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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Ao Haru Ride, #1 in Books
Sep 6, 2019
Yep, I seem to have an obsession with these now.
I enjoyed this one. This is my first non-Yaoi one, it just being a Young Adult romance-in-the-making between a girl and a boy she used to be close to before he disappeared from her life. He's now back, grown up, and with a new name. (I still don't quite understand how names and honorifics work but I'm sure the more I read, I'll work it out)
It's slow going but I like the artwork and the developing feelings between our characters. Off to start #2.
I enjoyed this one. This is my first non-Yaoi one, it just being a Young Adult romance-in-the-making between a girl and a boy she used to be close to before he disappeared from her life. He's now back, grown up, and with a new name. (I still don't quite understand how names and honorifics work but I'm sure the more I read, I'll work it out)
It's slow going but I like the artwork and the developing feelings between our characters. Off to start #2.
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Population Zero in Books
Oct 5, 2021
A thought provoking, dystopian world.
Our planet, inhabitable and dying. Population Zero pushes you to think about the future, about how our actions have consequences that reach far beyond our own front yard.
It made me feel sad and had me thinking of how easily things can change.
I'll be honest, none of the possible worlds described held any appeal at all. None of them hold hope of any type of survival but all of them get you to question your actions in the here and now.
An ideal young adult read to open up discussions about the future of our planet.
Our planet, inhabitable and dying. Population Zero pushes you to think about the future, about how our actions have consequences that reach far beyond our own front yard.
It made me feel sad and had me thinking of how easily things can change.
I'll be honest, none of the possible worlds described held any appeal at all. None of them hold hope of any type of survival but all of them get you to question your actions in the here and now.
An ideal young adult read to open up discussions about the future of our planet.
Charlotte (184 KP) rated The Assassin's Legacy (Minte and Magic Adventure #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2021 (Updated Dec 17, 2021)
Fun and engaging
Filled with fun, banter and cheeky assassins what's not to like?
The Assassin's Legacy is a good all around read. I love the different themes, monsters, family dynamics and folklore. Sasha is a charming man that just wants a peaceful life..... Don't we all? I really feel for him, trying to leave his past behind but being pulled back in and not in a good way!
A young adult plus read that will have you entertained from start to finish. Grab a cuppa, some biscuits and settle in for a cracking read.
@Merissa
Filled with fun, banter and cheeky assassins what's not to like?
The Assassin's Legacy is a good all around read. I love the different themes, monsters, family dynamics and folklore. Sasha is a charming man that just wants a peaceful life..... Don't we all? I really feel for him, trying to leave his past behind but being pulled back in and not in a good way!
A young adult plus read that will have you entertained from start to finish. Grab a cuppa, some biscuits and settle in for a cracking read.
@Merissa
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Mercy Creek (Jo Wyatt Mystery #2) in Books
Dec 24, 2021
Oh wow!
If you're looking for a thrilling read that pulls you into a deadly mystery then look no further.
Ideal for a young adult plus reader, Mercy Creek, will have you hooked and slipping deep into the intrigue of this seemingly perfect town. A town protected by detective Jo Wyatt, a strong tenacious woman determined to bring the truth to light and catch a killer.
She's a brilliant detective and I really liked how her personality developed.
It's also cool that the story is a standalone but with a basic background/main character that stays the same.
If you're looking for a thrilling read that pulls you into a deadly mystery then look no further.
Ideal for a young adult plus reader, Mercy Creek, will have you hooked and slipping deep into the intrigue of this seemingly perfect town. A town protected by detective Jo Wyatt, a strong tenacious woman determined to bring the truth to light and catch a killer.
She's a brilliant detective and I really liked how her personality developed.
It's also cool that the story is a standalone but with a basic background/main character that stays the same.
Merissa (11805 KP) rated Witchy, Witchy (Spellbound Trilogy, #1) in Books
Jun 8, 2023 (Updated Jun 8, 2023)
This is a light-hearted story about magic with a side interest of romance. The story and relationships in the book flow very naturally but don't expect everything to be straightforward! There are some twists and turns in this book, some that are explained and some that aren't. This book drew me in from the start and the time passed very quickly whilst I was reading it. Very enjoyable both as Young Adult and as a Paranormal. Further books in this series are now on my wish list.
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 14, 2013
* Verified Purchase on Amazon *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 14, 2013
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Witch's Legacy (Supernatural Evolvement #0.5) in Books
Nov 28, 2019
The first book in a new series by outstanding young adult author Katrina Cope is something of a big deal. Both her previous series are particular favourites of both mine and my teenage children. Set in the same universe as her Afterlife series, this tells the story of an ancient feud between witches and shapeshifters.
Living in a coven with her mother, Della has to put on a front of cruelty to fit in with the other witches, especially when her mother makes one of her frequent disappearances. One day she accidentally discovers a terrible secret that means that she must go on the run, attempting to survive in a modern world she is unprepared for and with few allies. With the whole might of the coven on her trail she must adapt and find friends to survive.
Once again Cope proves why she is one of the best young adult authors out there. Although the members of the coven do perhaps veer to towards a cackling stereotype at times they do come across and dangerous, evil and threatening. The other characterisation is up to the usual high standard. Della is a very likeable - and sometimes fallible- protagonist and grows as a person throughout her experiences. The other people she meets are also carefully described and have their own distinct personalities and goals.
The plot perhaps isn't complex, dealing as it does with setting the basics for the series to come, but does have a couple of twists if not any major surprises. But the story is always interesting and engaging and the reader will definitely be siding with Della and holding their breath as things get tight.
I very much enjoyed this and so will the young adult audience. 5 stars even though I know very well that every book in the series will just get better and better and I have left myself nowhere to go. But that's been the case with both of Cope's other series.
Living in a coven with her mother, Della has to put on a front of cruelty to fit in with the other witches, especially when her mother makes one of her frequent disappearances. One day she accidentally discovers a terrible secret that means that she must go on the run, attempting to survive in a modern world she is unprepared for and with few allies. With the whole might of the coven on her trail she must adapt and find friends to survive.
Once again Cope proves why she is one of the best young adult authors out there. Although the members of the coven do perhaps veer to towards a cackling stereotype at times they do come across and dangerous, evil and threatening. The other characterisation is up to the usual high standard. Della is a very likeable - and sometimes fallible- protagonist and grows as a person throughout her experiences. The other people she meets are also carefully described and have their own distinct personalities and goals.
The plot perhaps isn't complex, dealing as it does with setting the basics for the series to come, but does have a couple of twists if not any major surprises. But the story is always interesting and engaging and the reader will definitely be siding with Della and holding their breath as things get tight.
I very much enjoyed this and so will the young adult audience. 5 stars even though I know very well that every book in the series will just get better and better and I have left myself nowhere to go. But that's been the case with both of Cope's other series.
Southern Today (21 KP) rated And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) in Books
Nov 7, 2017
And I Darken: Audio Book Review
Contains spoilers, click to show
Historical fiction! Heavy on the fiction, light on the historical, and a good young adult. Now, this is young adult fiction, the kind that even adults can appreciate. Though, this is not for YOUNG young adults. If you are wary of what your kids read, stay away from this. I enjoyed this story, and loved the twists and turns the author took us on.
Again, I did not like the voice of the reader for this novel. She was grating, could not do much variation of the voices and I wish she would not have tried, and was the reason I often considered stopping the track. And I have no idea how to spell any of the names without looking them up.
This novel, by Kiersten White, follows Lada and Radu, in the 1400s, in the Ottoman empire as insurances for the Sultan.
I wonder if, like many young adult series, this would have been better as a single book with the next being far in the future or following other characters during the same time frame.
If you enjoy war novels, historically-set novels, or stories of growing up in difficult circumstances will enjoy this.
Alright, SPOILERS BELOW, SPOILERS BELOW, PLEASE SCROLL FOR DISCUSSION there, that is out of the way.
So, this book covers a good lifetime, showing us the development, fully, of characters. Saw the gay man coming as soon as he was born, which is kind of sad. Why, why make the gay man beautiful? Why make it so obvious from the start?
Why have her fall in love with the future Sultan?
I wanted her, based on the description of the book, to be in her homeland more often than they are. The hatred between the siblings isn't what is odd, but what causes it. How Radu doesn't understand Lada's love towards him and what drives her. I do not understand it.
This book is also supposed to be a gender-bend of Dracula the Impaler. Which is interesting, because I did not figure that out from reading it. It is the correct time period, but gender bending DOESN'T WORK historically. I am sorry, it would be far to complicated to do that. It, it just doesn't work. You can write it and ponder what it would have been if one character was different. But not all. So, is that what this is?
I think I will be reading (or listening?) to the second book of this.
THIS VOICE IS TERRIBLE!
Alright, there. Little bits done
Again, I did not like the voice of the reader for this novel. She was grating, could not do much variation of the voices and I wish she would not have tried, and was the reason I often considered stopping the track. And I have no idea how to spell any of the names without looking them up.
This novel, by Kiersten White, follows Lada and Radu, in the 1400s, in the Ottoman empire as insurances for the Sultan.
I wonder if, like many young adult series, this would have been better as a single book with the next being far in the future or following other characters during the same time frame.
If you enjoy war novels, historically-set novels, or stories of growing up in difficult circumstances will enjoy this.
Alright, SPOILERS BELOW, SPOILERS BELOW, PLEASE SCROLL FOR DISCUSSION there, that is out of the way.
So, this book covers a good lifetime, showing us the development, fully, of characters. Saw the gay man coming as soon as he was born, which is kind of sad. Why, why make the gay man beautiful? Why make it so obvious from the start?
Why have her fall in love with the future Sultan?
I wanted her, based on the description of the book, to be in her homeland more often than they are. The hatred between the siblings isn't what is odd, but what causes it. How Radu doesn't understand Lada's love towards him and what drives her. I do not understand it.
This book is also supposed to be a gender-bend of Dracula the Impaler. Which is interesting, because I did not figure that out from reading it. It is the correct time period, but gender bending DOESN'T WORK historically. I am sorry, it would be far to complicated to do that. It, it just doesn't work. You can write it and ponder what it would have been if one character was different. But not all. So, is that what this is?
I think I will be reading (or listening?) to the second book of this.
THIS VOICE IS TERRIBLE!
Alright, there. Little bits done
Rafe Jadison (9 KP) rated Marella (Wraidd Elfennol 1) in Books
Nov 27, 2017
Great Read
Whether you are a young adult, or just young at heart, you are bound to love "Marella." I'm still not sure what I enjoyed most about this novel. In the beginning, I was impressed with the author's detailed and flavorful world building as she draws us into a world of wonder with delightful characters who care about each other and the world they live in. It's a world full of animals who bond with people and the hint of magic bound in realism. I soon found myself as protective of the main character as her family while I watched her begin her journey into adulthood. An explanatory and intriguing ending are sending me off to the next book in this series with the sincere hope that Morgan Sheppard will be writing many more in this series because I just found my new book addiction.
Ruben Ostlund recommended The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) (1980) in Movies (curated)
A heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting story of two sisters.
Sal is the main character in this book : a story of abuse, survival and the love of two sisters.
Sal and Peppa's mum is an alcoholic with a knack of finding unsuitable boyfriends, Robert is a drunk, a drug addict and a child abuser. He abuses 13 year old Sal, and when he threatens to do the same to do the same to 10 year old Peppa, Sal decides to act and save them. She learns all she can of wild camping, survival techniques from the SAS and anything else she can pick up from the internet. She finds a remote place where they can set up camp and live away from Social Services and the 'Polis'
There is a lot of description of their surroundings in the mountains and the Loch that they live near, which I really liked. The elderly East German doctor that they meet is also a nice touch.
It hadn't actually occurred to me that this was a Young Adult book: I enjoyed it and I'm certainly not a young adult (in body, anyway!).
The novel didn't have the ending that I would have expected, but it was a good ending and very appropriate.
All in all, a very good story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of the book.
Sal and Peppa's mum is an alcoholic with a knack of finding unsuitable boyfriends, Robert is a drunk, a drug addict and a child abuser. He abuses 13 year old Sal, and when he threatens to do the same to do the same to 10 year old Peppa, Sal decides to act and save them. She learns all she can of wild camping, survival techniques from the SAS and anything else she can pick up from the internet. She finds a remote place where they can set up camp and live away from Social Services and the 'Polis'
There is a lot of description of their surroundings in the mountains and the Loch that they live near, which I really liked. The elderly East German doctor that they meet is also a nice touch.
It hadn't actually occurred to me that this was a Young Adult book: I enjoyed it and I'm certainly not a young adult (in body, anyway!).
The novel didn't have the ending that I would have expected, but it was a good ending and very appropriate.
All in all, a very good story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of the book.