“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
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.
“Killfile” ended in my lap quite for spoiled and selfish reason. I was looking for a read to satisfy my need for smth Rollinsish (born of pure [image]
“Killfile” ended in my lap quite for spoiled and selfish reason. I was looking for a read to satisfy my need for smth Rollinsish (born of pure love to James Rollins), I skimmed the blurb and it promised that! Only after purchasing the book I thought that it’ll be great to read the blurb accurately to know what the hell did I buy 😂 I must confess, I wasn’t very charmed when I got to know that the main character was a psychic, because…well, I didn’t think that it’s cool to know what others think. I imagined it would be like….
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Or
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But “Killfile” proved me being wrong in my first impression. John Smith is not a usual psychic. I mean, usually the renegade-hitman-hero is with some physical strength/superpower or dark magic, so it may look like a common thing. But as I said before, John is not common, sometimes it seems that he hates his super power and all he wants is to run away from all. All super abilities have their dark side. “Killfile” is a masterful realistic tale of it. I wonder if the true reasons for John’s power will be explained. That's what I love about Rollins, he drops smth unbelievable in his books and then backs it up with real life facts. I loved it how the author used some true facts, too, like some historical facts about Russia or a person with similar like John’s abilities…
What I already admire about “Killfile” is how it took me out of my comfort zone, I was entertained, intrigued, also worried for the main character, I didn’t know what to expect and just couldn't put this read down! The author did a great job, the story flows so easily, combining adventure, history, action, and biotechnology, even a bit of romance with a kick-ass heroine (sends love to K 💜💜💜💜💜💜)
I honestly loved this book, it was an amazing ride full of suspense. I felt really connected with the main character, was intrigued about his past. Can’t wait to see what else has John Smith in store for me
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
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 ;)
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
Wow,what a read, I'm a ruin after "Ruin". But a mind-blown ruin :) After loving book 2, I was so eager to start book 3 and wasn't disappointed....wellWow,what a read, I'm a ruin after "Ruin". But a mind-blown ruin :) After loving book 2, I was so eager to start book 3 and wasn't disappointed....well, for the biggest part as "Ruin" has a treat for fantasy fans. An epic story, great fleshed out characters, magical creatures, cool action scenes, plotting and so on. I really liked it :)
I'm probably too spoiled but I was a bit annoyed with some stuff I found in "Ruin". It was great meeting my fave characters and of course the baddies. I was curious how will Mr. Gwynne handle them, make their personalities stronger or change them and it was done smoothly. I have only one complaint about one of the characters. (view spoiler)[It's Nate, he's such a sissy, almost a tiring character and he annoyed me with his POV. Maybe he should grow some balls at last, duh? O.o Also, it felt peculiar as the author used two same intense points in "Ruin" as I read in "Valour", I mean Maquin was enslaved AGAIN and Ban fell into kidnap trap, AGAIN, it almost felt like a remake a bit. (hide spoiler)]
But
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Despite these little flaws I found the story engaging and the action and revelations really kept me on the edge of the seat. The story ended with such a cliffhanger! I've kept everything crossed for one of my faves to make it through, it's highly unlikely and despite the great joyous scenes ((view spoiler)[aww, just look at them <33333 [image] (hide spoiler)]), it made me a ruin.
The story you know from first two books will shatter to dust and everything which was solid and unmovable will be ripped apart....... Can't wait for tomorrow to come to start "Wrath"!...more
Sanity. Insanity. Genius. Rampant stupidity. Frankly, I can no longer tell them apart. —FEHLENDE WAHRHEIT, GEISTESKRANKEN PHILOSOPHER
An intriguing Sanity. Insanity. Genius. Rampant stupidity. Frankly, I can no longer tell them apart. —FEHLENDE WAHRHEIT, GEISTESKRANKEN PHILOSOPHER
An intriguing BR with The Queen of Cheese Stew :) Thanks for BR this horribly awesome book with me! <3
I guess I’m beyond redemption. When I saw this book firstly, read and reviewed by my GR friends, I thought: To hells, no way I can read this cruel book. Then almost a month passed, going around it, kicking it from the TBR list, adding again. What really helped me is support of my lovely GR friend, Sarah , the awesome purple goddess and an amazing reviewer <3 Love you girly and thanks!
“Beyond Redemption” is a grim, filthy and twisted tale, it’s disgusting but intriguing for sure. The world there is full of delusions and psychoses, forming the reality, and of course there’s a need for a religious tyrant to be a cherry on this dessert of madness. Faith and corruption crave there, putting the nature of belief, religion, and power on the chopping block.
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I was amazed how Mr. Fletcher cleverly pulls the strings of religion and belief systems, juggling the quotes and thoughts of the mentionable people in the world of “Beyond Redemption”. Blending religion with the delusions and magic make this story an unforgettable and outstanding one. I can say for sure, I haven’t read anything like this before. How to survive in this grim dystopian world, which floods characters with terror, breaks them and takes away any hope? Fighting back, moving forward with determination, not giving up……
[image] The Hot Lady :)
The story started quite slow to me, I didn’t care much about the world or characters at first, concentrating more on the trio, which clearly stole the show as others just annoyed me (Yes, Konig, I’m looking straight at you and your boring snout). To my loss I didn’t pay much attention to the info, which was dumped on me in great loads as 1. German words sounded a bit alien to me. 2. I didn’t care about the world which didn’t surround my fave trio. This pacing problem followed me throughout the book, while I cheered for fighting and action and crawling through mud, observing the scenes, I didn’t care much.
My fave part, the trio I became to love: Bedeckt, an old rascal with his wish to retire quicker, Wichtig, he Greatest Swordsman in the World and the best mind-pooper; Stehlen, my fave girly, the goddess of thieving and assassinating. If I ever give up my dashing career as a Godzilla, I'm returning as Stehlen. Beware :D
[image] My team <333
They all came so alive and truly nonredeemable, with doubts and dreams and fears, lost in the filthy prose of life, poetic and brutal at the same time, clinging to their last straw of humanity.
And of course, the precious boy, in the middle of this insane “Beyond Redemption” world. (view spoiler)[What it did to him….. He was my main concern, together with the pain and hardships other kids had to suffer. I was crying, clutching Morgen in my emotional embrace and cursing Fletcher for doing the stuff to him. That was the part, crucial to me, where I needed to decide, to read or not to read further. Cause, damn but it was too much. I read further as I needed the assholes to suffer for hurting my precious boy :O And thank you Mr. Fletcher for the revenge they got. (hide spoiler)]
To sum up, this book is grim and dark. I MEAN IT, I wouldn’t recommend it freely to everyone. But if you do want to read it, be prepared to be surprised, tangled in, disgusted and intrigued....more
After Malice I didn't know what to expect from Mr. Gwynne. Book one was some kind of peculiar and I felt unhooked while reading the first part of it. After Malice I didn't know what to expect from Mr. Gwynne. Book one was some kind of peculiar and I felt unhooked while reading the first part of it. Book two is way more different, I loved it from the very start till the very end. Wow, just wow, the adventures, intrigues, fighting, friendships, loves, secrets, betrayals, lots of action and suspense... This book just left me mindblown and def wanting for more!
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My total fave obviously stays
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*sending million of hugs to Storm*
Also the characters I became to love from book one. It was great seeing them evolve, become more mature, gain depth. Some staying true, a lot experiencing the cruelty of life, some turning villain (aww what a heartbreak).
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I loved following the characters, not just the goodies, the baddies too. The new ones were an awesome addition. I just loved Coralen! To my sadness, (view spoiler)[many goodies died, I was just shocked as I let only Mr. Erikson kill my faves (hide spoiler)], but I guess, I'll let Mr. Gwynne do it, too as damn but he's awesome <3
“It’s hard to dream when someone is trying to cut your head off.”
Where’s the line between the animal and the human? What defines us as humans? I f“It’s hard to dream when someone is trying to cut your head off.”
Where’s the line between the animal and the human? What defines us as humans? I felt this book strike the core of this matter. Oh wow, what a read. This book is dark, engaging, a bit annoying, interesting and full of hard life. With a slight touch of light, shining in the horizon, while sitting near the ocean and listening for the Mermaid’s Tale…. What a tale.
I knew that this book is smth peculiar and it is for sure. Lets take the characters for example. A bunch of various creatures and only some humans. A strange main heroine. Or not a heroine? I liked this interestingly strange angle to look into the world of beasts to find the things which define us, humans. And be shocked at how true it is.
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I’m not sure if I like the main heroine. At first she’s presented in a gripping way. Almost a twin sis of one of my faves in Malazan, Karsa Orlong. I liked to see her struggle in life, follow her through hardships and see the final outcome, who she became.
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What kept me at bay from fangirling a bit and made the reading prolonged is that I felt that the book and the investigation is a bit longer than necessary, it felt dragging a bit. On the other hand, other side characters interested me a lot and I’d like to know more about them for sure. I mean, nowadays to find a not shiny-ass vampire is a treat and I found it in Mermaid’s tale. Also I liked the adaptation of Four Horsemen theme in the story.
The other creatures inhabiting Mermaid’s Tale are fascinating, colorful and multilayered. There are always lessons to be learnt not only about the world around us but also about the people who are in it. It was interesting to explore a part of it in this read.
A wonderful BR with my son and Eilonwy :) I want to thank Bonnie for turning my attention onto this book and also to Eilonwy, who is so patient with sA wonderful BR with my son and Eilonwy :) I want to thank Bonnie for turning my attention onto this book and also to Eilonwy, who is so patient with such a terrible BRer like me! Hah, even my son read faster than me :D
What a wonderful book it is, we laughed from the jokes, were teary in some moments and of course, we were charmed by the main character. The main reason my son and I loved this book, is that it's about a 13 years old boy, who has life struggle. My son is 13 and it was a fun read for him as some situations from the book reminded him about his ordinary day at school. The book is full of humor, sad parts, interesting facts about music and health issues, crazy sneak peeks into a world of teen and his thoughts :)
You'd expect
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but you'll get
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who loves his family a lot and could do almost everything for them 💜
What more can I say, it was a great thought provoking and entertaining read :) Can't wait to get to book 2! :)...more
Here it goes, I finished this book at last and don't want to review it. How do I feel? Tired, frustrated, happy, disappointed and ranty for sure. LikeHere it goes, I finished this book at last and don't want to review it. How do I feel? Tired, frustrated, happy, disappointed and ranty for sure. Like :)
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Yes, that's my true form, deal with it! :)
I wonder
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What happened to my fave series? I didn't find a proper connection to the characters, the narrative felt a bit scattered. What happened to great nasty villains? Why didn't some great characters have a proper time and chance to show their greatness? Why instead of having a great time reading, I feel like after a tiring day?
Ok, ranting mode off. I gave this book 3 stars not out of good memories. There were scenes I loved and enjoyed, though not so much. There were jokes and true, they made the book a bit better. I liked the heroic attempts, they really showed the characters from the best side, especially in the final battle. Also the last 100 pages really worked for me, it touched my heart.
To sum up. I liked book 1, absolutely loved book 2, was a bit discouraged after book 3 and book 4 nearly killed my love to them.
Oink Oink my lovely piggy tails 😊 Can someone of you tell me where’s the line between a beastA BR with a conch bearer and fellow bigun, Craig.
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Oink Oink my lovely piggy tails 😊 Can someone of you tell me where’s the line between a beast and a human? Lets find out 😊
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For the first time, I’ve read this book in my teens, I liked it a lot as when I started reading, the book represented a free-of-adults life, with fun :) In beginning I felt like reading a random kiddy adventure story with an interesting turn in kids’ life. But that lasted not for long :) What seemed like a nice game of boys, turned into a sometimes cruel game for life with feral savages, bloodlust. Soon the boys forgot that they came from a civilized land and their values had changed.
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So what happened? When was the line between a beast and a human overstepped? What makes a human be human? That’s the main theme in this book. Maybe that’s why the book is so outstanding, to feel the cruelty of life through the kids’ angle is smth unexpected and to see that even such an experience can have a happy ending (can it be called The End? I’d like to know about the further lives of the boys.)
I liked the main leading characters in this story. I mean Ralph and Jack.
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Their friendship, with a touch of hate deep in the heart, let the best and the worst features bloom. Ralph represented goodness and order, his voice of reason and the help of his backup, Piggy, helped to manage the group and invoked the respect and reliability. Jack on the other hand, was wild, ambitious and cruel a bit and the freedom affected him the most as the rescue wasn’t the goal for him, maybe because he didn’t listen to his voice of reason but instead relied on his feelings. They both are like the two sides of human soul, fighting for the right to lead, reason and emotions. One more boy, who charmed and surprised me the most, is Simon. The episodes with him and the HEAD are priceless.
The story in “The Lord of Flies” made me think more about life. Can I feel safe and say, nah, this will never happen to me or my son? I mean the emotional side of the story. It can, all of us have a part of Piggy, Ralph, Jack and Simon in ourselves. We can’t predict the limits we have and how much freedom do we need to let our demons loose.
It’s a heart-breaking story, which shows the essence of life and it’s cruel side. I’ve read this book for three times already, maybe that’s the cause why I didn’t find it so amusing or gripping as it was for the first time. But nonetheless it’s a great book, worth a time for a teen or an adult 😊
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