supposed to be bad...
The characters, some of them turning out to be a completely pointless addition to the trilogy, learn absolutely nothing about themselves, with a couple of exceptions of course, but all of them with poorly written characteristics.
The ending is of course predictable, as it was always going to be realistically, but as for that, I'll let you guys judge for yourself!
The only redeeming feature is a nice little twist or two, but I'm obviously not going to tell you that!
Of course, some things are better the second time around, so maybe I'll watch again when the DVD is released and update my review...or not update it if that be the case.
Cassy Klindt (5 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019) in Movies
Dec 20, 2019
This ending of the trilogy closed many of the plot lines and the characters story lines played out well. (3 more)
Visually beautiful. The scenery was absolutely wonderful
The pace of the movie was very consistent. There wasn't a great place to get up and get refills or go to the bathroom because it was very consistent.
The score was wonderful, consistently for the scenes.
The ending felt a bit forced. They were trying to make all fans happy but in attempting to do so messed with relationships a bit more than necessary. The movie wasthis (1 more)
Some of the characters' story lines at the end felt out of character. They just didn't seem to connect.
This movie was much better than the last. Abrams did a good job bringing the story back to its original direction for the most part. I love how some of the characters followed previous ones in their story lines, but not enough to negate the character. The scenery was absolutely wonderful! The places they visited were very well done. Visually beautiful. The ending felt a bit forced as they were trying to close all story lines and make everyone happy and some of the things that happened didn't really feel like they fit the original story, but making everyone happy is impossible. Overall I think it was a good closing the the story line and the characters stories. I enjoyed seeing this movie and would definitely go see it again!
Ross (3284 KP) rated You Die When You Die in Books
Jan 21, 2020
Fantastic witty pre-historic Viking / Native American fantasy
This is the alternative-reality story of the Hardworkers, a small clan of Viking descendants in pre-Columbian North America. A mentally-damaged young boy in the clan has a premonition that the village will be attacked and they should head west. When the village is indeed attacked by natives (who themselves had a premonition of these Vikings ending the world), the clan quickly up-sticks and head off.
There follows a brilliant, exciting, funny story of this small clan with mixed abilities (some well trained warriors, some powerful yet cowardly warlocks, some useless wastes of space) travelling across North America, hunted by the magically-enhanced warriors sent to end them, and meeting numerous clans and tribes along the way.
The wonderful merging of plausible pre-history America and a more familiar fantasy setting (prophecies, evil empires, warriors) results in this superb story. The dialogue is witty and funny, the world is familiar yet strange enough to make you think, and the action sequences are fantastically narrated, often from different viewpoints.
The characters are all very well crafted and unique, and their interactions and conflicts really spur this story on.
I would urge anyone keen on fantasy to read this book. While the cover, and title, may suggest it is a brutal slobberknocker of a book, it is actually very clever, funny and thrilling.
I cannot wait to jump in to the next book in this trilogy. Wootah!!!
There follows a brilliant, exciting, funny story of this small clan with mixed abilities (some well trained warriors, some powerful yet cowardly warlocks, some useless wastes of space) travelling across North America, hunted by the magically-enhanced warriors sent to end them, and meeting numerous clans and tribes along the way.
The wonderful merging of plausible pre-history America and a more familiar fantasy setting (prophecies, evil empires, warriors) results in this superb story. The dialogue is witty and funny, the world is familiar yet strange enough to make you think, and the action sequences are fantastically narrated, often from different viewpoints.
The characters are all very well crafted and unique, and their interactions and conflicts really spur this story on.
I would urge anyone keen on fantasy to read this book. While the cover, and title, may suggest it is a brutal slobberknocker of a book, it is actually very clever, funny and thrilling.
I cannot wait to jump in to the next book in this trilogy. Wootah!!!
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Ignite the Shadows (Ignite the Shadows, #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I always have a thing for books related to hacking (or if the main character is a hacker). But while <i>Ignite the Shadows</i> certainly isn't about hacking (it only plays a minor part to the story), I still enjoyed the book regardless and the world Seymour builds. <i>Ignite the Shadows</i> is almost like a combination of the first and second book in a typical dystopian trilogy, which makes it stand out.
Plus, an <i>infection</i> is involved, and it's just really cool how those infected by sentient parasites can take advantage and develop superpowers - very similar to <i>I Am Number Four</i> in my opinion. Trying to get used to those parasites in a symbiotic relationship is definitely going to be a struggle for Marci continuing through the second book, but I think it'll be an adventure to see what Marci comes up with.
<i>Ignite the Shadows</i> is fast paced and intriguing - I have high hopes for this series despite the power similarities to <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-i-am-number-four-by-pittacus-lore/">I Am Number Four</a>.</i>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-ignite-shadows-by-ingrid-seymour-review/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I always have a thing for books related to hacking (or if the main character is a hacker). But while <i>Ignite the Shadows</i> certainly isn't about hacking (it only plays a minor part to the story), I still enjoyed the book regardless and the world Seymour builds. <i>Ignite the Shadows</i> is almost like a combination of the first and second book in a typical dystopian trilogy, which makes it stand out.
Plus, an <i>infection</i> is involved, and it's just really cool how those infected by sentient parasites can take advantage and develop superpowers - very similar to <i>I Am Number Four</i> in my opinion. Trying to get used to those parasites in a symbiotic relationship is definitely going to be a struggle for Marci continuing through the second book, but I think it'll be an adventure to see what Marci comes up with.
<i>Ignite the Shadows</i> is fast paced and intriguing - I have high hopes for this series despite the power similarities to <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-i-am-number-four-by-pittacus-lore/">I Am Number Four</a>.</i>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-ignite-shadows-by-ingrid-seymour-review/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>