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48ede17d8ed579fa0405c7df4242a036 | 2015-06-17 | [[0, "For fear of repeating myself too many times, here's the quick rundown on the overall strengths and weaknesses of the series before delving into Book 4-specific details: The strengths are the gripping plot and the developed aspects of the characters, whose interesting actions move the story along."], [0, 'The downsides are the reliance on cliches/stereotypes that take away from the surprise and the lack of complexity in some of the characters.'], [0, 'These hold true both for this book as well as the entire series.'], [0, "In Fire and Ash, Nix and Benny's relationship complicates in a very good way."], [1, 'Their decision to take a break - which makes sense both for the characters and within the context of real emotions - allows for romantic complexity that enhances the story.'], [1, "The ending, and Nix's muffin peace offering, is cute but a little cliche and unsurprising; the pat ending denies any further complexity."], [0, 'Overall, the series was an enjoyable read.'], [0, 'Both interesting and compelling, the story pulls readers in.'], [0, 'Definitely a great read for zombie fans!']] | 3 | true | 13424356 | e94bda5d90d5793e4fa125734965cfd6 | For fear of repeating myself too many times, here's the quick rundown on the overall strengths and weaknesses of the series before delving into Book 4-specific details: The strengths are the gripping plot and the developed aspects of the characters, whose interesting actions move the story along. The downsides are the reliance on cliches/stereotypes that take away from the surprise and the lack of complexity in some of the characters. These hold true both for this book as well as the entire series. In Fire and Ash, Nix and Benny's relationship complicates in a very good way. Their decision to take a break - which makes sense both for the characters and within the context of real emotions - allows for romantic complexity that enhances the story. The ending, and Nix's muffin peace offering, is cute but a little cliche and unsurprising; the pat ending denies any further complexity. Overall, the series was an enjoyable read. Both interesting and compelling, the story pulls readers in. Definitely a great read for zombie fans! |
47046afdd97b29bed127e92f7cd980e7 | 2013-10-19 | [[0, 'That was just amazing.'], [0, 'Review to come!'], [0, 'My heart was literally clouded with different emotions that my mind got so lost, along with it.'], [0, 'So now finally I manage to broke out of it.'], [0, 'I was wondering how to possibly write a review without spoiling anything.'], [0, "I think I'll just have to write why you need to read this ASAP and why you need not worry about the ending."], [0, 'Let me start with.'], [0, 'It is worth the wait!'], [0, 'The light has come.'], [0, 'Every question I have, was answered.'], [0, "I don't know about the others but I have these I-knew-it and oh-my-god-that's-it moment."], [0, 'I love the Herondales and will always be Team Will.'], [0, 'Enough said.'], [0, 'And I will always and forever adore Jem.'], [0, 'He is such a wonderful person.'], [0, 'So wonderful I wanna hug him when I meet him.'], [0, 'They'], [0, 'are parabatai.'], [0, 'And nothing will ever ever ever changed it.'], [0, "I'll be honest that I was a mess of tears because of them."], [0, 'Amazing, truly amazing it hurts.'], [0, 'Characters, are strong and the development is great.'], [0, 'The Lightwood brothers, Cecily, Sophie, Charlotte, Henry and Magnus.'], [0, "Oh, don't forget Bridget."], [0, 'Plot is tight and awesome.'], [0, 'It made me laugh, made me cry made me tense.'], [0, 'EVERYTHING!'], [0, 'Twists!'], [0, "Oh, if you're as clueless as me, you have to watch out for it."], [0, 'Ending, Did I say that it has a perfect ending?'], [0, "Well, I'll repeat it."], [0, 'IT FREAKING HAS!'], [0, "I was blown away because I didn't expect it."], [0, 'Not a bit.'], [0, "I swear if you like CA and CP you'll most definitely LOVE Clockwork Princess."], [0, 'Worth reading is an understatement.'], [0, 'READ IT!']] | 5 | false | 15719896 | 51cbb3bf022921afdf46f67eb7951913 | That was just amazing. Review to come! My heart was literally clouded with different emotions that my mind got so lost, along with it. So now finally I manage to broke out of it. I was wondering how to possibly write a review without spoiling anything. I think I'll just have to write why you need to read this ASAP and why you need not worry about the ending. Let me start with. It is worth the wait! The light has come. Every question I have, was answered. I don't know about the others but I have these I-knew-it and oh-my-god-that's-it moment. I love the Herondales and will always be Team Will. Enough said. And I will always and forever adore Jem. He is such a wonderful person. So wonderful I wanna hug him when I meet him. They are parabatai. And nothing will ever ever ever changed it. I'll be honest that I was a mess of tears because of them. Amazing, truly amazing it hurts. Characters, are strong and the development is great. The Lightwood brothers, Cecily, Sophie, Charlotte, Henry and Magnus. Oh, don't forget Bridget. Plot is tight and awesome. It made me laugh, made me cry made me tense. EVERYTHING! Twists! Oh, if you're as clueless as me, you have to watch out for it. Ending, Did I say that it has a perfect ending? Well, I'll repeat it. IT FREAKING HAS! I was blown away because I didn't expect it. Not a bit. I swear if you like CA and CP you'll most definitely LOVE Clockwork Princess. Worth reading is an understatement. READ IT! |
17deb25686b888de5354385f9256944f | 2008-06-26 | [[0, "I love the Women's Murder Club series!"]] | 4 | false | 13137 | a9206e43486f37cbf519b5798650b2d4 | I love the Women's Murder Club series! |
193832a225295d00fc707d9923643bbc | 2017-07-05 | [[0, "Contemporaries aren't usually my bag, but DAMN did I inhale this book."], [0, 'I honestly could not put it down and focusing on real life was difficult because all I wanted to do was get back to this story.'], [0, 'Aspen was great, Bram was... super hot but also very difficult.'], [0, 'This book was just a giant ball of stress, anger, desire, fear with the perfect amount of humor cut in.'], [1, 'My stomach was in knots especially when Aspen flees Lake Tahoe, I could not handle it.'], [1, 'I came so close to tears and I just do not cry at books.'], [1, 'That broke my heart , but the emotional pay off is so good.'], [0, 'My heart was put through the ringer but it was completely worth it.'], [0, 'Also of note: suuuuuuper hot.'], [0, 'I mean, damn, there are a lot of sex scenes in this book.'], [0, "For the most part they were well used, but a few could have been edited out because there wasn't much they were bringing to the table."], [0, 'Especially because some of them were so important to the characters.'], [0, 'So, why only four stars?'], [0, 'The first issue was the entire motorcycle side quest.'], [0, "I'm guessing these are characters from the author's other series?"], [0, 'Because it felt tacked on and useless.'], [0, 'Was not a fan.'], [0, 'Also the stuff with Heath at the end felt cheap.'], [0, 'We already went through an incredibly real and personal journey with our main characters.'], [0, 'There had to be a better way to get them in the same room together.']] | 5 | true | 32717752 | ae28b48aa569a9b5aac6a520a68e0f05 | Contemporaries aren't usually my bag, but DAMN did I inhale this book. I honestly could not put it down and focusing on real life was difficult because all I wanted to do was get back to this story. Aspen was great, Bram was... super hot but also very difficult. This book was just a giant ball of stress, anger, desire, fear with the perfect amount of humor cut in. My stomach was in knots especially when Aspen flees Lake Tahoe, I could not handle it. I came so close to tears and I just do not cry at books. That broke my heart , but the emotional pay off is so good. My heart was put through the ringer but it was completely worth it. Also of note: suuuuuuper hot. I mean, damn, there are a lot of sex scenes in this book. For the most part they were well used, but a few could have been edited out because there wasn't much they were bringing to the table. Especially because some of them were so important to the characters. So, why only four stars? The first issue was the entire motorcycle side quest. I'm guessing these are characters from the author's other series? Because it felt tacked on and useless. Was not a fan. Also the stuff with Heath at the end felt cheap. We already went through an incredibly real and personal journey with our main characters. There had to be a better way to get them in the same room together. |
828f8f9862a028e734d4164be5e3e164 | 2015-12-15 | [[0, 'IM SUCH A MESS RIGHT NOW I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW IM TYPING THIS SUCCESSFULLY']] | 5 | false | 22024907 | 1c91adbb3602a9637ea799e36abb5c59 | IM SUCH A MESS RIGHT NOW I DONT EVEN KNOW HOW IM TYPING THIS SUCCESSFULLY |
96f335023d9138bcfbf2e4d2f8933f77 | 2014-01-02 | [[0, '3.5 stars'], [0, "Spoiler free if you've read the first two books."], [0, "I'm not sure why I had this strong need to get back into the world of Shadowhunters but I did so I thought it was time I read City of Glass."], [0, 'Now, I freaking love The Infernal Devices series but The Mortal Instruments series has been a little on the down side for me.'], [0, "I don't really like any of the characters other then Luke and Magnus and I think that's why I'm not a massive fan of this series."], [0, 'But I some how have all the books and I do want to read them all.'], [0, 'The City of Glass has a great pace.'], [0, 'When it just starts to get a little boring, Clare throws a huge curveball.'], [0, 'They was three different things that happened that just blew me away.'], [0, 'I gasped like crazy.'], [0, "The writing, the concept, it's all great."], [0, "But I just don't like the characters."], [0, 'I really hate Simon.'], [0, "There's been so many things that's happened to him int he first two books that should have killed him but he somehow always sneaks his way back."], [0, "I find him annoying and stupid and I just can't stand him."], [0, 'He really should have died in book two.'], [0, "I don't even like Jace."], [0, "He's so controlling."], [0, "He makes decisions for Clary that she should make for herself and he treats her like she's stupid."], [0, "He tell Alec how Alec feels, like Alec doesn't know his own feelings."], [0, 'Clary makes so many bad decisions in City of Glass.'], [0, 'She never thinks anything though and she just trusts all the wrong people.'], [0, 'I feel like Isabelle should be more of an actual bad ass.'], [0, "Everyone in the books acts like she's some bad ass when she's not."], [0, 'She spends so much time pining over Simon.'], [0, "She's wears dresses when pants are so much more practical."], [0, 'I feel like she should quit being a twit and grow up.'], [0, 'And on a side note, new character Sebastian is creepy ass weirdo.'], [0, 'Now, all my feeling about the characters are just that.'], [0, 'My feelings.'], [0, 'I know a lot of people love these characters.'], [0, "But the reason I don't really like this series is because of the characters."]] | 3 | false | 3777732 | e908e8e741dc9e5bc8aa7661d0b6a67d | 3.5 stars Spoiler free if you've read the first two books. I'm not sure why I had this strong need to get back into the world of Shadowhunters but I did so I thought it was time I read City of Glass. Now, I freaking love The Infernal Devices series but The Mortal Instruments series has been a little on the down side for me. I don't really like any of the characters other then Luke and Magnus and I think that's why I'm not a massive fan of this series. But I some how have all the books and I do want to read them all. The City of Glass has a great pace. When it just starts to get a little boring, Clare throws a huge curveball. They was three different things that happened that just blew me away. I gasped like crazy. The writing, the concept, it's all great. But I just don't like the characters. I really hate Simon. There's been so many things that's happened to him int he first two books that should have killed him but he somehow always sneaks his way back. I find him annoying and stupid and I just can't stand him. He really should have died in book two. I don't even like Jace. He's so controlling. He makes decisions for Clary that she should make for herself and he treats her like she's stupid. He tell Alec how Alec feels, like Alec doesn't know his own feelings. Clary makes so many bad decisions in City of Glass. She never thinks anything though and she just trusts all the wrong people. I feel like Isabelle should be more of an actual bad ass. Everyone in the books acts like she's some bad ass when she's not. She spends so much time pining over Simon. She's wears dresses when pants are so much more practical. I feel like she should quit being a twit and grow up. And on a side note, new character Sebastian is creepy ass weirdo. Now, all my feeling about the characters are just that. My feelings. I know a lot of people love these characters. But the reason I don't really like this series is because of the characters. |
5f8ca8da98445f41c625874e04115773 | 2017-03-11 | [[0, 'DNF at 15%'], [0, 'This book is dumb.'], [0, "It's idea is dumb; it's dialogue is dumb; its characters are dumb."], [0, "It doesn't matter whether or not you life video games."], [0, 'I don\'t, but I still enjoyed the TV show "Video Game High School".'], [0, 'There was nothing enjoyable about this.']] | 1 | false | 16279856 | e0ed19f7aa758137a1f20db623448630 | DNF at 15% This book is dumb. It's idea is dumb; it's dialogue is dumb; its characters are dumb. It doesn't matter whether or not you life video games. I don't, but I still enjoyed the TV show "Video Game High School". There was nothing enjoyable about this. |
8ab3bb5603d67e824b1c7cd441fa0b79 | 2013-09-30 | [[0, "I don't know about everyone else, but I actually read this book after finishing Onyx."], [0, 'When I was reading Obsidian and Onyx, there was always mentioning of Dawson and Bethany and I really wanted to know more about them.'], [0, "Dawson's disappearance was the reason why Daemon was so against the idea of Katy and Dee being friends, and if you are like me, and haven't read Shadows, then his reaction is a bit extreme."], [0, "So it's really nice that I get to read a novella dedicated to Dawson and Bethany, and see where their relationship began and how it progressed."], [0, 'Dawson and Daemon are quite different, despite the fact that they are twins.'], [0, 'Dawson is really sweet, funny, and laid back while Daemon is more strict, serious, and ill tempered.'], [0, 'But they are both super charming, and Dawson is just as irresistible as Daemon!'], [0, 'I thought that because he was the nicer one, that he would be boring and lack that flare in Daemon that we all love but I was wrong.'], [0, 'Every moment that Dawson and Bethany were together made me really happy!!'], [0, 'They were just so darn cute!'], [0, 'And the relationship that they shared, how much they loved one another, is enough to leave anyone envious.'], [0, 'The love between Bethany and Dawson is beautiful, and very heart warming.'], [0, "I also really like Bethany's point of view as well."], [0, 'She is different from Katy, yet at the same time they are both really strong girls.'], [0, 'Bethany is really sweet, and I like how she handles herself around Dawson and the other Luxens.'], [0, "Obsidian and Onyx are written in a first person point of view- Katy's only, so we only get to see what she is thinking."], [0, 'I like that Shadows is written in third person omniscient, so there is a wider scope being covered which was brilliant.'], [0, 'Since this is a novella, the author has to give out a lot of information but has limited page space, so I thought it was a clever idea to take us into the mindsets of many characters.'], [0, 'I really enjoyed this novella, it was charming, sweet, funny, and at the same time creepy and dangerous.'], [0, "It's like we are given this amazing love story, side by side with this ticking time bomb...knowing that something bad is just waiting to happen."], [0, "It's really nerve wrecking!"], [0, "Especially if you are like me and you know how things are going to end, but you still hope that the turn of events won't go down that road."], [1, "I am starting Opal now, so I am glad in a way that I've read this novella before because I can compare how Dawson was before and how he is now."], [1, 'I think it will really provide insight on what happened to him, and how being captured really drained the life out of him as it did Bethany which by the way, is heartbreaking.'], [1, 'I really like Dawson and Bethany, and I sincerely hope that they will somehow rekindle.'], [0, "I felt like I devoured this book, and I had to pace myself-one chapter a day-so I don't neglect my other books."], [0, 'But wow, Jennifer L. Armentrout is such a talented writer, she knows how to bait readers with her amazing stories.'], [0, 'Got to go and dive into Opal, now hehe(;']] | 5 | true | 13183957 | 2163a793feae835fded081186fad3930 | I don't know about everyone else, but I actually read this book after finishing Onyx. When I was reading Obsidian and Onyx, there was always mentioning of Dawson and Bethany and I really wanted to know more about them. Dawson's disappearance was the reason why Daemon was so against the idea of Katy and Dee being friends, and if you are like me, and haven't read Shadows, then his reaction is a bit extreme. So it's really nice that I get to read a novella dedicated to Dawson and Bethany, and see where their relationship began and how it progressed. Dawson and Daemon are quite different, despite the fact that they are twins. Dawson is really sweet, funny, and laid back while Daemon is more strict, serious, and ill tempered. But they are both super charming, and Dawson is just as irresistible as Daemon! I thought that because he was the nicer one, that he would be boring and lack that flare in Daemon that we all love but I was wrong. Every moment that Dawson and Bethany were together made me really happy!! They were just so darn cute! And the relationship that they shared, how much they loved one another, is enough to leave anyone envious. The love between Bethany and Dawson is beautiful, and very heart warming. I also really like Bethany's point of view as well. She is different from Katy, yet at the same time they are both really strong girls. Bethany is really sweet, and I like how she handles herself around Dawson and the other Luxens. Obsidian and Onyx are written in a first person point of view- Katy's only, so we only get to see what she is thinking. I like that Shadows is written in third person omniscient, so there is a wider scope being covered which was brilliant. Since this is a novella, the author has to give out a lot of information but has limited page space, so I thought it was a clever idea to take us into the mindsets of many characters. I really enjoyed this novella, it was charming, sweet, funny, and at the same time creepy and dangerous. It's like we are given this amazing love story, side by side with this ticking time bomb...knowing that something bad is just waiting to happen. It's really nerve wrecking! Especially if you are like me and you know how things are going to end, but you still hope that the turn of events won't go down that road. I am starting Opal now, so I am glad in a way that I've read this novella before because I can compare how Dawson was before and how he is now. I think it will really provide insight on what happened to him, and how being captured really drained the life out of him as it did Bethany which by the way, is heartbreaking. I really like Dawson and Bethany, and I sincerely hope that they will somehow rekindle. I felt like I devoured this book, and I had to pace myself-one chapter a day-so I don't neglect my other books. But wow, Jennifer L. Armentrout is such a talented writer, she knows how to bait readers with her amazing stories. Got to go and dive into Opal, now hehe(; |
4164037c103f03af8b2c2b44dab56686 | 2012-05-30 | [[0, 'There is a lot of brooding, teenage angst and red tulips here.'], [0, '(SO many, in fact, that I believe I have developed an allergy to red tulips...!)'], [0, "There's also a plot that makes no sense."], [1, "Sure, Ever's tendency to do the wrong thing is actually part of the plotline - but what about the on again/off again no-touch-policy?"], [1, 'It seems to me that the author forgets about it every now & then.'], [1, 'Not the ONLY inconsistency by far - but one of the more obvious ones.'], [0, "Honestly: if I wasn't too stubborn for my own good (and in the middle of a move, thus pretty much book-less except for this series) I would probably not bother to finish it."], [0, "It's quite lousy."]] | 1 | true | 7739934 | abe208d944377b8223e3962ba8804525 | There is a lot of brooding, teenage angst and red tulips here. (SO many, in fact, that I believe I have developed an allergy to red tulips...!) There's also a plot that makes no sense. Sure, Ever's tendency to do the wrong thing is actually part of the plotline - but what about the on again/off again no-touch-policy? It seems to me that the author forgets about it every now & then. Not the ONLY inconsistency by far - but one of the more obvious ones. Honestly: if I wasn't too stubborn for my own good (and in the middle of a move, thus pretty much book-less except for this series) I would probably not bother to finish it. It's quite lousy. |
53a47ada249517b90794804df14d429e | 2015-06-27 | [[0, 'Very intriguing series.'], [0, 'What I enjoyed:'], [0, '* Josie she is soft but strong and very loyal'], [0, "* The brothers - I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better."], [0, "They've survived hell and have more to get through before hopefully getting a happy ending."], [0, '* The plot.'], [0, 'I definitely want to learn more and hopefully see the bad guys go down hard.'], [0, 'What could have been better:'], [1, '* I was surprised Josie would have sex in her office after all her talk about loving her job and wanting to get the promotion.'], [1, '* The whole Tom and Daniel thing came out of nowhere.'], [1, 'Poor Josie had people against her all over the place.']] | 4 | true | 17976359 | a7f3c6038d75a2d44d2c15f5ad08f18f | Very intriguing series. What I enjoyed: * Josie she is soft but strong and very loyal * The brothers - I'm looking forward to getting to know them all better. They've survived hell and have more to get through before hopefully getting a happy ending. * The plot. I definitely want to learn more and hopefully see the bad guys go down hard. What could have been better: * I was surprised Josie would have sex in her office after all her talk about loving her job and wanting to get the promotion. * The whole Tom and Daniel thing came out of nowhere. Poor Josie had people against her all over the place. |
018fb46979eaef202859956d5ccb905b | 2015-02-08 | [[0, 'Prairie Fire is a powerful end to the story begun in the Story of Owen.'], [0, 'The scope is wider as Owen and Siobhan join the Oil Watch and learn about the politics of dragon slaying.'], [0, 'New characters are introduced as Siobhan works to find her place with her injured hands.'], [0, "I'm not going to say more about the plot since it should be approached unspoiled."], [0, 'A beautiful and hard book with violence and fire, a great read for a lover of fantasy and alternate history.'], [0, 'I got my copy from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2015.']] | 5 | false | 17928170 | 50e6fa766d655ffdb4776b5ee855a734 | Prairie Fire is a powerful end to the story begun in the Story of Owen. The scope is wider as Owen and Siobhan join the Oil Watch and learn about the politics of dragon slaying. New characters are introduced as Siobhan works to find her place with her injured hands. I'm not going to say more about the plot since it should be approached unspoiled. A beautiful and hard book with violence and fire, a great read for a lover of fantasy and alternate history. I got my copy from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2015. |
4067184200f3f78ed31283724f2d989b | 2013-02-26 | [[0, 'Well that sure was a pleasant surprise.'], [0, "I've had this on my tbr list for ages and just kept letting it stay there, up until recently."], [0, "The past few weeks all I've heard in the book world is Rush this, and Rush that.. which made me thinking 'huh, who is this Rush?'"], [0, 'Well, I sure as hell was about to find out!'], [0, "So, in answer to my 'who is Rush?'"], [0, 'question, here he is..'], [0, '[image error]'], [0, '*Sigh* Rush Finlay was all sorts of perfect male.'], [0, "He's hot, popular, rich and an asshole."], [0, "Who wouldn't fall for him, right?"], [0, "Rush is the step-sister of Blaire (we'll get to her in a minute), a girl up until recently he had absolutely no desire to meet, let alone know."], [0, 'One night during one of his infamous house parties, she shows up needing somewhere to live, having lost everything in her life that she once knew.'], [0, 'Blaire is nothing like Rush could ever have expected, everything he wants, and everything he knows he will never be able to have.'], [0, 'How long will he be able to deny his feelings?'], [0, '"Blaire, I\'m not a romantic guy.'], [0, "I don't kiss and cuddle."], [0, "It's all about the sex for me."], [0, 'You deserve someone who kisses and cuddles.'], [0, 'Not me.'], [0, 'I just fuck, baby."'], [0, "Blaire Wynn has lost everything and everyone in her life she's ever known."], [0, "Having to move in with a father she hasn't seen in 5 years was never part of her life plan, but when does life ever go the way you want it to?"], [0, 'Never.'], [0, 'Blaire plans to stay at the house for as little a time as possible, get herself a job and an apartment and be gone.'], [0, "She doesn't need anybody, she learnt that a long time ago."], [0, "Turning up at her fathers house to learn he isn't there was just the icing on the cake."], [0, "Making her way through the house she is literally stopped in her tracks when she comes face to face with Rush.. she can't fall for him, she won't allow herself to."], [0, '"I\'m from Alabama.'], [0, 'I own boots, tight jeans and a gun."'], [0, 'Ha!'], [0, 'I just loved these characters, their interactions, their slow build up of relationship and even the way he was such an ass to her.'], [0, "I loved seeing them both fight their feelings and try to put it out of their mind, but of course it wasn't that easy."], [0, "I nearly cheered when they finally gave in to each other, but it's never going to be that easy is it?"], [0, "Because Rush is hiding a secret, a secret that has the potential to tear Blaire's heart in two."], [0, "Will he be able to tell her before it's too late, or will someone come along and ruin it all for him?"], [0, '[image error]'], [0, '"Everyone always says that love was enough.'], [0, "It wasn't."], [0, 'Not when your soul has been shattered."']] | 4 | false | 16070903 | e968ed1fd2426ce9ac1d796ae73d7ed8 | Well that sure was a pleasant surprise. I've had this on my tbr list for ages and just kept letting it stay there, up until recently. The past few weeks all I've heard in the book world is Rush this, and Rush that.. which made me thinking 'huh, who is this Rush?' Well, I sure as hell was about to find out! So, in answer to my 'who is Rush?' question, here he is.. [image error] *Sigh* Rush Finlay was all sorts of perfect male. He's hot, popular, rich and an asshole. Who wouldn't fall for him, right? Rush is the step-sister of Blaire (we'll get to her in a minute), a girl up until recently he had absolutely no desire to meet, let alone know. One night during one of his infamous house parties, she shows up needing somewhere to live, having lost everything in her life that she once knew. Blaire is nothing like Rush could ever have expected, everything he wants, and everything he knows he will never be able to have. How long will he be able to deny his feelings? "Blaire, I'm not a romantic guy. I don't kiss and cuddle. It's all about the sex for me. You deserve someone who kisses and cuddles. Not me. I just fuck, baby." Blaire Wynn has lost everything and everyone in her life she's ever known. Having to move in with a father she hasn't seen in 5 years was never part of her life plan, but when does life ever go the way you want it to? Never. Blaire plans to stay at the house for as little a time as possible, get herself a job and an apartment and be gone. She doesn't need anybody, she learnt that a long time ago. Turning up at her fathers house to learn he isn't there was just the icing on the cake. Making her way through the house she is literally stopped in her tracks when she comes face to face with Rush.. she can't fall for him, she won't allow herself to. "I'm from Alabama. I own boots, tight jeans and a gun." Ha! I just loved these characters, their interactions, their slow build up of relationship and even the way he was such an ass to her. I loved seeing them both fight their feelings and try to put it out of their mind, but of course it wasn't that easy. I nearly cheered when they finally gave in to each other, but it's never going to be that easy is it? Because Rush is hiding a secret, a secret that has the potential to tear Blaire's heart in two. Will he be able to tell her before it's too late, or will someone come along and ruin it all for him? [image error] "Everyone always says that love was enough. It wasn't. Not when your soul has been shattered." |
80dfb182687414f66219a89c41c056a9 | 2010-12-20 | [[0, "This was a library borrow so I didn't have time to finish it but what I did read was pretty good."], [0, 'There were some "testimonies" I skipped over because I was more interested in hearing about the zombies than the military operations but that\'s just me.'], [0, 'I found the testimonies of families and neighbors to be more interesting than those of the military observants.'], [0, "Again, that's just me."], [0, 'Will probably try to complete at a later date and time.'], [0, 'Maybe.']] | 3 | false | 8908 | e656c6ec6ed16908f622e19443481c9c | This was a library borrow so I didn't have time to finish it but what I did read was pretty good. There were some "testimonies" I skipped over because I was more interested in hearing about the zombies than the military operations but that's just me. I found the testimonies of families and neighbors to be more interesting than those of the military observants. Again, that's just me. Will probably try to complete at a later date and time. Maybe. |
888d87849118df8f8dd7d4d90b07aaa5 | 2014-07-25 | [[1, 'If only I hadn\'t watched the movie "Devil" before reading this book I would have never seen that ending coming.'], [1, 'Alas...']] | 4 | true | 16299 | daf6f30a48a60faefa2e6f60a4c400b7 | If only I hadn't watched the movie "Devil" before reading this book I would have never seen that ending coming. Alas... |
f3322f9286ec65f3ec9e7721258ad0e4 | 2013-11-16 | [[0, 'Let me just say the illustrations in this book is outstanding.'], [0, 'It gave so much to this story to be able to visualize that characters which I thought were fantastic'], [0, "Reading the synopsis of this book I wasn't sure what to expect but got such a great story and I loved the characters."], [0, 'The story follows a girl with no name who just so happens to not remember who she is or were she came from finding herself in a magical world she knows just isn\'t "normal".'], [0, "She meets a young girl about her age named Eloryn and they start out on an adventure that takes them down a road with lots of secrets and they find out something about themselves that they couldn't possibly imagine."], [0, 'The characters in this book are very well described and you do care about them.'], [0, 'At times I thought they were rather mean to each other and I think they all had self esteem issues but with such burdens on their shoulders I guess I can see why they would think they could fail (if they did or not I wont tell) I was actually quite fond of Memory I really liked her character she had a great sense of humor.'], [0, 'She seemed genuine having no memory of her life before she fell through the veil into the realm of Avall.'], [0, 'I really felt bad for her at times she was like an outcast and everyone else was a little nervous around her.'], [0, 'Eloryn was ok I thought she was rather indecisive and it took me a while to realize how much she cared about Memory.'], [0, 'I really liked her chemistry with Roen.'], [0, 'They seem rather good together if they would just admit then liked each other.'], [0, "Then there is Will, I am very fond of him, something about a shirtless man in fur kinda sounds really hot and the illustrations of him are rather nice to look at ;) King Thayl was the villain in this story is not a friendly person (that's because he was a villain) and is a great character I actually wanted more of him throughout the book."], [0, 'The over all story was great it was told in the 4 characters POV.'], [0, "I enjoyed reading from all the characters POV but at times it got a little confusing as to who's POV we were in."], [0, "I haven't read a story like this before so I have nothing to compare it with to give a hint of what it was like, it had a lot of twists and turns, just when I thought I figured it out, I realized I had no idea what was going on (in a good way) which made the story not very predictable."], [0, 'I did want a little more world build or layout description.'], [0, 'I felt that most of the questions were answered at least the most important stuff.'], [0, 'The end was great, so much action and so much info to the story is given it is really done very well.'], [0, "I really can't wait for the next one."], [0, "I gave Memory's Wake by Selina French 4 of 5 stars."], [0, 'I think this is a great Young Adult Fantasy for young and old.'], [0, 'A strong story with a cast of wonderful characters, you will simply fall in love with.'], [0, 'The illustrations in the book really bring a lot to the story and they are gorgeous!'], [0, 'My favorite is the last illustration in the book.'], [0, "I must have stared at it a dozen times, it's absolutely amazing."], [0, 'I strongly recommend this book, it is a great read and going to be a fantastic series!'], [0, 'More reviews at Because reading is better than real life']] | 4 | false | 12035671 | 45cfd31f57e32552162b1f050df13445 | Let me just say the illustrations in this book is outstanding. It gave so much to this story to be able to visualize that characters which I thought were fantastic Reading the synopsis of this book I wasn't sure what to expect but got such a great story and I loved the characters. The story follows a girl with no name who just so happens to not remember who she is or were she came from finding herself in a magical world she knows just isn't "normal". She meets a young girl about her age named Eloryn and they start out on an adventure that takes them down a road with lots of secrets and they find out something about themselves that they couldn't possibly imagine. The characters in this book are very well described and you do care about them. At times I thought they were rather mean to each other and I think they all had self esteem issues but with such burdens on their shoulders I guess I can see why they would think they could fail (if they did or not I wont tell) I was actually quite fond of Memory I really liked her character she had a great sense of humor. She seemed genuine having no memory of her life before she fell through the veil into the realm of Avall. I really felt bad for her at times she was like an outcast and everyone else was a little nervous around her. Eloryn was ok I thought she was rather indecisive and it took me a while to realize how much she cared about Memory. I really liked her chemistry with Roen. They seem rather good together if they would just admit then liked each other. Then there is Will, I am very fond of him, something about a shirtless man in fur kinda sounds really hot and the illustrations of him are rather nice to look at ;) King Thayl was the villain in this story is not a friendly person (that's because he was a villain) and is a great character I actually wanted more of him throughout the book. The over all story was great it was told in the 4 characters POV. I enjoyed reading from all the characters POV but at times it got a little confusing as to who's POV we were in. I haven't read a story like this before so I have nothing to compare it with to give a hint of what it was like, it had a lot of twists and turns, just when I thought I figured it out, I realized I had no idea what was going on (in a good way) which made the story not very predictable. I did want a little more world build or layout description. I felt that most of the questions were answered at least the most important stuff. The end was great, so much action and so much info to the story is given it is really done very well. I really can't wait for the next one. I gave Memory's Wake by Selina French 4 of 5 stars. I think this is a great Young Adult Fantasy for young and old. A strong story with a cast of wonderful characters, you will simply fall in love with. The illustrations in the book really bring a lot to the story and they are gorgeous! My favorite is the last illustration in the book. I must have stared at it a dozen times, it's absolutely amazing. I strongly recommend this book, it is a great read and going to be a fantastic series! More reviews at Because reading is better than real life |
335a0e12ed4ca2539baf96dce55148b9 | 2013-12-15 | [[0, 'Meh.'], [0, 'I like the idea of this book much more than I enjoyed reading it.'], [0, 'The Circle is a modern take on a 1984-type dystopia fed by our lust for information (even when some things should not be known) and propensity for over-sharing, fueled by emerging technologies.'], [0, 'Through satire, Eggers illustrates the silliness, sometimes insanity, of our social media obsessions.'], [0, 'I love a good speculative fiction, but some of the story is too exaggerated for my taste.'], [0, 'In the end, his message - a warning, if you will - is (maybe inelegantly) blatant.']] | 3 | false | 18302455 | 76e7fd0b20e2141379a1620e3575fa6b | Meh. I like the idea of this book much more than I enjoyed reading it. The Circle is a modern take on a 1984-type dystopia fed by our lust for information (even when some things should not be known) and propensity for over-sharing, fueled by emerging technologies. Through satire, Eggers illustrates the silliness, sometimes insanity, of our social media obsessions. I love a good speculative fiction, but some of the story is too exaggerated for my taste. In the end, his message - a warning, if you will - is (maybe inelegantly) blatant. |
5575b4134bfb19926726616daf53bb19 | 2014-10-31 | [[0, 'I have one thing to say about this book:'], [1, 'ACCIDENTAL BACCHANAL MURDER.'], [0, 'Ugh.']] | 2 | true | 29044 | c36afb1618e2ec0a966855099d712970 | I have one thing to say about this book: ACCIDENTAL BACCHANAL MURDER. Ugh. |
dad0d3c7a8100bfb0b74c5d1d195ef6d | 2016-06-26 | [[0, '*brb.'], [0, 'Ugly crying*'], [0, "After escaping from the Republic's stronghold of Los Angeles, June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place."], [0, 'With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the pair joins a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and who offer them passage to the Colonies.'], [0, 'The Patriots have only one request--June and day must assassinate the new Elector.'], [0, "It's the chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long."], [0, "But as June realizes this elector is nothing like his father, she's haunted by the choice ahead."], [0, 'What if Anden is a new beginning?'], [0, 'What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood?'], [0, 'What if the Patriots are wrong?'], [0, '4.5 stars!'], [0, 'DAY!!!!'], [0, 'JUNE!!!'], [0, 'AHHHH!!'], [0, 'This book was an intense installment!'], [0, 'But, it will make you feel all the feels!'], [0, '*Just a quick warning.'], [0, 'It truly does pull at all your heart strings*'], [0, 'Anyway, this book was, as I mentioned, intense.'], [0, 'June and Day, who had been getting so close (and becoming a totally shippable OTP for this book.'], [0, 'Seriously, Day and June everyone!'], [0, 'Get with the program!)'], [0, 'end up in the arms of the Patriots who agree to help only if June and Day go along with their plan.'], [0, 'They both agree and then are separated (NO!!!!'], [0, 'Now, seeing my little speech/spiel up there, you might ask, why only 4.5 stars?'], [0, "Well, to be honest, it's because of Day."], [0, "Don't get me wrong, I love his character and I think he's an awesome hero, but this book, I felt like he was a little bit of an ass."], [1, 'He got so mad at June when she was trying to explain her way of thinking in saving Anden and deviating from the plan.'], [0, 'Although, I can sort of understand his thinking--why would he have reason to doubt Razor and the Patriots?'], [1, "But then again, didn't he think it was weird that there were times when everything June and Anden did had audio/visual, but at certain points (usually times when Anden was talking with June about something that would poke holes in Razor's orders) there was visual but no audio?"], [0, 'I mean, he asked her, and then he gets mad because how could her thoughts change and how could she be right?'], [0, 'That was a frustration.'], [0, 'Plus, the whole storyline with Tess felt a little...unneeded.'], [0, 'In the last book, they were fine because they were just friends.'], [0, 'But when she showed up here, it was clear that she was harboring feelings for Day.'], [0, "And then she's getting jealous of June just because June was a former member of the Republic's forces (and also Baxter but still...) So yeah, I was frustrated with Day this time which dropped my rating just a little bit."], [0, 'But that ending!!'], [0, 'WHY?'], [0, 'AHHH!!!'], [0, 'Must read Champion ASAP!']] | 5 | true | 13414446 | 44ee54dbe45141b21b0a4e3c628455bd | *brb. Ugly crying* After escaping from the Republic's stronghold of Los Angeles, June and Day arrive in Vegas just as the unthinkable happens: the Elector Primo dies, and his son Anden takes his place. With the Republic edging closer to chaos, the pair joins a group of Patriot rebels eager to help Day rescue his brother and who offer them passage to the Colonies. The Patriots have only one request--June and day must assassinate the new Elector. It's the chance to change the nation, to give voice to a people silenced for too long. But as June realizes this elector is nothing like his father, she's haunted by the choice ahead. What if Anden is a new beginning? What if revolution must be more than loss and vengeance, anger and blood? What if the Patriots are wrong? 4.5 stars! DAY!!!! JUNE!!! AHHHH!! This book was an intense installment! But, it will make you feel all the feels! *Just a quick warning. It truly does pull at all your heart strings* Anyway, this book was, as I mentioned, intense. June and Day, who had been getting so close (and becoming a totally shippable OTP for this book. Seriously, Day and June everyone! Get with the program!) end up in the arms of the Patriots who agree to help only if June and Day go along with their plan. They both agree and then are separated (NO!!!! Now, seeing my little speech/spiel up there, you might ask, why only 4.5 stars? Well, to be honest, it's because of Day. Don't get me wrong, I love his character and I think he's an awesome hero, but this book, I felt like he was a little bit of an ass. He got so mad at June when she was trying to explain her way of thinking in saving Anden and deviating from the plan. Although, I can sort of understand his thinking--why would he have reason to doubt Razor and the Patriots? But then again, didn't he think it was weird that there were times when everything June and Anden did had audio/visual, but at certain points (usually times when Anden was talking with June about something that would poke holes in Razor's orders) there was visual but no audio? I mean, he asked her, and then he gets mad because how could her thoughts change and how could she be right? That was a frustration. Plus, the whole storyline with Tess felt a little...unneeded. In the last book, they were fine because they were just friends. But when she showed up here, it was clear that she was harboring feelings for Day. And then she's getting jealous of June just because June was a former member of the Republic's forces (and also Baxter but still...) So yeah, I was frustrated with Day this time which dropped my rating just a little bit. But that ending!! WHY? AHHH!!! Must read Champion ASAP! |
060eaeef3b7c78950842152786b7c62b | 2015-11-12 | [[0, 'I was attracted to The Body Electric because altered memories is one of my favorite tropes.'], [0, 'One of my longest running (and favorite) WIPs is about a future society with ever increasing mind control and a protagonist with hidden memories.'], [0, 'This book was sort of homework for me in a way, because I really wanted to see how the lost memories were handled.'], [0, 'It was also my first Beth Revis story, though I know she is pretty well known in the YA world for her Across the Universe series.'], [0, 'There was so much to enjoy in The Body Electric.'], [0, 'Right off the bat, we are introduced to a unique setting: a rebuilt Malta.'], [0, "I loved that the book didn't take place in a dystopic North America, and that Revis put a lot of thought into her universe."], [0, 'The integrated technologies were just that -- nothing stood out starkly against the story or felt hokey.'], [0, "Even the disease that Ella's mother suffered from felt absolutely real and a terrifying result of biohacking!"], [0, 'I have to say that the world was the part I enjoyed most about the story -- I could absolutely picture everything happening around Ella.'], [0, 'I was a little unsure about the reverie machines at first though.'], [0, "That aspect was a bit confusing to me, in how they really worked and why Ella could go inside another person's reverie."], [0, 'However, the scenes depicted inside the memories reminded me of Inception in an absolutely fabulous way.'], [0, "I was very impressed by how it was handled, and we could see parts of people's memories crumbling away as Ella played in their minds."], [0, 'I loved it!'], [0, 'The main drive of this book occurs after Ella meets Jack Tyler, a young man who claims she knew him well that Ella has no memory of.'], [0, "After this point, the story moves super fast, and there's chase scenes, terrorist attacks and some intense hiding out."], [0, 'It was paced as well as any action movie, and though it felt a little predictable, I still enjoyed the ride.'], [0, 'If I could extend one critique though, it would be the lukewarm romance.'], [0, 'Jack Tyler felt like a pretty flat character.'], [0, "I couldn't really tell you much about him now, other than he's smart and fills Ella in on a lot of exposition."], [0, "That's another risk you run with memory loss stories, and he did feel like the platform to which provide Ella answers."], [0, "And, I can't help but be annoyed by his name."], [0, "Jack Tyler reminds me of Rose Tyler and she's not on the top of my favorite companions list."], [0, "In regards to that, Jack's name was no accident."], [0, "I read Revis's note at the end of the novel, and she pointed out a lot of the Easter eggs in her story."], [0, 'I thought this was pretty cool, and while some of them flew right over my head, it is fun to find them.'], [0, "If you've read a lot of classic Sci-Fi, I am confident you'll pick up on a lot!"], [0, 'Overall, this was a really excellent Sci-Fi YA read!'], [0, 'The book was pretty hard to put down, and our main character Ella has a lot of drive and great qualities that make you root for her.'], [0, 'There was a certain amount of predictability, but also some surprises that will impress.']] | 4 | false | 22642971 | da60618ae4a99d0360c8a17f8f2c3954 | I was attracted to The Body Electric because altered memories is one of my favorite tropes. One of my longest running (and favorite) WIPs is about a future society with ever increasing mind control and a protagonist with hidden memories. This book was sort of homework for me in a way, because I really wanted to see how the lost memories were handled. It was also my first Beth Revis story, though I know she is pretty well known in the YA world for her Across the Universe series. There was so much to enjoy in The Body Electric. Right off the bat, we are introduced to a unique setting: a rebuilt Malta. I loved that the book didn't take place in a dystopic North America, and that Revis put a lot of thought into her universe. The integrated technologies were just that -- nothing stood out starkly against the story or felt hokey. Even the disease that Ella's mother suffered from felt absolutely real and a terrifying result of biohacking! I have to say that the world was the part I enjoyed most about the story -- I could absolutely picture everything happening around Ella. I was a little unsure about the reverie machines at first though. That aspect was a bit confusing to me, in how they really worked and why Ella could go inside another person's reverie. However, the scenes depicted inside the memories reminded me of Inception in an absolutely fabulous way. I was very impressed by how it was handled, and we could see parts of people's memories crumbling away as Ella played in their minds. I loved it! The main drive of this book occurs after Ella meets Jack Tyler, a young man who claims she knew him well that Ella has no memory of. After this point, the story moves super fast, and there's chase scenes, terrorist attacks and some intense hiding out. It was paced as well as any action movie, and though it felt a little predictable, I still enjoyed the ride. If I could extend one critique though, it would be the lukewarm romance. Jack Tyler felt like a pretty flat character. I couldn't really tell you much about him now, other than he's smart and fills Ella in on a lot of exposition. That's another risk you run with memory loss stories, and he did feel like the platform to which provide Ella answers. And, I can't help but be annoyed by his name. Jack Tyler reminds me of Rose Tyler and she's not on the top of my favorite companions list. In regards to that, Jack's name was no accident. I read Revis's note at the end of the novel, and she pointed out a lot of the Easter eggs in her story. I thought this was pretty cool, and while some of them flew right over my head, it is fun to find them. If you've read a lot of classic Sci-Fi, I am confident you'll pick up on a lot! Overall, this was a really excellent Sci-Fi YA read! The book was pretty hard to put down, and our main character Ella has a lot of drive and great qualities that make you root for her. There was a certain amount of predictability, but also some surprises that will impress. |
96137289a1b064eba0bbc7bdbfab703d | 2013-06-12 | [[0, "I picked up and finished reading this book a couple of days ago and already I'm starting to forget things about it."], [0, 'Like, say, the name of the MC and her "one true love".'], [0, "I've got one (two, really) word for you: insta-love!"], [0, 'And, when I say insta-love, I really mean super-duper-uber insta-love.'], [0, "The kind where they've known each other for a week and already talking about love."], [0, "No, wait..the kind where they've known each other for 3-4 days and already he's telling her of his horrible, heartbreaking nightmares in which he loses her forever."], [0, 'GASP!'], [0, "Didn't think I was going to finish it, initially."], [0, 'I actually shelved it as DNF only to go back and finish it.'], [0, "Don't ask me why, though."], [0, "Also, don't get me wrong."], [0, "It's not a bad book, per se."], [0, 'The premise is somewhat original and interesting, the reason I decided to read it in the first place.'], [0, "If you can get past the insipid romance, it's fairly decent book."], [0, 'And frustrating.'], [0, 'Very, very frustrating.'], [0, "The MC is a semi-immortal descendant of Greek gods who's lived for 80 something years... and she has the chronological, emotional and intellectual maturity of a bent spoon."], [0, "Moreover, it's filled with silly mistakes and TSTL moments and nonsensical choices that are only there with the sole purpose of moving the plot forward."], [0, 'Oh well.']] | 2 | false | 13284052 | e5131405a6fb1b94e44b97a18071497a | I picked up and finished reading this book a couple of days ago and already I'm starting to forget things about it. Like, say, the name of the MC and her "one true love". I've got one (two, really) word for you: insta-love! And, when I say insta-love, I really mean super-duper-uber insta-love. The kind where they've known each other for a week and already talking about love. No, wait..the kind where they've known each other for 3-4 days and already he's telling her of his horrible, heartbreaking nightmares in which he loses her forever. GASP! Didn't think I was going to finish it, initially. I actually shelved it as DNF only to go back and finish it. Don't ask me why, though. Also, don't get me wrong. It's not a bad book, per se. The premise is somewhat original and interesting, the reason I decided to read it in the first place. If you can get past the insipid romance, it's fairly decent book. And frustrating. Very, very frustrating. The MC is a semi-immortal descendant of Greek gods who's lived for 80 something years... and she has the chronological, emotional and intellectual maturity of a bent spoon. Moreover, it's filled with silly mistakes and TSTL moments and nonsensical choices that are only there with the sole purpose of moving the plot forward. Oh well. |
0ce8f21524e7485990d0b1851c863fe0 | 2013-07-21 | [[0, "This may be a rather snobbish review, as I'm a World War II historian."], [0, 'I was excited to read this book, as it had gotten a lot of good buzz.'], [0, 'I was quite disappointed.'], [0, "Here's why:"], [0, 'Methodology.'], [0, 'My biggest problem.'], [0, "Larson uses both memoirs and diaries a lot, but he usually doesn't make clear whether he's quoting from someone's diary or memoir, often written long after the fact."], [0, "For example, he quotes Hans Giseveius's memoir a lot--which was written in 1947."], [0, "It's hard for me to believe that Giseveius would perfectly remember Hitler's outfits on specific days, as Larson quotes Giseveius as writing."], [0, 'At the very least, Larson needed to include an explanation of the problems of using memoirs written more than a decade later, or he should have used memoirs more sparsely and relied more on diaries.'], [0, 'Foreshadowing.'], [0, 'Larson likes to melodramatically foreshadow what would happen.'], [0, "That's not necessary, and he overdramatizes what actually ends up happening."], [0, "The book is already suspenseful; no need for the author's voice to add melodrama."], [0, "The characters' transformation is not done well."], [1, 'I finished the book being very confused as to whether Martha had been a USSR spy or not.'], [1, 'Larson did not explain the relationship between Martha and Boris well.'], [0, 'Which brings me to...'], [0, 'Overreliance on quotes.'], [0, 'There are sooooo many quotes in this book.'], [0, 'In some cases, Larson should have cut back on direct quotes and analyzed or paraphrased more.'], [0, "Some quotes are great and add to the book, but in some cases, as with Martha and Boris's relationship, I would have liked more analysis than quoting letters that just left me confused."], [0, "I did finish the book, and I stayed interested in the characters' fates."], [0, 'But I had expected better from a book that had gotten so much public acclaim.'], [0, 'Instead of this book, I would recommend William Shirer\'s "Berlin Diary," which was written while Shirer was in Berlin was 1934-1941 and is a much more interesting and well done view into the life of an American in Berlin during this period.']] | 2 | true | 9938498 | 25ffe965b85c8603a4814aaf2c6383c6 | This may be a rather snobbish review, as I'm a World War II historian. I was excited to read this book, as it had gotten a lot of good buzz. I was quite disappointed. Here's why: Methodology. My biggest problem. Larson uses both memoirs and diaries a lot, but he usually doesn't make clear whether he's quoting from someone's diary or memoir, often written long after the fact. For example, he quotes Hans Giseveius's memoir a lot--which was written in 1947. It's hard for me to believe that Giseveius would perfectly remember Hitler's outfits on specific days, as Larson quotes Giseveius as writing. At the very least, Larson needed to include an explanation of the problems of using memoirs written more than a decade later, or he should have used memoirs more sparsely and relied more on diaries. Foreshadowing. Larson likes to melodramatically foreshadow what would happen. That's not necessary, and he overdramatizes what actually ends up happening. The book is already suspenseful; no need for the author's voice to add melodrama. The characters' transformation is not done well. I finished the book being very confused as to whether Martha had been a USSR spy or not. Larson did not explain the relationship between Martha and Boris well. Which brings me to... Overreliance on quotes. There are sooooo many quotes in this book. In some cases, Larson should have cut back on direct quotes and analyzed or paraphrased more. Some quotes are great and add to the book, but in some cases, as with Martha and Boris's relationship, I would have liked more analysis than quoting letters that just left me confused. I did finish the book, and I stayed interested in the characters' fates. But I had expected better from a book that had gotten so much public acclaim. Instead of this book, I would recommend William Shirer's "Berlin Diary," which was written while Shirer was in Berlin was 1934-1941 and is a much more interesting and well done view into the life of an American in Berlin during this period. |
f8d7530c4a07b7866e88902e22822da7 | 2014-12-18 | [[0, "This wasn't bad, per se, but not quite my cup of tea."], [0, 'Started out very slow, picked up around the middle, but then rushed the ending.']] | 2 | false | 50398 | ebed05e683c04c239475708d3c3d70b4 | This wasn't bad, per se, but not quite my cup of tea. Started out very slow, picked up around the middle, but then rushed the ending. |
efad5154493244763c0850ca7672dc0a | 2012-12-25 | [[0, 'Just beautiful.'], [0, 'This book was exactly what a fantasy book should be.'], [0, 'There is nothing more I can say.']] | 5 | false | 8490112 | 6f35433a30bfb09c725fcc539c0ce682 | Just beautiful. This book was exactly what a fantasy book should be. There is nothing more I can say. |
5e2b66699819825a5779ebd11a374bba | 2012-02-20 | [[0, 'Brenna Shane Kincaid was abducted by a psionicly powerful psychopath.'], [0, 'She was damaged both inside and out, the physical damage is taking less time to heal than the psychological damage.'], [0, "Judd Lauren is another damaged soul, he's been told that losing control could kill other people, and it did, once accidentally."], [0, 'He has killed again and he really tries not to feel, there are feedback loops set up in his mind that will kill him if he becomes too emotional.'], [0, 'He has being helping Brenna heal and he is starting to care for her, too much.'], [0, "There's someone who is trying to kill them, someone who appears to be inside their very sanctuary."], [0, 'There are also complicated plots to try to get the shifters infighting and someone has plans with impants and the psy.'], [0, "I liked the relationship between Brenna and Judd, they accepted that things weren't going to be easy, they had moments of terror and Brenna's trauma wasn't just dismissed easily, and you know at the end that there will still be aftermath."], [0, "It wasn't an easy romance, but it was interesting."]] | 4 | false | 458034 | 27b39e328d893fa6e383bb50b33e6e82 | Brenna Shane Kincaid was abducted by a psionicly powerful psychopath. She was damaged both inside and out, the physical damage is taking less time to heal than the psychological damage. Judd Lauren is another damaged soul, he's been told that losing control could kill other people, and it did, once accidentally. He has killed again and he really tries not to feel, there are feedback loops set up in his mind that will kill him if he becomes too emotional. He has being helping Brenna heal and he is starting to care for her, too much. There's someone who is trying to kill them, someone who appears to be inside their very sanctuary. There are also complicated plots to try to get the shifters infighting and someone has plans with impants and the psy. I liked the relationship between Brenna and Judd, they accepted that things weren't going to be easy, they had moments of terror and Brenna's trauma wasn't just dismissed easily, and you know at the end that there will still be aftermath. It wasn't an easy romance, but it was interesting. |
23ce4650499cf70c9bdad56fcf52762b | 2014-03-27 | [[0, 'Where to begin?'], [0, 'I feel like I am demoralizing it, just by writing this review.'], [0, 'For me, Harry Potter is the best thing to come out of fiction - no literature since time began.'], [0, 'No Exaggeration!'], [0, 'J.K.'], [0, 'Rowling managed to weave an intricate picture of beauty, of magic and friendship, and love all while delivering the message.'], [0, 'Good always prevails over evil.'], [0, 'This series shaped my whole childhood.'], [0, "From the very first page, I was sucked into Harry's world."], [0, 'Where I went to Hogwarts and had holiday feasts in the Great Hall.'], [0, 'I played Quidditch next to Harry and looked at my deepest desires in the Mirror of Erised.'], [0, "I beat giant magic chessmen, flying keys, murderous plants and possibly poisoned potions to stop an evil, possessed teacher from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone."], [0, 'And as each book release loomed ever closer.'], [0, 'I stayed awake at night, buzzing with further excitement when the moment came.'], [0, 'My brother would step in the door, he would smile at me and hand the book to me.'], [0, "I'd take it in my hands, hold it fervently, feeling the softness, the beauty that is Harry Potter."], [0, "ANd then I'd stay awake long into the night, being transported to Harry's amazing world once more."], [0, 'J.K Rowling has done something many authors fail to do.'], [0, 'She has made me care deeply for each and every one of her characters.'], [0, 'She made me hate Umbridge more than Voldemort, and she made me cry for Snape, when his true self was revealed.'], [0, 'The true self that we should have known all along.'], [0, 'She managed to make me care deeply for the animals.'], [0, 'All the magical creatures that she weaved into the pages.'], [0, 'The goblins, the house elves.'], [1, 'I cried for days when Dobby died.'], [0, "I just don't know how to put into words how much this series means to me."], [0, 'It shaped my whole childhood, my whole life.'], [0, 'And it made me a better person.'], [0, "Harry Potter inspired me that it's okay to be different."], [0, 'It taught me the true value of friendship and family in times of strife and grief.'], [0, "It taught me that there's no good and evil."], [0, 'And that everyone has reasons for being where they are.'], [0, 'It also inspired me to write myself.'], [0, 'To think that maybe I could do this.'], [0, 'I could write a world such as the beauty is as Harry Potter.'], [0, "And though no book could ever compare, I will always have that thought, that desire to succeedHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."], [0, 'to not give in and to chase my dreams.'], [0, 'I literally have nothing bad to say about this series.'], [0, 'It is and always will be the best classic to come out of the twentieth and twenty first century.'], [0, "And I know for centuries to come, children will be gathering around the books, excited to follow Harry's story."]] | 5 | true | 3 | 23cf6dc7356ba8e11f1ab4487fab45f8 | Where to begin? I feel like I am demoralizing it, just by writing this review. For me, Harry Potter is the best thing to come out of fiction - no literature since time began. No Exaggeration! J.K. Rowling managed to weave an intricate picture of beauty, of magic and friendship, and love all while delivering the message. Good always prevails over evil. This series shaped my whole childhood. From the very first page, I was sucked into Harry's world. Where I went to Hogwarts and had holiday feasts in the Great Hall. I played Quidditch next to Harry and looked at my deepest desires in the Mirror of Erised. I beat giant magic chessmen, flying keys, murderous plants and possibly poisoned potions to stop an evil, possessed teacher from obtaining the Philosopher's Stone. And as each book release loomed ever closer. I stayed awake at night, buzzing with further excitement when the moment came. My brother would step in the door, he would smile at me and hand the book to me. I'd take it in my hands, hold it fervently, feeling the softness, the beauty that is Harry Potter. ANd then I'd stay awake long into the night, being transported to Harry's amazing world once more. J.K Rowling has done something many authors fail to do. She has made me care deeply for each and every one of her characters. She made me hate Umbridge more than Voldemort, and she made me cry for Snape, when his true self was revealed. The true self that we should have known all along. She managed to make me care deeply for the animals. All the magical creatures that she weaved into the pages. The goblins, the house elves. I cried for days when Dobby died. I just don't know how to put into words how much this series means to me. It shaped my whole childhood, my whole life. And it made me a better person. Harry Potter inspired me that it's okay to be different. It taught me the true value of friendship and family in times of strife and grief. It taught me that there's no good and evil. And that everyone has reasons for being where they are. It also inspired me to write myself. To think that maybe I could do this. I could write a world such as the beauty is as Harry Potter. And though no book could ever compare, I will always have that thought, that desire to succeedHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. to not give in and to chase my dreams. I literally have nothing bad to say about this series. It is and always will be the best classic to come out of the twentieth and twenty first century. And I know for centuries to come, children will be gathering around the books, excited to follow Harry's story. |
c0540c0175f9dcc2bf9d7f8a5e383c6b | 2016-06-23 | [[0, 'I debated between 1 or 2 stars for this book but eventually it ended up with the former for one simple reason: This book has no antagonist.'], [0, 'In fact, for all the Twilight book 1 parallels (and there are a LOT) the biggest parallel for the 3rd act is book 4.'], [1, 'Our climactic action is... a peaceful negotiation.'], [1, "Sadly, there aren't even the stakes of Twilight where if negotiation failed everyone would die."], [1, "Sure, there's a chance that negotiation failing will further up the road cause a war to go badly but there's no guarantee that the war will go any better the other way."], [0, 'I was actually shocked when I reached the end of the book because nothing had happened.'], [0, "So lack of climax aside, let's get out the official Twilight cliche checklist:"], [0, 'Blank slate main character with no discernible hobbies or personality (henceforth Mary Sue)'], [0, "Mary Sue's parents are in some way missing in action and not a part of her life"], [0, 'Mary Sue has just moved to a new town where she instantly makes friends'], [0, 'Our love interest (LI) at first is aggressive and cold towards her before suddenly pulling a 180 and wanting to start over friendly'], [0, "Mary Sue begins to get hints of LI's paranormalcy before he tells her (and is way too accepting of paranormalcy)"], [0, 'Life begins at man.'], [0, '"True, it hadn\'t been much of a life before Ull came into it."'], [0, 'Die young, live forever "And my mortality... was I really ready to end my life at eighteen?"'], [1, 'LI\'s inner circle of specials is all accepting of Mary Sue except for one (I guess that makes Thor into Rosalie in this case) Bonus points if they remark that LI has been "alone too long"'], [0, 'Mary Sue attempts sexual advances to be shut down by chivalrous LI who follows Christian wait-til-marriage ideology despite never being shown as religious'], [0, "There has been no one before Mary Sue and LI can't even imagine feelings for anyone else ever"], [1, 'Mary Sue wants to join LI in his paranormalcy but he is resistant against it for her sake and tension arises; other paranormals help her achieve paranormal status'], [0, 'LI is extremely wealthy'], [0, 'Mary Sue is extremely self-depreciating and self-conscious especially around other paranormals'], [0, 'So that pretty solidly wraps it up as a complete Twilight clone.'], [0, "This book got a lower rating though because it's also worse than Twilight."], [0, 'For example, our couple is engaged for marriage within a semester of knowing one another.'], [0, 'The writing is lower quality and the amount of on-the-nose coincidences is just silly.'], [0, 'For example, Mary Sue and LI meet in a class on Mythology that just haaaaaappens to be spending the first quarter focused on Norse mythology.'], [0, 'I also like that the course schedule is Norse Mythology, Roman mythology, and "Eastern mythology" as if the entire mythology of the eastern hemisphere is equivalent to Roman or Norse in content.'], [0, "The story is set in Wales of all places and there just haaaaappens to be a Norse Seaman's church 2 blocks from their apartments."], [0, 'Because why not.'], [0, "Mary Sue's grandmother raised her, a white girl in Oregon, on stories of Norse mythology and taught her basics of the language."], [0, "I could keep going but I don't want to expend more effort than the author did."], [0, 'The biggest thing that bothered me personally was how Mary Sue just accepts that Norse Gods exist with no questions asked.'], [0, "Excuse me, if I found out the Norse pantheon was strolling about I'd have some big questions about what that means for other world mythology and religion."], [0, 'Also what defines a "god"?'], [0, "We know they're fast and powerful but that's about it so far."], [0, 'Questions, Mary Sue!'], [0, 'Use that inquisitive mind!'], [0, 'So yeah, this book is a dud, probably even if you like Twilight.'], [0, "I mean I guess you can imagine the Marvel Thor characters into the rolls and giggle about how sexy that Thor is but that's about it."], [0, 'I demand more Loki.'], [0, 'Loki doing indecent things with goats.'], [0, 'I know the series is over but retroactively add it Bende!']] | 1 | true | 21874581 | bc09b04cef5032bf5481b2fdb62cbd57 | I debated between 1 or 2 stars for this book but eventually it ended up with the former for one simple reason: This book has no antagonist. In fact, for all the Twilight book 1 parallels (and there are a LOT) the biggest parallel for the 3rd act is book 4. Our climactic action is... a peaceful negotiation. Sadly, there aren't even the stakes of Twilight where if negotiation failed everyone would die. Sure, there's a chance that negotiation failing will further up the road cause a war to go badly but there's no guarantee that the war will go any better the other way. I was actually shocked when I reached the end of the book because nothing had happened. So lack of climax aside, let's get out the official Twilight cliche checklist: Blank slate main character with no discernible hobbies or personality (henceforth Mary Sue) Mary Sue's parents are in some way missing in action and not a part of her life Mary Sue has just moved to a new town where she instantly makes friends Our love interest (LI) at first is aggressive and cold towards her before suddenly pulling a 180 and wanting to start over friendly Mary Sue begins to get hints of LI's paranormalcy before he tells her (and is way too accepting of paranormalcy) Life begins at man. "True, it hadn't been much of a life before Ull came into it." Die young, live forever "And my mortality... was I really ready to end my life at eighteen?" LI's inner circle of specials is all accepting of Mary Sue except for one (I guess that makes Thor into Rosalie in this case) Bonus points if they remark that LI has been "alone too long" Mary Sue attempts sexual advances to be shut down by chivalrous LI who follows Christian wait-til-marriage ideology despite never being shown as religious There has been no one before Mary Sue and LI can't even imagine feelings for anyone else ever Mary Sue wants to join LI in his paranormalcy but he is resistant against it for her sake and tension arises; other paranormals help her achieve paranormal status LI is extremely wealthy Mary Sue is extremely self-depreciating and self-conscious especially around other paranormals So that pretty solidly wraps it up as a complete Twilight clone. This book got a lower rating though because it's also worse than Twilight. For example, our couple is engaged for marriage within a semester of knowing one another. The writing is lower quality and the amount of on-the-nose coincidences is just silly. For example, Mary Sue and LI meet in a class on Mythology that just haaaaaappens to be spending the first quarter focused on Norse mythology. I also like that the course schedule is Norse Mythology, Roman mythology, and "Eastern mythology" as if the entire mythology of the eastern hemisphere is equivalent to Roman or Norse in content. The story is set in Wales of all places and there just haaaaappens to be a Norse Seaman's church 2 blocks from their apartments. Because why not. Mary Sue's grandmother raised her, a white girl in Oregon, on stories of Norse mythology and taught her basics of the language. I could keep going but I don't want to expend more effort than the author did. The biggest thing that bothered me personally was how Mary Sue just accepts that Norse Gods exist with no questions asked. Excuse me, if I found out the Norse pantheon was strolling about I'd have some big questions about what that means for other world mythology and religion. Also what defines a "god"? We know they're fast and powerful but that's about it so far. Questions, Mary Sue! Use that inquisitive mind! So yeah, this book is a dud, probably even if you like Twilight. I mean I guess you can imagine the Marvel Thor characters into the rolls and giggle about how sexy that Thor is but that's about it. I demand more Loki. Loki doing indecent things with goats. I know the series is over but retroactively add it Bende! |
56681fd045b91f9c0f04ce7940354356 | 2014-10-22 | [[0, 'Refreshingly cute to read.'], [0, 'I could see the signs of this being a Romeo and Juliet story in reverse.'], [0, "The love-hate relationship was excellent and while a big change was expected of the relationship between our two leads, it didn't feel forced at all."], [0, 'The gradual lead up to it was perfect.'], [0, 'Enough tension and thought was there for me to feel content with how things moved along.'], [0, 'Jemma and Ryder have hated each other since they were young.'], [0, 'She has always been very outspoken about her dislike for Ryder.'], [0, "However, with Ryder, I didn't feel any hate from him."], [0, 'If anything, I felt his hesitance everytime he approached Jemma.'], [0, 'They used to be great friends when they were kids but for some reason unknown to Ryder, Jemma began hating him.'], [0, 'I really appreciate Cook for not leaving us hanging for too long.'], [0, 'Fairly soon we discover why they had a fall out.'], [1, 'Ryder said some untrue things about Jemma to his friends and as fate would have it, she overheard.'], [0, "It's a very common mistake and Ryder does end up making it up to her so I was happy with the way that worked out."], [0, 'The characters in this book really stood out for me.'], [0, "Some of the events that occurred in the book were a little heavy but I thought each character's reaction to said events were very appropriate."], [1, "Jemma's annoyance at her mom trying to play matchmaker, her anxiety over her sister's cancer, her lack of devastation to Patrick's death and her guilt over kissing Ryder before she broke it off with Patrick were all understandable."], [0, 'Ryder was even easier to read with the way he acted.'], [0, "I especially loved how the two of them didn't let other people dictate their lives."], [0, 'They knew what they wanted and they fought for it.'], [0, "They're good together!"], [1, 'Not a big issue but the coincidence of Jemma and Ryder both heading to New York City for school felt a little too convenient to me.'], [0, "I also easily figured out why he didn't say anything to her before she found out and confronted him."], [0, 'On a side note, I really loved the excuse her friends came up with to cover for her when she snuck out to see him.'], [0, 'So adorable to see your friends have your back ;)'], [0, 'With love-hate relationships in stories, I definitely enjoy the wait for the animosity between the leads to turn into something more.'], [0, 'Magnolia is a contemporary romance done well in that way.'], [0, "I savoured every moment and all the feels that came with Jemma and Ryder's story."]] | 4 | true | 16059149 | 51a69df926dd23ebdb7da8bdc46aee66 | Refreshingly cute to read. I could see the signs of this being a Romeo and Juliet story in reverse. The love-hate relationship was excellent and while a big change was expected of the relationship between our two leads, it didn't feel forced at all. The gradual lead up to it was perfect. Enough tension and thought was there for me to feel content with how things moved along. Jemma and Ryder have hated each other since they were young. She has always been very outspoken about her dislike for Ryder. However, with Ryder, I didn't feel any hate from him. If anything, I felt his hesitance everytime he approached Jemma. They used to be great friends when they were kids but for some reason unknown to Ryder, Jemma began hating him. I really appreciate Cook for not leaving us hanging for too long. Fairly soon we discover why they had a fall out. Ryder said some untrue things about Jemma to his friends and as fate would have it, she overheard. It's a very common mistake and Ryder does end up making it up to her so I was happy with the way that worked out. The characters in this book really stood out for me. Some of the events that occurred in the book were a little heavy but I thought each character's reaction to said events were very appropriate. Jemma's annoyance at her mom trying to play matchmaker, her anxiety over her sister's cancer, her lack of devastation to Patrick's death and her guilt over kissing Ryder before she broke it off with Patrick were all understandable. Ryder was even easier to read with the way he acted. I especially loved how the two of them didn't let other people dictate their lives. They knew what they wanted and they fought for it. They're good together! Not a big issue but the coincidence of Jemma and Ryder both heading to New York City for school felt a little too convenient to me. I also easily figured out why he didn't say anything to her before she found out and confronted him. On a side note, I really loved the excuse her friends came up with to cover for her when she snuck out to see him. So adorable to see your friends have your back ;) With love-hate relationships in stories, I definitely enjoy the wait for the animosity between the leads to turn into something more. Magnolia is a contemporary romance done well in that way. I savoured every moment and all the feels that came with Jemma and Ryder's story. |
0e96652b15f1e5e0fa6399b0e64c263d | 2015-04-07 | [[0, 'When I read this series, I loved it but people thought otherwise.'], [0, "I'm afraid to reread because there's a high chance that I'll now regret ever loving the two books."], [0, 'Still looking forward to book three though.']] | 2 | false | 16248068 | f55cd8bd9de61c6e6dfdc92b2a48a489 | When I read this series, I loved it but people thought otherwise. I'm afraid to reread because there's a high chance that I'll now regret ever loving the two books. Still looking forward to book three though. |
7e7df90b3eb0e7eabe010f4ecd429418 | 2016-07-25 | [[0, 'I do have to admit that I was a little late jumping on the "Royals" bandwagon.'], [0, 'I remember as I was reading through the first book, I had to stop and ask Angie ^^ "Why didn\'t you tell me that this series was this AMAZING?"'], [0, 'I sure would have bumped the series way up my TBR list if I had known just how addicting the series is.'], [0, 'This is one of those stories where once you start you can not put down.'], [0, 'The secrets, the intrigues, the constant arguments and confrontations definitely had me on my tippy toes.'], [0, 'The complicated relationships especially that of Reed and Ella had me feeling frustrated one minute and giddy the next.'], [0, 'It literally was an emotional roller coaster but even so...I would not have wanted it any other way!'], [0, '"I\'m done playing games, Ella.'], [0, 'No other girls exists in this world for me.'], [0, "If you see me talking to one, know that I'm talking about you."], [0, 'If you see me walking next to someone.'], [0, "I'm wishing it was you."], [0, 'You\'re the only one for me."'], [0, 'What I enjoyed most about this book was the character development.'], [0, 'Ella accepting her role as a part of the Royal family was well played out.'], [0, 'She is no longer the emotional teen that we met in Paper Princess.'], [0, 'Oh no!'], [0, "Don't mess with Ella because she finally grew some claws and how sharp they are!"], [0, 'I thought it was remarkable how Reed turned a new leaf because of her.'], [0, 'Ella certainly brought the best out of him...or perhaps I should say she brought out the best in all of the Royals for that matter.'], [0, "She hasn't been with them THAT long but you could tell she was the glue that kept them together."], [0, 'I need to mention one downside about this book ... the CLIFFHANGER.'], [0, 'It ends on such a surprising note.'], [0, 'Hours later I still am dumbfounded by that shocking conclusion.'], [0, 'All I can say is that these authors sure have my complete attention.'], [0, 'I am one of many who will be waiting impatiently for the next installment.'], [0, "Liezel's Book Blog"]] | 5 | false | 29519514 | 44de02142e378b769692bff75f89c27b | I do have to admit that I was a little late jumping on the "Royals" bandwagon. I remember as I was reading through the first book, I had to stop and ask Angie ^^ "Why didn't you tell me that this series was this AMAZING?" I sure would have bumped the series way up my TBR list if I had known just how addicting the series is. This is one of those stories where once you start you can not put down. The secrets, the intrigues, the constant arguments and confrontations definitely had me on my tippy toes. The complicated relationships especially that of Reed and Ella had me feeling frustrated one minute and giddy the next. It literally was an emotional roller coaster but even so...I would not have wanted it any other way! "I'm done playing games, Ella. No other girls exists in this world for me. If you see me talking to one, know that I'm talking about you. If you see me walking next to someone. I'm wishing it was you. You're the only one for me." What I enjoyed most about this book was the character development. Ella accepting her role as a part of the Royal family was well played out. She is no longer the emotional teen that we met in Paper Princess. Oh no! Don't mess with Ella because she finally grew some claws and how sharp they are! I thought it was remarkable how Reed turned a new leaf because of her. Ella certainly brought the best out of him...or perhaps I should say she brought out the best in all of the Royals for that matter. She hasn't been with them THAT long but you could tell she was the glue that kept them together. I need to mention one downside about this book ... the CLIFFHANGER. It ends on such a surprising note. Hours later I still am dumbfounded by that shocking conclusion. All I can say is that these authors sure have my complete attention. I am one of many who will be waiting impatiently for the next installment. Liezel's Book Blog |
1a24bac964b67d5afe7175b79573d1a6 | 2016-01-25 | [[0, 'In This Life by Christine Brae'], [0, '3 stars!'], [0, '"When you lose your soul to a kiss...it\'s irretrievable."'], [0, 'This was my first read by Christine Brae and I do love a new to me author.'], [0, "I fell in love with the synopsis of this one and I couldn't wait to dive in."], [0, "I have to say that Christine Brae's writing style is fantastic, it is eloquent, raw and mature and I was soon totally engrossed in the story that was panning out in front of me."], [0, "However, as you must all know by now, I am an emotional reader, I have to believe in the characters, feel them and for me, I didn't get this with Anna and Jude, however I had it in spades with Dante."], [0, "This book was emotional or at least should have been for me and yet because I didn't feel them, it lost its impact and I just wish that I could have related to them better."], [0, '"It was a promise kiss, a goodbye kiss, a kiss that signified the end but also the beginning."'], [0, 'This book starts off with Anna and her best friend, Dante, taking a mission trip to Thailand.'], [0, 'Anna was a doctor and treating the families that were victims to a Tsunami seemed a good idea when she was trying to get away from her life in New York.'], [0, 'Dante had been her best friend since school and where Anna went, he went too.'], [0, 'Anna had a heart of gold and treasured her friendship with Dante, they really were inseparable.'], [0, 'He was her rock and they had been through a lot together.'], [0, "Dante was hilarious at times and a bit of a ladies' man, but his unwavering support to Anna was truly beautiful."], [0, 'We all need a best friend like Dante.'], [0, 'Dante made this book for me.'], [0, '"You\'re in love with a ghost, and you need to exorcise it from your soul."'], [0, 'While in Thailand, Anna meets Jude, who is also American and they spend ten blissful days together.'], [0, 'Intellectual and deep conversations were the basis of their friendship and they really clicked.'], [0, 'However, when Anna has to suddenly go home, her time with Jude is cut short.'], [0, "With promises to keep in contact Anna leaves but it seems so does Jude...five years later she still hasn't heard from him and yet still yearns for the one that got away."], [0, 'Now she is married and working at the hospital, the last thing she expects is to cross paths with Jude once again.'], [0, 'Feelings that she once thought were buried are soon brought to the surface.'], [0, '"The line went dead.'], [0, "It didn't go silent, it didn't go blank."], [0, 'It separated him from me for good, it killed us, devastated him, set me free.'], [0, 'Our line, our connection, our love, gone.'], [0, 'Just like that."'], [0, 'And for me, this is where it all got a bit over the top.'], [0, "There was a lot going on, a lot of twists and turns, a few I saw coming and a few I didn't but sometimes less is more and this was one of those cases for me."], [0, "Unfortunately, the change in Anna really annoyed me, I tried to see her side of things but I couldn't and her actions just continued to irk."], [0, 'As far as the men involved were concerned, I did feel for them, my heart went out to them.'], [0, 'But the hot and cold that Anna blew would have been confusing for anyone.'], [0, 'Yes, this is a love triangle but no cheating, sometimes secrets that are kept for the best can have a catastrophic results and that was definitely the case here.'], [0, '"She was mine and I was hers, not in the next life, nor in the future life, but here and now.'], [0, 'In this life."'], [0, "Although I didn't love this book, I did like it and kept page turning and that is testament to Christine Brae's writing."], [0, 'Although Anna was not my favourite person in the world I still wanted to know what happened, how her life panned out and those of the men involved.'], [0, 'Despite a few eye-rolls, it was an addictive read.'], [0, '"This is where it ended.'], [0, 'This is where I died."'], [0, 'www.theromancecover.com']] | 3 | false | 23121753 | 55afcf5324389e00e46e5b4ad067411f | In This Life by Christine Brae 3 stars! "When you lose your soul to a kiss...it's irretrievable." This was my first read by Christine Brae and I do love a new to me author. I fell in love with the synopsis of this one and I couldn't wait to dive in. I have to say that Christine Brae's writing style is fantastic, it is eloquent, raw and mature and I was soon totally engrossed in the story that was panning out in front of me. However, as you must all know by now, I am an emotional reader, I have to believe in the characters, feel them and for me, I didn't get this with Anna and Jude, however I had it in spades with Dante. This book was emotional or at least should have been for me and yet because I didn't feel them, it lost its impact and I just wish that I could have related to them better. "It was a promise kiss, a goodbye kiss, a kiss that signified the end but also the beginning." This book starts off with Anna and her best friend, Dante, taking a mission trip to Thailand. Anna was a doctor and treating the families that were victims to a Tsunami seemed a good idea when she was trying to get away from her life in New York. Dante had been her best friend since school and where Anna went, he went too. Anna had a heart of gold and treasured her friendship with Dante, they really were inseparable. He was her rock and they had been through a lot together. Dante was hilarious at times and a bit of a ladies' man, but his unwavering support to Anna was truly beautiful. We all need a best friend like Dante. Dante made this book for me. "You're in love with a ghost, and you need to exorcise it from your soul." While in Thailand, Anna meets Jude, who is also American and they spend ten blissful days together. Intellectual and deep conversations were the basis of their friendship and they really clicked. However, when Anna has to suddenly go home, her time with Jude is cut short. With promises to keep in contact Anna leaves but it seems so does Jude...five years later she still hasn't heard from him and yet still yearns for the one that got away. Now she is married and working at the hospital, the last thing she expects is to cross paths with Jude once again. Feelings that she once thought were buried are soon brought to the surface. "The line went dead. It didn't go silent, it didn't go blank. It separated him from me for good, it killed us, devastated him, set me free. Our line, our connection, our love, gone. Just like that." And for me, this is where it all got a bit over the top. There was a lot going on, a lot of twists and turns, a few I saw coming and a few I didn't but sometimes less is more and this was one of those cases for me. Unfortunately, the change in Anna really annoyed me, I tried to see her side of things but I couldn't and her actions just continued to irk. As far as the men involved were concerned, I did feel for them, my heart went out to them. But the hot and cold that Anna blew would have been confusing for anyone. Yes, this is a love triangle but no cheating, sometimes secrets that are kept for the best can have a catastrophic results and that was definitely the case here. "She was mine and I was hers, not in the next life, nor in the future life, but here and now. In this life." Although I didn't love this book, I did like it and kept page turning and that is testament to Christine Brae's writing. Although Anna was not my favourite person in the world I still wanted to know what happened, how her life panned out and those of the men involved. Despite a few eye-rolls, it was an addictive read. "This is where it ended. This is where I died." www.theromancecover.com |
480564a6be18fc8d0046963a1b2f10dd | 2016-01-23 | [[0, "Good because it's Lois McMaster Bujold and she always writes great characters and interesting, eminently readable plots, but not my favorite."], [0, "There's a chunk in the middle where it lags, and I just didn't find myself caring to the same degree that I normally do with her books."], [0, "Ah well, I'm sure her next one will be back to normal!"]] | 3 | false | 12998057 | e65399c191c3868a38b261dace90bb44 | Good because it's Lois McMaster Bujold and she always writes great characters and interesting, eminently readable plots, but not my favorite. There's a chunk in the middle where it lags, and I just didn't find myself caring to the same degree that I normally do with her books. Ah well, I'm sure her next one will be back to normal! |
16ac89b02e0a5b4119867b17fe061ef0 | 2015-11-30 | [[0, "While everyone else might see a bitter, closed off recluse, it takes another broken person to recognize that's all he was, lost in the darkness of his pain and sorrow."], [0, "There's more to Tristan than the town of Meadows Creek wants to see - all they see is a monster."], [0, "He's endured the ultimate loss and it has forever changed him."], [0, 'The hardest part about losing someone you love is the fact that you also lose yourself.'], [0, 'When Elizabeth and her daughter Emma move back into their home a year after losing her husband, they meet their new neighbor, the brooding Tristan Cole.'], [0, "Elizabeth instantly sees Tristan's broken pieces, something she recognizes in herself."], [0, "He doesn't want a friend and would rather be left alone, but she wears him down."], [0, "It's Elizabeth's idea that they use each other to remember the ones that they lost."], [0, 'She undressed me and made love to her past.'], [0, 'I slid into her and made love to my ghosts.'], [0, "It wasn't right, yet somehow it made sense."], [0, "But far too often, we don't realize that the wounds are healing until one day we learn to love again and can believe in the magic of that one person who can help you breathe when you don't know how to anymore."], [0, 'My dear boy, to love is magic.'], [0, 'This is a book that will make your heart swell, then shatter, then swell again.'], [0, 'It will make you feel, and love, and cry, and smile, and laugh, and then maybe cry some more.'], [0, 'It truly showcases a story of loss, love, friendship, pain, healing, and perseverance.'], [0, 'The story kept me wanting to know more.'], [0, "Each twist pulled me in deeper and I couldn't put it down."], [0, "I loved that it wasn't predictable and I didn't know if Elizabeth and Tristan were growing closer or pushing each other further apart."], [0, 'Brittainy C Cherry has an incredible talent for putting how I think and feel into words.'], [0, 'I highly recommend this book.']] | 5 | false | 25564446 | be9e8597ec7d4cf4d981240e0ff04009 | While everyone else might see a bitter, closed off recluse, it takes another broken person to recognize that's all he was, lost in the darkness of his pain and sorrow. There's more to Tristan than the town of Meadows Creek wants to see - all they see is a monster. He's endured the ultimate loss and it has forever changed him. The hardest part about losing someone you love is the fact that you also lose yourself. When Elizabeth and her daughter Emma move back into their home a year after losing her husband, they meet their new neighbor, the brooding Tristan Cole. Elizabeth instantly sees Tristan's broken pieces, something she recognizes in herself. He doesn't want a friend and would rather be left alone, but she wears him down. It's Elizabeth's idea that they use each other to remember the ones that they lost. She undressed me and made love to her past. I slid into her and made love to my ghosts. It wasn't right, yet somehow it made sense. But far too often, we don't realize that the wounds are healing until one day we learn to love again and can believe in the magic of that one person who can help you breathe when you don't know how to anymore. My dear boy, to love is magic. This is a book that will make your heart swell, then shatter, then swell again. It will make you feel, and love, and cry, and smile, and laugh, and then maybe cry some more. It truly showcases a story of loss, love, friendship, pain, healing, and perseverance. The story kept me wanting to know more. Each twist pulled me in deeper and I couldn't put it down. I loved that it wasn't predictable and I didn't know if Elizabeth and Tristan were growing closer or pushing each other further apart. Brittainy C Cherry has an incredible talent for putting how I think and feel into words. I highly recommend this book. |
ffb72f9c157638ddc3a7c65d4f7a7209 | 2012-11-13 | [[0, 'Loved this book, the characters, the story the way it developed, everything about it']] | 5 | false | 11505797 | 1efcd4c9582e90249a8499eb3c85ad97 | Loved this book, the characters, the story the way it developed, everything about it |
0102db8db2097cd4482ebc20b7b2d5be | 2017-04-18 | [[0, '"Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong.'], [0, 'The key is to never stop doing right."'], [0, "Sixteen-year-old Starr is coming home from a party when she witnesses her childhood best friend's death at the hands of a police officer."], [0, 'Although Khalil was unarmed and, by all measures, not a threat, it seems that everybody has an opinion about what happened.'], [0, 'The media calls him a thug, a gangbanger, and a possible drug dealer, but Starr knows the truth about what happened.'], [0, 'Can she set the record straight?'], [0, "And is it even worth all the threats she'll get in the process?"], [0, 'It seems like The Hate U Give is everywhere right now.'], [0, 'The entire internet is obsessed with it, and for good reason.'], [0, 'This book is incredible.'], [0, 'I cannot believe that this is a debut.'], [0, 'Angie Thomas is somehow able to capture every feeling surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and wrap it up in an engaging story that never once sounds preachy.'], [0, "Honestly, I feel like I could write a full-length novel about how much I loved this book and how relevant it is to today's society."], [0, 'Rather than waste your time reading my rambles about this amazing, powerful book, I would suggest that you take that time to go pick it up from your local bookstore or library.'], [0, "I can't imagine that you'll regret it."]] | 5 | false | 32075671 | d5b29c1fd5b4152bf67e0e23cbbec143 | "Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right." Sixteen-year-old Starr is coming home from a party when she witnesses her childhood best friend's death at the hands of a police officer. Although Khalil was unarmed and, by all measures, not a threat, it seems that everybody has an opinion about what happened. The media calls him a thug, a gangbanger, and a possible drug dealer, but Starr knows the truth about what happened. Can she set the record straight? And is it even worth all the threats she'll get in the process? It seems like The Hate U Give is everywhere right now. The entire internet is obsessed with it, and for good reason. This book is incredible. I cannot believe that this is a debut. Angie Thomas is somehow able to capture every feeling surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and wrap it up in an engaging story that never once sounds preachy. Honestly, I feel like I could write a full-length novel about how much I loved this book and how relevant it is to today's society. Rather than waste your time reading my rambles about this amazing, powerful book, I would suggest that you take that time to go pick it up from your local bookstore or library. I can't imagine that you'll regret it. |
aed4f8ec7b4f51fcd5b7f2facea5a058 | 2014-10-24 | [[1, 'I thought at one point I was going to have to strangle Jae again, but fortunately he came around!'], [0, '.'], [0, 'More crazy Korean murders and family matters for Cole to entangle.'], [0, 'I did like the introduction of Ichi.']] | 4 | true | 17560488 | 317bf34c1a845b90e46b9b576b6edb58 | I thought at one point I was going to have to strangle Jae again, but fortunately he came around! . More crazy Korean murders and family matters for Cole to entangle. I did like the introduction of Ichi. |
385edf5d8cfa117bd49ad6e1a33b976c | 2014-12-28 | [[0, 'I was pleasantly surprised by this book.'], [0, 'The sexy bits were really sexy.'], [0, 'I thought the story was interesting.'], [0, 'It took some turns towards the end that took me by surprise.'], [0, 'I do feel the end of the book was a little too easy after all the stuff that was going on, yet i still enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading the series.']] | 4 | false | 9962040 | ba6bc8167a8900d734fe7eca6155a721 | I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The sexy bits were really sexy. I thought the story was interesting. It took some turns towards the end that took me by surprise. I do feel the end of the book was a little too easy after all the stuff that was going on, yet i still enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading the series. |
fa9b29a7a0b7219aa5050b5f0446d840 | 2016-03-06 | [[0, 'well that was also a book about terrible people.']] | 4 | false | 13261812 | cace0018873757c8cd60fcf56f5aa5e8 | well that was also a book about terrible people. |
b3bdbe7a6cb72afa6137c1e566b63ee0 | 2017-03-21 | [[0, 'OH, MY GODDDSSSS!!!!!!!!!!'], [0, 'I do not know where to start it took me 5 hours to read this book.'], [0, 'I have been unable to do anything but sit and read it.'], [0, "It's amazing it is perfect it is everything I wanted the book to be."], [0, 'I was literally unable to not read it.'], [0, 'Seth and Josie are just so amazing and I love the dual point of the view.'], [0, 'I love everything that happened it this book.'], [0, "The world is so well built up and it's amazing getting to further explore the world in this book."], [0, 'The writing is so fluent and mesmerising I could read the whole series over and over again and not feel bored.'], [0, 'Alex and Aiden are ten times better in this book back to being there amazing lovable selves.'], [0, 'We have the army of awesome.'], [0, 'Who are amazing.'], [0, 'We have the titans who are so evil.'], [0, 'Just gonna name some of my favourite points:'], [1, 'Seth becoming a motherfucking god!'], [1, 'Seth being able to teleport'], [1, 'Seth saving Josie'], [1, 'Seth and Josie being motherfucking pregnant- like yes.'], [1, 'The feels in covenant when you thought Alex and Aiden were pregnant.'], [1, 'This has the same feels but stronger'], [1, 'When Josie asked Alex to come with her to get the pregnancy test!'], [1, 'Family time!'], [1, 'Deacon hugging Josie.'], [1, 'BFF goals.'], [1, 'Seth being so happy about Josie being pregnant.'], [1, 'Legit tears and screaming at this point.'], [1, 'Caleb screwing over Hades haha.'], [1, 'Seth killing the fucking dipshit Titan Hyperion.'], [1, 'Like that guy was a doosch canoe'], [1, 'Every single second of the book'], [1, 'When Josie discovers her talent.'], [1, 'She can see the future.'], [1, 'But then she has the shit vision'], [0, 'This book literally had me jumping up and down like a loon.'], [0, "I can't wait for the next book."], [0, "It's gonna be seriously interesting."], [0, "Especially with Josie's prophecies."], [0, 'LOVE IT LOVE IT!!'], [0, 'YOU RULE Jennifer L Armentrout!!!'], [0, 'RULE!!!']] | 5 | true | 25092129 | 3da288ff94fd68ace9f7a1b6fa1b204e | OH, MY GODDDSSSS!!!!!!!!!! I do not know where to start it took me 5 hours to read this book. I have been unable to do anything but sit and read it. It's amazing it is perfect it is everything I wanted the book to be. I was literally unable to not read it. Seth and Josie are just so amazing and I love the dual point of the view. I love everything that happened it this book. The world is so well built up and it's amazing getting to further explore the world in this book. The writing is so fluent and mesmerising I could read the whole series over and over again and not feel bored. Alex and Aiden are ten times better in this book back to being there amazing lovable selves. We have the army of awesome. Who are amazing. We have the titans who are so evil. Just gonna name some of my favourite points: Seth becoming a motherfucking god! Seth being able to teleport Seth saving Josie Seth and Josie being motherfucking pregnant- like yes. The feels in covenant when you thought Alex and Aiden were pregnant. This has the same feels but stronger When Josie asked Alex to come with her to get the pregnancy test! Family time! Deacon hugging Josie. BFF goals. Seth being so happy about Josie being pregnant. Legit tears and screaming at this point. Caleb screwing over Hades haha. Seth killing the fucking dipshit Titan Hyperion. Like that guy was a doosch canoe Every single second of the book When Josie discovers her talent. She can see the future. But then she has the shit vision This book literally had me jumping up and down like a loon. I can't wait for the next book. It's gonna be seriously interesting. Especially with Josie's prophecies. LOVE IT LOVE IT!! YOU RULE Jennifer L Armentrout!!! RULE!!! |
dc0e6096598d285e369a33a83288a4dc | 2012-01-05 | [[0, 'Sometimes you read a book that gives you everything you want, and more than you hoped for.'], [0, "I had been putting off reading this for longer than I care to admit, afraid that it wouldn't live up to the hype from my friends who love it."], [0, "I couldn't have been more wrong."], [0, "Eliza is a character you can't help my relate to."], [0, 'Did she sometimes make decisions that made me angry?'], [0, 'Yes.'], [0, "But that's part of what made her so great."], [0, "She's not perfect."], [0, 'I pretty much fell in love with Paul from the very first time he was mentioned.'], [0, "He's a swoony, tattooed rocker."], [0, "But he's also so much more than that."], [0, "He's funny, deep, thoughtful, and most of all he knows exactly what he wants."], [0, "Then there's Loring."], [0, 'I wanted to hate him, I wanted to scream at him or shake him sometimes.'], [0, "I also couldn't help but feel for him and to even root for him at times, even when I didn't want to."], [0, 'After Kassiah & Bri both gave me warning of the heartache I would experience reading this, I thought I had it all figured out.'], [0, 'I thought that I knew exactly how the angst would come about.'], [0, 'I was so wrong.'], [0, "I couldn't put this down until it was finished because I had to know what was going to happen, no matter how late I had to stay up."], [0, "If you're looking for a story about love, real earth shattering, soul mate kinda love, but with depth and a full spectrum of emotions, this one is for you."], [0, 'I will definitely be rereading.'], [0, "Some of my favorite lines that I've read over & over:"], [1, '"Warning: if you insult my heterosexual eminence one more time, I\'m going to have to thrown you down in the middle of the street and prove myself."'], [1, '"Tell me what you listen to, and I\'ll tell you who you are."'], [1, '"Sometimes I would open my eyes when we were kissing, I would watch him and I could see it.'], [1, 'I could actually see LOVE - not words, not an emotion, not an abstract concept or a subjective state of mind, but a living, breathing thing."'], [1, '"Remember this moment, my friend the tape reorder.'], [1, 'Lying next to Eliza, I had the feeling I\'d just found something I didn\'t even know I\'d lost."'], [1, '"That\'s the difference between the real stuff and the crap.'], [1, 'I know which one you are and you know which one I am."']] | 5 | true | 113791 | 642afcbe72b44ff3771864834aceaf6e | Sometimes you read a book that gives you everything you want, and more than you hoped for. I had been putting off reading this for longer than I care to admit, afraid that it wouldn't live up to the hype from my friends who love it. I couldn't have been more wrong. Eliza is a character you can't help my relate to. Did she sometimes make decisions that made me angry? Yes. But that's part of what made her so great. She's not perfect. I pretty much fell in love with Paul from the very first time he was mentioned. He's a swoony, tattooed rocker. But he's also so much more than that. He's funny, deep, thoughtful, and most of all he knows exactly what he wants. Then there's Loring. I wanted to hate him, I wanted to scream at him or shake him sometimes. I also couldn't help but feel for him and to even root for him at times, even when I didn't want to. After Kassiah & Bri both gave me warning of the heartache I would experience reading this, I thought I had it all figured out. I thought that I knew exactly how the angst would come about. I was so wrong. I couldn't put this down until it was finished because I had to know what was going to happen, no matter how late I had to stay up. If you're looking for a story about love, real earth shattering, soul mate kinda love, but with depth and a full spectrum of emotions, this one is for you. I will definitely be rereading. Some of my favorite lines that I've read over & over: "Warning: if you insult my heterosexual eminence one more time, I'm going to have to thrown you down in the middle of the street and prove myself." "Tell me what you listen to, and I'll tell you who you are." "Sometimes I would open my eyes when we were kissing, I would watch him and I could see it. I could actually see LOVE - not words, not an emotion, not an abstract concept or a subjective state of mind, but a living, breathing thing." "Remember this moment, my friend the tape reorder. Lying next to Eliza, I had the feeling I'd just found something I didn't even know I'd lost." "That's the difference between the real stuff and the crap. I know which one you are and you know which one I am." |
c3ec1ea0f591ebd42dee602b9d8f7a08 | 2013-11-22 | [[0, 'Is it possible to be happy, heartbroken, happy and a sobbing mess all at once?'], [0, 'I have been kind of complaining about the Christian absence since the first book, because he is my favorite Mead character male or female, he is at the very top.'], [0, 'I have missed his snark and his blue eyes.'], [0, 'My high is a bit controlled right now.'], [0, "There were a few things I didn't like, I really can't put my finger to it, there were some moments between Adrian and Sydney that were so beautiful, but there were also some where I couldn't really feel my connection to the characters."], [0, 'I kind of want to give it a 5 because CHRISTIAN HAD MORE LINES THAN HE DID ON INDIGO SPELL (which was zero) but I actually still enjoyed Indigo Spell a lot more, and while I like Fiery Heart and will more than likely reread it again this weekend, I think a 4 is more like it.'], [0, 'I really liked it.'], [0, "Also, sometimes Adrian's POV was kind of weird, or different."], [0, "I might be too used to being inside Sydney's head."], [0, "I also felt like I had already read the end of the book, or maybe I read something on a blog I don't know, but like 90% through the book I stopped because I just had a feeling of Deja vu."], [0, "I think now I'm gonna go be my dorky self and highlight Christian's few lines in the book."], [0, 'Oh Christian!'], [1, 'Also, Angeline and Trey are really adorable and kick ass together.'], [1, 'And Jill and Eddie, about time.'], [1, "So far I hate Zoe, and I HATE Sydney's dad."], [1, 'He reminded me of Valentine from the mortal instruments series,everyone was hooking up in this book and I hate Zoe.'], [1, 'She had some moments when I thought']] | 4 | true | 9833184 | d58f5c104cf385341b14e5606a86cbaf | Is it possible to be happy, heartbroken, happy and a sobbing mess all at once? I have been kind of complaining about the Christian absence since the first book, because he is my favorite Mead character male or female, he is at the very top. I have missed his snark and his blue eyes. My high is a bit controlled right now. There were a few things I didn't like, I really can't put my finger to it, there were some moments between Adrian and Sydney that were so beautiful, but there were also some where I couldn't really feel my connection to the characters. I kind of want to give it a 5 because CHRISTIAN HAD MORE LINES THAN HE DID ON INDIGO SPELL (which was zero) but I actually still enjoyed Indigo Spell a lot more, and while I like Fiery Heart and will more than likely reread it again this weekend, I think a 4 is more like it. I really liked it. Also, sometimes Adrian's POV was kind of weird, or different. I might be too used to being inside Sydney's head. I also felt like I had already read the end of the book, or maybe I read something on a blog I don't know, but like 90% through the book I stopped because I just had a feeling of Deja vu. I think now I'm gonna go be my dorky self and highlight Christian's few lines in the book. Oh Christian! Also, Angeline and Trey are really adorable and kick ass together. And Jill and Eddie, about time. So far I hate Zoe, and I HATE Sydney's dad. He reminded me of Valentine from the mortal instruments series,everyone was hooking up in this book and I hate Zoe. She had some moments when I thought |
480564a6be18fc8d0046963a1b2f10dd | 2016-08-17 | [[0, 'I picked this up intending to read a few pages just to get a feel for it and ended up finishing it in one sitting.'], [0, 'So well done!']] | 5 | false | 20701984 | 7b84ca830d3a5078738f6e79e1bb851c | I picked this up intending to read a few pages just to get a feel for it and ended up finishing it in one sitting. So well done! |
7e7df90b3eb0e7eabe010f4ecd429418 | 2017-06-22 | [[0, 'Aaric Christos had a thing for Bryn Kelly for years.'], [0, 'In their teenage years, they were inseparable.'], [0, 'Aaric knew back then that Bryn was all that he would ever want.'], [0, 'Coming from way different economic backgrounds however he acknowledged that Bryn was way out of his league.'], [0, "He was so enamored by her he didn't let rejection dissuade him rather he took it on as a challenge to better himself to even be worthy of her."], [0, "He was so enamored by her he didn't let rejection dissuade him rather he took it on as a challenge to better himself to even be worthy of her."], [0, 'Fast forward to present time... Aaric is now a gazillionaire business mogul in NYC.'], [0, 'Bryn moves to the same city and basically knocks on his door, pitching her own idea in attempts to get a loan to open her very own business.'], [0, 'What was great was despite the emotions involved they kept things professional as much as they possibly could.'], [0, 'Aaric was different to gauge.'], [0, 'He was indifferent to her early on.'], [0, 'They were friends once and could have easily lent her the money but instead, he made her work for it giving her ample amount of opportunity to hone her skills and at the same getting to know her again.'], [0, 'Angst was the result.'], [0, 'Loved the slow simmer!'], [0, 'Angst was the result.'], [0, 'Loved the slow simmer!'], [0, 'They had numerous factors going against them but it was their history that elevated them above the rest.'], [0, 'Loved Aaric and Bryn.'], [0, 'Read this book and I assure you, you will too.'], [0, 'liezelsbookblog.net']] | 4 | false | 34787781 | 2e1509ab1e8026bf50c0e4f2e15760d3 | Aaric Christos had a thing for Bryn Kelly for years. In their teenage years, they were inseparable. Aaric knew back then that Bryn was all that he would ever want. Coming from way different economic backgrounds however he acknowledged that Bryn was way out of his league. He was so enamored by her he didn't let rejection dissuade him rather he took it on as a challenge to better himself to even be worthy of her. He was so enamored by her he didn't let rejection dissuade him rather he took it on as a challenge to better himself to even be worthy of her. Fast forward to present time... Aaric is now a gazillionaire business mogul in NYC. Bryn moves to the same city and basically knocks on his door, pitching her own idea in attempts to get a loan to open her very own business. What was great was despite the emotions involved they kept things professional as much as they possibly could. Aaric was different to gauge. He was indifferent to her early on. They were friends once and could have easily lent her the money but instead, he made her work for it giving her ample amount of opportunity to hone her skills and at the same getting to know her again. Angst was the result. Loved the slow simmer! Angst was the result. Loved the slow simmer! They had numerous factors going against them but it was their history that elevated them above the rest. Loved Aaric and Bryn. Read this book and I assure you, you will too. liezelsbookblog.net |
d6a8980cc1707ae07d368f1630f670ab | 2016-08-01 | [[0, "So I've had a day to digest this and I think I'm finally ready to really talk about this book."], [0, 'This review may have gotten slightly out of hand...'], [0, 'This story is a sequel (#NotAPrequel) to the Harry Potter series and follows the trio, now all grown up, and their children.'], [0, 'Saying that is already a bit of an overstatement because where are all the kids??'], [0, "There seems to be a general consensus among fans that the plot is a horrible fanfiction that's nothing like the original HP series horrifically unfolding in front of your eyes like a car crash you can't look away from but the characters and (for the most part) beautifully written."], [0, "It's for these characters that I'm giving this book a 4 star rating."], [0, 'Trust me, Scorpious Malfoy, aka the cinnamon roll king, alone is worth cringing through the bad plot.'], [0, "I had to stop and catch my breath multiple times throughout Part 1 because wow this is exactly what I've always wanted from Scorpious and Albus and wow I cannot believe this is real and this is canon and this has been touched by the hands of JoRo herself."], [0, 'Have I read better characterizations for Scorp and Al?'], [0, 'Yes.'], [0, 'Most definitely.'], [0, 'Why, then, do I love this story so much for the kids?'], [0, "Because it's canon, because they didn't shy away from this amazing characterization of these kids because they were worried about it being considered fanservice or how it overlapped with popular tropes in fanfiction."], [0, "Now let's talk about why the plot is a hot mess."], [0, 'THIS PLOT IS SUCH A HOT MESS.'], [0, 'The tone of this play felt nothing like true blue HP with no world building, no little off-handed comments about this famous witch rock band or that Quidditch game, and barely any Hogwarts.'], [0, "A lot of reviews and click-bait online articles have been calling Cursed Child a badly written fanfiction and this isn't just the insult the plot."], [0, 'There are so many ways this story really is like a badly written fanfiction.'], [0, 'First, everything exists in a weird bubble.'], [0, "Not only does this story lack almost all traces of the wizarding world but there's a distinct feeling I got while reading the book that so many things were done just for convenience."], [0, 'Magic itself seemed only to be used when the plot needed a push forward or a shortcut past a barrier.'], [1, "Seriously though, they complain about how Hermione uses books and riddles to guard the time turner but now about how the frickin' Minister of Magic's office can be unlocked by A FRICKIN' ALOHAROMA?!"], [0, 'And really, not that much seems to be revealed.'], [0, 'But there is so much new information about the future, you may say!'], [0, 'Well, is there?'], [0, 'This is, after all, the 8th story.'], [0, 'There has to be a lot of new information about the next gen.'], [0, 'But of all that could be revealed, we get relatively little.'], [1, "Where's Hugo?"], [1, 'Or Neville?'], [1, 'Luna?'], [1, 'All the Weasley cousins?'], [1, 'All the Weasleys?????'], [1, 'Where is Teddy Lupin?'], [1, 'Will we ever get closure on this poor baby?'], [0, "Yes, I understand introducing too many characters and calling back to obscure concepts from the series could confuse a play audience but isn't one of the defining features of Harry Potter the fact that it does not talk down to its audience?"], [0, "In MuggleCast's review of Cursed Child also does an amazing job of pointing out that not much really changes post-Cursed Child."], [1, 'Sure, you find out how everyone is doing in the next gen and Harry and Al have angsty father/son bonding but what really changes?'], [0, 'The plot of Cursed Child has about as much impact on next gen canon as the average pwp oneshot.'], [1, 'No new magic seemed to be introduced either, and even many plot points are recycled (time turning, the entirety of Goblet of Fire, polyjuice, really I could go on) .'], [1, 'Next task to tackle(lol get it?)'], [0, ', the plotholes aplenty.'], [1, "Let's start with the obvious: this is not how time travel works in the Harry Potter universe."], [1, 'We do not get multiple parallel timelines and AUs.'], [1, 'JoRo was so meticulous about all her plotting and world building in the previous books that Cursed Child is maddeningly sloppy in comparison.'], [1, 'In Prisoner of Azkaban, time travel all happens in 1 timeline.'], [1, 'Nothing changes, and everything that will happen during the time travel has already happened.'], [1, "If this logic would be followed through, Al and Scorpious' actions in the past would have no consequences on the present and would not create alternate timelines."], [1, "Does this happen because Croaker's law is violated?"], [1, 'If so, then that is a very weak leg to stand the back bone of an entire plot on.'], [1, "Even the whole concept of time travel itself made me angry when a 'friend' spoiled that part of the play for me, I can't even imagine how angry/disappointed I would have been finding out that this was the crux of the story while reading it for the first time."], [1, 'Sure there are still great time travel stories, this was just not one of them.'], [1, 'Every time travel trope from meeting your parents and erasing your existence to getting stuck n the past is used and it was not good.'], [1, "And again, the rather convenient magic that's used whenever there's a pinch."], [1, 'Everything from the instantly brewed polyjuice to the apparent ability to transfigure anyone into Voldemort is a slap in the face to the carefully laid out and much more believable plots of the HP novels.'], [1, "Aside from the big one, there were several smaller plotholes such as how the AU's turned out the way they did, how the fireworks at the end of the second task was supposed to change Ron and Hermione's relationship after their history in AU#1, how in all their travels they were never discovered."], [0, 'Not only was the plot butchered, but there was mass character assassination happening in Cursed Child.'], [0, "Don't get me wrong, some of the characters were my favorite parts!"], [0, 'They really did make the entire experience for me.'], [0, 'However, many others were either out of character, underutilized, or (as mentioned above) missing completely!'], [1, "Let's start off with a moment of silence for the complete and utter character assassination of Cedric Diggory."], [1, "Okay, now let's change the tone a bit by talking about characters I actually loved."], [1, "Scoprious, of course, is everyone's new favorite Slytherin."], [1, 'Hermione was a boss ass b, no complaints.'], [1, "Ron, though out of character, was hilarious and I didn't have much of a problem with his lack of serious persona because I was not the biggest Ron fan in the original series (we can chalk it up to maturation)."], [1, "Harry I felt was pretty in character (though it's very hard to accept how bad of a dad he was)."], [1, "I'm still not quite sure how I feel about Ginny and Draco for much the same reason."], [1, 'Both, especially in Part 1, seemed to be only used when the plot needed a push forward.'], [1, "I had a strong sense that their characters weren't being respected even if they did not exactly act out of character."], [1, 'While Ginny had a lot of great moments, I would have appreciated seeing her as a stronger, wittier, and more central figure in the plot.'], [1, 'Yes she played the part of an amazing mother and wife but I felt like any character could have easily filled that role which was not played out exceptionally "Ginny-ish".'], [1, 'Draco on the other hand did not sound like Draco at all.'], [1, 'Yes he played the Draco part adequately, but he did not seem very "Draco-ish".'], [1, 'It really bothered me that Draco was calling others by their first names and vice versa.'], [1, 'Like a lot.'], [1, "This may be my Draco bias showing but I wish they gave more of an indication what he had been doing all these years since the war, they didn't even say what he did now."], [1, 'Though his redemption scene was beautiful and I was so glad the character finally got the conclusion he deserved, how fast the confession and forgiveness and understanding happened felt very empty and unearned.'], [1, "We won't even talk about Snape."], [1, "Albus I'm still trying to work out my feelings towards."], [1, 'As angsty as he was, I loved him and I think his character is totally believable.'], [1, 'The story left me wanting more Albus.'], [1, "And I don't want to regurgitate what a million and one people have already said but there was 100% queerbaiting with respect to Albus/Scorpious and I was very mad about that."], [1, 'Everything as the story progressed and unfolded was pointing towards this romantic (not platonic) pairing as endgame, much more strongly than Albus/Delphi or Scorpious/Rose.'], [1, 'As hints were being not so subtly dropped, I felt so elated, is this really happening?'], [1, 'Can it be so wonderful?'], [1, "And the disappointment when it didn't as entirely too annoying."], [1, "I've accepted a headcanon from tumblr that Rose is to Scorpious what Cho was to Harry (the timeline matches up), and Al is his Ginny."], [0, 'Finally, the big bad.'], [1, 'I hated Delphi.'], [1, "Though I was not one of the people who suspected Delphi of being a bad egg from the beginning, I wan't a huge fan purely on the grounds that I am not partial to Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way Mary Sues."], [1, 'This just seemed like the worst bad fanfiction trope that really made me question if I was reading the real thing?'], [1, 'I mean can you imagine the elevator pitch for this story?'], [1, "Hey, JK, we want to produce a play about Harry and Draco's sons going back in time using a plot device you destroyed (and didn't even work this way in the first place) to relive your least favorite book, make Cedric Diggory evil, fight Voldemort's daughter, and watch Voldy kill of Lily and James just one more time for funsies."], [1, 'I am still amazed and confused as to how this became canon.'], [0, "Okay, I promise I'm done now."], [0, "Despite all my complaints and unrelenting fangirl feels about this play, I still gave it 4 stars and I'm standing by it."], [0, 'Was it great?'], [0, 'Nope.'], [1, 'But it was Harry Potter and despite all its faults, Harry, Albus, Hermione, Ron "Dad Jokes" Weasley, Scorpious and Draco were enough to redeem this book for me.'], [1, 'TL;DR - Terrible plot, amazing characters, go read it, and new anthem of HP fandom: "Voldemort has a dick?"']] | 4 | true | 29056083 | 5fa5cd3d80b0d5da6ae835fc3f7b4158 | So I've had a day to digest this and I think I'm finally ready to really talk about this book. This review may have gotten slightly out of hand... This story is a sequel (#NotAPrequel) to the Harry Potter series and follows the trio, now all grown up, and their children. Saying that is already a bit of an overstatement because where are all the kids?? There seems to be a general consensus among fans that the plot is a horrible fanfiction that's nothing like the original HP series horrifically unfolding in front of your eyes like a car crash you can't look away from but the characters and (for the most part) beautifully written. It's for these characters that I'm giving this book a 4 star rating. Trust me, Scorpious Malfoy, aka the cinnamon roll king, alone is worth cringing through the bad plot. I had to stop and catch my breath multiple times throughout Part 1 because wow this is exactly what I've always wanted from Scorpious and Albus and wow I cannot believe this is real and this is canon and this has been touched by the hands of JoRo herself. Have I read better characterizations for Scorp and Al? Yes. Most definitely. Why, then, do I love this story so much for the kids? Because it's canon, because they didn't shy away from this amazing characterization of these kids because they were worried about it being considered fanservice or how it overlapped with popular tropes in fanfiction. Now let's talk about why the plot is a hot mess. THIS PLOT IS SUCH A HOT MESS. The tone of this play felt nothing like true blue HP with no world building, no little off-handed comments about this famous witch rock band or that Quidditch game, and barely any Hogwarts. A lot of reviews and click-bait online articles have been calling Cursed Child a badly written fanfiction and this isn't just the insult the plot. There are so many ways this story really is like a badly written fanfiction. First, everything exists in a weird bubble. Not only does this story lack almost all traces of the wizarding world but there's a distinct feeling I got while reading the book that so many things were done just for convenience. Magic itself seemed only to be used when the plot needed a push forward or a shortcut past a barrier. Seriously though, they complain about how Hermione uses books and riddles to guard the time turner but now about how the frickin' Minister of Magic's office can be unlocked by A FRICKIN' ALOHAROMA?! And really, not that much seems to be revealed. But there is so much new information about the future, you may say! Well, is there? This is, after all, the 8th story. There has to be a lot of new information about the next gen. But of all that could be revealed, we get relatively little. Where's Hugo? Or Neville? Luna? All the Weasley cousins? All the Weasleys????? Where is Teddy Lupin? Will we ever get closure on this poor baby? Yes, I understand introducing too many characters and calling back to obscure concepts from the series could confuse a play audience but isn't one of the defining features of Harry Potter the fact that it does not talk down to its audience? In MuggleCast's review of Cursed Child also does an amazing job of pointing out that not much really changes post-Cursed Child. Sure, you find out how everyone is doing in the next gen and Harry and Al have angsty father/son bonding but what really changes? The plot of Cursed Child has about as much impact on next gen canon as the average pwp oneshot. No new magic seemed to be introduced either, and even many plot points are recycled (time turning, the entirety of Goblet of Fire, polyjuice, really I could go on) . Next task to tackle(lol get it?) , the plotholes aplenty. Let's start with the obvious: this is not how time travel works in the Harry Potter universe. We do not get multiple parallel timelines and AUs. JoRo was so meticulous about all her plotting and world building in the previous books that Cursed Child is maddeningly sloppy in comparison. In Prisoner of Azkaban, time travel all happens in 1 timeline. Nothing changes, and everything that will happen during the time travel has already happened. If this logic would be followed through, Al and Scorpious' actions in the past would have no consequences on the present and would not create alternate timelines. Does this happen because Croaker's law is violated? If so, then that is a very weak leg to stand the back bone of an entire plot on. Even the whole concept of time travel itself made me angry when a 'friend' spoiled that part of the play for me, I can't even imagine how angry/disappointed I would have been finding out that this was the crux of the story while reading it for the first time. Sure there are still great time travel stories, this was just not one of them. Every time travel trope from meeting your parents and erasing your existence to getting stuck n the past is used and it was not good. And again, the rather convenient magic that's used whenever there's a pinch. Everything from the instantly brewed polyjuice to the apparent ability to transfigure anyone into Voldemort is a slap in the face to the carefully laid out and much more believable plots of the HP novels. Aside from the big one, there were several smaller plotholes such as how the AU's turned out the way they did, how the fireworks at the end of the second task was supposed to change Ron and Hermione's relationship after their history in AU#1, how in all their travels they were never discovered. Not only was the plot butchered, but there was mass character assassination happening in Cursed Child. Don't get me wrong, some of the characters were my favorite parts! They really did make the entire experience for me. However, many others were either out of character, underutilized, or (as mentioned above) missing completely! Let's start off with a moment of silence for the complete and utter character assassination of Cedric Diggory. Okay, now let's change the tone a bit by talking about characters I actually loved. Scoprious, of course, is everyone's new favorite Slytherin. Hermione was a boss ass b, no complaints. Ron, though out of character, was hilarious and I didn't have much of a problem with his lack of serious persona because I was not the biggest Ron fan in the original series (we can chalk it up to maturation). Harry I felt was pretty in character (though it's very hard to accept how bad of a dad he was). I'm still not quite sure how I feel about Ginny and Draco for much the same reason. Both, especially in Part 1, seemed to be only used when the plot needed a push forward. I had a strong sense that their characters weren't being respected even if they did not exactly act out of character. While Ginny had a lot of great moments, I would have appreciated seeing her as a stronger, wittier, and more central figure in the plot. Yes she played the part of an amazing mother and wife but I felt like any character could have easily filled that role which was not played out exceptionally "Ginny-ish". Draco on the other hand did not sound like Draco at all. Yes he played the Draco part adequately, but he did not seem very "Draco-ish". It really bothered me that Draco was calling others by their first names and vice versa. Like a lot. This may be my Draco bias showing but I wish they gave more of an indication what he had been doing all these years since the war, they didn't even say what he did now. Though his redemption scene was beautiful and I was so glad the character finally got the conclusion he deserved, how fast the confession and forgiveness and understanding happened felt very empty and unearned. We won't even talk about Snape. Albus I'm still trying to work out my feelings towards. As angsty as he was, I loved him and I think his character is totally believable. The story left me wanting more Albus. And I don't want to regurgitate what a million and one people have already said but there was 100% queerbaiting with respect to Albus/Scorpious and I was very mad about that. Everything as the story progressed and unfolded was pointing towards this romantic (not platonic) pairing as endgame, much more strongly than Albus/Delphi or Scorpious/Rose. As hints were being not so subtly dropped, I felt so elated, is this really happening? Can it be so wonderful? And the disappointment when it didn't as entirely too annoying. I've accepted a headcanon from tumblr that Rose is to Scorpious what Cho was to Harry (the timeline matches up), and Al is his Ginny. Finally, the big bad. I hated Delphi. Though I was not one of the people who suspected Delphi of being a bad egg from the beginning, I wan't a huge fan purely on the grounds that I am not partial to Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way Mary Sues. This just seemed like the worst bad fanfiction trope that really made me question if I was reading the real thing? I mean can you imagine the elevator pitch for this story? Hey, JK, we want to produce a play about Harry and Draco's sons going back in time using a plot device you destroyed (and didn't even work this way in the first place) to relive your least favorite book, make Cedric Diggory evil, fight Voldemort's daughter, and watch Voldy kill of Lily and James just one more time for funsies. I am still amazed and confused as to how this became canon. Okay, I promise I'm done now. Despite all my complaints and unrelenting fangirl feels about this play, I still gave it 4 stars and I'm standing by it. Was it great? Nope. But it was Harry Potter and despite all its faults, Harry, Albus, Hermione, Ron "Dad Jokes" Weasley, Scorpious and Draco were enough to redeem this book for me. TL;DR - Terrible plot, amazing characters, go read it, and new anthem of HP fandom: "Voldemort has a dick?" |
219f009c09d785f2eb243fbb8e6d4a8b | 2017-04-21 | [[0, 'Disappointing ending.'], [0, "It started out pretty good and continued to go along fairly well, though with several unreliable narrators and some weird sentence structure, which set a pace and established certain characters' thought patterns, but which was initially confusing."], [0, 'Then the author threw in a couple unnecessary neon signs (100+ pages before the end) as to who the killer was.'], [1, 'Pretty much all the main characters either died or disappeared.'], [1, 'Hopefully not a set up for a sequel.']] | 2 | true | 30687788 | fb9cff85db33b1d91ed70109b296ef3a | Disappointing ending. It started out pretty good and continued to go along fairly well, though with several unreliable narrators and some weird sentence structure, which set a pace and established certain characters' thought patterns, but which was initially confusing. Then the author threw in a couple unnecessary neon signs (100+ pages before the end) as to who the killer was. Pretty much all the main characters either died or disappeared. Hopefully not a set up for a sequel. |
c60cc2ac07e6adc15bfafe1129db0d64 | 2016-04-04 | [[0, 'I LOVED THIS BOOK.'], [0, 'THE CHARACTERS.'], [0, 'THE MYSTERY.'], [0, 'THE SUSPENSE.'], [0, 'AGH!'], [0, 'The way the book is written, as mentioned in my fangirling shouts of joy, is that there is just a lot of mystery.'], [0, 'Information about each character is withheld initially and it keeps you intrigued and wanting to know their motives or past, etc.'], [0, 'I loved it.'], [0, 'Granted, this only works if the characters are good, and they all are.'], [0, 'Florian is my favorite, but a lot of the side characters are also excellent.'], [0, 'They even have small events that have you holding your breath hoping it somehow works out for them.'], [1, 'Like Ingrid trying to get past the checkpoint with the blue scarf.'], [1, "The soldier holds it out to her in the wind, and she's blind and she is trying to pretend like she is recovering her vision from an injury and it just dangles in the wind and for a second I'm like AGH HE KNOWS SHES LYING."], [1, 'But then she reaches up so she heard the scarf flutter or something and she passes so it was wonderous!'], [1, 'The suspense in like the two lines of text that this part was.... xD I love Emilia and Joana, too, though, and even Alfred has a lot of character to him.'], [1, 'You are supposed to hate him, that is the point, to get the POV of a German who loves Hitler and his ideals.'], [1, 'Granted he is a very odd and egotistic one, but he added a lot of interesting twists to the plot, and he was easy for Florian to manipulate for the sake of the plot.'], [1, ':)'], [0, 'I just had so many feels and emotions while reading this book.'], [0, "As I'm reading it, I know nothing about the ship, Wilhelm Gustoff, or the history of people having to evacuate due to the Russian advance into German territory."], [0, 'The only thing I did know (other than basic WWII history, of course) was what was written on the dust jacket.'], [0, 'That it is Winter 1945 and the tale of 4 teenagers vying for passage on a ship that "is inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history".'], [0, "The whole time I am reading this, I'm just like.... I HOPE THEY DON'T ALL DIE."], [0, "PLEASE DON'T."], [0, 'I know it relates to a great maritime tragedy, but somehow you all must live!'], [0, 'Please!'], [0, 'It leaves this impending doom upon me (the reader) and then I sit and stare at the cover at times just going, goodness this cover even gives me so many feels!'], [0, 'The foreshadowing is just all over the place while not being there at all!'], [0, '(Well, there is some, but really just any small event that happens, you turn to the cover and think, BUT THE SHIP!)'], [1, 'A few minor qualms I have... The actual sinking of the ship happened too quickly and then was quite long.'], [1, 'Part of this is me having poor knowledge of how long it takes a ship to sink.'], [1, 'I will start with the quick half: Just how our cast of 4 characters were able to get to the main deck/lifeboat area.'], [1, "I didn't have a good pictured layout of the ship in my head, but they were all rushing for the stairs along with 10500 other passengers."], [1, 'I don\'t know how many staircases there are or any of the sort, but I\'m picturing the ship filling with water very fast (this will go along with the "long" part) so it should be difficult with so many people in a panic and I don\'t know what deck level each person was on, such as the maternity ward.'], [1, 'I imagine that would be the first level below deck, I guess, but then where was Alfred?'], [1, 'It sounded like he was much farther down, he even runs into people that were hit by the torpedo, so that part of the ship should be filling with water quickly and going down fast.'], [1, 'I guess I just needed more of a visual to it.'], [1, 'The long/slow part:'], [1, 'After everyone is out of the ship and on a lifeboat, it seemed like it took awhile for the whole ship to go down.'], [1, 'We see from our 4 characters eyes other people desperately trying to break out of the ship and them drowning, etc.'], [1, 'You may ask, have I seen the movie, The Titanic?'], [1, 'Yes, I\'ve seen the Titanic, but the Titanic had all those "unsinkable" bits that were meant to stop the sinking.'], [1, "The Titanic also hit an iceberg, which is bad, but it isn't the same as being hit by 3 Torpedoes."], [1, "Also, I don't have a lot of knowledge about Torpedo damage, but basically I guess I thought that the whole bottom of the ship was blown out from it, so water should be filling exceedingly fast and people would drown very quickly."], [1, 'Overall it was just short of an hour total for the ship to sink, and I guess that makes sense, but I think the overall timing of everything in this part was incredibly rushed (main characters getting to lifeboats) then all of a sudden very slow to reflect on this tragedy.'], [1, 'Yes it is a tragedy and I feel like seeing all of the characters reactions fit well and was important, but it slowed down a lot after being so rushed even though it is all part of the same event, the sinking.'], [1, "It isn't a huge deal overall and I still love the book a lot, but this was my only small problem with it."], [1, 'I may go back and reread it, too, since I was also rushing through it to see what happens.'], [1, "I'm sad about Emilia and the Shoe Poet and Ingrid."], [1, 'I know a story like this will have loss, and I am glad that Mrs.'], [1, "Sepetys was strong enough to kill these characters off, especially Emilia because it didn't seem likely for all 4 main characters to make it."], [1, 'Though Alfred.... I feel like since he was just a terrible person he was meant to kill off and that made it easy.'], [1, 'So when I say all 4 characters shouldn\'t make it, I meant the 3 "good" guys.'], [1, 'When Florian falls out of the lifeboat when trying to get to the rescue ship, I almost died.'], [1, 'I was reading it happy that it seems like all 3 (Emilia saw "an approaching light" at this point, which turns out to mean the afterlife/heaven/what-have-you) and then I compared it to Rose and Jack from The Titanic movie.'], [1, 'I was like "oh the author clearly was just too upset by The Titanic to kill the romantic pairing.'], [1, 'Yay!'], [1, 'We get them together--- OH MY GOD HE FELL INTO THE OCEAN!'], [1, 'NO!SHE IS GOING TO KILL HIM!'], [1, 'WHAT WAS I THINKING!?'], [1, 'AGH!"'], [1, 'And then the relief I had that he makes it, oh my goodness, my heart!'], [1, 'I am so happy he and Joana both made it and they get to be together!'], [1, 'I also love how the romance is told and how their relationship develops in a more casual/minor way given all the stress the characters have to focus on first.'], [1, 'As for Emilia, I really love how she was very perceptive of the people around her.'], [1, 'There are quite a few examples, but how she notices that Joana and Florian have feelings for each other and compares them to birds and how their plumage is brighter when they found their mate, etc.'], [1, "The same goes for the Shoe Poet and how he is able to tell so much due to people's shoes!"], [1, "It's great."], [1, ':)'], [0, 'I had a lot to say with spoilers, so it proves a lot of the book stuck with me (though I read it within 2 days so everything is very fresh in my mind) and I had a lot to say, so I clearly loved it and give it 5/5 stars.'], [0, 'Highly recommend!']] | 5 | true | 25614492 | a316815f7dc58ada29390b662c9edfe5 | I LOVED THIS BOOK. THE CHARACTERS. THE MYSTERY. THE SUSPENSE. AGH! The way the book is written, as mentioned in my fangirling shouts of joy, is that there is just a lot of mystery. Information about each character is withheld initially and it keeps you intrigued and wanting to know their motives or past, etc. I loved it. Granted, this only works if the characters are good, and they all are. Florian is my favorite, but a lot of the side characters are also excellent. They even have small events that have you holding your breath hoping it somehow works out for them. Like Ingrid trying to get past the checkpoint with the blue scarf. The soldier holds it out to her in the wind, and she's blind and she is trying to pretend like she is recovering her vision from an injury and it just dangles in the wind and for a second I'm like AGH HE KNOWS SHES LYING. But then she reaches up so she heard the scarf flutter or something and she passes so it was wonderous! The suspense in like the two lines of text that this part was.... xD I love Emilia and Joana, too, though, and even Alfred has a lot of character to him. You are supposed to hate him, that is the point, to get the POV of a German who loves Hitler and his ideals. Granted he is a very odd and egotistic one, but he added a lot of interesting twists to the plot, and he was easy for Florian to manipulate for the sake of the plot. :) I just had so many feels and emotions while reading this book. As I'm reading it, I know nothing about the ship, Wilhelm Gustoff, or the history of people having to evacuate due to the Russian advance into German territory. The only thing I did know (other than basic WWII history, of course) was what was written on the dust jacket. That it is Winter 1945 and the tale of 4 teenagers vying for passage on a ship that "is inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history". The whole time I am reading this, I'm just like.... I HOPE THEY DON'T ALL DIE. PLEASE DON'T. I know it relates to a great maritime tragedy, but somehow you all must live! Please! It leaves this impending doom upon me (the reader) and then I sit and stare at the cover at times just going, goodness this cover even gives me so many feels! The foreshadowing is just all over the place while not being there at all! (Well, there is some, but really just any small event that happens, you turn to the cover and think, BUT THE SHIP!) A few minor qualms I have... The actual sinking of the ship happened too quickly and then was quite long. Part of this is me having poor knowledge of how long it takes a ship to sink. I will start with the quick half: Just how our cast of 4 characters were able to get to the main deck/lifeboat area. I didn't have a good pictured layout of the ship in my head, but they were all rushing for the stairs along with 10500 other passengers. I don't know how many staircases there are or any of the sort, but I'm picturing the ship filling with water very fast (this will go along with the "long" part) so it should be difficult with so many people in a panic and I don't know what deck level each person was on, such as the maternity ward. I imagine that would be the first level below deck, I guess, but then where was Alfred? It sounded like he was much farther down, he even runs into people that were hit by the torpedo, so that part of the ship should be filling with water quickly and going down fast. I guess I just needed more of a visual to it. The long/slow part: After everyone is out of the ship and on a lifeboat, it seemed like it took awhile for the whole ship to go down. We see from our 4 characters eyes other people desperately trying to break out of the ship and them drowning, etc. You may ask, have I seen the movie, The Titanic? Yes, I've seen the Titanic, but the Titanic had all those "unsinkable" bits that were meant to stop the sinking. The Titanic also hit an iceberg, which is bad, but it isn't the same as being hit by 3 Torpedoes. Also, I don't have a lot of knowledge about Torpedo damage, but basically I guess I thought that the whole bottom of the ship was blown out from it, so water should be filling exceedingly fast and people would drown very quickly. Overall it was just short of an hour total for the ship to sink, and I guess that makes sense, but I think the overall timing of everything in this part was incredibly rushed (main characters getting to lifeboats) then all of a sudden very slow to reflect on this tragedy. Yes it is a tragedy and I feel like seeing all of the characters reactions fit well and was important, but it slowed down a lot after being so rushed even though it is all part of the same event, the sinking. It isn't a huge deal overall and I still love the book a lot, but this was my only small problem with it. I may go back and reread it, too, since I was also rushing through it to see what happens. I'm sad about Emilia and the Shoe Poet and Ingrid. I know a story like this will have loss, and I am glad that Mrs. Sepetys was strong enough to kill these characters off, especially Emilia because it didn't seem likely for all 4 main characters to make it. Though Alfred.... I feel like since he was just a terrible person he was meant to kill off and that made it easy. So when I say all 4 characters shouldn't make it, I meant the 3 "good" guys. When Florian falls out of the lifeboat when trying to get to the rescue ship, I almost died. I was reading it happy that it seems like all 3 (Emilia saw "an approaching light" at this point, which turns out to mean the afterlife/heaven/what-have-you) and then I compared it to Rose and Jack from The Titanic movie. I was like "oh the author clearly was just too upset by The Titanic to kill the romantic pairing. Yay! We get them together--- OH MY GOD HE FELL INTO THE OCEAN! NO!SHE IS GOING TO KILL HIM! WHAT WAS I THINKING!? AGH!" And then the relief I had that he makes it, oh my goodness, my heart! I am so happy he and Joana both made it and they get to be together! I also love how the romance is told and how their relationship develops in a more casual/minor way given all the stress the characters have to focus on first. As for Emilia, I really love how she was very perceptive of the people around her. There are quite a few examples, but how she notices that Joana and Florian have feelings for each other and compares them to birds and how their plumage is brighter when they found their mate, etc. The same goes for the Shoe Poet and how he is able to tell so much due to people's shoes! It's great. :) I had a lot to say with spoilers, so it proves a lot of the book stuck with me (though I read it within 2 days so everything is very fresh in my mind) and I had a lot to say, so I clearly loved it and give it 5/5 stars. Highly recommend! |
a3f7a1d40aef81d3a272fcecfd4c007b | 2016-07-29 | [[0, 'So this book.'], [0, 'The one I waited an entire year for.'], [0, 'I actually wanted to give this book 3 stars, but made it 4 stars just because I love this series so much.'], [0, 'EDIT: CHANGED TO 3 STARS - the more I think about the ending to this book, the more pissed off I get ... :P'], [0, 'And yes, I actually did read this in 2 days - more like 6 hours (could have been in one day, but it was getting dangerously close to my bedtime)!'], [0, 'SPOILERS AHEAD:'], [1, 'The book started off great.'], [1, 'Humor, excitement, clever plans.'], [1, 'Typical Riordan writing.'], [1, 'We see new points of view (REYNA!'], [1, 'NICO!'], [1, 'I WAS WAITING TO SEE THEIR POINTS OF VIEW!!)'], [1, 'However, toward the ending.'], [1, 'It felt EXTREMELY rushed.'], [1, 'The battle scene (if you could call it that :/) with Gaea was ... well not even a "battle".'], [1, 'Gaea wakes up for all of 5 minutes, then the demigods magically swoop her up into the sky.'], [1, 'Piper says a few words and a strong "SLEEP" and boom, Gaea\'s done for.'], [1, 'And then Leo flies into her (as well as Octavian!!'], [1, 'WTH?)'], [1, 'and everything explodes.'], [1, 'OK back to the Octavian thing.'], [1, 'He was pretty much an antagonist from like the moment we met him.'], [1, "But in this book, he barely makes a scene, and then unceremoniously loads himself into a catapult shooting towards Gaea and then ... boom he's gone."], [1, 'That plotline just ended like that.'], [1, 'Oh, and Leo.'], [1, "Don't get me started on that plot line."], [1, 'In the last book I was TOTALLY rooting for him and Calypso (come on, they were cute!)'], [1, "Leo DOES reunite with Calypso, but it's so anticlimactic."], [1, "Leo dies (all the fangirls go *gasp*), then Festus jabs him with the cure (way too convenient how there's a cure for death), Leo crash-lands on Calypso's island, and oh wow Calypso's all ready to go."], [1, 'Then (and this is the worst part) THE BOOK ENDS RIGHT THERE.'], [1, "There's barely any closure in the ending, which makes me think that Riordan was just really writing on a deadline."], [1, 'OR (hopefully) there may be another book in the future or a glimpse of the characters in some future book.'], [1, '*fingers crossed*'], [1, 'REVIEW OF THE CHARACTERS:'], [1, 'OK, so I kinda forgot which POVs were in the book (did we have all of them?)'], [1, "But I'll write my opinion on the plotlines."], [1, 'JASON'], [1, 'Never really liked this guy.'], [1, 'Not sure why.'], [1, 'But he was pretty bad-a here.'], [1, 'Interesting plotline with his mother, but this was never fully explained or closed.'], [1, 'She showed up, he was all like "I hate you", and she disappears.'], [1, 'LOL at when Zeus shows up in that god and demigods vs.'], [1, "giants scene (which, BTW, was also way too convenient and rushed) and Jason's all starstruck!"], [1, 'But can I say, that scene in the end with Piper?'], [1, 'So cute!'], [1, 'PIPER'], [1, "Also another character that I wasn't too fond of, but Piper really shows her strength here."], [1, 'Especially in that scene with Annabeth, where Piper is able to fight back better than Annabeth can!'], [1, 'I did not, however, see how it was possible to make Gaea fall back asleep.'], [1, "Piper's charmspeak must have been like, super strong o.o"], [1, 'LEO'], [1, "As usually, Leo's voice is great and funny."], [1, 'I did not enjoy how he died and then instantly get revived by Festus.'], [1, 'Again, really convenient, but I suppose if Riordan made Leo die, every single fangirl would bombard him with hate messages :D'], [1, 'HAZEL'], [1, "I'm disappointed we don't see more of Hazel."], [1, 'However, her strength with the Mist is really awesome.'], [1, 'In the case of disguising Jason, Piper, and Annabeth in the beginning, as well as the vial that Leo "gives" to Piper.'], [1, 'And during the battle with Nike (which I thought was great), we can really see how much Hazel has strengthened in her skills with the Mist.'], [1, 'FRANK'], [1, "Another character we don't see a lot of."], [1, "I suppose Frank's spotlight was in the last book The House of Hades."], [1, 'ANNABETH & PERCY'], [1, "Yay they're back from Tartarus!"], [1, 'And kicking a like they normally do.'], [1, 'Really cute when Percy kisses Annabeth in Athens to "end the rivalry" of their parents.'], [1, 'And romantic!'], [1, 'REYNA'], [1, 'YAY YAY YAY.'], [1, 'Reyna was a character I was super interested in learning about ever since we met her in The Son of Neptune.'], [1, 'I knew there was something bad in her backstory.'], [1, 'However, this plotline was also NOT really explained or closed.'], [1, 'She killed her dad, who had turned into a maniac ghost ... thing.'], [1, 'Or something.'], [1, 'It got confusing.'], [1, 'I was also excited to see Hylla!'], [1, 'And Thalia!'], [1, 'Strong bad a girls who fight with bows.'], [1, 'And they both lead closeknit communities.'], [1, 'I was pretty upset when Phoebe fell in battle.'], [1, 'Just like Zoe Nightshade, she was realllllly old and loyal.'], [1, "I also found Reyna's friendship with Nico really cute."], [1, 'Before, I used to ship them, but I can also see how they can be just friends.'], [1, "Or, Nico can be like Reyna's little brother."], [1, 'How cute!'], [1, "So, what's up with Aphrodite's talk with Reyna."], [1, "She said that no demigod would heal Reyna's heart."], [1, 'So then who will???'], [1, 'I WANT TO KNOW!'], [1, 'NICO'], [1, 'Boom.'], [1, 'So this guy.'], [1, 'He has many issues, feeling left out and shut out of every group.'], [1, 'He had a crush on Percy that people (Jason, Reyna, Coach Hedge) find out about.'], [1, "And then he finally decides to tell Percy (Percy's reaction was just classic)."], [1, "I think it's hinted that there's something going on between Nico and Will Solace (no comment ... I really don't remember anything about Will before this book except that he's an Apollo demigod)."], [1, 'So yeah.'], [1, 'Nico was really brave to shadow travel so often.'], [1, 'Even with Reyna\'s giving strength thing (cool), he really got drained and almost "faded" away.'], [1, 'I love the character development we see in Nico.'], [1, "He's much different from the little kid we first met in The Titan's Curse."], [1, 'COACH HEDGE'], [1, 'Coach Hedge is back, and still as funny, derpy, and confident as always!'], [1, 'We also see his soft side when it comes to his wife Mellie (cute couple!)'], [1, 'And they had a kid!'], [1, 'Named CHUCK.'], [1, "I LOL'd at that!"], [1, 'Classic Hedge :)'], [1, 'Total rating: 3 stars'], [1, "I'm really sad to see this series end."], [1, 'This book was great in the beginning, but the ending EXTREMELY disappointed me.'], [1, 'GAH, I wish it could be rewritten!'], [1, 'We have mostly an unknown ending.'], [1, 'No like seriously, the last sentence was something like "they rode off into the unknown".'], [1, "Leo's friends don't find out what happened to him."], [1, 'And then how will Calypso blend into the group?'], [1, 'It will be SUPER awkward when Calypso and Percy see each other again ...'], [1, 'I JUST WANT ANOTHER BOOK.'], [1, 'Or an epilogue!'], [1, "(On a side note, who's excited for Riordan's next series about Norse mythology?)"]] | 3 | true | 18705209 | 05a18e64d38516df6689fcb05163d56c | So this book. The one I waited an entire year for. I actually wanted to give this book 3 stars, but made it 4 stars just because I love this series so much. EDIT: CHANGED TO 3 STARS - the more I think about the ending to this book, the more pissed off I get ... :P And yes, I actually did read this in 2 days - more like 6 hours (could have been in one day, but it was getting dangerously close to my bedtime)! SPOILERS AHEAD: The book started off great. Humor, excitement, clever plans. Typical Riordan writing. We see new points of view (REYNA! NICO! I WAS WAITING TO SEE THEIR POINTS OF VIEW!!) However, toward the ending. It felt EXTREMELY rushed. The battle scene (if you could call it that :/) with Gaea was ... well not even a "battle". Gaea wakes up for all of 5 minutes, then the demigods magically swoop her up into the sky. Piper says a few words and a strong "SLEEP" and boom, Gaea's done for. And then Leo flies into her (as well as Octavian!! WTH?) and everything explodes. OK back to the Octavian thing. He was pretty much an antagonist from like the moment we met him. But in this book, he barely makes a scene, and then unceremoniously loads himself into a catapult shooting towards Gaea and then ... boom he's gone. That plotline just ended like that. Oh, and Leo. Don't get me started on that plot line. In the last book I was TOTALLY rooting for him and Calypso (come on, they were cute!) Leo DOES reunite with Calypso, but it's so anticlimactic. Leo dies (all the fangirls go *gasp*), then Festus jabs him with the cure (way too convenient how there's a cure for death), Leo crash-lands on Calypso's island, and oh wow Calypso's all ready to go. Then (and this is the worst part) THE BOOK ENDS RIGHT THERE. There's barely any closure in the ending, which makes me think that Riordan was just really writing on a deadline. OR (hopefully) there may be another book in the future or a glimpse of the characters in some future book. *fingers crossed* REVIEW OF THE CHARACTERS: OK, so I kinda forgot which POVs were in the book (did we have all of them?) But I'll write my opinion on the plotlines. JASON Never really liked this guy. Not sure why. But he was pretty bad-a here. Interesting plotline with his mother, but this was never fully explained or closed. She showed up, he was all like "I hate you", and she disappears. LOL at when Zeus shows up in that god and demigods vs. giants scene (which, BTW, was also way too convenient and rushed) and Jason's all starstruck! But can I say, that scene in the end with Piper? So cute! PIPER Also another character that I wasn't too fond of, but Piper really shows her strength here. Especially in that scene with Annabeth, where Piper is able to fight back better than Annabeth can! I did not, however, see how it was possible to make Gaea fall back asleep. Piper's charmspeak must have been like, super strong o.o LEO As usually, Leo's voice is great and funny. I did not enjoy how he died and then instantly get revived by Festus. Again, really convenient, but I suppose if Riordan made Leo die, every single fangirl would bombard him with hate messages :D HAZEL I'm disappointed we don't see more of Hazel. However, her strength with the Mist is really awesome. In the case of disguising Jason, Piper, and Annabeth in the beginning, as well as the vial that Leo "gives" to Piper. And during the battle with Nike (which I thought was great), we can really see how much Hazel has strengthened in her skills with the Mist. FRANK Another character we don't see a lot of. I suppose Frank's spotlight was in the last book The House of Hades. ANNABETH & PERCY Yay they're back from Tartarus! And kicking a like they normally do. Really cute when Percy kisses Annabeth in Athens to "end the rivalry" of their parents. And romantic! REYNA YAY YAY YAY. Reyna was a character I was super interested in learning about ever since we met her in The Son of Neptune. I knew there was something bad in her backstory. However, this plotline was also NOT really explained or closed. She killed her dad, who had turned into a maniac ghost ... thing. Or something. It got confusing. I was also excited to see Hylla! And Thalia! Strong bad a girls who fight with bows. And they both lead closeknit communities. I was pretty upset when Phoebe fell in battle. Just like Zoe Nightshade, she was realllllly old and loyal. I also found Reyna's friendship with Nico really cute. Before, I used to ship them, but I can also see how they can be just friends. Or, Nico can be like Reyna's little brother. How cute! So, what's up with Aphrodite's talk with Reyna. She said that no demigod would heal Reyna's heart. So then who will??? I WANT TO KNOW! NICO Boom. So this guy. He has many issues, feeling left out and shut out of every group. He had a crush on Percy that people (Jason, Reyna, Coach Hedge) find out about. And then he finally decides to tell Percy (Percy's reaction was just classic). I think it's hinted that there's something going on between Nico and Will Solace (no comment ... I really don't remember anything about Will before this book except that he's an Apollo demigod). So yeah. Nico was really brave to shadow travel so often. Even with Reyna's giving strength thing (cool), he really got drained and almost "faded" away. I love the character development we see in Nico. He's much different from the little kid we first met in The Titan's Curse. COACH HEDGE Coach Hedge is back, and still as funny, derpy, and confident as always! We also see his soft side when it comes to his wife Mellie (cute couple!) And they had a kid! Named CHUCK. I LOL'd at that! Classic Hedge :) Total rating: 3 stars I'm really sad to see this series end. This book was great in the beginning, but the ending EXTREMELY disappointed me. GAH, I wish it could be rewritten! We have mostly an unknown ending. No like seriously, the last sentence was something like "they rode off into the unknown". Leo's friends don't find out what happened to him. And then how will Calypso blend into the group? It will be SUPER awkward when Calypso and Percy see each other again ... I JUST WANT ANOTHER BOOK. Or an epilogue! (On a side note, who's excited for Riordan's next series about Norse mythology?) |
8752ed22df16acf0b326bff09868ff6a | 2014-07-29 | [[0, 'I read this book years ago and loved it']] | 4 | false | 11337 | 59d9e3c0c5cf76123ac7ee2c1ed74c7e | I read this book years ago and loved it |
1cbb17e9bb2670fb0e68c2d8547a93b7 | 2014-10-02 | [[0, 'I was reluctant to read this book because I am not sure if it will be a light read (like The Knitters series and Gambling Men: The Novel) or heavy read (like The Promises series and Mourning Heaven).'], [0, 'One reviewer ease that doubt for me and I start reading and now my head is spinning a bit.'], [0, 'The quality of writing alone is very high.'], [0, "Ace's voice was stark and heavy which I imagine reflected his soul."], [0, 'Sonny was a tough survivor who managed to escape his horrific past into the army.'], [0, 'Both find salvation within each other and to maintain their sanity.'], [1, "Ace who carried the ghost of his brother and his brother's lover on what could have been."], [1, 'Sonny who did anything he could to escape his awful awful past.'], [0, 'Like many reviewer said, the story was a race to read from beginning to end.'], [0, 'For me, I supposed it felt like walking on a tight-rope, all adrenaline rush and tensions.'], [0, 'Everything were on point, trimmed, with scarcely any extra frill.'], [0, 'There was little to no padding in this book for sure.'], [0, "It wasn't a very very heavy read (as I presume Mourning Heaven, gosh I still could not brace myself enough to read that one... I felt like if I read that book I would ended up on a rifle rampage on small town bigots...) but it was very intense."], [0, 'I believed that Ms.'], [0, 'Lane could write about Jake and Ronnie and sell it under the bittersweet line... Although it would be mostly bitter.'], [0, 'Sonny possessiveness reminded me of Landry from Mine.'], [0, "It was a bit funny to see that both Ace and Sonny couldn't read each other at first, that they were lusting after each other."], [0, 'After they became an us, they lean on each other, heavily, to make their lives worth living.'], [0, "Ace, to make the dream that his brother couldn't realized happened and Sonny, to finally belonged to one person of his choosing."], [0, 'The secondary characters were all adding to the story, people who came to the garage and stayed like stray cats, the dad who was portrayed as a hard ass but turn up gold within a few paragraph.'], [0, 'Again, I am so much hope that someone mainstream will read Ms.'], [0, 'Lane books and really putting her name on the big marquee in literacy world.'], [0, 'The quality of her writing is so much better than some of the mainstream stuff I had read.'], [0, 'Can anybody send this or Mourning Heaven for Oprah book club?']] | 5 | true | 17700033 | 5e66109f9d0831aea2a157a1c1948b6b | I was reluctant to read this book because I am not sure if it will be a light read (like The Knitters series and Gambling Men: The Novel) or heavy read (like The Promises series and Mourning Heaven). One reviewer ease that doubt for me and I start reading and now my head is spinning a bit. The quality of writing alone is very high. Ace's voice was stark and heavy which I imagine reflected his soul. Sonny was a tough survivor who managed to escape his horrific past into the army. Both find salvation within each other and to maintain their sanity. Ace who carried the ghost of his brother and his brother's lover on what could have been. Sonny who did anything he could to escape his awful awful past. Like many reviewer said, the story was a race to read from beginning to end. For me, I supposed it felt like walking on a tight-rope, all adrenaline rush and tensions. Everything were on point, trimmed, with scarcely any extra frill. There was little to no padding in this book for sure. It wasn't a very very heavy read (as I presume Mourning Heaven, gosh I still could not brace myself enough to read that one... I felt like if I read that book I would ended up on a rifle rampage on small town bigots...) but it was very intense. I believed that Ms. Lane could write about Jake and Ronnie and sell it under the bittersweet line... Although it would be mostly bitter. Sonny possessiveness reminded me of Landry from Mine. It was a bit funny to see that both Ace and Sonny couldn't read each other at first, that they were lusting after each other. After they became an us, they lean on each other, heavily, to make their lives worth living. Ace, to make the dream that his brother couldn't realized happened and Sonny, to finally belonged to one person of his choosing. The secondary characters were all adding to the story, people who came to the garage and stayed like stray cats, the dad who was portrayed as a hard ass but turn up gold within a few paragraph. Again, I am so much hope that someone mainstream will read Ms. Lane books and really putting her name on the big marquee in literacy world. The quality of her writing is so much better than some of the mainstream stuff I had read. Can anybody send this or Mourning Heaven for Oprah book club? |
b2cffcb1295d37e6f2375d731036b6c8 | 2014-11-30 | [[0, 'I confess this book pretty much baffled me.'], [0, 'Incredibly slow plotting, not terribly frightening and, frankly, depressingly sexist.'], [1, 'The main characters commit an act of sexual violence against a woman, but it turns out to not be their fault because they were tempted into it by an evil female spirit who apparently does this to men again and again.'], [1, "Yeah, that's the way sexual violence against women works."], [0, "Definitely can't recommend this one."]] | 2 | true | 19581 | 8d01d1c96cde9aafb88856abb3cebe21 | I confess this book pretty much baffled me. Incredibly slow plotting, not terribly frightening and, frankly, depressingly sexist. The main characters commit an act of sexual violence against a woman, but it turns out to not be their fault because they were tempted into it by an evil female spirit who apparently does this to men again and again. Yeah, that's the way sexual violence against women works. Definitely can't recommend this one. |
62bdc62b9afcf5e692e1f1cd531feb0f | 2013-01-30 | [[1, 'WTF!'], [1, "I just started reading and i find out she left her mother,friends..didn't even applied to college and practically gave up everything for HIM !!"], [1, "I get it that she loves him too much and thus she can't leave him.it's okay for me..but giving up everything else?disturbing...but i will read it anyway"], [1, "okay,so I didn't put the book down till I finished reading.Took me four long hours...I kept reading because I desperately wanted to know how things ended in this book.. Does she stay after all this or just let go and see the truth?I hate the fact that she left her mother and a friend like Abby for him!"], [1, 'gave up college and running..this is heartbreaking as she never gets what she wanted from Connor.So,finally she accepts that he is no good for her and she can do better than him.This is the only reason I like this book and will give 4 stars.'], [0, 'The only reason i gave it 4 stars is because the ending was just what I wanted !']] | 4 | true | 9541845 | 855f80ae214de555bab83d15b62bd5dc | WTF! I just started reading and i find out she left her mother,friends..didn't even applied to college and practically gave up everything for HIM !! I get it that she loves him too much and thus she can't leave him.it's okay for me..but giving up everything else?disturbing...but i will read it anyway okay,so I didn't put the book down till I finished reading.Took me four long hours...I kept reading because I desperately wanted to know how things ended in this book.. Does she stay after all this or just let go and see the truth?I hate the fact that she left her mother and a friend like Abby for him! gave up college and running..this is heartbreaking as she never gets what she wanted from Connor.So,finally she accepts that he is no good for her and she can do better than him.This is the only reason I like this book and will give 4 stars. The only reason i gave it 4 stars is because the ending was just what I wanted ! |
4799d8278389a73e763bf09617c871b1 | 2013-09-06 | [[0, 'When I saw this book, like Meredith Duran\'s excellent Duke of Shadows, takes place partially in British India (modern Pakistan), I said "sign me up!"'], [0, 'Unfortunately, this is not an excellent book.'], [0, 'Bryony Asquith and Leo Marsden grew up on neighboring estates and then found individual acclaim (him as an explorer and mathematician, her as a doctor and surgeon) before marrying.'], [0, 'Though it starts as a love match, things quickly go south.'], [1, "Bryony catches Leo in an infidelity the week before they marry; her love and trust is shattered, but she married him anyway for reasons that, frankly, don't make a lot of sense given her character."], [0, 'After a year of marriage, they agree to seek an annulment and go their separate ways.'], [0, 'Three years later, they meet again in the wilds of Pakistan against the backdrop of a dangerous civil rebellion.'], [0, 'The first third (roughly) of the book serves mostly to drive the reader crazy with unfamiliar place names and, worse, to make both main characters as unpleasant as possible.'], [0, 'Bryony is so cold and abrasive, I wondered if she was autistic.'], [0, "It's hard to believe her claims that she loved Leo once, because she seems so aloof and untouchable."], [0, 'Leo is an arrogant golden boy who uses absurdly florid vocabulary and appears to be all charm and no substance.'], [0, "As the ex-couple make the difficult trek back toward civilization, a series of flashbacks and difficult conversations reveal that the lovers are more sympathetic than they appear and their attraction has not burned itself out, but it wasn't enough to make me root for their reconciliation."], [0, 'One of the underlying problems in their marriage was sexual dysfunction: Bryony was cold and rejecting whenever Leo pressed his husbandly rights, so he started raping her in her sleep (because by the time she woke up, she was already too far gone to stop him), and he continued doing so even after she begged him to stop, until Bryony killed a patient due to sleep deprivation and finally physically barred her bedroom door to keep Leo out.'], [0, "(Note the lack of spoiler warning, there: I don't believe in hiding rape scenes."], [0, 'In fact, I think books should come with rape warnings the way many erotic books warn of consent issues, anal play, etc.'], [0, '-And, yes: what Leo did was rape, even though Bryony came, and the fact that she turns around and does the same to him (twice!)'], [0, 'during their journey does not make it right.)'], [0, 'Since they keep up with the sleep-rapes after reuniting, I had a really hard time believing all that was wrong in their original relationship was right in their second-chance romance.'], [0, "The Pathan rebellion was not nearly as riveting and gut wrenching as the Sepoy Rebellion in Duran's Duke of Shadows, though it was obvious Ms."], [0, 'Thomas borrowed heavily from that book.'], [0, "Duran's story felt so real and horrible I almost felt like I'd been there--I knew what the battle smelled like, and I tasted Emma's terror--but Thomas seems to have concocted the Pathan uprising because she needed some outside drama to get her protagonists out of their own heads and into the sack."], [0, "Once the lovers' impasse is resolved, so is the military siege."], [0, 'Both resolutions feel a little bit forced and a lot anticlimactic.']] | 2 | true | 5841500 | 1a2d334ee4ba68d3dec01b8f29b001da | When I saw this book, like Meredith Duran's excellent Duke of Shadows, takes place partially in British India (modern Pakistan), I said "sign me up!" Unfortunately, this is not an excellent book. Bryony Asquith and Leo Marsden grew up on neighboring estates and then found individual acclaim (him as an explorer and mathematician, her as a doctor and surgeon) before marrying. Though it starts as a love match, things quickly go south. Bryony catches Leo in an infidelity the week before they marry; her love and trust is shattered, but she married him anyway for reasons that, frankly, don't make a lot of sense given her character. After a year of marriage, they agree to seek an annulment and go their separate ways. Three years later, they meet again in the wilds of Pakistan against the backdrop of a dangerous civil rebellion. The first third (roughly) of the book serves mostly to drive the reader crazy with unfamiliar place names and, worse, to make both main characters as unpleasant as possible. Bryony is so cold and abrasive, I wondered if she was autistic. It's hard to believe her claims that she loved Leo once, because she seems so aloof and untouchable. Leo is an arrogant golden boy who uses absurdly florid vocabulary and appears to be all charm and no substance. As the ex-couple make the difficult trek back toward civilization, a series of flashbacks and difficult conversations reveal that the lovers are more sympathetic than they appear and their attraction has not burned itself out, but it wasn't enough to make me root for their reconciliation. One of the underlying problems in their marriage was sexual dysfunction: Bryony was cold and rejecting whenever Leo pressed his husbandly rights, so he started raping her in her sleep (because by the time she woke up, she was already too far gone to stop him), and he continued doing so even after she begged him to stop, until Bryony killed a patient due to sleep deprivation and finally physically barred her bedroom door to keep Leo out. (Note the lack of spoiler warning, there: I don't believe in hiding rape scenes. In fact, I think books should come with rape warnings the way many erotic books warn of consent issues, anal play, etc. -And, yes: what Leo did was rape, even though Bryony came, and the fact that she turns around and does the same to him (twice!) during their journey does not make it right.) Since they keep up with the sleep-rapes after reuniting, I had a really hard time believing all that was wrong in their original relationship was right in their second-chance romance. The Pathan rebellion was not nearly as riveting and gut wrenching as the Sepoy Rebellion in Duran's Duke of Shadows, though it was obvious Ms. Thomas borrowed heavily from that book. Duran's story felt so real and horrible I almost felt like I'd been there--I knew what the battle smelled like, and I tasted Emma's terror--but Thomas seems to have concocted the Pathan uprising because she needed some outside drama to get her protagonists out of their own heads and into the sack. Once the lovers' impasse is resolved, so is the military siege. Both resolutions feel a little bit forced and a lot anticlimactic. |
1f203434e203e159478b88c21e2761d5 | 2011-02-08 | [[0, 'Very enjoyable.'], [0, "Reminded me of Lord of the Flies, Battle Royale (what I've read of it) and Running Man."], [0, 'It was a little predictable insofar as I knew which character(s) would survive to the end of the book.'], [0, 'But I had no clue how it was going to happen, so it was still riveting.'], [0, "Katniss' internal dialog was a little much sometimes, what with second-guessing Peeta's motives constantly."], [0, "But it was very true to character, so that's not a bad thing."], [0, 'Will definitely read the sequel, and hopefully her character will be allowed to develop a little more.']] | 4 | false | 6053292 | 7a04e3d742565ce3b02bc9b09ff8f34f | Very enjoyable. Reminded me of Lord of the Flies, Battle Royale (what I've read of it) and Running Man. It was a little predictable insofar as I knew which character(s) would survive to the end of the book. But I had no clue how it was going to happen, so it was still riveting. Katniss' internal dialog was a little much sometimes, what with second-guessing Peeta's motives constantly. But it was very true to character, so that's not a bad thing. Will definitely read the sequel, and hopefully her character will be allowed to develop a little more. |
480564a6be18fc8d0046963a1b2f10dd | 2016-01-23 | [[0, "This is the latest book in one of my favorite fantasy series and I didn't even know it existed until I found it at Half Price Books!"], [0, 'Score!'], [0, 'This was a really fun read, as usual, but it was the first to really feel like it was just coasting along (hey, getting 5 really awesome books out of an author is pretty good in my opinion).'], [0, "I'll definitely read the next book if she writes it, but if it has the same lack of character development as this one I'll probably skip the rest of the series."]] | 3 | false | 10184855 | d2282d31d26c10ee621067aeb050d258 | This is the latest book in one of my favorite fantasy series and I didn't even know it existed until I found it at Half Price Books! Score! This was a really fun read, as usual, but it was the first to really feel like it was just coasting along (hey, getting 5 really awesome books out of an author is pretty good in my opinion). I'll definitely read the next book if she writes it, but if it has the same lack of character development as this one I'll probably skip the rest of the series. |
19a67d7cf5cb2834dd9126821a4dbfc0 | 2014-12-20 | [[0, 'Yet another YA fantasy series where the protagonist (and her obligatory love triangle) is the least interesting part of the book.'], [0, 'The world building is fantastic and I want to spend as much time in it as possible!'], [0, 'Without Alina and Mal, please.'], [1, "I will say this: I loved that Alina's powers grew only after she disavowed Mal."], [1, 'That play on the girl-whose-life-changes-for-the-better-because-of-a-dude trope is fantastic and I only wish it had stuck.']] | 3 | true | 10194157 | 5c276afa6c7aea96073501dc20fbaded | Yet another YA fantasy series where the protagonist (and her obligatory love triangle) is the least interesting part of the book. The world building is fantastic and I want to spend as much time in it as possible! Without Alina and Mal, please. I will say this: I loved that Alina's powers grew only after she disavowed Mal. That play on the girl-whose-life-changes-for-the-better-because-of-a-dude trope is fantastic and I only wish it had stuck. |
732d0f5b1f81a8486dd4b61022fbd651 | 2017-03-17 | [[0, 'Incredible.'], [1, "Kind of sad about how we never get to know Offred's new name"]] | 4 | true | 38447 | 6b7323670efac016bb213fbc3ecb6249 | Incredible. Kind of sad about how we never get to know Offred's new name |
470ecc3b73097d01bee2a4e4606fa9fd | 2014-03-01 | [[0, 'Ok, I enjoyed this greatly.'], [0, "I think that was rather noticeable by the updates, but either way, I'm reaffirming it."], [0, 'Jess is a dream guy, Abby falls just a little bit short (I liked her bad-assness and that she can stand up for herself, but I never felt the attachment going for her.'], [0, "It was like I hate you - and ok, I KNOW hate to love is a very fine thread and all that - but suddenly Oh-my-you're-hot-and-I-haven't-in-such-much-time-you-know and now I think I love you."], [0, "I know this romances are all rush-rush let's fall in love forever!"], [0, "But this seemed very, severely, rushed up and I kind of knew the problem/solution half-way, and Gosh it's sooooo f* easy to stop apocalypse."], [0, "But either way, I liked it, I'm just a little bit relieved I can give the DD's a holiday to them to grow on me again."], [0, "Just for fan-girling a bit after this rather harsh review (I didn't intended quite so much bah in this, I genuinely liked the book) MY GOD THE ACHERON SCENE."], [0, 'So many feelings!!!'], [0, "It was perfect, and oh my, I'm sorry for the babe, he's gonna have problems spelling that."]] | 4 | false | 9065265 | 211af4c2b88f02d995e96bd48eef36b9 | Ok, I enjoyed this greatly. I think that was rather noticeable by the updates, but either way, I'm reaffirming it. Jess is a dream guy, Abby falls just a little bit short (I liked her bad-assness and that she can stand up for herself, but I never felt the attachment going for her. It was like I hate you - and ok, I KNOW hate to love is a very fine thread and all that - but suddenly Oh-my-you're-hot-and-I-haven't-in-such-much-time-you-know and now I think I love you. I know this romances are all rush-rush let's fall in love forever! But this seemed very, severely, rushed up and I kind of knew the problem/solution half-way, and Gosh it's sooooo f* easy to stop apocalypse. But either way, I liked it, I'm just a little bit relieved I can give the DD's a holiday to them to grow on me again. Just for fan-girling a bit after this rather harsh review (I didn't intended quite so much bah in this, I genuinely liked the book) MY GOD THE ACHERON SCENE. So many feelings!!! It was perfect, and oh my, I'm sorry for the babe, he's gonna have problems spelling that. |
424c9de62200cb4bea21ee28ab88fb08 | 2017-02-05 | [[0, 'That ending, though!'], [0, 'It was heartbreaking but it left me hanging.'], [1, "It would have been amazing to see (read) a battle between a singer and a whisper, and that part wherein Elara destroyed Coriane's diary made me despise her character more."], [0, "I've always wondered about Coriane's death and how she became a queen when I was first read about her on one of Julian's dialogues in Red Queen."], [0, "I actually like this novella because I felt how Coriane's depression progressed throughout the story."], [0, "Reading about Queen Coriane's story also reminded me of Mare for some reason."], [0, 'I hope Victoria Aveyard makes a novella about Elara and Maven next!']] | 4 | true | 25005214 | ccd629b512790891edaf100f75d5206c | That ending, though! It was heartbreaking but it left me hanging. It would have been amazing to see (read) a battle between a singer and a whisper, and that part wherein Elara destroyed Coriane's diary made me despise her character more. I've always wondered about Coriane's death and how she became a queen when I was first read about her on one of Julian's dialogues in Red Queen. I actually like this novella because I felt how Coriane's depression progressed throughout the story. Reading about Queen Coriane's story also reminded me of Mare for some reason. I hope Victoria Aveyard makes a novella about Elara and Maven next! |
a0ae3f368238d27f577844589cad7baf | 2014-10-26 | [[0, 'To the friend of mine who suggested that I read this book even though I was ambivalent about the first (I really liked it and was really annoyed by it at the same time) - thank you!'], [0, 'There are a number of reasons that this book worked better for me than the first one - I think I like Lady Trent a bit better this time around and, as silly as it sounds, the plot was just more fun.'], [0, "I'm glad I went back to this series."]] | 4 | false | 17910078 | 826744eba1b30b929dfbeafebf9b61f4 | To the friend of mine who suggested that I read this book even though I was ambivalent about the first (I really liked it and was really annoyed by it at the same time) - thank you! There are a number of reasons that this book worked better for me than the first one - I think I like Lady Trent a bit better this time around and, as silly as it sounds, the plot was just more fun. I'm glad I went back to this series. |
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Citation Information
@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/recsys/WanM18,
author = {Mengting Wan and
Julian J. McAuley},
editor = {Sole Pera and
Michael D. Ekstrand and
Xavier Amatriain and
John O'Donovan},
title = {Item recommendation on monotonic behavior chains},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 12th {ACM} Conference on Recommender Systems, RecSys
2018, Vancouver, BC, Canada, October 2-7, 2018},
pages = {86--94},
publisher = {{ACM}},
year = {2018},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3240323.3240369},
doi = {10.1145/3240323.3240369},
timestamp = {Mon, 22 Jul 2019 19:11:02 +0200},
biburl = {https://dblp.org/rec/conf/recsys/WanM18.bib},
bibsource = {dblp computer science bibliography, https://dblp.org}
}
@inproceedings{DBLP:conf/acl/WanMNM19,
author = {Mengting Wan and
Rishabh Misra and
Ndapa Nakashole and
Julian J. McAuley},
editor = {Anna Korhonen and
David R. Traum and
Llu{\'{\i}}s M{\`{a}}rquez},
title = {Fine-Grained Spoiler Detection from Large-Scale Review Corpora},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 57th Conference of the Association for Computational
Linguistics, {ACL} 2019, Florence, Italy, July 28- August 2, 2019,
Volume 1: Long Papers},
pages = {2605--2610},
publisher = {Association for Computational Linguistics},
year = {2019},
url = {https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/p19-1248},
doi = {10.18653/V1/P19-1248},
timestamp = {Sun, 06 Oct 2024 20:55:33 +0200},
biburl = {https://dblp.org/rec/conf/acl/WanMNM19.bib},
bibsource = {dblp computer science bibliography, https://dblp.org}
}
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