“Hunt you down” started really good, I just swallowed the first 100 pages, then struggled in the middle. Sigh, in fact I wanted the book to end in the middle. The plot just didn’t hold my interest anymore, if I could, I’d make this book 100 pages shorter, because the fun returned only in the last third of the read.
(…)He’s using social media to push people into position. On-demand mayhem via the Internet. Like Pokémon Go, but with bloodshed.” “Bullshit,” Cantrell says flatly. “How’s that even supposed to work?”
Can’t agree more with Cantrell!
That mob thing wasn’t fully convincing. The problem to me was that, ok, I could believe in such a program which floods you with the stuff you’ve searched on the Net (I get flooded like that every day) and I totally get it when unsatisfied and angry people get more unsatisfied and angry after that. It’s happening all around the world because FB and the Net rule people. But, IDK, would that make mobs kill/hurt sb that badly so often? I mean, it needs time, not just: saw it, got angry, want to kill and go on killing spree. It sounds easy, but I don’t think that it is. But that’s just my crappy POV. Go, get a mob to prove me wrong 😆
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Mr. Smith is still unluckily lucky and charming, there were some scenes that really made me smile, but at the same time I couldn't see the character development he needed from book one. Like he's stuck. Though, the “I’m not alone in the world” vibe was a nice touch, added some color to his personality. I liked the insight into another country’s similar Mr. Smith style project, would have liked more info on it.
I really loved book one, it had a touch of believability and I love it in my fantasy reads. But not in “Hunt You Down”. If I had to choose an alternative, I’d pick S. King and his Bill Hodges Trilogy, I just felt that Brady (and Mr. King of course!) executed it way better than the baddie in this book. ...more
No quick and fatal decision, ok? Let me explain. I combined two reads into this one. My first read was the shortie The Broke3 💜
3 stars, huh?
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No quick and fatal decision, ok? Let me explain. I combined two reads into this one. My first read was the shortie The Broken Dead from Evil is a Matter of Perspective: An Anthology of Antagonists, I read only this one shortie, so not gonna add the book separately. Loved the shortie, it was great to meet Anomie again and I could look into some scenes from Beyond Redemption anew, through her eyes. Her story is fascinating and it broke my heart 😕
I left Fire and Flesh for the dessert, but it wasn't as tasty as it could be. Firstly the pirate theme, with the Treasure Island's vibe, IDK, it didn't work for me, maybe because it's my fault as I got used to Fletcher writing about city/desert adventures. I couldn't get well into characters, too. Reading the story it felt wrong somehow. But I totally blame myself.
A crazy BR with the best squad ever! Mimi and Sreyas 😉 Thanks guys for going into this rollercoaster ride with me!
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This Full review now up 😉
3,5🌟
A crazy BR with the best squad ever! Mimi and Sreyas 😉 Thanks guys for going into this rollercoaster ride with me!
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This book blew my mind!!! 😱 At first I felt like reading a not successful story from a soap opera with unlikely theory. That really REALLY annoyed me! But after some time and 200 pages in, the situation changed to better, even awesome! I ended up loving this book and craving for more! And it left me emotionally drained....
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“Humor me,” Frank said. “Don’t tell me till I’ve finished. Once you’ve heard me out, you can tell me to f**k off all you like, and I won’t say a word. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
NARRATIVE
So, here it goes! When I firstly heard about “The Likeness”, I was really excited as I loved Cassie in book one, looked forward to meet her again so it was great to know that she has her shine hour without that mind-pooper Rob! Also the main idea to use the doppelganger theme sounded brilliant as I was making evil plans about a twin lost in birth, some crazy plastic surgery or a really talented actress with fascinating make-up skills! (view spoiler)[Well, to my great disappointment it wasn’t so and that’s where the main flaw of the story lies for me. (hide spoiler)] The lack of believability for the whole doppelganger story made a great trouble in the beginning. However, I quite liked book one in this series, despite the flaws, I could clearly see the talent of the author and once again I could see that she knows how to entwine a very good story. As my GR friend Sreyas said, real Murder on the Orient Express gem!!!!
Reading the opening sentences in “The Likeness”, I felt like I was transferred into Rebecca’s story, with an old house full of haunted past.
Some nights, if I’m sleeping on my own, I still dream about Whitethorn House. In the dream it’s always spring, cool fine light with a late-afternoon haze.
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And it delivers, a spooky old house is presented to me further in the story. Even the stories of both Whitehorn and Manderley are somehow connected….
Like “In the Woods”, “The Likeness” centers on Dublin and we get yet another murder investigation for mah gurl, Cassie, who’s the main narrator 💜
Cassie’s emotional state is interesting to observe, the beauty of simple, ordinary life is explored in great attention and at the same time if left me craving for a comeback to the investigation, looking for suspects as it’s a detective story, dang it! The detective part had its ups and downs, in comparison to book one, the mystery is almost fully solved in “The Likeness” and that is a huge plus as we know who and why did it, there are some shady things left but this uncertainty wasn’t that obvious and unsatisfying as in Rob’s mystery in book 1. That being a tasty ‘up’, I encountered the not so tasty ‘down’, I had a strong suspicion about the killer from the middle of the book as the person’s emotional profile fit the killer’s for the situation in the book, well, I must admit, I had two killers in mind and cheers to French that she managed to toss the bone to another person to make me turn my suspicions elsewhere! One more means to enlarge the haunting theme is the tie between two stories of (view spoiler)[pregnant lone women and their some kind of similar end. I mean the maid in old times, who was killed (?) and Lexie who was pregnant and was killed due to the connection to the house. (hide spoiler)]
PACE
“The Likeness” isn’t a common detective mystery. The tension, the haunting atmosphere takes time to get built and only some 150 pages in I could feel the point striking in. Some of what happens in the story is quite predictable and too convent, but certainly not all of it. The slow a bit pace let me dive into the world of “The Likeness” struggling for most of the beginning, it almost felt like a soap opera, but later on I was pulled into Cassie’s world and it kept me hooked till the very last page. But I must admit, the doppelganger’s theme still irritated me, thought, I just put it aside for a time as the story just shines with tension, haunting atmosphere and secrets when you are past the struggle in 150 pages or so.
CHARACTERS
The biggest part of the story centers on Cassie-Lexie and her time in Whitethorn House with the Fantastic Four: the cold and bossy Daniel, the self-absorbed Rafe, the eccentric Abby and the nervous Justin. That’s where the core of the story lies, the simple difficultness of the inner relationships and difficult simplicity of the emotions, grips with effective fulfillment and, in some scenes dumps a load of unnecessary heavy mood. So instead of enjoying the story all the reading time, I felt a bit tired and thinking sad thoughts.
Danger, of course, lurks around every corner and lets us see the tender, vulnerable side of Cassie, who at heart, is very lonely, so no surprise that she responds to the warmth and affection which was offered in Whitethorn by the Fantastic Four and sucks her into the world of Lexie. I enjoyed my playdate in “The Likeness” after all, despite the wish for the doppelganger’s story to have more credibility. I just couldn’t believe that exact likeness of body, face features and place can be reached in one situation. Moreover, the fact that the close, really close friends believed the fraud, except one person with enough wit! In this case I felt that this undercover operation had a bad effect on Cassie as a detective. I cheer for her deduction skills, but all the secrecy and hiding the important facts didn’t give her credit.
To sum up, “The Likeness “isn’t a fast paced detective thriller, it fuels mostly on the character development and fitting atmosphere building. The story is rather predictable, not very believable sometimes but definitely thought provoking and gripping. ...more
“There are no monsters that did not spring from the minds of men.”
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A dirty BR with my fave Geisteskranken Mirrorist and an awesome Queenof “There are no monsters that did not spring from the minds of men.”
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A dirty BR with my fave Geisteskranken Mirrorist and an awesome Queenof the Cheese Stew, Mili 💜
Oh my god, what a book we’ve read! It was as dirty, twisted, insane as the first book, even more. After liking book one I just fell in love with book two, it is funny, creepy, emotional and full of delusions more than ever! Absolutely amazing 5 million 🌟 worth read!
WORLD AND PACE
Ohhhh, Mr. Fletcher doesn’t fear to get dirty and once again, the grimdark world in this series is well-written with precision. All the scenes feel alive, entwined with emotional, detailed narrative and splattered with all the crazy ugly stuff a living being can produce! The story follows several POVs giving us a chance to see the same scene from various angles. I loved the pace, there’s no time to get bored while I rolled with the characters in the mud when watching the battles or followed them in their journey to finding themselves or losing themselves in the corrupt world with no possible HEA. Writing is engaging and just so you know guys, this book is perfect! 💜
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MAIN CHARACTERS
I loved the trio in book one and was happy to find and follow them in book two. Quite the same but also changing, becoming softer, more emotional, sharing more and revealing the talents they thought were lost, Stehlen, Bedeckt and Wichtig won my heart again. Also I couldn’t stop laughing as they got so much fun like for example (view spoiler)[when Stelhen left Wichtig bare-assed and with a dull horse, all the clothes dumped in the midden pit 😂 (hide spoiler)] There were many touching emotional moment which melted my heart and some which made me sad, too.
The pain and worry of mine, my precious boy. I was worried and angry because of what he got to experience in book one. And now I got a different take on him, his darker side was revealed and IDK if I will forgive Mr. Fletcher for doing this! Aww, my precious boy is gone 🙁
“I think the reasons people do things should matter,” said Morgen. “Maybe, if I knew those reasons, I might make different choices of my own.” “Basing your own choices on the whims and needs of others is foolish.”
“In a truly perfect world there is no need for a god to tell everyone what to do. They’re perfect, they’ll do it on their own. But you don’t want to lose your power. You like playing god, moving men like toy soldiers.”
SIDE CHARACTERS
Side characters is the part I really enjoyed. Some had a huge role to fulfill! They are well-written and give a great addition. Also the names, omg 😂Sacrifice lamb? 😂 A**hole? 😂 Would like to know more about the other trio of assassins (view spoiler)[(Ungeist, Drache and Erdbehüter. They reminded me of another trio with quite a similar task in book 1. But I hope this time they won’t fade into oblivion? Such a potential!!!!). (hide spoiler)]
MAGICAL WORLD
Oh my, various types of delusions, creatures, geisteskranken, original magical world is unforgettable. Soo excited to learn about the new creatures stalking it! Oh and lets not forget freaky magic places, like an oasis with (view spoiler)[vampire (hide spoiler)] grass! 😱 But don’t worry, I sent my two best agents to investigate 😎
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One agent down, one agent down, abort mission, retreat to the headquarters! Ah well, until next time!
TOTAL: 5 million 🌟
“Self-examination is pointless shite.“
Can’t agree more and eager to continue my adventure in this world!
Ohhh, "Sandman Slim", what a date it was! My first encounter with dear Mr. Stark aka lovely Sandman Slim was when I read the great reviews of [image]
Ohhh, "Sandman Slim", what a date it was! My first encounter with dear Mr. Stark aka lovely Sandman Slim was when I read the great reviews of Sarah, the Murderous 💜 I was deeply charmed and intrigued, well mostly because my latest date with Daniel Faust wasn’t very gripping for me and I was looking for another great character (with some similar abilities) in the lead to woot, drool and swoon for! And I found him for sure in "Sandman Slim" 💜
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Interesting plot with great action, blood, gore and mindblowing humor (more with dark spices which I totally loved).
“Sandman Slim” is cleverly entwined, packed with fast pace and humor rollercoaster. The story is spiced with comical scenes, sarcastic sneak peeks into pop culture and ordinary life. All this is flanked with lots of action scenes, hitman stuff, moral issues, and mythological god vs devil fight. Some scenes may make you flinch if the removal if various body parts, lots of blood, gore and violence is not your everyday read! I like it in my fantasy reads so “Sandman Slim” reading experience was like watching a great thriller on TV.
I fell in love with this book for its smart, kick-ass humor, it serves well as a counterweight to the darker violent side and makes this a subtle, gripping and enjoyable read.
.“Suit yourself. But with magic, I don’t ever run out of ammo.” “No, just brains.”
Word must have gotten around about my cage match with M…. and the K…... F*ck me. I’m a rock star. And all I really wanted was a burrito.
Memorable characters I can fangirl for.
My fave part! Let the swooning begin 😆💜 There’s so much I love in Mr. Stark! He’s is a hard-core, self-concious, witty anti-hero. He knows what real hell is and he feels sorrow and pain like all of us, and he fights RL kicking and screaming! His roots, his past, wow. But that doesn’t make him a grumpy misery person. He’s the same awesome or even more than Dirty Harry! Broadcasting dark humor in Jack Daniels style, fighting the world with wonderful magic makes him a perfect anti-hero for me.
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But I didn’t die. I don’t know if it was the spells, the drugs, the Aqua Regia, or just clean living, but I was changing. Every time I should have died but didn’t, I got stronger. That meant that the next attack had to be harder, faster, even more ferocious than the one before. After a while, I actually looked forward to the beat-downs. Each one changed me and that change meant that I was immune from a similar attack next time. By the end, I was a flesh-and-bone, armor-plated Dirty Harry.
“What the hell is wrong with your clothes?” “Yeah. I had a little accident coming into town,” I say, giving her a sheepish grin. It’s a look that girls used to like when I was young and not entirely unhandsome. Talking to a cute human girl that I might have flirted with in my former life, I forget for a second that I’m no longer young or handsome. I shift to what I hope was a more neutral expression. “I might need to pick up some new things. What do you think?” “Don’t bother. I hear that arson is the new black.”
“Aw. Dying didn’t work out for you? Boo hoo. Shove your James Dean wet dreams up your ass. At the end of the day, you’re still Sandman Slim and I’m still a head in a bag that smells like someone used it to store an extra ass.” “I miss Alice.” “I miss my balls.” K……….. looks around. “Who f*cked up my room?” “It’s my room now and you did. When you blew yourself up.” “Oh, right. That sucked.” Aww, sweet K 💜😆
Wanna know about the baddies in this book? Damn it, but there are lots of them! I can literally count goodies on one hand fingers. While there are hundreds of twisted, cruel, perfect villains lurking there to entertain you 😱💜
?”If Donald Trump and the Wicked Witch of the West had a kid, it would be J……. She looks like a librarian with some money and good taste in clothes, but underneath the Versace, she’s Godzilla with tits…”
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Magical creatures and magical world in total.
I enjoyed the magical system and creatures in this book. If it was my ordinary fantasy read, I would have found some common plot with demons and magic (You know it: There lived a nice guy with sh*tty past and RL, he did some magic and saved the world from some demons or/and monsters. Voila!), but thanks god (or devil? 😆) it wasn’t. I enjoyed the sneak peeks into magical world with master magicians and various evil creatures like fallen (or not) angels, devils, jades. The magical weapons and things did get me excited for real (now I know what I want for this Christmas!)
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(view spoiler)[He changed, right in front of us. His skin, his bones, his whole body turned weird. It kind of glowed and it looked like there were things crawling around under his skin.” “Sounds like they gave him an assload of nebiros.” “What’s a nebiro?” “A parasite. They live off the energy of whatever they infest. The only reason the host doesn’t drop dead immediately is that the nebiros excrete supernatural energy. They shit magic. It supercharges the host, keeping him and the parasite alive…”
To sum up, ”Sandman Slim” is a gripping revenge story that caught me in its witty embrace and didn’t let go even after finishing the book.
💜 The characters are fascinating and likable even with their dark screwed-up side. 💜The action, humor and magic packed story is well-written and gripping.
This book is awesome and I’ll be most happy to continue my playdate with Mr. Stark 💜💜💜
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P.S. There is gonna be Sandman Slim on the screen!!!!!
“Penny for your thoughts,” Jessie murmured, her eyes on the elevator door as we glided downward. “Just remembering who I am,” I said. “Yeah?” She gl“Penny for your thoughts,” Jessie murmured, her eyes on the elevator door as we glided downward. “Just remembering who I am,” I said. “Yeah?” She glanced sidelong. “Who’s that?” I racked the shotgun. “I’m the woman who makes the monsters go away.”
It all started quite innocently when my favorite Shrimpy Tyrannical Empress of GR (and of all the world, duh) mentioned that this book is out and to my great horror I understood that I haven’t read it yet! Le gasp, I know! Heresy, outrageous rudeness and so on…. Well, I could have guessed it myself (and asked for it myself) that the murderous crustaceans were to be released to help me and guide me into right path…. So here I am!
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I am charmed and in love with this series for the fourth time. Yes!!!! Oh and I am gonna dig my grave deeper. I like Harmony Black series way more than Daniel Faust series! Here’s why:
Interesting plot with great action, conspiracy and stuff.
The plot in “Cold Spectrum” excited me as much as in the earlier three instalments. I’m a big fan of doomsday/apocalyptic storylines, entwined with some science (no space stuff please!!!!), action, mysteries and of course, great kick-ass characters in the lead. This is def the direction in which this story took me. The pacing is good and the story held my interest, it reads quickly as I just had small moments to inhale and dived straight into action. I know I ranted before that” Red Knight Falling” had a bit too much of “help us, the earth is doomed” and I wanted more attention to the magical side. That is not the case with “Cold Spectrum”. I really enjoyed the excellent blending of real world and fantasy, to the point where you actually accept the abnormal as very real, true life and live it with the help of Mr. Schaefer.
Memorable characters I can root for.
I just love Harmony and this team of kick-assers! Their personal inner fights, success, loses, close and entertaining relationship kept me hooked till the very last page. I love Harmony and Jessie. They are total badass likable heroines. Complex and interesting in their own way, they are down to earth. With or without their magic, they are capable of taking care of themselves. And what I really really liked is that Harmony and her team use their abilities only when it’s really inevitable, relying more on their investigative skills when saving the world. The characters feel real for sure with human weaknesses and addictions, real life struggles to fit into the world while chased by past secrets. Even the minor characters have distinct personalities. The villains are well fleshed-out, long term ones.
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Characters, action and humor are the three things I love the most in this series:
“You set your own house on fire?” I asked her. “Basic occult-forensic countermeasure.” Jessie flashed a broad smile and clapped Aselia on the shoulder. “Oh, I think you and me are gonna be friends.
“I don’t have a choice,” he said. “You didn’t give me a choice.” “Sure we did,” Jessie said. “You can do exactly what we tell you, or you can spend the rest of your life behind bars. Or dead. See, that’s three choices. We’re so nice.”
“It’s that time of the month,” Jessie deadpanned. “We’ve been working together long enough that our cycles are synchronized, and we get really mean for a few days.” “It’s true. We get these hormonal urges to tear down corrupt corporations and send entitled billionaire assholes to prison.” I shrugged. “Women, right?”
Magical creatures and magical world in total.
I love the concept for this series, with magic and the supernatural aspects woven into reality in a way that I can believe. The fight between Good and Evil, with witches, shapeshifters, demons and so on added to the mix. All this is combined into a well written series with great characters and an evolving plot.
This book is a great addition to the series and I can’t wait to see what the author has in store next.
Jessie patted him on the shoulder. “Trust me,” she said. “Until we show up, the party hasn’t begun to get freaky.”
While reading Bear and the Nightingale I was charmed with the story and Vasya and couldn [image]
Here comes the party-pooper.
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Yeah, that’s me.
While reading Bear and the Nightingale I was charmed with the story and Vasya and couldn’t wait to dive into book two. After finishing the second book, I’m still not sure what to make of this story. It started in an interesting twist, but when it came to the new Vasya and her role…… I couldn’t get into Vasya’s new role fully as it felt like a weakly based one, like an unfinished painting. Sometimes it even felt silly and simple. Next struggle I had is politics, what was the reason putting Vasya into this, (view spoiler)[ok ok, I can see that she’s no dumb, but what’s the reason then to entangle her in political intrigues if she isn’t gonna rule or take part in this? One more issue was the ugly behavior towards Vasya her close relatives used. (hide spoiler)] Wtf, I had almost stopped halfway through. I’d have wanted more of the Russian folklore, too. So, I guess, book 1 spoiled me too much and Malazan didn’t help either 😆
Don’t get me wrong, if the book was that bad for me all the way, I’d DNFed it with relief, but it wasn’t. After some time, the incredible Vasya, I fell in love in book 1, was back. The story came back to the suspenseful part with twists where I found myself sitting on an edge of my seat and couldn’t stop reading. The ugly behavior was still there, but instead of being ranty I concentrated on Vasya more and well, I was fascinated by her again. I even got more of Russian folklore and tasty bits from the tales.
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To sum up, I don’t think that I enjoyed this book as much as book 1. The last third of “Girl in the Tower” really was amazing. There were some really great moments with magic, mystique and action, but being spoiled as I am, I would have liked it to be more like the first book. I am glad that I decided to go on and that left me looking forward to book 3 to be released.
During my trip with Mr. Slade I was charmed, intrigued, disgusted a bit, all in all enchanted with almost every single read (a bit disappointe [image]
During my trip with Mr. Slade I was charmed, intrigued, disgusted a bit, all in all enchanted with almost every single read (a bit disappointed with Burnt Bones, but it seems it was just a short stop to recuperate and get back to awesomeness). There is a new energy and intrigue with “Hangman”, I guess it’s the new teaming up (Michael Slade is the pseudonym of Vancouver trial lawyer Jay Clarke. In “Hangman”, Clarke teams up with daughter Rebecca Clarke).
The story has lots of twists and turns, it definitely feels like a new taste of spice. Traditionally, mysteries are backed up by action, gore and incredible amount of research into police and legal procedure. It kept me intrigued from beginning to end. I kept guessing, while diving into several different characters stories. Some mysteries were easier to crack, but the very main one just blew my mind and I was left with my jaw hanging down.
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I loved the tasty bit about the origin of
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You could say: “ So much fuss about a picture of a woman who has lost her earrings . ” And you would probably be right. I look at that from this angle 😂
" A scream a day keeps the shrink away "
My fave part, characters: Slade is famous for his complex, scarred characters with tough past, but at the same time they are so realistic. Centered upon the portrayal of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with my beloved Zinc in the lead and several gruesome murders for dessert, “Hangman” is soaked with suspense, interesting historical facts and a fantastic race to guess who the culprit is! Damn, I had five suspects myself and only one of them matched the killer (there are way more killers than one there, so go on, try to solve “Hangman” mysteries yourself!) And I came to the part, which is a heart-breaker for me, people died, sometimes they were worth it and I cheered the Hangman to kill that mind-pooper! But one death was very sad for me, I loved that character a lot, also I think that it’s unfair to another character who was again left with a broken heart 🙁 Damn it, but will there be enough of bad times for my faves?! Ugh.
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All in all, that is an awesome read and if not for my passion to Malazan, I would have swallowed “Hangman” in a couple of days. Can’t wait to see what this new teaming has in store for me in other books in the series! ...more
Not sure what to make of this shortie. The melodrama is at it's high peak in this one so far. While the three earlier ones wandered near the line of pNot sure what to make of this shortie. The melodrama is at it's high peak in this one so far. While the three earlier ones wandered near the line of possibility more, this one - clearly not.
A wonderful after ever after bike ride with my awesome GR friend, Eilonwy for our second BR! I loved our first BR for Drums, Girls & Dangerous PieA wonderful after ever after bike ride with my awesome GR friend, Eilonwy for our second BR! I loved our first BR for Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, and it was great to BR the sequel together as Steve and his little bro, Jeffy won my heart. I’m probably getting too melodramatic lately as it’s the fourth book this year, which really got me crying. Damn it, how can I turn into a hardcore Godzilla again?! Jk
I expected a lot from "After Ever After", and I must admit, it didn’t disappoint. It was a fun, heart-warming, heart-breaking and interesting ride with Steven’s little bro. Both books mainly started the same, main characters being in the 8th grade, so it was interesting to compare Steven’s and Jeffy’s POVs during that period. Why is Jeffy special? Well he survived cancer, duh. But despite that, I met a flawed, kind-hearted teen, who grew up from a sick cute kid and now tries to deal with his problems himself, having time to fall in love. Also he uses humor to mask his insecurities.
Sometimes it's hard to know whether I should curl up in a ball and die of embarrassment, or give myself a hearty high five.
The people around us might get all flipped out about it, but pretty much any illness I get isn’t a big deal compared to what I’ve already been through. That’s why I was calm, even when the fever and shakes started at around nine. Mom, on the other hand, was about as calm as Bambi after the forest fire.
I loved Tad, another special character in this book, too. He's hot-tempered, distrustful, and difficult to understand. Maybe that’s why he and Jeff became BFF.
As soon as the teacher begins telling us about our next social studies assignment, I lean over and whisper, “Hi, I’m Jeffrey. I had cancer, too.” He looks at me like I’m a particularly loathsome slice of school-lunch meat loaf and says, “Wow, congratulations! What do you want, a medal?” That’s how I meet my best friend.
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I thinks the charm of this series is there, voice of such ordinary but at the same special kids. Oh and the teachers, too. How couldn’t I adore such a charming colleague? :D
“And let me tell you, when I was a kid, we didn’t have any of this Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Wii, three-D GameCube stuff. Our three-D game platform was called a park. Our Nin-ten-do virtual reality war game was called hide-and-seek. And Wii was the sound we made when we jumped fifteen feet from a tire swing.”
To hells, I have a teen son myself, who’s crazy about his bike and basketball and who sometimes has a tough period dealing with his teenage emotional issues as well as meeting girls. It was really great to read this series and spend some memorable hours diving into teen’s world and tasting some desserts as well as some sour candies. Highly recommended ;)
“Subtle Agency” is a debut by Graeme Rodaughan that presents a more untraditional story of the birth of vampires than other books on vampire subjec3 💜
“Subtle Agency” is a debut by Graeme Rodaughan that presents a more untraditional story of the birth of vampires than other books on vampire subject. It’s fantasy combined with sci-fi that reminded me much of watching a movie with Mr. Blade, full of dark high technologies and wonderful action scenes it was interesting to read.
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Much of the world in “Subtle Agency” is about the eternal fight good vs. evil as the author portrays the world on the edge of a great (and mysterious) conflict among various vicious groups. Ancient artefacts resurface and strange creatures lurk in the dark places of the world.
The story is told from several POVs, one of them is Anton. I didn’t like him much in the beginning, but later on (thanks god) he grew out of his whiny state mostly and started showing some qualities I liked. Together with the kick-ass girly (Li 💜💜💜💜💜) and her amazing dad they made a great team. (view spoiler)[Still sad about the death of Gang 😕 (hide spoiler)]
The character I liked the most and who showed the biggest potential as a multilayered personality and really skillful adversary, is Chloe. She is amazing, I like her scheming techniques, her fast thinking wit, she’s perfect! I can’t stop admiring her as she is a natural leader. She puts into practice the credo that every villain is the hero of their own story. Even knowing that Chloe represents the baddies there is still something compelling about her.
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Thank you, Mr. Rodaughan, for creating her and letting her live 💜
Though, I admit, I encountered two main problems while reading. First one is that in some ways it seems that “Subtle Agency” wavers between teens and adults genre as while reading till the middle of the book I got a Percy Jackson vibe. Probably because Anton, the main protagonist, acted a bit like a whiny 15 year old for most of the book. As a result the story stays in the middle, the violence and all the scheming def make this read enjoyable to adults, but telling the truth, Anton made my eyes roll at first and left a taste of YA genre.
Another problem for me was repetitive writing, I had a bit of attention problem when reading non-fighting scenes. Not sure why, but the style annoyed me a bit.
The Raven sat with the other team members in the back of the dimly lit van. The van cruised along route I-95 past Salem, toward New Hampshire, Portsmouth and the state of Maine.
The Raven held a smartphone, the screen was dark as if the phone was off. The Raven had taught themself how to operate the phone with the screen dark through memory and touch alone. The phone was the same as the rest of the quantum encrypted smartphones that (…)
To sum up, “Subtle Agency” is a peculiar read. I was enchanted by the fighting scenes, the interesting version of vampire birth story and a really awesome villain. On the other hand I was a bit confused by the stylistic form of the writing and a bit disappointed because of the main character, Anton. Hope the situation changes as I really want to continue my playdate with Chloe 💜 ...more
An awesome BR with Craig and Michael :) Best comrades ever!!!!! You are the best ;)
What a book, what a series with an epic finale. The Faithful and tAn awesome BR with Craig and Michael :) Best comrades ever!!!!! You are the best ;)
What a book, what a series with an epic finale. The Faithful and the Fallen is a series, which started quite slow for me, but it was a struggle only with the first part of book one. Overall it’s a great mix for readers stumbling into fantasy genre anew and a wonderful journey for those, who consider themselves “Old Wolves” of this reading genre. I just can’t forget the characters, I followed from the very first book. It was amazing to see them reach the peaks of their character development, doesn’t matter villain or goodie. Ban, Cora, Craf (the twin of Crone <3), Cy, Veradis, Maquin and many others will always be in my heart. Not forgetting the wonderful Storm <33333
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Let’s return to “Wrath”. It’s the final book and I knew that I’ll be mind-blown, I sure was and also impressed with a perfect blend of subtle politics, true to life and complex characters, and……… quite a lot of blood. And the baddies, oh my, great ones!
Each of the book in the series had a share of these parts, but the strongest I felt, was in “Wrath”. The writing is smooth, gripping, full of tension. It left me on the edge of my seat, craving for more. Complex world, fragile alliances, betrayals, scheming, intense descriptive prose, battles for survival. Some felt expected, some not, but nonetheless the touch of greed, cruelty and evil was always there. Does it mean that the great Good was forgotten? Not at all. I think the narrative clearly shows that the larger good can be compromised too easily and can lead to self-justifying evil as well as bad – turn into good. The balance is always changing and engulfing all the characters in a great place of myths.
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“Wrath” shows a risky path – there’s more than one unexpected or well-deserved twist. More than once my heart broke and I was so angry to see some rascals, still living through the cruelest battles. Oh, the battles – there was always gore and fighting through the series, but what I got in “Wrath”….. Oh boy, grim, intimidating and explicit, with screams of the dying, clash of the armies, cruel duels……. REAL for sure.
The best part. The characters. Some of my favorite characters finally met up and what a meetings it were. Heart-warming, heart-breaking and so awaited for sure. “Wrath” presented the great development, maturity and depth of the characters I came to love from the very first book. I’ve watched them mature, change, become scarred and broken by events, deaths of their beloved ones and now they are my family.
You’d probably think that I’m insane giving 4 stars after such praise? Maybe I am. I found two flaws which struck me as unbelievable at first as to find such holes, small ones, in plot in the fourth book….. it was unexpected and it made me angry.
(view spoiler)[At first, the gender of Scratcher, Rafe’s dog. The dog is a side character, I know, but it’s a beloved one to him and dang it, it’s so easy to write all the characters down to remember who/what are they!!!! Oh and I love dogs so, it’s for sure that I pay more attention to them in a book!
...“Besides him Scratcher ran, Rafe was still not used to seeing her without Sniffer.”
And voila, a gender change :O
...“Scratcher barked as he loped beside him.”
“ ‘Scratcher,’ Rafe commanded, his hound loping forwards, baring his teeth at Buddai.”
Also the thing with Meg, her jaw was broken. I haven’t had such awful stuff happened to me or my close people, but I goodgled it. It needs a couple of months to heal. It was strange seeing Meg ok and even no mention about her injury later after a short time. (hide spoiler)]
I just can’t forgive such things to find in a great series :O But
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To sum up and despite these two flaws, “Wrath” is a great, gripping book, a wonderful finale to the series, wrapping it all up in a great treat. ...more
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